When I decided to attempt to do all of the major armies for the Risorgimento for Chocolate Box Wars this particular Papal unit was high on the list of reasons why. These are the St. Patrick’s Volunteers. Irish Catholics who fought for the Papal army during the Italian Unification Wars. These uniforms define all this is desirable about the Chocolate Box Wars historical period. Other than possibly the uniforms of the Wars of the Triple Alliance, I can’t think of a unit with a more colorful uniform.

These are Gringo40s figures. They are in fact the only figures that Gringo40s makes specifically for the Papal army. I will likely be using some Perry British Intervention figures for some of the line units and filling out the rest of the Papal army with various volunteer units. The Papal army is an eclectic bunch. That’s part of the appeal of it!

The yellow piping on these figures was a very large challenge for my aging eyes and hands. I took over an hour PER FIGURE to lay down and tidy up just the yellow piping. Suffice to say, I’m happy that six figures is all that is required for a unit in Chocolate Box Wars. I wouldn’t be up to the task of painting this unit for rules with larger figure counts.

Next up on the painting table are some Polish legion figures and some German legion figures. The latter will be re-purposed to represent one of the many volunteer units of the era.  Following this, likely a return to the Papal forces with a unit of Papal Zouaves. Another wonderfully colorful unit for the Papal army.