This document provides information about uniforms worn by soldiers in the Carlist armies during the 19th century in Spain. It describes how the uniforms were simple and cheaply produced due to limited resources. The typical uniform consisted of a beret, cartridge belt, and sack carried on the back. Clothing was often civilian-sourced or captured from enemies due to lack of proper supplies. Considerable regional variation existed depending on local customs and availability of materials. The article then gives examples of how to paint different types of Carlist infantry units.
This document provides information about uniforms worn by soldiers in the Carlist armies during the 19th century in Spain. It describes how the uniforms were simple and cheaply produced due to limited resources. The typical uniform consisted of a beret, cartridge belt, and sack carried on the back. Clothing was often civilian-sourced or captured from enemies due to lack of proper supplies. Considerable regional variation existed depending on local customs and availability of materials. The article then gives examples of how to paint different types of Carlist infantry units.
This document provides information about uniforms worn by soldiers in the Carlist armies during the 19th century in Spain. It describes how the uniforms were simple and cheaply produced due to limited resources. The typical uniform consisted of a beret, cartridge belt, and sack carried on the back. Clothing was often civilian-sourced or captured from enemies due to lack of proper supplies. Considerable regional variation existed depending on local customs and availability of materials. The article then gives examples of how to paint different types of Carlist infantry units.
content falls somewhere between a how-to on painting and a uniform guide. Although this means I wont be concentrating on painting techniques and procedures as much as before, I will be covering other aspects that hopefully you will find useful. Our intention is not to play down the importance of this area, the magazi- nes flagship content, but quite the contrary. The idea is to avoid covering areas that have been repe- ated time and time again. Instead, we want to enrich the text with other value added information, such as, in this case, the description of uniforms of some of the most characteristic units of the Carlist ar- mies. In fact, this type of article does not represent a break with previous material, but rather the natu- ral evolution of this section over the last few issues. Those of you who would like more in-depth informa- tion on painting techniques, I recommend you have a look at the articles How to Paint Miniatures I and II published in Wargames: Soldiers & Strategy 10 and 11. If you are interested in supplementing this article you should consult the superb and exhausti- ve uniform chart included in the article on Carlism published in the last issue. Introduction to Carlist Uniforms The main aspect of Carlism that we have to take in- to consideration is that, from its inception, it was a traditionalist political movement with a firmly-rooted popular base. This greatly conditioned the develop- ment of the war and, of course, the uniforms and equipment of its soldiers. While most of the countr- ys wealthy figures who had greatly benefited from the sale of Church lands aligned with the Crown, the Pretenders support base consisted mainly of an impoverished low nobility, a resentful clergy and the common people of northern Spain; these com- mon people were small landowners who feared their properties would fall into the hands of the greedy large estate owners. For that reason, Carlism had a distinct rural nature. This was a determining factor when the royalist uprisings broke out all over the Peninsula after the death of Ferdinand VII. Despite some exceptions (like Bilbao, which eventually fell into the hands of the government), the uprisings were quickly crushed in the major cities, forcing Don Carlos followers to seek refuge in the country. Consequently, the main production centres (which, in any case, were devastated after the Peninsular War) were beyond the Carlists reach. Lastly, their pronounced absolutist nature earned them signifi- cant enemies among Western nations (Great Bri- tain, France and Portugal, all with liberal tenden- cies). They were only able to obtain limited support from the conservative powers that were members of the Holy Alliance. The Army of the North Since the Carlist troops lacked practically everything, the thought of equipping them with uniforms of the pe- riod was absurd. Given the critical situation of the Ex- chequer of the recently-created Carlist State, they ne- eded uniforms that were cheap to produce and useful on campaign and that could be adapted to the guerri- lla fighting style which was suggested at first. It se- 50 ems as though Zumalacrregui carried a lot of weight both in this decision and in the selection of which gar- ments the uniform would consist of. The only items the uniforms had in common were the txapela, the ca- nana and the saco-morral. The traditional Basque beret, or txapela, was de- eply-rooted in the north, which made adopting it as the Carlists military headdress quite easy. It was warm in the winter, protected the men from the sun and rain and must have been far more comfortable than the shakoes worn during those times. Sometimes a metal ring insert was used to make its shape more rigid, al- though normally it was simply filled with pieces of cloth. As you will see below, these berets came in dif- ferent colours depending on the regiment or as a dis- tinction of rank. The cananas, cartridge belts that were widely used by hunters, had already been used by the army during the Peninsular War. Worn around the waist instead of across the chest, they were lighter than the conven- tional cartridge belts as their weight was distributed and did not rest entirely on the mens shoulders. They were made out of leather and were usually black or na- tural-coloured. Lastly, the saco-morral was a simple linen or white- cloth bag that was carried on the back. Just like the rest of the Carlist gear, it was much lighter and more comfortable than the awkward military backpacks of the pe- riod, which took a toll on the shoulders and backs of the poor men carrying them. The Carlist soldiers regular uniform consisted of a coatee that was normally blue with red facings -though it was often re- placed with a simple grey great- coat- and trousers that were usually red in the winter and white in the summer. As for their footwear, the shoes and boots were a luxury and only available to very few men. Given this, es- padrilles became widespread amongst the troops. Even though they were very comforta- ble and better suited to the Car- list fighting style (remember that at this time most footwear was made from the same mould and had cardboard soles), espadrilles provi- ded little to no protection for the mens feet from the cold or rain. So- me say that this type of shoe cau- sed more casualties than enemy bu- llets. The uniform worn by Carlist offi- cers was very similar to troops. The rank distinctions included: the gold lace that was piped on the cuffs of their jackets and someti- mes on those of the frock coat; the epaulettes which were only worn from the rank of captain up, though they were quickly eliminated; and the berets which were initially red with a gold or silver tassel but were also abandoned given the excellent target they made for the enemy shooters. For the sake of being thorough, it would be worth making some relatively obvious clarifications on this point. First of all, not all units were lucky enough to receive uniforms, which made the txapela the only distinguishing piece of clothing for many soldiers. Secondly, given the production and supply problems mentioned above, the appearance of the uniformed battalions was probably not far from that of previous forces. Whats more, these hardships turned the Car- list army into a predatory force which lived largely off of equipment captured from the enemy. As a result, the true appearance of the legitimist soldiers must have been a mix of their own uniforms, captured ge- ar and civilian clothing, with the txapela as the only garment they had in common. The Army of the Maestrazgo When the Carlist uprising broke out in 1833, the commanding officers and the civil service attached to the Pretender sought refuge in the north, where a regular army could be organised relatively quickly. Al- though the revolt in the Maestrazgo was forcefully crushed, the Carlist cause was so firmly-rooted in this region that it reappeared as active guerrilla 51 These soldiers are riflemen of a battalion of Tortosa. Save for a couple pairs of trousers, one brown (civilian) and the other grey (captured), they are all wearing the regulation uniform. bands. The isolation of both Carlist centres greatly restricted communications (Carnicer, leader of the guerrillas of the Maestrazgo, was captured and exe- cuted in 1835 while attempting to reach Navarre). This meant that it was practically impossible for the Carlist State to exercise direct authority over the re- gion. In fact, the Army of the Maestrazgo as such was not actually united by the charismatic figure of Ramn Cabrera until 1836. Given this, the diverse origins of these troops largely conditioned the variety of their uniforms, which was accentuated by the re- gions traditional lack of resources. The uniforms worn by the Carlist troops in the Army of the Maestrazgo were inspired by those of the Army of the North, though the use of captured and civilian clothing was much more pronounced and included everything from greatcoats, coatees and trousers to the peculiar zaragell (typical skirt worn by peasants from Valencia). Not even the txapela was widespread, despite Cabreras efforts to introduce it. Since the txapela was not common in these areas, regional hats were worn instead, including barretinas (Catalan cap) and simple headscarves. Other Carlist Groups In the rest of Spain, Don Carlos followers formed re- latively active guerrilla bands. In Catalonia these groups achieved a high degree of organisation and towards the end of the war they could be considered as the Army of Catalonia. However, in many other ca- ses they were never more than groups of bandits and highwaymen. Although many of these units joi- ned the regular troops during the Carlist expeditions on the Peninsula, it is highly unlikely that they were given equipment. Consequently, there was practi- cally no uniformity among these men. They mainly made use of captured equipment, especially civilian clothing with distinct regional styles. For example, while some Castilian groups wore berets as a dis- tinguishing element, in Catalonia the headdress of choice was the barretina. How to Paint Carlist Infantry The aim of the second part of this article is to put the abovementioned information into practice using five examples. I have chosen these examples be- cause of their military importance and the variety of the uniforms. In spite of the wide array of equipment used by the Carlist soldiers, I decided to paint them more or less the same to give the figures some co- hesion and to make them representative of the bat- talion they belonged to. Nonetheless, I will use the- se units to show you some elements that can generally be used on any Carlist troops, such as rank insignias for officers and NCOs, drummers and buglers, civilian clothing, adapting garments to cam- paign life, etc. Before talking about the uniforms themselves, it would be good idea to give a brief description of the soldiers personal appearance. These men were ge- nerally from rural areas and must have been extre- mely weather-beaten due to the harsh climate in the inland and northern regions of Spain. In addition, their tough living conditions would have contributed to premature ageing. Do not forget that in Carlist Spain battalions were mainly manned by volunteers, though there was some recruitment. This meant the- re was a wide range of ages among the men in their ranks. For that reason, we can paint their faces a bit darker than usual (but without overdoing it, we dont want them to look like Berbers!) and play with their features to create everything from adolescents to men in their 40s or 50s. As for their hair, I have cho- sen to paint them all with black or chestnut-coloured hair, even though there were certainly some blonde and even redheads among the troops. However, I ha- ve added some grey to their hair and moustaches to accentuate the age differences. We will paint all the figures using the typical techni- ques over a black base. For this, we will use paints from Vallejo Model Color (numeric references), Andrea Color (AC references) and Citadel Colour (00-00). Battalion of Guipzcoa The infantry of Guipzcoa was, in the Pretenders opinion, the backbone of the Army of the North. At one point, they had eight battalions with 1,000 men each. Except for the 5th Battalion, which had the privilege of wearing white txapelas (hence their nickname Txapelzuris or Chapelgorris), the rest wo- re the same uniform: blue berets with a white tas- sel, grey greatcoats with red collar patches and red trousers in winter or white in summer. This uniform was common to most of the battalions of the Army of the North. GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Greatcoats Neutral Grey (992) Base Colour + White (951) 1st Highlight + White (951) + Flat Black (AC-26) Trousers Reddish Brown (AC-18) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Vermillion (947) + Vermillion (947) or Scarlet (817) Chocolate Brown (872) Wood (AC-41) Wood (AC-41) + Wood (AC-41) + Tan Yellow (912) Jacket Prussian Blue (AC-22) Prussian Blue (AC-22) 1st Highlight + White (951) + Medium Blue (963) Txapelas Prussian Blue (AC-22) Base Colour + White (951) + Medium Blue (963) 52 These soldiers from Guipzcoa are wearing the regular winter uniform. The standard bearer is wearing the regulation coatee with fine gold lace on the cuffs. The officer has the same uniform as the troops with the sabre as the only rank distinction. Cananas Flat Black (AC-26) Flat Black (AC-26) + Dark Brown (AC-17) Saco-morral Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) + White (951) White (951) Espadrilles Wood (AC-41) Tan Yellow (912) Guides of lava The guide battalions were the Carlist armies true eli- te units. The Guides of lava formed a powerful bat- talion with a theoretical strength of 900 men. Their uniform was similar to the one described above, ex- cept that they did not have coloured patches on their greatcoats and their txapelas were red, a colour that was in principle used only by officers. Just like in the rest of the army, the musicians uniform was similar to the troops, although sometimes they could have some type of emblem on the collar (a lyre or some- thing similar). GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Greatcoats Neutral Grey (992) Base Colour + White (951) 1st Highlight + White (951) + Wood (AC-41) Trousers Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) + White (951) Chocolate Brown (872) Wood (AC-41) Wood (AC-41) + Wood (AC-41) + Tan Yellow (912) Jacket Prussian Blue (AC-22) Prussian Blue (AC-22) 1st Highlight + White (951) + Medium Blue (963) Txapelas Reddish Brown (AC-18) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Vermillion (947) + Vermillion (947) or Scarlet (817) Cananas and Flat Black (AC-26) Flat Black (AC-26) reinforcements + Dark Brown (AC-17) (supports) Saco-morral Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) + White (951) Espadrilles Wood (AC-41) Tan Yellow (912) Battalion of Tortosa The three battalions of Tortosa, along with the three of Mora, formed the First Auxiliary Division of the Army of the Maestrazgo. They had 1,000 men each and were by far Cabreras best troops. Their uniform consisted of a blue greatcoat with a coloured patch on the collar, white beret and white trousers (the most common in this region). The six ri- fle companies had a yellow collar patch and tassel; the colours reserved for the two companies of prefe- rence, grenadiers and shooters, were red and green respectively and were found on the collar, the tassel and the characteristic epaulettes. The battalions of Tortosa were identified by the skull and crossbones, a symbol of all-out war. This emblem was found on their famous flag and on the drums, whose rims were the company colour. The battalions of Mora wore a similar uniform, ex- cept they had cuff flaps and, according to some sour- ces, sardinetas (cuff bars) in the case of the compa- nies of preference. GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Greatcoats Prussian Blue (AC-22) Prussian Blue (AC-22) 1st Highlight + White (951) and shabraque + Medium Blue (963) Gold Thread Wood (AC-41) Yellow Ochre (913) Burnished Gold (61-62) + Dark Leather (AC-48) Trousers Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) + White (951) Chocolate Brown (872) Wood (AC-41) Wood (AC-41) + Wood (AC-41) + Tan Yellow (912) Neutral Grey (992) Base Colour + White (951) 1st Highlight + Flat Black (AC-26) + White (951) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Vermillion (947) + Vermillion (947) or Scarlet (817) 53 When painting this unit I opted for white (summer) trousers and greatcoats in a dirty grey shade. Officer Detail: The officer is wearing a regulation coatee with gold lace depicting the rank of lieutenant around his cuffs. He is also wearing civilian clothing, such as a headscarf, a sash and brown trousers with leather patches on the inside leg. Command Group detail: The drummer is wearing the uniform of the Royal Household with red and white chevrons on the sleeves. Besides having a red collar and tassel, the standard bearer is distinguished by a sergeant chevron on the left sleeve. Below officer detail: This officer has lace depicting the rank of lieutenant colonel on his cuffs. His riding pants are those typically worn by the Carlist cavalry, red with black leather reinforcements. Txapelas Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) + White (951) Cananas and Flat Black (AC-26) Flat Black (AC-26) reinforcements + Dark Brown (AC-17) Saco-morral Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) + White (951) Espadrilles Wood (AC-41) Tan Yellow (912) Battalion of Valencia There were seven battalions of Valencia in all, each with 800 or 900 men. Only the first four were provided with uniforms which consisted of solid blue greatcoat and txapela and white trousers. I have not been able to find any information on the colour of the tassels, so I opted for white. The rest of the battalions wore captu- red gear and typical clothing of the region, like the za- ragell. Since Cabrera did not think very highly of them, it seems like they were the worst troops of the Army of the Maestrazgo. GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Greatcoats Prussian Blue (AC-22) Prussian Blue (AC-22) 1st Highlight + Medium Blue (963) + White (951) Trousers Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) + White (951) Neutral Grey (992) Base Colour + White (951) 1st Highlight + Flat Black (AC-26) + White (951) Txapelas Prussian Blue (AC-22) Base Colour + White (951) + Medium Blue (963) Cananas Flat Black (AC-26) Flat Black (AC-26) + Dark Brown (AC-17) Chocolate Brown (872) Wood (AC-41) + Wood (AC-41) Saco-morral Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) + White (951) Espadrilles Wood (AC-41) Tan Yellow (912) Battalion of Aragn There were as many as 10 battalions from Aragn du- ring the war that served in the Armies of the North and the Maestrazgo. They had a theoretical strength of 800 men each. The general opinion is that they were good troops, very reliable and aggressive. The uniform worn by the first four battalions consis- ted of a brown coatee with red facing or a brown great- coat, blue beret with red tassel and white trousers. The rest of the battalions wore civilian clothing. GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Greatcoats Chocolate Brown (872) Wood (AC-41) Wood (AC-41) + Wood (AC-41) + Tan Yellow (912) Trousers Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) + White (951) White (951) Neutral Grey (992) Base Colour + White (951) 1st Highlight + Flat Black (AC-26) + White (951) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Vermillion (947) + Vermillion (947) or Scarlet (817) Txapelas Prussian Blue (AC-22) Grey Blue (943) + Grey Blue (943) Cananas Flat Black (AC-26) Flat Black (AC-26) + Dark Brown (AC-17) Saco-morral Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) + White (951) Espadrilles Wood (AC-41) Tan Yellow (912) Carlist Generals The regulation uniform for the Carlist generals consis- ted of a blue jacket with blue collar and blue or red cuffs with gold piping. The trousers were white or red with a gold stripe on the side. The berets, for both ge- nerals and aides-de-camp, were white with a black tas- sel. The uniform was completed with a red sash with gold fringe. The shabraque was blue with gold piping. On campaign it was common for them to wear blue frock coats, though the leather Spencer jackets that we- re popular amongst the officers were worn more often. The full-dress trousers were usually replaced with ones that were normally red with leather reinforcements. Zumalacrregui and his Aide-de-camp The uniform normally worn by Zumalacrregui was a simple blue jacket that he covered with a black she- epskin Spencer jacket, red sash, red full-dress (with gold stripes) or campaign (with leather reinforce- ments) trousers and red txapela with a white or silver tassel. GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Greatcoat Prussian Blue (AC-22) Prussian Blue (AC-22) 1st Highlight and shabraque + Medium Blue (963) + White (951) 54 To give them a different look I have painted the blue berets with a greyish tone to show that they were worn out from prolonged use. The trousers are characteristic of different parts of the country. Detail: This soldier has red chevrons depicting the rank of first officer on the top part of his sleeves. Given the quality of these battalions I wanted to try to make them look unmilitary like... and dirty! I attempted to achieve this by giving them captured greatcoats and trousers, a lot of patches and two to three-day beards. Detail: This man is a sergeant, distinguished by a gold chevron on the lower part of the cuff on his greatcoat. Spencer Flat Black (AC-26) Flat Black (AC-26) 1st Highlight Jacket + Neutral Grey (992) + White (951) Trousers Reddish Brown (AC-18) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Vermillion (947) + Vermillion (947) or Scarlet (817) Txapela Reddish Brown (AC-18) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Vermillion (947) + Vermillion (947) or Scarlet (817) Gold Thread Wood (AC-41) Yellow Ochre (913) Burnished Gold (61-62) + Dark Leather (AC-48) Silver Thread Neutral Grey (992) Sky Grey (989) Mithril Silver (61-55) His aide-de-camp is wearing a full-dress uniform of a general staff officer. GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Greatcoat Prussian Blue (AC-22) Prussian Blue (AC-22) 1st Highlight and shabraque + Medium Blue (963) + White (951) Trousers Prussian Blue (AC-22) Grey Blue (943) Grey Blue (943) + Grey Blue (943) + White (951) Txapela Prussian Blue (AC-22) Base Colour + White (951) + Medium Blue (963) Gold Thread Wood (AC-41) Yellow Ochre (913) Burnished Gold (61-62) + Dark Leather (AC-48) Cabrera and Don Carlos Although the Pretender and Ramn Cabrera were separated from each other most of the war, this vignette represents the encounter of the two figures during the Royal Expedition of 1837. Cabreras uniform consists of a green coat over which he wore a black wolf-skin Spencer jacket and a white cape or overcoat with red lining. His trousers were red with gold or sil- ver stripes and the txapela was white with a gold tassel. He wore a red sash and the stripe of the Great Order of Isabel the Catholic on the breast (yellow with a white centre). Ca- brera never carried a sabre and, if he did, he fastened it to his saddle and never to his waist. Given that, I have removed the scabbard that was poking out from under his overcoat. GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Coat Napoleonic Green (AC -38) Napoleonic Green (AC -38) + Tan Yellow (912) Spencer Flat Black (AC-26) Flat Black (AC-26) 1st Highlight Jacket + Neutral Grey (992) + White (951) Overcoat Light Grey (990) Light Grey (990) White (951) and Txapela + White (951) Trousers Reddish Brown (AC-18) Reddish Brown (AC-18) Vermillion (947) + Vermillion (947) or Scarlet (817) Shabraque Prussian Blue (AC-22) Prussian Blue (AC-22) 1st Highlight + Medium Blue (963) + White (951) Gold Thread Wood (AC-41) Yellow Ochre (913) Burnished Gold (61-62) + Dark Leather (AC-48) The full-dress uniform of Don Carlos Mara Isidro was spectacular. He wore a blue coat with red fa- cings and gold embroidery on the collar, sleeves, cuffs and turnbacks, a red and gold generals sash, a white txapela with a gold tassel and sky blue trou- sers with gold stripes depicting the rank of colonel of the Corps Guards. He wore multiple medals, everything from the Golden Fleece on the collar to the band of the Great Cross of Carlos III (sky blue with a white centre) on the breast. However, on cam- paign he usually wore civilian clothing with a simple black frock coat and a top hat or bicorn. That is how this figure is dressed. To give him a touch of colour we have kept his trousers of the Corps Guards. GARMENT BASE COLOUR 1st HIGHLIGHT 2nd HIGHLIGHT Frock Coat Flat Black (AC-26) Flat Black (AC-26) 1st Highlight and Bicorn + Neutral Grey (992) + White (951) Trousers Prussian Blue (AC-22) Grey Blue (943) Grey Blue (943) + Grey Blue (943) + White (951) Shabraque Prussian Blue (AC-22) Prussian Blue (AC-22) 1st Highlight + Medium Blue (963) + White (951) Gold Thread Wood (AC-41) Yellow Ochre (913) Burnished Gold (61-62) + Dark Leather (AC-48) Author: El Mercenario Photographs: Beatriz Planelles 55
Alfons Dragoni Rabenhorst, Geschichte Des K.U.K. Infanterie-Regimentes, Prinz Friedrich August Herzog Zu Sachsen Nr.45 Von Der Errichtung Bis Zur Gegenwart