Italian eagles?
Can anyone help clarify which Italian units carried eagles, and when? My sole source of information is the WJ Rawkins booklet. What that source has to offer is as follows: Line infantry 1 eagle flag , and 4 battalion fanions thereafter. When this was introduced is not specified . Light infantry No eagles and 4 "flags". Guard Grenadiers Standard. No mention of eagle, although it might be supposed they had one. Guard Chassuers Standard. No mention of eagle, as Grenadiers. Guard Velite Grenadiers/Chasseurs Fanions until 1813. No mention of whether an eagle came as well. Guard Conscripts No information at all. Perhaps as an imitation of the French Young Guard, they carried only fanions with spearhead finials?

Rawkins, or at least my edition of it, doesn't say that the Line had Fannions, it says Flags for the battalions not carrying the Eagle. It also says that these Flags had the battalion number on them. The two senior Guards battalions each had an Eagle and a "French" flag until 1813, Rawkins does describe the 1813 flags which were issued to the two Grenadier battalions. The Italian Guard worked in the same way as the Imperial Guard, only the senior regiments (battalions in Italy) had the eagle so the Velites as the "Middle" Guard didn't have one, in fact only Rawkins has then even getting a flag/fannion in 1813. Sources: The Osprey book "Flags of the Napoleonic Wars (1) " Napoleonic Association booklet "The Kingdom of Italy, Infantry 1805-14" "L'Esercito Del Regno Italico"