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Italian Line Infantry

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  No army representation would be complete without a healthy dose of regular also called line infantry. Or as they are known, the poor bloody infantry. The arduous, trying tasks on a battlefield would fall to them. Taking ground, holding ground, advancing into cannon fire, and trying not to get run over by a cavalry charge.   While the officers would usually wear green jackets, the primary color of the Italian infantry was white. The French used blue, Napoleon preferring a darker colored uniform. He felt that white was bad for the morale of soldiers as every bloodstain would be magnified on white. Nevertheless, the Italians, who fought for and with the French throughout the era, retained their white uniforms.  The Italians had their own flags that were based on French-style patterns in Italian national colors. The regiments received eagle standards the same as those given out to the French. 
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Italian Light Infantry

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  An integral part of any Napoleonic-influenced army is the light infantry. Taught to skirmish and fight in loose formation, the light infantry often became an elite unit. These Italian light infantry wear the traditional dark green associated with the branch. I've chosen to paint them a shade of green slightly lighter and more vibrant to tie together the theme of the Army of Italy, they are fighting in the sunny hills of Tuscany after all! Figures are Old Glory French Legere regular and elites (in the bearskins). Light infantry grenadier companies would wear bearskins up through the 1809 campaign so it's both a historical and visual match. All light infantry was trained to skirmish, but the voltigeur companies excelled at this. Those are the fellows with the yellow plumes topped with red.  Often our miniatures are static, however, with the light infantry, I wanted to evoke a sense of motion and activity. This formation is firing, reloading, and marching giving the viewer the ...
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Constructing the Army of Italy

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  We are going to take a look at creating the Army of Italy, led by Napoleon's stepson Eugene de Beauharnais during the 1809 campaign. While Napoleon was in command in Germany facing the main Austrian army, Eugene had his first independent command in Italy. 
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