Organising Your Battalions
There is no right or wrong way of collecting figures. The following notes refer to my interpretation of what may have been the appearance of Saxon forces in 1812 and 1813. Please feel free to disregard this advice or to bend it to your needs.
When you are putting your first Saxon battalion together the one thing you must bear in mind above all else is that the Saxon army had really severe supply problems both in Russia and in Germany. The look to aim for is one of privation while at the same time having enough uniformity to bind the battalion together. My battalions are organised in 32 man battalions (approximately 1:20 ratio with some accounting for attrition).
One other point worth mentioning is that it is often better to use pack contents distributed across several battalions, e.g. I do not like to see more than one enthusiastic or casualty figure per battalion. This particular pack (Pack SM12) would then serve to provide said figures across three battalions. It is the same with packs containing variants such as bareheaded, blanket roll and uncovered shakos.
Figures wearing the standard black shako cover should be used to form the greater part of the battalion (Packs SM1, SM2, SM3, SM7 and SM8). Looking at the figures in my battalions, I have ended up with approximately half the men in each company wearing this (4 out of 8). I have another two per company wearing the calfskin cover (Packs SM1b, SM7b and SM8b). The remaining two men in each company wear either the French shako cover, are bareheaded or have uncovered shakos (Packs SM4, SM5, and SM6). I have used approximately two of each variant from packs SM4-SM6 in each battalion. Mix and match the officers as well, with some in the blue/grey uniforms and the rest in the white jackets (Packs SM9, SM10 and SM11). I have already introduced little variations in the figures as I converted them so you will find that some have different equipment on their packs or patches on their uniforms. Paint patches in ‘leather’ colour - the preferred patching material.