28mm Spanish Oxen Limber Teams for the Peninsula War

[PAULSPENCE]

Bonjour Mes Amis,

I need some help chaps.

I'm soon to acquire 8 Front Rank Spanish 28 mm artillery pieces and read somewhere that the Spanish in the Peninsula war relied on draught-oxen to pull them.

Does anyone know if that was really the case?

Also, if it was can anyone recommend what the 28mm oxen options are?

I know that Front Rank do one but,nice though it is, I'm not sure that I want 32 in the same pose!

Has anyone even done some Spanish oxen teams?

I reckon that these once done could be useful for my India project too.

Cheers,

Paul

[has.been]

Iron Duke (Indian Mutiny range) available from Empress Miniatures. (28mm but expensive if you want a lot)
Hinchcliffe, available from Ian Hind Miniatures. (smaller, but cheaper & Mr Hind will do swaps)
Irregular miniatures. (cheapest, but small)

[Arthur]

Front Rank also do a solitary draft ox (scroll down to the bottom of the page):

http://www.frontrank.com/product-category/18th-century/18th-century-horses/

That said, the Perry medieval draft ox team could probably be pressed into service (though the animals may look a tad small next to the FR guns) :

[Oriol Barcelona]

I'm not sure where did you read that but sapnish artillery used horses.
The artillery train used mules.

Maybe in some situations they used oxen but this is not the common thing

Oriol Barcelona

[PAULSPENCE]

Bonjour Chaps,

Thanks for the help with this.

Looks like I need more mules than oxen!

I'll probably get some from Perrys but will research wider too.

Cheers,

Paul

[Littlearmies]

Hi Paul
Dixons do both oxen and mules in their Wild West range:

http://www.dixon-minis.com/search/oxen/

http://www.dixon-minis.com/search/mule/

Pegasus also do a 1/48 set that includes 4 oxen (eight or nine quid on eBay) (it also includes a plough, and a wagon bed that could be the basis of a scratch-build):
 
Pegasus Hobbies 1/48 California Mission Indians Set No.2 # 7005

They also have a couple of mules in their 1/48 California Gold Miners # 7007 but I can't see that these are great value (you only get two mules per pack).

Other mule makers include:

https://www.forlornhopegames.com/index.php/product/2107-pack-mule/category_pathway-105

I think the Iron Duke oxen may have the 'wrong horns' for European oxen - they were designed for India, after all.

My reading of the logistics problems suffered by the Allied Army is that transport was a constant problem. There were simply insufficient horses for the basis needs of the army with the result that artillery and supplies were carried by mule trains / mule and oxen drawn wagons. These had civilian drivers who often legged it along with their mules at the first opportunity. 

"The gun bullocks now grazing at and in the neighbourhood of Celorico to go to Almeida as soon as possible to draw the guns from Almeida to Gallegos" Memo from Wellington to Commissariat General Bissett 01/01/1812

Now it may be that oxen were mostly used for hauling the siege train but I believe this was done by the Spanish for their foot artillery too. I think it was a case of use whatever was available.