1848 - the Hungarians are Coming!

 

The Hungarians are finally invading!  All along the border the watchfires are burning.

The Army of Trans-Syldavia is assembling for the campaign - L-R Infantry Regt No 1, Battalions 1 and 2, Infantry Regiment No 2, 1st Battalion, and the Duke's Huszars, led by the Duke's son - behind them is the Artillery

View from the other side - Right to Left - the Duke's Own Zouaves, the Grenz Regiment, and the local Border Militia, and behind them the doughty Bashi Bazoukhs, led by Bishop Splenetic, who have been doing most of the fighting so far.

The army is about to move out for the front, to face the Hungarian horde....the two headed pink flamingo of Trans Syldavia flutters proudly in the breeze

Arquebusiers de Bergerac pass though Saxe-Märchen

Arquebusiers de Bergerac en route to their new bases 

The buildup of the French army continues, the Arquebusiers de Bergerac (from St Maurice) moved through Saxe-Märchen this last weekend, en route to join the Corps du Vin. (see above, in pokalems and with jackets packed)

This has led to a certain amount of unease - a large body of armed men moving throught the Duchy, and with Saxe-Märchen's own main forces elsewhere, who shall protect Saxe-Märchen?

In the event the Duke's Garde du Corps squadron was mustered to escort them, but this just highlighted that Saxe-Märchen had nothing to defend itself with.

"We should start to call up the Schonberg regiment, sire"

"Bah - that's far too expensive, all we need is a few cavalry and Gendarmes"

"Well, we could always ask for volunteers among the wealthier young blades to serve as cavalry, give them something to do and a dandy uniform, make em serve for nothing - a Free Corps ahaha"

"Sire, that is not quite what Free Corps means"

"Why not, keep em out all teh taverns - and God knows there are enough hunters and mountain men in the GrimmWald and Sonneberg to set up one of these new-fangled Jäger units - couple of Thalers a year for service when necessary. Yes, the GrimmWald Jägers has a ring to it"

"Very good sire, but we do need some form of regular force just in case we need to deploy quickly. The Bergerac were friendly, imagine if they were not! And most of the field artillery went with the French force"

The argument is carrying on, and on. The Duke is caught between the twin desires to to keep his pockets full and his arse safe...

The Kreisregiment Mosel comes ashore

Regiment Mosel, Inhaber Kolonel Schnott has a cold. Gezundheit!

The French flotilla has arrived at Driebrucken, and on board already is the Regiment Mosel, the Kreissregiment of the Bishopric of Wurstburg am Mosel. There was a bit of a shock when it was clear they were not wearing gaiters, another sign of the poor state of many of the Kreis-regiments in this hurried call-up.

The Mosel, along with the now-to-embark Saxe-Märchen regiments Driebrucken and Wahlheim, and the Swiss batalion Valais, (still coming down the Fluss after an altercation with the Frundsberg town clock) will form the Reichsarmee Brigade Imaginär of the French Corps du Vin, for the Big Push this year of our Lord 1757

Anyway, they have been allowed off the boat to relieve their thirst stretch their legs, and here is their colour party parading in the StadtPlatz.

The Gendarmes have noted an influx of ladies into Driebrucken , and note its unlikely to be for church on Sunday

Taking inventory of the infantry

Colour companies of the Infantry Regiments Wahlheim and Driebrucken parade in Driebrucken StadtPlatz before embarking with the French fleet

The French barges were spotted this morning coming down the Fluss, and a messenger moved quickly to Driebrucken where the forces are being assembled to embark. 

With much pomp and ceremony, the bands and colours of the two Saxe-Märchen regiments going to war have paraded in the town square while sergeants make sure all the troops are roused, dressed and ready to go.

Later in the day, Duke Werther will have an Official Farewell Ceremony, but he is still riding down the North Way with the Malthus Lieb-Dragoons and his Garde.

As well as the excitement though, there is a certain amount of irritation and apprehension among the Driebruckeners - as they have the only regiment that was in any way organised (being on the main river, that is the one the parsimonious Duke keeps operational) they feel they are paying the price. The Wahlheim regiment has been rapidly re-constituted but some of the young men in it have scarcely seen a musket, never mind fired one in years. 

"Who is going to protect the river-front now?" they wonder. The Gendarmerie are scarcely large enough to cope with a busy Saturday night, never mind a world soon to be at war.

The Sarkozy Hussars pass through KeinBrucken

There were amazing scenes late yesterday afternoon at Keinbrucken, when the Cross-Fluss ferry found that over 300 men and horses (also in poor condition, poor creatures - needing a good wash and dry-brushing) wanted to be transported over to the Saxe-Märchen side.

These turned out to be the reknowned Sarkozy Hussars, who found fame in  St Vignoble* service - one can only assume the French have twisted their arms as well for this campaign. They had apparently missed the French flotilla owing to too much carousing in Frundsberg upriver and are now racing to catch it at Driebrucken tomorrow.

(For a map of Saxe-Märchen, so you can follow the action, go here)
 
They have taken all the beds (free and occupied) in Keinbrucken and in Hamelet tonight. The innkeepers and tavernkeepers are rubbing their hands with glee, but their wives and daughters are finding its other things that are being rubbed......a Hussar is never happy unless in the saddle. So far the Gendarmerie report no major incidents except a rather large number of ladies flocking into the town

(*I rather like some of my fellow Imagi-Nationeer's units, so have press-painted them into the service of the Corps du Vin for this campaign. More will follow.....)

(By the way, the Hussars are painted a light-medium grey, but in the camera flashlight have a blue hue. I may try that colour lightened for some of  the French units. They are Perry plastic Napoleonic French Hussars by the way, who also come with a Mirliton hat option. I am using them for all my 7YW volunteer/Imagi-nation (as opposed to regular)  Hussar units, size wise they fit in well with my Front Rank, Foundry and Old Glory, they are a bit slimmer but its not really noticeable.)

Ve Haff No Standards....

Graf Malthus leads the Leib Dragoner regiment out the South Gate towards the Wars 

".....und der horses are not yet schip-schape, dey need a gut vash undt dry brush, effrytink is being done in such a hurry"...grumbled Graf Malthus as he led the Saxe-Märchen Leib-Dragoner Regiment through Wahlheim and south onto the Schonburg road, en route to Driebrucken to embark with the French. "Und our bases are still Alte Schule und der Franch say they now need to be - vot is dis - flocked"

(Wahlheimers have a fairly rustic accent to those living in metropolitan Schonberg, you see...)

"Ja, Herr Graf" agreed his Aide de Camp, "Ve must pick the standard from Ruimpelstiltskin & Sohn as ve pass through Schonberg und meet der infantry regiments"

"Der Franch can get der flocked though, ve is Alte Schule...." harrumphed the gruff Graf.

Still, the old warhorse looked happy, reflected his Aide de Camp. Herr Graf hadn't really settled down since '48 and was clearly itching for a last campaign.


(For a map of Saxe-Märchen, so you can follow the action, go here)

(The Graf doesn't know it, but they will be in action far sooner than he thinks - getting  Saxe-Märchen's forces together in time has been very rushed - and I haven't yet decided on the colour of lapel lace or the devices on the mitres)