3rd New Jersey

In keeping with my current aim to paint up regiments which had colourful uniforms (according to the odd deserter or two) I alighted upon the 3rd New Jersey in their 1776 uniform. This regiment is more usually known as the New Jersey Blues, on account of its uniform of blue faced red coats and blue breeches, at outfit that seems to date back to the French and Indian War. A quick perusal of the "British Grenadier!" scenario book tells me that the regiment was present at Brandywine as part of Alexander's brigade in Sullivan's division, positioned around the settlement of Birmingham.

The Osprey on George Washington's army refers to deserters in 1776 wearing coats of "drab faced with blue" and "buckskin breeches". There is a Don Troiani painting of this uniform here. I painted most of the figures who had breeches in buff. Some of the figures wear overalls and for I decided to paint all those the same colour, as if the Quartermaster had procured some ticking for those soldiers for whom there were not enough buff breeches. The regiment therefore is clothed with either buff breeches or ticking, so creating a more uniform appearance (one or two "new recruits" aside). This follows recent conversations I had with others who feel that too much is made of American units being dressed in an ad hoc fashion. There is documentary evidence of new coats being withheld until there were enough to clothes all the soldiers in a particular regiment, so illustrating that officers preferred to have their men dressed as uniformly as possible. I do like these Foundry "uniformed militia" figures as they are full of character. I tried to place them so that they interreact. So for example, in the back row on the extreme right of the photos, the corporal is telling the men to his immediate right (as you look at the pic) to pipe down and get in line.

16 figures. Painted January 2008. Flags by GMB.