From KenR: 28mm Garibaldi Bersaglieri (80 points)

 

Well this Challenge hasn't gone to plan ! 

Sadly work has intervened this year and I am way off my 1500 point pace, in fact I am going to be away with work for 2 of the next 3 weeks so I will be happy to get to 1,000 points. My apologies that I haven't been able to keep up with everyone's posts as I usually do.

I've kept plodding on and managed to get another unit done, this time its some 28mm Gringo 40s Garibaldi Bersaglieri figures. They are painted up to represent the Bersaglieri that formed part of a Brigade raised in Milan to support Garibaldi.

After the initial success of the expedition of the thousand, volunteers from all over Italy and in fact the world flocked to Garibaldi either with a sense of purpose for the cause or with a sense of adventure.

The Milan Brigade was formed of 1 unit of Bersaglieri and 3 of Infantry, it fought at the Battle of Volturno.

The unit is 16 figures strong and based 2 to a 60 x 30 base to represent a skirmish formation. 16 x 5 pts give me another 80 to add to the total.

We left Garibaldi waiting with his army to hear of the planned uprising in Rome, well it wasn't good news, the agitators were defeated and the predicted popular uprising failed to materialise.

The Papal forces formed up in the Eternal City and marched out along the Via Nomentana to confront Garibaldi who after all was on a "Rome or Death" Mission (again !). The Papal forces were keen to prevent the red shirts entering Rome.

Garibaldi placed a force of around 4 battalions about 1.5 km from the village of Mentana straddling the road on which the Papal forces were advancing. The area was undulating land dominated by two buildings, the Vigna Santucci and a Convent (both buildings are still there today, the convent is a hotel). The remainder of the approach was covered in woods and vineyards.

The remainder of Garibaldis forces took up position around Mentana itself, a walled village with a castle and the Monte San Lorenzo and waited.

I have another unit of Redshirts partially done and I hope to get at least a couple of units in before the end of Challenge.

Good to have you back; your output has been fantastic and we all understand how work interferes. These Bersaglieri look like elites with their hats and skirmish formation. Good luck on getting a few more units in!

Barks