The Beunos Aries Battalion was constituted from Spanish prisoners taken during the British attacks on Spanish Argentina in 1806. These prisoners had been transported to Britain and were held in hulks in the Thames Estuary. When Spain became an ally they were shipped back to Spain, landing at Coruna, and due to a lack of Spanish kit were outfitted with standard British uniforms and equipment – hence their nickname, “Los Colorados”. They were attached to General Joaquin Blake’s Army of Galicia. At the Battle of Medina del Rioseco (July 14, 1808) they were taken in the flank and ridden down by French Cavalry and destroyed as a viable unit.

I would have liked to think that the Beunos Aries battalion managed at least one volley before they were destroyed so I have modeled them as a firing line – the only one so far in my Spanish army which is all currently March Attack infantry.

As you can see the infantry are standard Perry Miniatures plastics (I know – I swore I would not do any more plastics) but the heads are all from Victrix.  I prefer the Victrix heads to the Perry ones and I have hundreds of the buggers from a bulk buy of Victrix sprues I did a few years ago in an internet trade with a local wargamer. There is a solitary Victrix officer as well.  I replaced the plastic flag poles with metal. I decided to do the plumes and cockades in Spanish red. I included a Grenadier company (why not) but the rest are fusileros.

I have no idea of the flags this short-lived unit carried, if any, so gave them two ‘generic’ Spanish standards mostly because I think that they look cool with two flags. The flags themselves are old Captain Miniatures flags that they once gave away free off their website when they were still in existence.

Basing is my standard Napoleonic mix – Selley’s Permafilla, some ballast for stones, painted in three shades of housepaint (light brown, some darker splodges and dry brush of an off white (actually it is the exact shade of GW Ubshanti Bone except comes in test pots that only cost $NZ4.00 for six times the volume of paint)  and some flock and shrubbery added.

In doing this battalion I also had the notion of doing another command stand and a light company stand, I could use it as a militia battalion for Canada 1812-15 – red plumes not withstanding.