Neuchatel Battalion (The Canaries)
History: The principality of Neuchatel was aquired by the 1st Empire of France after defeat of the Prussians in 1806. It was given by Napoleon to Marshall Berthier for his excellent service as chief of staff. In 1807 a battalion was raised as part of its obligations to the Confederation of the Rhine. The battalion was given its nickname, "the canaries", because of the unusual color of their uniforms, yellow faced red. These colors were probably chosen because they matched the primary colors on the coat of arms of Neuchatel. The battalion saw a large amount of action in it's seven year history. They were first engaged in the 1809 campaign against the Austrians. Then were sent to Spain where they battled the guerrillas under Don Sanchez. In 1812 they were part of the mobilization sent to Russia and returned severely depleted. After recruiting back up to strength, they fought in the battles of Lutzen, Bautzen, Dresden, Leipzig and Hanau in Germany. They defended their depot at Besancon a few weeks after Napoleon's abdication, and were finally disbanded on June 1st, 1814. The uniforms in the images below depict the battalion's center companies.
Ranker, Officer, Ensign, Musician
Download Link: (replaces Vistula Legion)
http://www.mediafire.com/download/5pu44zlciydof1o/Neuchatel.zip