French Fanion Bearers

Post by **barr7430** » Wed May 30, 2007 2:06 pm

Could anyone tell me precisely which position the company fanion bearers assumed when a company was marching?

Front rank? Left , right or centre?
Out in front?

thanks

Yermolov · Post by **Yermolov** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 1:56 am

Hi Barry,

New member here.

I was going to suggest posting on the Napoleon Series forum but I see that you've already figured that out.

My references at home are pretty dicey when it comes to fanion bearers... several of Scott Bowden's books (Armies on the Danube, Austerlitz) have diagrams of French infantry battalions, and in all cases any sort of flag-bearer appears to be in the middle of whatever company they are part of.

There's also a posting on this subject on theBaccus forum.

Finally, this diagram shows several fanions per company, arranged behind and to the side of the company.

Hope this helps,

Bart

Post by **barr7430** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:25 am

Thanks Bart and welcome!!!

I have found the Napoleonic Forum to be really helpful. Replies sometimes come alsmost immediately which is pretty impressive. I had this vision of lots of Professorial types just hovering over their screens WAITING for someone to ask an obscure question about their chosen specialist subject

Perhaps not...

The very practical reason for asking is that my 56 figure 2nd Bn of the Fusilier Chasseurs (which had no eagle) required me to place my four Fanion bearers somewhere.. .I plumped for, you guessed it... in the middle of the front rank for each company!

Interesting that you should say some units had more than one fanion per company, I wonder what for??

Cheers

B

Yermolov · Post by **Yermolov** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 12:41 pm

I think part of the issue is determining what kind of 'fanion bearer' you've got. The ones with the small flag attached to the halberd seem to be color guard types that surround the flag bearer (eagle for first batt, other flag for the rest). They would be in the middle of the company as you have opted for.

I think the sergeants with flags/pennons/fanions listed in that last diagram were there to either provide some sort of guide during manuvers or possible as a rally point in case of trouble? If the battalion routs, it'll be a heck of a lot easier looking for a flag for your company rather than trying to pick the captain or sergeant out of a mass of soldiers milling about. I'm speculating on this of course, but those seem to be the most likely candidates to me.

Thanks for the welcome!

Bart

Yermolov · Post by **Yermolov** » Thu Jun 07, 2007 8:55 pm

Here's another shot you might like, Barry.

From a post by "Maxim" at GWP:

Note the position of the gents with the flags sticking out of their muskets:

Post by **barr7430** » Fri Jun 08, 2007 9:21 pm

thanx Bart.. great pic!!!!