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Friday 24 August 2018

Armies of the Italian Wars of Unification 1848-70 (2): Papal States, Minor States & Volunteers

Last year I bought a copy of ARMIES OF THE ITALIAN WARS OF UNIFICATION 1848-70 (1): PIEDMONT AND THE TWO SICILIES and when it was announced that the second book was going to be published, I pre-ordered a copy. It was delivered yesterday and it looks as interesting and inspiring as the first volume.


The book is split into several sections, including:
  • Introduction: An overview of:
    • The Second War of Independence (1859)
    • Garibaldi's rising in the South (1860)
    • The events of 1861-66
    • The Third War of Independence (1866-70)
  • A chronology
  • The 1866 campaign: The Battle of Custoza, and the naval clash off Lissa
  • The Conquest of Rome, 1870
  • The Papal Army, 1848-70: Its organisation, uniforms, weapons, and tactical performance
  • The Minor States' Armies, 1848-70: The organisation, uniforms, weapons and tactical performance of the forces of:
    • The Grand Duchy of Tuscany
    • The Duchy of Parma
    • The Duchy of Modena
  • Patriots and volunteers, 1848-70: The organisation, uniforms, weapons and tactical performance of Italian patriots and foreign volunteers, including:
    • The Roman Republic (1848-49)
    • The San Marco Republic (1848-49)
    • The Kingdom of Sicily (1848-61)
    • Garibaldi's Redshirts and others (1848-61)
  • A select Bibliography
It is interesting to note the changes in military fashion that took place between 1848 and 1870. At the start of the period uniforms are still very Napoleonic in look, but by 1870 the kepi seems to have replaced the tall shako and the tunics that come halfway down the thigh seem almost universal wear. As one would expect, amongst the volunteers there are some interesting (and sometimes anachronistic-looking) uniform variations being worn, and recreating them on the tabletop should certainly appeal to wargamers who like to field units a bit exotic or odd looking.

ARMIES OF THE ITALIAN WARS OF REUNIFICATION 1848-70 (2): PAPAL STATES, MINOR STATES & VOLUNTEERS was written by Gabriele Esposito, illustrated by Giuseppe Rava, and published by Osprey Publishing (ISBN 978 1 4728 2624 4) as part of their Men-at-Arms series (No.520).

6 comments:

  1. Hi Bob,

    "....should certainly appeal to wargamers who like to field units a bit exotic or odd looking". Hmm, I can't think who you could possibly mean.

    Seriously though, those kepi wearing types have given me some ideas and I note that the War in the Pacific featured some similarly attired gentlemen.

    Something extra to throw in the mix and a great addition to the library.

    All the best,

    DC

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    Replies
    1. David Crook,

      I don't think that you and I are alone in liking to have the odd exotic or unusual unit on our tabletop battlefields!

      One of the joys of the period from about 1850 to 1900 is the number of armies who adopted and wore the kepi as their basic headgear. (I am ignoring the Prussian influence on military fashion after 1870!) Likewise the mid thigh-length tunic ... with the result that it is possible to paint basic ACW Union toy soldiers to represent army units from a wide number of nations around the world.

      Simples!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
    2. Hi Bob,

      After some cursory research on the net I was very pleased to see that that this uniform combination was very popular indeed which for my purposes is very handy!

      All the best,

      DC

      Delete
    3. David Crook,

      It certainly was popular ... and I can foresee the armies of Kronenburg and Artois wearing variations thereof.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. Replies
    1. Ross Mac,

      Well, Garibaldi got involved in a lot of small wars ... so a unit if redshirted figures could easily fit into your collection!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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