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Painting Guide for Cristino Infantry, 1833-40

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Line and Provincial Infantry 

Item 

Grenadiers

Fusiliers

Cazadores

Jacket (Shell, Frock, Coatees) 

Turquí

Jacket Collar 

Red

Yellow

Green

Jacket Epaulettes 

Red

-

Green

Jacket Cuff flaps & piping Red ? White

Jacket Sardinetas
(bars on the cuffs) 

Yellow

-

Yellow

Jacket Buttons 

White

Greatcoat with Epaulettes and Sardinetas as appropriate.  

Grey

Trousers 

White or Pale Grey

Shako 

Black

Shako Cockade 

Red

Shako Plume & Band 

Red

Yellow

Green

Brass Shako Emblem Grenade Rampant Lion Hunting Horn

Shako Pompom (Marines only)

-

Forage cap 

Turquí

Forage cap tassels & piping 

Red

Yellow

Green

Alpargatus (rope soled sandals)

Brown

Boots 

Black

Equipment (eg Waist belt, cartridge box) 

Black

Pack (Leather) 

Brown

Pack (Linen) - sometimes replaced the leather pack in the field 

White

Greatcoat bag above pack - often retained to hold a rolled blanket 

Blue and white striped

Gun barrel 

Shiny Metal
Drummers  red and gold lace, and probably white chevrons on their sleeves

You'll notice considerable variation on trouser colours in the illustrations.  Cairns (1994b) says they wore white or light grey in the field, although other colours (particularly civilian brown) would be used as need.   However, the illustrations often show Turquí trousers, although this might be a peculiarity of dress uniform alone.  

Cairns (1994b) Fig. 3 Fusilier in Campaign Dress.  

Notice the civilian trousers, turnback on the greatcoat, and forage cap (Isabelino)

Cairns (1994b) Fig. 2 Grenadier in Campaign Dress. 

Notice the Turquí frockcoat and red collar as company distinction for Grenadiers 

Cairns (1994b) Fig. 1 Cazador in Dress Uniform. 

 Only really relevant as it shows the shako with company distinctions (Green). 

Fusilier 

Once again n forage cap. Looks like he is in the field.  

Cairns (1994b) Fig. 4 Grenadier Officer in Campaign Dress.  

Grenadier Officer.  

Seems to be the figure Cairns (1994b) based his Fig. 4 on.   .  

A command stand from one of my Line Infantry battalions.  This unit wear greatcoats.  One of my Line Infantry regiments (3 battalions) in Turquí coatees.  Roland hadn't finished the standard bearers at that time.  Another regiment, but  in greatcoats. You'll notice a mix of Shakos, Shakos with oilskin covers, and Isabelino forage caps all mixed in. 

1. Cazador, 2. Grenadier, 3. Fusilier

1. Sapper, 2. Standard Bearer, 3. Grenadier, 4. Cazador

Provincial Infantry: 1. Grenadier Corporal, 2. Captain, 3. Cazador 

Grenadier.  

Grenadier 

Grenadier.  Full Dress. 

Fusilier 

1: Drummer, 2. Drum Major, 3. Musician 

Cazador

Officers  1. Line Grenadier, 2. Light Infantry Carabinero, 3. Line Cazador  Standard Bearer

Marines 

The Marine uniform was essentially the same as the Grenadiers of the Line Infantry, i.e. yellow sardinettas,  red epaulettes and in fact using red as a colour differentiator (Cairns 1994b).  The significant differences between Marines and Grenadiers is that the Marines had a blue pompom on top of their shako.  The Marines also would not have had the brass grenade on the shako, but I don't know what emblem they used, if any. 


Light Infantry (except Reina Governadora

The Light Infantry  wore a green uniform (Cairns, 1994b). 

Item 

Carabineros

Cazadores

Tiradores

Jacket (Shell, Frock, Coatees) 

Green

Jacket Collar 

Red

Yellow

Green

Jacket Epaulettes 

Red

Yellow

-

Jacket Cuff flaps & piping Yellow

Jacket Sardinetas
(bars on the cuffs) 

Yellow

Jacket Buttons 

White

Greatcoat with Epaulettes and Sardinetas as appropriate.  

Grey

Trousers 

Green

Shako 

Black

Shako Cockade 

Red

Shako Plume & Band 

Red

Yellow

Green

Brass Shako Emblem Hunting Horn Hunting Horn Hunting Horn

Shako Pompom (Marines only)

-

Forage cap 

Green

Forage cap tassels & piping 

Red

Yellow

Green

Alpargatus (rope soled sandals)

Brown

Boots 

Black

Equipment (eg Waist belt, cartridge box) 

Black

Pack (Leather) 

Brown

Pack (Linen) - sometimes replaced the leather pack in the field 

White

Greatcoat bag above pack - often retained to hold a rolled blanket 

Blue and white striped

Gun barrel 

Shiny Metal
Drummers  red and gold lace, and probably white chevrons on their sleeves

 

Carabinero.  Notice the green uniform and red epaulettes (denoting his company).   One of my Light Infantry battalions.  

7th Light Infantry Regiment: Cazadores de la Reina Gobernadora 

Reina Gobernadora (Cairns, 1994b, figure 5) were like other Light Infantry except they had grey frock coats (instead of green coatees), white epaulettes in all companies, grey collars (like the coat) with collar patches showing company distinctions, grey trousers with a green welt down the seam, and black equipment.   

 

Cairns (1994b) Fig. 5 Cazador from Reina Governadora 

Notice the pompom and collar patches are green.  This probably means the figure is from the Tiradores company.  Following the normal scheme red would be for for right flank carabineros and yellow for centre company Cazadores, Green for left flank Tiradores.  

The illustrations from NYPL are problematic as they are for the period 1824-29 and are certainly not wearing the uniform described by Cairns (1994b). 

1824-29  1824-29  1824-29 

Chapelgorris 

The Chapelgorris were a volunteer unit associated with the British Auxiliary Legion (Cairns, 1994b) . According to Cairns they were dressed in the Carlist manner with a red beret, black frock coats, and red or white trousers (I assume red in winter).  They were increasing equipped by the Legion, so a sprinkling would be wearing British kit, like scarlet shell jackets instead of the Black Frock coat. 

As you can see from the pictures, it would seem some wore a red shako or a forage cap.  One of the figures is wearing a regulation greatcoat.   

Cairns (1994b) Fig. 14 Chapelgorris.  This is the uniform 1833-35 including a black frock coat and red trousers.  Red from head to foot. The shell coat is probably ex-British and the dates post 1835.  For my own Chapelgorris I followed the scheme given in Cairns (1994b). 
Notice the variety of head gear: 1. Beret, 2: Shako, 3. Forage Cap.  Notice the red shako and grey greatcoat.  This is my Chapelorris command stand.  I like the motto: Muy Noble y Muy Leal (Very Noble and Very Loyal).   There is a picture of the virgin on the other side.  

Other Volunteers 

Other volunteer units wore black or rifle green uniforms (Cairns, 1994b).  I guess a unit would be either black or rifle green.  I also guess that the uniforms would otherwise follow those of the regulars, but probably with black equipment instead of white. 


Guard Infantry 

 Fig 7 in Cairns (1994b) is a Guardsman in campaign dress; Fig 6 is the same guy in dress uniform.  Apparently they left their bearskins at home when on campaign and wore shakos and forage caps like the line infantry. 

Item  Grenadiers

Cazadores 

Jacket (Shell, Frock, Coatees) 

Turqui

Jacket Collar 

Red / Turqui

Yellow

Jacket Epaulettes 

Red

Yellow

Jacket Cuff flaps & piping Red

Jacket Sardinetas (bars on the cuffs) 

White

Jacket Buttons 

White

Greatcoat with Epaulettes and Sardinetas as appropriate.  

Dark Grey

Trousers 

Red

Shako 

Black

Shako Cockade 

Red

Shako Plume & Band 

Red

Yellow

Brass Shako Emblem Grenade Grenade

Shako Pompom 

-

Forage cap 

Turqui

Forage cap tassels & piping 

Red

Yellow

Alpargatus (rope soled sandals)

Brown

Boots 

Black

Equipment (eg Waist belt, cartridge box) 

White

Pack (Leather) 

Brown

Pack (Linen) - sometimes replaced the leather pack in the field 

White

Greatcoat bag (above pack - often retained to hold a rolled blanket) 

Blue and white striped

Gun barrel 

Shiny Metal

Note: Provincial regiments were distinguished by having yellow lace. 

All of the illustrations from NYPL are presumably some kind of formal uniform.  In particular they lack the red trousers that Cairns (1994b) shows:

Grenadier in Campaign Dress.  

Cairns (1994b) Fig. 7. Notice the red trousers which Cairns says they wore in the field, compared to the white trousers of the full dress uniform. 

Line Infantry, in the field

Although supposedly a line infantryman, this guy could be a guardsman in the field.  The red trousers, red epaulettes and dark coloured greatcoat all suggest a guardsman.  Having said that, the guards greatcoat was dark grey, rather than the blue tint shown here.  

Officers: 1. Provincial Grenadier, 2. Grenadier 

Certainly Full Dress uniform.  Notice both white and Turquí trousers. 

Provincial Grenadier

This guy is very similar to Fig 6 in Cairns (1994b), so is presumably in Full Dress.  This only difference is Turquí trousers when the Cairns figure has white.  In the field they wore red trousers and shako or forage cap. 

Provincial Cazadores 

Yellow lace distinguished the Provincial regiments. 

Provincial Cazadores 

Notice the yellow epaulettes which distinguished the Guard Cazadores from the Guard Grenadiers (with red). 

 


Sources

Cairns, C. (1994b, November). A Savage and Romantic War: Spain 1833-1840. Part II: The Cristino forces. Wargames Illustrated, 86, 36-46. 

New York Public Library (NYPL): The Vinkhuijzen collection of military uniforms

 

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