Researching Napoleonics

[Ockius]

Hi all,
I and the guys I game with are teetering at the edge of diving into Napoleonics, and I have been reading around the topic trying to get a plan together before buying models. I have bought General de Brigade and have already read a fair bit online about the various campaigns and troops, but it seems complicated if you want to get it 'historically accurate'.

Questions:
1. Are the Osprey Napoleonic Men At Arms books any good? They all seem very old compared to much of their range - wondering if the illustrations are sparse, poor or out of date, or content poorly-written. I have had some awful Osprey books, as well as some good ones.

2.I'm thinking of doing a division of French and Saxons - is that plausible? A brigade of Saxons with a brigade of French? I saw Bernadotte's Saxon division (or was it a corps?) at Wagram and thought that might be the time period and group I do.


I have other questions but they're all a bit of a jumble and would probably end up a long list, not suited for an online forum.

[vtsaogames]

Bernadotte had a corps of Saxons at Wagram. But anyone who would complain about a Saxon brigade teamed with a French brigade would be a poltroon. Go to it.

As for Ospreys, they vary by author rather than period. I should think the illustrations would be fine as uniform guides. Good luck, may you roll sixes.

Edit: I have 4 battalions of Nassau troops. They can fight with Wellington's army in 1815. Earlier than that, they stand in for any Confederation of the Rhine troops alongside the French. So far no one has challenged me to a duel.

[vodkafan]

I haven't got ALL the Napoleonic Ospreys but I do have a good many of them. The ones concerning French Line and Light Infantry (MAA 141 and 146) and the British  titles 114, 119 and 400 I refer to all the time. I consider them up to the job of getting my uniforms right, with a bit of useful history info thrown in.

[bluewillow]

The Ospreys are pretty good for the Saxons and French, but my go too is
Histoire Collections for the French.

https://histoireetcollections.com/en/4687-napoleonic-wars

Cheers
Matt

[jon_1066]

If you are thinking of the 1809 Danube campaign I can't recommend enough Joh Gills master work - Thunder on the Danube.  It's a trilogy of books about the Austrian campaign.  It covers many engagements small and large, has great OOBs and loads of scenario ideas and data.

I have found the Ospreys quite good but not quite good enough.  You definitely need some other sources for uniform details, etc.  They always seem to not have quite the right view of whatever you are unsure about.

[Ockius]

Thanks for the tips everyone. I will look into all of those as I think it will be a long and in depth research project.

I'm now rethinking Saxons as I've seen that for much of the period they wore bicornes, which I like less than shakos! Perhaps it will just be French instead, we shall see.

[Mad Gadgeteer]

This is a rather decent online source.

http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.atspace.com/

[Rochejaquelein]

This is a rather decent online source.

http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.atspace.com/

This is my personal favorite text based online resources for the Napoleonic Era.

Also, if you prefer a more visual or wargaming angle, I cannot more highly recommend the Napoleonic Wargaming youtube channel. Buying guides, after action reports, painting, army overviews etc
https://www.youtube.com/c/NapoleonicWargaming/videos

[kerpob]

This is a rather decent online source.

http://www.napolun.com/mirror/napoleonistyka.atspace.com/

Agree this is really good, but boy does the author hate the British!

[olicana]

2.I'm thinking of doing a division of French and Saxons - is that plausible? A brigade of Saxons with a brigade of French? I saw Bernadotte's Saxon division (or was it a corps?) at Wagram and thought that might be the time period and group I do.

Do as you please. I've played lots of Napoleonic games with some very well known names (with huge collections) and when it comes to the French, especially the French, if they are wearing the correct uniform for the year, and were possibly present in theatre, I've seen just about every possible mix of troops fielded to make up the numbers without a single query or raised eyebrow (except possibly in jest). Jumbling 'The French', it seems, is what all the best people do.

When I started my Napoleonic project my initial thought was to make up 'actual divisions' but, except in a very few cases (e.g. British Light Division), this idea soon went by the board and frankly, I can't usually remember what units were in what divisions anyway - and for the most part neither can anyone else.

[Mad Gadgeteer]

Agree this is really good, but boy does the author hate the British!

    

[Ockius]

I too have read and enjoyed the Napolun site but found the anti-British bias almost laughably obvious!

Olicana, the guys I play with are quite casual on the history side so I’m sure our games will be flexible. If anyone will be being the annoying history pedant it will, I’m a little ashamed to say, be me! But not overly so, I hope….

[MaleGriffin]

I found an amazing site with all the belligerents' uniforms in line drawings even generals and marshals but I haven't been able to find it again since my bookmarks haven't been organized in a dozen years.
It was similar in look to: https://www.arrse.co.uk/community/media/0938f36fde06e26a6b7067e80ac18d51-british-uniforms-napoleonic-wars-jpg.8051/full