Spanish 'British Uniform': Distinctions for Cazadores battalions question?

[olicana]

I have plenty of information on the basic uniform for Spanish light infantry regiments wearing the so-called 'British Uniform', and I even have the odd plate for the units I want to do – E.G. Barbastro in all light blue with red collar and cuffs.

However, sources seem to disagree, or are unclear about cazadores wing distinctions and frankly I'm confused.

Haighthornthwaite says that battalions had 'similar [company] distinctions' to that of line battalions but doesn't say which or what. Nafziger says that the company distinctions only applied to shako plumes and doesn't mention wings at all. Another source says that only the flank companies had wings.

I had settled on doing shako distinctions for all companies, but had decided that as light infantry battalions all companies should have padded and frilled wings – I imagine frilled green for all except carabinero, which I thought would be red.

Now I've lost confidence and need a shove.

Please, help. Please, push me in the right direction.

Best,

James

[George1863]

Your question is fascinating, but I can't answer it. Have a look at the 'Steven's Balagan' blog, if you haven't already. This gentleman may prove helpful. I have seen an image of the Cazadores de Barbastro at Talavera without wings for sure, but the man depicted may have been centre company, of course. He also wore the bicorne. I think it unlikely that supply of the 'British uniform' was able to meet demand, such that your hunch on distinctions is as good as any hunch. Definitely, Barbastro had men at Talavera without wings (according to this plate), but the coat colour is basically French or Oxford blue rather than light blue. Happy hunting.

[the commissar]

Looking at Rene Chartrand’s series for Osprey it looks like there were many variants with the uniforms supplied by Britain being of various shades of blue and some other colours with a variety of facings as well. These uniforms being issued to regiments as they arrived with no real regard to designation of light or line.

Officially the company distinctions for the light infantry were the same as the line.

This site has a lot of interesting info

https://www.littlewars.se/spanish/lightinf.html

Hope that helps

[olicana]

That was one of my sources. I got this from there.



Barbastro,  It's actually pictures of Tiradores that are lacking in all of my sources.

I think I'm going to have to go for tiradores without wings. It means having an excess of marching cazadores, and in the short term reduces my battalion count by two. In the longer term it probably means, to use up the excess figures, one more order and an increase in battalions from 20 [18 now] to 22 - another costly mistake!

It also means, bizarrely, that I can't do Tiradores de Doyle. Because they wear exactly the same uniform as the line (dark blue not light blue) and would be indistinguishable on the table-top.