Military History | First Carlist War
First Carlist War Painting Guide: Other Cristinos

Posted 21 Feb 2001

This is the my painting guide for the Spanish government troops (Cristinos), other than infantry and cavalry, during the First Carlist War. It covers:

Artillery
Engineers
General Staff
Carabineros

Artillery

Item	Guard	Field	Horse
Shako	Black with red rosetta, brass plate, white plume and yellow cap lines.	Black with red rosetta, red cap lines & pompom	Black with red rosetta, red plume and yellow cap lines
Jacket	Turquí
Jacket collar & cuffs	Red
Jacket facing & pipings	Red
Jacket Buttons	Brass
Jacket epaulettes	Yellow	Red	Red
Overalls	Garance (deep red)	red	white
Scabbard	white metal	black	white metal
Equipment	White with brass fittings
Sword hilt	Brass
Boots	Black

In terms of the guns themselves they were probably like the Napoleonic guns, so your choice of light grey or stained woodwork, and black carriage fittings. In the illustrations below they look light grey.

Foot Artillery
Cairns (1994b) Fig. 12.

Foot Artillery
Cairns (1994b) says the overalls should be red; ditto for the jacket lining

Artillery, 1831
The same guys in combat Notice both Turquí and white overalls in use

Horse Artillery
Cairns (1994b) Fig. 13

Artillery: 1. Major, 2. Officer
These officers have yellow cap lines, which might mean they are horse artillery, but it could also be an attribute of officers in general

Guard Horse Artillery
Kannik (1968). Fig. 288

Marine Artillery: 1. Soldier, 2. Officers
All resemble the field artillerymen above. Soldier has red cap lines; officers yellow

Royalist Volunteer Artillery
Actually looks the same as guy above, with white (or perhaps light grey) overalls

Engineers

These sappers look like they're in the field. Forage caps and grey great coat

1. Sergeant, 2. Sapper, 3. Corporal

1. Major, 2. Officers

General Staff

Generals and staff officers wore what they liked, including different uniform styles and colours and items of civilian attire - the accompanying pictures should give you the idea. Also see figures 16 & 17 in Cairns (1994b).

General Staff

Staff Officer

General Staff

Carabineros

Cairns (1994b) gives them Turquí jacket with white epaulettes and piping, red collar and cuffs. Black shako trimmed white, with red over white pompom. Grey trousers with red welt. Black equipment with white metal fittings. Cavalry scabbard is steal.

I've included a couple of pictures that NYPL says are Civil Guard from 1824-29, however, as that corps were only formed in 1844 (Wikipedia: Guardia Civil (Spain)) this is impossible. Either the pictures were from a latter date - which is what I suspect - or the men are actually from a different unit, possibly the Carabineros. Cairns does say that a British observer said the Carabineros wore black, and these apparently grey uniforms may explain that.