Garibaldines' operations in Calabria, 1860

 Some pictures and a brief after-action report of our latest game of Rebels & Patriots.

The scenario is set in Calabria, 1860. After the conquest of Sicily, the first troops of the Army of the South (Garibaldi's army) landed in Calabria to march northward. The game involved a small garrison of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies in this hilly region. The scenario is Assault at Fort Glory, Paolo was the defender, and Edoardo was the attacker. 

Kingdom of Two Sicilies (Trait: Cunning) 12 points

• 4 skirmishers unit @2 points each
• 1 light artillery @4 points
• +1 skirmishers dummy unit

Garibaldines' army (Trait: Familiar Face) 24 points

• 3 shock infantry @6 points each
• 1 medium artillery

The Garibaldines, army was led by Nino Bixio, but one unit was led by Giacomo Medici. Their plan was simple: a frontal assault supported by the artillery fire. But some rivalries probably existed between the commanders, since Medici's unit refused to take part in the action for most of the game.

The defender led a sortie against the artillery, but the unit was wiped out (even if caused some casualties between the artillerymen). Bixio's unit was the first to approach the walls, but the general was hit by a cannonball and lightly wounded (+1 honor). Medici's unit was unaffected, while the third unit wavered. After a rally, the assault was restarted and fierce fighting across the walls ensued, with the defender pushed back thrice and retaking the position four times. Some Picciotti (skirmishers) reinforcements arrived to help the battered Garibaldines, but they received confusing orders and shoot their allies. On the eve of the tenth turn, the time was called and the game ended. Total honor scored 5 - 1 for the defenders. Suspicion of betrayal and rivalry arose between the Garibaldines. Overall a nice game, we found the scenario a bit easier for the defender, but definitely would play it again.

Medici's unit assaulting the fortification

One of the last assaults

Nino Bixio hit by the artillery fire

The defenders gun

the Garibaldines' artillery

Additions to my Garibaldine and Kingdom of Two Sicilies armies

 A brief update and some pictures of my Garibaldine and Kingdom of Two Sicilies armies. If you wish to be updated more frequently, please follow my Instagram page @arsenaledelnano

Italian Wars of Independence is one of my areas of interest. As a wargamer,  I find the many small clashes very appealing, especially considering I am currently playing large skirmish rulesets stemming from Lion Rampant.

I had a couple games of Rebels and Patriots with my two new 28mm miniatures armies: the Garibaldine army from the Expedition of the Thousand in 1860, and their opponent: the Kingdom of Two Sicilies army. I will post some after-action reports one day. After the last game, I felt I lacked variety, so I was prompt to add a couple of units to my armies, and here they are (the bases are not finished yet).

For the Garibaldine, I painted generals Nino Bixio (on the right) and Giacomo Medici (on the left) to serve as officers and to be fielded in an all cavalry unit, even if historically, the Garibaldine had almost no cavalry, except a small unit of mounted scouts (Guide a cavallo). 

For the Kingdom of Two Sicilies, I painted a medium artillery unit, to help fight those pesky red-shirts! Some mistakes were made in the uniforms, but I like the overall result, and will probably order a second unit to paint it correctly rather than correct this one.

All the miniatures are from a relatively new Italian manufacturer, Shako64, which produces an interesting and expanding range for the 1860-1861 campaign. They fit well with the existing Mirliton miniatures and with Perry miniatures size. I will post some comparison pictures another day. The miniatures are mostly painted with new Contrast paints, which I find a bit fiddly with Napoleonic and post-Napoleonic 19th-century type uniforms, but they are still pleasant to use.

Shakò64 Borbonic Hunters (2) - Painting guide

Cacciatori and Carabinieri esteri (1859-1860)

Documentation about uniforms in the Kingdom of Two Sicilies army during its last period is fragmentary, and few dedicated volumes exist, for this reason I decided to write this guide to help new wargamers getting started in this fascinating period. Few depictions of this army arrived to us, and I chose to follow the Vinkhujzen collection watercolors, which follows the description of the 1859 regulations.

Carabinieri esteri and cacciatori napoletani (hunters or chasseurs) were  light infantry corps trained in open order fighting and broken terrain operations. I remember most of the Sicilian and Calabrian internal areas are mountainous and impervious. They fought valiantly (even when - often where led by less than competent leaders) during all Garibaldi's campaing of 1860 and 1861 from Calatafimi to Volturno.

In 1859 cacciatori napoletani and carabinieri esteri were reorganized and were issued new regulations about uniforms. They received a tunic grigio ferro (dark grey) or light blue and trousers in dark grey, light blue or white, all with a green line. The third carabinieri esteri regiment was going to wear green tunics with red trousers, but probably they never received the new uniforms.

The everyday uniform or labour uniforms, often wear during campaings was the biggia (lit. grey), actually a light blue grey, obtained intertwining grey and blue wires. 

3rd rgt carabinieri esteri, note the grigio ferro uniform

Miniatures

I used the recently released figures from a newly established Italian company, "Shakò64". The figures are coded as: Comando cacciatori in tunica (grigio ferro) e shakò (covertato e scovertato) and Cacciatore in tunica e shakò (covertato e scovertato). They are suitable to represent both Cacciatori napoletani and Carabinieri esteri. The figures portray troops during campaign, in tunic and carrying all the necessary equipment as haversacks and water bottles. Epaulettes are not shown, probably they've been removed to be preserved from the injury of bad weather. They were kept clean to be used for high uniform or garrison duties. The troopers are armed with 32" rifled carbines and "yatagan" model bayonet.

 

Bavarian Carabinieri Esteri Battalion, in biggia (blue grey)

Painting guide

I chose to paint the tunic in my own version of grigio ferro, so dark grey with a strong blue component, and biggia trousers. Most of the colours are Vallejo model colours. I applied a white primer.

For grigio ferro tunic I used as base color Vallejo Dark Bluegrey 70.867, then I lightened it with Vallejo French Mirage blue 70.900 and then again with a mixture of French Mirage blue and Vallejo Dark Blue Pale 70.904 in a 1:1 ratio. 

For  the biggio coloured trousers I used a 1:1 mixture of Dark Blue Pale and French Mirage blue 1:1 and then I lightened it with pure Dark Blue Pale.

I suggest also experimenting using different washes. If you're using them, I suggest using as base color for tunic a mixture 1:1 French Mirage Blue and Vallejo Dark Bluegrey, and for the trousers Dark Blue Pale only, since I expect the washes to darken the base colour shadowing the model. Then you can lighten it as I suggested before. In the last passage I often add a small quantity of pure white in the mixture with a dry brush, to exaggerate contrast.

For those desiring experimenting with blue-grey tunic I noticed after I painted these models that a good starting point could be  Vallejo Luftwaffe uniform WWII 70.816, let me know if you try it!

Summary table

Item	Base Colours
Tunic and trousers grigio ferro*	Vallejo Dark Bluegrey 70.867+French Mirage Blue 70.900
Trousers biggi*	Vallejo Dark blue pale 70.904+French Mirage Blue 70.900
Shakò, belts in black leather	Vallejo German grey 70.995
Belts in white leather	Italeri Flat Sand
Backpack, waterbottle, carbine wood	Games Workshop Gorthor Brown
Bags, cartridges in leather	Vallejo German grey 70.995, Italeri Flat leather, Italeri Flat Sand
Cuffs, Shakò pompon	Vallejo Deep green 70.970
Steel and Brass	Vallejo Natural steel 70.864 + Italeri Gloss Brass

Update

I just noticed on Shakò64 a fantastic uniform guide for Naepolitan Cacciatori, by CIPA, check it here.

Bibliography

• Giancarlo Boeri, Piero Crociani, Massimo Fiorentino, "L'Esercito Borbonico dal 1830 al 1861" I° Tomo Stato Maggiore dell'Esercito Ufficio Storico.
• Stefano Ales, “L'Esercito delle due Sicilie uniformi equipaggiamento armamento 1850-1860”
• Gabriele Esposito, Giuseppe Rava, “Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-70 (1)”, Osprey Publishing
• Illustraton from "Vinkhuijzen Collection"

Shakò64 Borbonic Hunters (1)

The debout of Shakò64: a Italian company dedicated to Italian Wars of Indipendence.

 

Italian Wars of Indipendence, or Risorgimento, is considered a lesser conflict and is often overviewed by wargamers and manifacturers. For this reason a new manifacturer dedicated to this period is a wonderful news! Shakò64 entered the hobby market this year. I recently received a sample from their first released range, consisting in Cacciatori Borbonici (Borbonic Hunters) a light infantry unit of the Army of the Kingdom of Two Sicilies which fought against Garibaldi's redshirts during the 1860 campaign. 

In their online shop are currently aivalable: Hunters with different combination of campaign dress/frock coats and jackets with covered/uncovered shakò or kepì and Hunters Command group wearing tunic, with the same headgears options, but the manifacturer intention is to extend their range to cover both the Kingdom of Two Sicilies and Garibaldi's armies. Also aivalable the flag for some battalions of Borbonic Hunters and Carabinieri (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 8th battalion Cacciatori and 1st and 2nd Carabinieri). They're sold in packs of 4 for 9€ (2.25€ for infantry figure).

The figures are sculpted by Cosimo Auricchio, former sculptor for Ital.Model, a discontinued brand producing figures for the Italian Risorgimento. At the first look they looks very well sculpted virtually no flash and smooth mold lines, basically ready to be washed and primed! Very interesting the choice to provide separate backpacks (at least 3 different models) to add variety and help the paintjob. At a first measurement they looks 27-28mm to eyes level, so definitely a modern range (the so called "heroic 28mm"), larger than Mirliton and Foundry, and similar to Gringo40s. Comparison is needed (stay tuned!).