For our first blog for The Silver Bayonet: Italy: The Shades of Calabria, hear from the supplement's author T.C. Stephen about armies and uniforms of the period to give you some painting inspiration...

Maybe you’re the sort who loves delving into orders of battle and painting your figures as accurately as you can. Maybe you want to add a few figures representing historical units here and there, but don’t feel like doing all that research. Or maybe you got your hands on some new North Star figures and you’re looking for some painting inspiration! If any of these sound familiar, then this blog post is for you!

While this blog is not going to provide comprehensive detail on every regiment that bloodied itself in Calabria, it will hopefully provide the information you need to create an immersive unit for your own The Shades of Calabria campaign, whether you’re going for a British or Neapolitan raiding party, a French occupation force, Calabrian irregulars, or even some American Marines!

The Calabrians

We should, of course, begin with the Calabrians! One of our best contemporary accounts comes from a French officer, Duret de Tavel, who served during the campaign. He remarks:

"The Calabrians are of the middle size, well-proportioned, and very muscular. ... [T]heir features [are] strongly marked, their eyes full of fire and expression. In common with the Spaniards, to whom they bear a strong resemblance, they are dressed at all seasons in large black mantles, which give them a sombre and lugubrious appearance. The crown of their hats is extremely high, terminating in a point, and has something fantastical and disagreeable to the eye about it. [T]hey never go out without being armed with muskets, pistols, poniards, and a sort of belt in the shape of a cartridge box which contains a great quantity of ammunition...

The Calabrian who has become a brigand, and he who cultivates the soil, have so many relations in common, that they cannot well be distinguished from each other. Their manners, dress, and mode of arming are the same. The only difference is that the brigand employs the fruits of his plunder in the purchase of a cotton-velvet waistcoat garnished with silver buttons, and in providing plumes and ribbons to ornament his hat. Some bandit chiefs make a parade of luxury and dress. There are among them fellows who, boasting of having received military rank from the English, and the Court of Palermo, figure in a sort of scarlet uniform with epaulettes."

The Calabrian attire described above did not change much during the 19th century. There are many paintings and depictions of Calabrian briganti from the 1820s depicting clothes matching this exact description, mostly from the Swiss painter Louis-Léopold Robert. Even in photographs taken of briganti from the 1870s, they still wear this style of clothing, down to the pointy hats with ribbons, cloaks, and cartridge belts.

Italian brigand. Painting by Louis-Léopold Robert (c.1820s).

Clothing featured a wide variety of colours and outfits could be quite elaborate, especially those worn by the leaders of the most infamous brigand bands.

The Italian Brigand’s Wife. Painting by Léon Cogniet (1825–26).

Women also joined brigand gangs, where they were known as brigantesse. A brigantessa could be just as brutal and cunning as any of their male compatriots. While some would wear the traditionally male costume described above, it is more common to see them depicted in traditional Calabrian women’s clothes. One distinctive feature is the wearing of a maccatura, or a type of folded cloth, on the head.

The Bourbon Kingdom of Naples

The Neapolitan army under King Ferdinand was fairly well-equipped and, like most European countries of the era, had a well-established military force of elite guard units, light infantry, grenadiers, and fusiliers. They also had a large volunteer force drawn from Albanians, Greeks, and Sicilians. The cut of their uniforms varied a lot for certain units during the Napoleonic period, but here are some basics to get you started.

For infantry companies, fusilier uniforms consisted of a single-breasted coat with long tails that extended to a few inches above the knee. Depending on the regiment, these coats could be blue, gray, or white, and faced in a different colour as was common in European uniforms. Light infantry and grenadier uniforms had the addition of shoulder wings very similar to those found on British flank company uniforms, but the wings could be a different color than the facings.

Contemporary plate showing a light infantryman of the Kingdom of Naples.

Headgear often consisted of a French-style shako with plumes (white, red, or green, depending on the company or regiment style). These were adorned with brass grenades or horns for flank companies. Tarleton helmets were also widespread in Neapolitan forces garrisoned in Sicily (some of which participated in the disastrous battle of Melito, Calabria, in 1807).

Winter dress was very similar to that of the French army—shako and plume covers and gray overcoats. If you have some great-coated French with shako covers, this might be a quick way to get some good ‘close enough’ Neapolitan representation on the tabletop.

The guard regiment had British stovepipe-style shakos and grenadiers were also issued a unique style of bearskins with white plumes, something akin to ones found in the Austrian army. They wore red uniforms faced black, with white lace, styled after the British as well, with guard grenadiers having white and black shoulder wings.

Contemporary plate showing Neapolitan guard grenadiers with shakos and bearskins both represented.

Sicilian volunteers were uniformed as light infantry. One regiment wore green coats with red facing and yellow shoulder wings, Tarleton helmets with green plumes, and light blue trousers. Another wore a gray uniform faced with green, older 18th century-style British light infantry caps with green plumes, and gray trousers.

The French

At the start of the campaign in 1806, General Reynier began his occupation of Calabria with a small army of around 10,000, mainly made up of French line (6th and 42nd) and light (1st and 23rd) infantry battalions, but also including three battalions of the 1st Polish-Italian Legion (prior to it becoming the Vistula Legion in 1807) and one battalion of the 1st Swiss Regiment. Of course, as an autonomous French army, they had a complement of cavalry (6th and 9th Chasseurs), several batteries of artillery (though, unfortunate events would effectively render them useless), and a detachment of sappers.

This was quite a well-rounded force, offering several fun ways to theme a unit. But there were other French forces in southern Italy at the time.

While Reynier was marching on Calabria in 1806, Andre Messena was besieging Gaeta with a force twice the size of Reynier’s, including various battalions of the 20th, 22nd, 29th, 52nd, 62nd, 101st, and 102nd Line regiments, the Corsican Legion, the 32nd Light Infantry regiment, and the Polish-Italian Legion. There were also Neapolitan and Italian forces (1st Neapolitan Light Infantry, 2nd and 3rd Italian Line Infantry).  In addition, they had a cavalry contingent consisting of the 11th, 23rd, 24th, 28th, 29th, and 30th Dragoons (all with four squadrons). There were also squadrons of the 4th, 14th, and 25th Chasseurs à Cheval, four squadrons of the Polish 4th Chasseurs à Cheval, and the 1st Neapolitan cavalry.

Reynier’s position in Calabria worsened after the disastrous battle of Maida (1806). When Gaeta fell, Messena was ordered to take command from Reynier. Many (but not all) of these same units would accompany him south for occupation and counter-insurgency operations.

1806 was a transitional period for French infantry uniforms, with bicornes being phased out and replace by shakos and some French regiments even wearing the trial white uniforms (the regulations for which rolled out at the time of the start of the campaign). Though the regulations for white uniforms went away in 1807, some regiments still had them as late as 1812.

Given the heat in Calabria, especially in the summer months when the scirocco is a serious threat, it is likely the wool coats of the French soldiers were tossed aside and left at camp. Besides the reduced weight, it also made them less of a target for Calabrian briganti. Chances are good that the campaign uniform would see more long-sleeved waistcoats with no regimental jackets worn over them.

The 1st Swiss regimental uniforms are well known to historians; their red regimental coats even caused confusion at Maida and, during the retreat that followed, many locals confused them for the British, creating some very unfortunate situations for those celebrating the French defeat!

1st Swiss Grenadiers in Calabria, 1809, by Gerry Embleton. Taken from Men-at-Arms 476: Napoleon’s Swiss Troops by David Greentree.

The Polish-Italian Legion (also known as the 1st Polish Regiment) is a bit more complicated. There are rare contemporary plates depicting the officers and fusiliers at Maida. They are shown wearing czapkas with gold trim around the lower bands, diamond plates, and with white plumes to the left side. They wear dark blue kurtkas (regimental jackets) faced with yellow (lapels, cuffs, turnbacks, and collar – no piping to be seen), with gold buttons, and blue trousers with a single yellow stripe down the sides. It is not easy to discern how accurate these plates are, but they’re the only ones that I know to exist.

Following Reynier’s defeat at Maida, hundreds of soldiers were captured. The hardest hit were the 1st Light Infantry and 42nd Line Infantry regiments, as well as the Polish-Italian Legion (which had been garrisoning towns in the south when they were forced to surrender).

The British

The British had quite the military presence in Sicily and the eastern Mediterranean. Maida was by far the most singular military engagement they had with the French in Calabria, but there were others in which the British participated.

Major-General John Stewart and Admiral Sidney Smith landed an expeditionary force in 1806 at Maida in an attempt to destroy Reynier’s occupation army and delay any French movement on Sicily. Their force included a few companies of the Royal Corsican Rangers, the Royal Sicilian Regiment of Foot, and the 35th Regiment of Foot, a battalion each of the 27th Regiment of Foot (Inniskilling), the 78th Regiment of Foot (Highland), 81st Regiment of Foot (Loyal Lincoln Volunteers), 58th Regiment of Foot (Rutherlandshire), and the 20th Regiment of Foot (East Devonshire).

Besides these forces, they also had a detachment of De Watteville’s Swiss Regiment, a handful of guns from the Royal Horse Artillery, and combined light and grenadier battalions from the above regiments of foot (with the exception of the 35th whose light company remained detached from the combined battalion), and with one additional detachment of the lights of the 61st Regiment of Foot included in the combined light battalion.

Eastern Mediterranean troops by Patrice Courcelle. Taken from Men-at-Arms 335: Emigré and Foreign Troops in British Service (2): 1803–15 by René Chartrand.

Stationed in Sicily, they also had a handful of units that might be fun to replicate on the tabletop. Some wore very colorful attire, like the hard-fighting Greek and Albanian militia and volunteer units. Others were more militarized but had some really unique uniforms, such as the Calabrian Free Corps.

British marines and sailors were also plentiful in the Mediterranean and one could even field a raiding party of British naval units if so desired! Sicilian volunteers and guerrillas were often transported to Calabria to create havoc and cause confusion amongst the Calabrian population and the French garrison forces.

The Ottomans and the Maltese

This may be a bit of a stretch, but those familiar with the Mediterranean situation during the Napoleonic period will recall that Malta and the Ottomans were still very active participants in the campaigns of 1806 and 1807.

The British launched a failed expedition into Alexandria, Egypt, in March 1807, involving thousands of soldiers, sailors, and marines – many of whom had been deployed to Calabria and Sicily. By September, the British force had capitulated and withdrawn back to Sicily.

While the Ottomans did not participate in the Calabria campaign, there’s no reason that players couldn’t find an excuse for bringing an Ottoman unit to Italian shores and making use of the Egyptian list in Joseph A. McCullough’s Egypt: Shadow of the Sphinx supplement! After all, as we discuss further down, Barbary Coast pirates were very active in the Mediterranean during the time of our campaign…

Maltese troops by Patrice Courcelle. Taken from Men-at-Arms 335: Emigré and Foreign Troops in British Service (2): 1803–15 by René Chartrand.

Malta had been freed from French occupation in 1800 and, from then until 1813, there existed the Malta Protectorate. Several units were organized in Malta, such as the provincial battalions and the Royal Regiment of Malta. Historically, like the Ottomans, Maltese regiments did not participate in the Calabria campaign, but one could easily find ways to incorporate them into a British unit if so desired!

The United States of America

There are two reasons why American forces might be relevant to The Shades of Calabria’s campaign. First is trade. It may surprise the reader, knowing America’s relatively short existence by the time of the Calabria campaign, but US trade in Sicily was a relatively busy affair. Between 1804 and 1806, some twenty ships (two naval and eighteen merchant vessels) called at the port of Palermo and, according to Abraham Gibbs, the US consul in Palermo, this increased to some 80 ships by the end of 1807.

Events in Calabria were also monitored. Thomas Appleton, the US consul at Livorno in Tuscany, wrote to James Madison on 30 July 1806:

"The affairs of Calabria have not taken so favorable a turn, for the english having landed some forces, which being join’d by the disconted and unwary, has excited no Small alarm in the capital; however, Massena has been Sent at the head of 20,000 men, unconfin’d by the impediment of instructions, of course ensues the burning of villages, the immediate execution of those, found in arms; with all the train of evils which fall to the lot, of what is term’d, rebellious subjects. My own opinion is, that this flame of rebellion will be suppress’d by the unqualified measures of Massena, but if I might hazard another, it would be, that he will never extinguish it"

Unfortunately, with thousands of British troops occupying Sicily and using it as a base of operations from which to harass Naples and the French in the south of Italy, American trade diminished in 1808. There were even instances of American merchant vessels stopping at Palermo briefly to ascertain the situation around Naples, only to arrive at the French-occupied port of Livorno and have all their goods seized by French officials – the accusation being that the Americans had traded with the British (even if they hadn’t).

The second reason was war. From 1801 to 1815, the United States was engaged in the Barbary Wars, a conflict which pitted America’s new navy against the Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean Sea. Dozens of American ships of the line, with hundreds of Marines and sailors, duked it out against vessels from Tripoli, Algiers, and Morocco.

Marines at New Orleans, 1814, by Adam Hook. Taken from Elite 251: The US Marine Corps 1775–1859: Continental and United States Marines by Ron Field.

Furthermore, some American raiding forces early in the campaign were even armed and supplied by none other than King Ferdinand of the Kingdom of Naples.

When British naval lieutenant P.J. Elmhirst was moored in Calabria in 1809, he tried to claim that he and the sailors with him were American to avoid capture by the French. This ruse didn’t work, but even the attempt shows the nature of American maritime influence on the region.

This is all to say that players shouldn’t feel like they are ‘forcing it’ by bringing an American unit into The Shades of Calabria supplement! Ash Barker’s Canada supplement already has a list for American units, so go for it!

Other Nations

Of course, finding ways to incorporate various nations is part of the fun! Russians and Austrians were in and out of Naples during the Napoleonic period so it would be relatively easy to come up with a plausible reason for them to be in Calabria. Prussia, Canada, and Spain might be more difficult but, again, with some imagination it isn’t impossible!

At the end of the day, the important thing is that you have fun with The Shades of Calabria. If you also get enjoyment from the history, as I do, that is just icing on the proverbial cake. Either way, I hope you all found some inspiration in this post!

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Watch this space for more blogs coming soon.

The Silver Bayonet: Italy is out in the UK November 28th, and in the US November 26th.

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