South Carolina Dragoons

Many Loyalist units were raised in the South and these figures represent generic Loyalist cavalry. I like to give my units specific regimental designations, so I'm calling this one the South Carolina Dragoons, even though it's designed to cover a variety of units.  Finding specific information on these sorts of units is difficult.  The Royal Provincial website lists 3 units of "South Carolina Light Dragoons" but provides no details.  The site also refers to a unit of "North Carolina Independent Dragoons".  These units seem to have be raised in 1781 and operated either as scouts or mounted infantry.  We do know that at least some of the South Carolina Loyalist cavalry was commanded by Major John Coffin, formerly of the Loyalist infantry regiment the New York Volunteers. 

I wanted something for use in two "British Grenadier!" scenarios: the "South Carolina Dragoons" at Eutaw Springs (8 figures) and the "New York Dragoons" at Hobkirk's Hill (6 figures).  It's possible that these two units are in fact the same, as there is speculation that whilst the "New York Dragoons" are recorded as having been at Hobkirk's Hill this unit may have been confused with the infantry New York Volunteers and that the cavalry present were from South Carolina.  I thought that if dressed in proper cavalry uniforms the troopers might have sought to emulate British regiments like the 16th and 17th Light Dragoons.  So tarleton helmets seemed appropriate, although chum Brendan Morrissey suggested to me that floppy hats would probably have been worn as well as, or instead of, metal helmets.  I decided to use more Eureka "ragged Continental" figures (which I've used for other Loyalist cavalry units, the East Florida Rangers and  Emmerich's Chasseurs).  Options for facings colours included blue, which would have been suitable for a New York unit, and yellow, which was more suggestive of South Carolina as it's known that some of the infantry Loyalists had yellow facings.  Given that I have the blue-faced 16th Light Dragoons in a similar uniform, I decided to go with yellow.

I'm almost there with British and Loyalist cavalry now - just the 17th Light Dragoons in their northern theatre dress and the British Legion left to do.

8 figures.  Painted April-May 2017.

 

 

East Florida Rangers

The East Florida Rangers were a band of loyalist militia raised by Thomas Brown in 1776.  Brown was born in Whitby in Yorkshire and emigrated to America in 1774, when he was 25.   He settled in Georgia and founded the community of Brownsboro.  In August 1775 he was confronted by a crowd of patriots who wanted to know where his loyalties lay.  When Brown told them that he refused to take up arms against Britain a brawl ensued and Brown suffered a fractured skull.  Apparently he was then tied to a tree where he was "roasted by fire, scalped, tarred, and feathered".  To use modern terminology, this experience "radicalised" Brown and he set about mobilising Georgia's loyalists and the local Creek indians.  He was particularly successful in securing Creek support for the Crown and in 1779  he was appointed Superintendent of Creek and Cherokee Indians.  In the meantime, however, he led a group of mounted loyalists which became known as the East Florida Rangers or Brown's Rangers.  It's not entirely clear to me why the unit's name references Florida rather than Brown's home state of Georgia.  The answer may be that the authorisation for the unit's formation came from Colonel Patrick Tonyn, the governor of East Florida from 1774 to 1783.  In 1779 the East Florida Rangers were reformed as a regiment of infantry.  More on that, and Thomas Brown's later exploits, shortly.
 
I didn't set out deliberately to paint this unit.  I saw that I had 6 standing Eureka cavalry figures left over and thought about what to do with them.  Given that the figures were in a mix of hunting shirts and uniform coats, I started looking for a suitable patriot unit.  But then I noticed that the drummer was a negro (a figure I've never seen before and I'm not even sure he's pictures on Eureka's website) and I thought that a loyalist unit might be more appropriate.  Flicking through the Osprey MAA on loyalist troops I noticed that the East Florida Rangers were recorded has having recruited some coloured men and clothing some of its men in linen hunting shirts - perfect!  Even better, the unit appears in one of the BG scenarios, Briar Creek (with 6 figures).  The only problem I could see was that I didn't have enough round hats to go with the figures - I didn't want to use Continental-style helmets and tricornes don't fit on the "at rest" figures.  But this was easily solved by using leftover slouch hats from the Perry plastic British infantry box.  The coats were painted with the Foundry "French Chasseur a Cheval Green 71" palette, with a final highlight of 70B.  For the hunting shirts I used "Raw Linen 31" - not a colour I normally use for hunting shirts, but I wanted something that would blend in with the green coats. 

This is a nice little unit, I think; it's a bit different and certainly not something I've seen modelled before.  The "look" is rather conjectural, since I moulded the uniforms around the figures that I already had.  But, as noted above, the notes in the Osprey MAA seem to fit (although the reversed coat on the drummer is artistic licence) and I think this is as good a representation as any without access to mounted figures in frontier/civilian dress.  The colour scheme of the coats looks forward to the subsequent infantry unit formed in 1779.  The officer is a bit old to be Colonel Brown himself, who was in his late twenties.  Then again, all that tarring and feathering may have caused his hair to fall out - who knows?  I was tempted to put the two hunting shirt guys on a base by themselves, for potential use in patriot units, but in the end I just mixed them in with the others.  Again, this is the sort of unit for which the Eureka Miniatures' cavalry range is invaluable.

Happy New Year, everyone.

6 figures. Painted November 2015.

 

 

 

Emmerich's Chasseurs (1)

Captain Andreas Emmerich (sometimes "Emmerick") was a professional soldier from Germany and a veteran of the Seven Years War, who early in the AWI proposed to the British that he raise a corps in Germany for service in America.  Those proposals were rejected and Emmerich then lobbied General Clinton instead, who allowed Emmerich to form a more modest unit of 100 "marksmen" from men currently serving in various loyalist regiments, under Emmerich's command.  This was in August 1777.  The unit's performance in the attack on the Hudson Forts later that year was impressive and Emmerich was allowed to expand his force.  So the following year, Emmerich added two troops of dragoons, one light infantry company, one rifle company, and three "chasseur" companies (presumably also infantry or mounted infantry) to his original company of riflemen.  Emmerich was promoted to lieutenant colonel, in charge of what was effectively a "legion" but which is referred to in contemporary documents as a "corps of chasseurs".  A recruitment notice has survived, and it reads as follows:

To all Gentlemen Volunteers,

By Virtue of a Warrant from his Excellency Sir HENRY CLINTON, K. B. and Commander in Chief of all his Majesty's Forces in North-America, bearing Date the 30th of April, 1778.
 

Lieut. Col. Commandant EMMERICK,

Is now raising Six Companies of Foot, to consist of 360 Rank and File, and Two Troops of Light Dragoons, to consist of 100 Men, who will receive immediately their Bounty before attested; their Pay, Provision, and Cloathing regular, and agreeable to the King's Allowance, without clipping or deduction. To any that bring Horses fit for the Service, the Price will be paid immediately. ------- For which Purpose proper Officers will be stationed in New-York, on Long-Island, Staten-Island, Philadelphia, and elsewhere. The Refugees who are single Young Men, and out of Employ, should particularly manifest their Zeal on this Occasion, and shew that they are in Reality Friends to his Majesty.

Whoever knows EMMERICK, knows that his Soldiers live like Gentlemen, and that all such as behave well, he treats like a Brother.

God Save the King

The force went on raids around New York and elements of the force seem to have been present at the battle of Monmouth.  What happened internally to the corps during 1778 and early 1779 isn't clear, but the officers in the legion seem to have fallen out with Emmerich and/or each other.  Desertion became a bad problem and the corps was dissolved on Clinton's orders.  Some of the cavalry troopers were sent to serve with the British Legion and others together with the infantry went to other well-known regiments such as the Volunteers of Ireland, De Lancey's Brigade and the Queen's Rangers.  Emmerich remained in service, but without his own command.  I'll add some details about his further adventures in my next post.

These are the Eureka Continental dragoon figures again, which I've used to model the mounted element of the corps.  I see no reason why these figures can't also be used for loyalist units and I'm already working on a second one (the East Florida Rangers).  The mounted troop of Emmerich's Chasseurs only appears in the Indian Field scenario, as a 4-figure unit.  So Emmerich's Chasseurs are never going to be a priority for an AWI wargamer, but it's not often one has an excuse to paint up loyalist cavalry and it doesn't take long to do 4 figures.  And they look pretty.  The uniform of a dark green coat faced dark blue with black tricorne follows an illustration by Lefferts (see here).  When the unit was first raised in 1777, it is probable that the recruits wore the uniforms of the regiments from which they were drafted - so green coats faced white, blue of red as was customary for loyalist troops in the war's early years.  It appears that new uniforms were obtained in autumn 1778, possibly red coats as the loyalists began to be re-clothed into red coats around this time.  I liked the combination of green and blue so decided to go with Lefferts.  I followed this uniform through for the infantry element of the corps, which I'll write about in my next post.

4 figures.  Painted October 2015. 

 

16th Light Dragoons (2)

The 16th Light Dragoons was raised in 1759 by John Burgoyne (then a colonel). The regiment became a royal regiment in 1766 following its service against the Spanish. For a few years it was known as the Queen's Dragoons. The regiment was posted to Nova Scotia in October 1776 and immediately joined the main British army in New York. It fought throughout the New York and Philadelphia campaigns. By 1778 the regiment was badly understrength and its men were transferred into the 17th Light Dragoons, the officers returning home. The regiment's modern day successor is the Queen's Royal Lancers.

The 16th tends to appear en masse in the large northern theatre battles: Long Island (12 figures), Brandywine (14 - 6 in Knyphausen's sector and 8 in Cornwallis') and Monmouth (10). So the largest number of figure you need for the regiment is 14 for Brandywine, but in the event that I ever try to stage the whole of that battle myself I'll just add a couple of figures from the Perry skirmishing pack.

Most of these figures were painted in 2005. They appear now because I have been meaning for ages to add another 3 figures to bring the total unit strength up to 12 and finally managed to do so last month. I had planned to paint these extra figures for the 2008 Long Island game, but I ran out of time. My painting style had developed substantially since 2005 and there is much in these figures that I would do differently now; principally the faces (which had a yucky GW flesh wash) and the horses (which are dry-brushed). That said, from "normal wargaming distance" it is probably difficult to spot the new figures and I think the unit gels together ok. In the pics below, the new figures are in the bottom row. The light blue colour on the water bottles is something I took from the Perry Miniatures website. I have since been told that painting water canteens this colour was a Napoleonic practice and would not have been done at the time of the AWI - the canteens would mosy likely be of natural wood or covered with canvas to keep them cool. Another mistake on the Perry website is the dressing of the trumpeter in a coat with reversed colours. The 16th was a Royal regiment and so musicians' coats were not reversed in this way.


12 figures. Painted 2005 and May 2010.

17th Light Dragoons (2)

My second unit of figures for the 17th is the Perry pack of dragoons "on picket duty". These are lovely figures, although to be honest probably of limited use for the kind of large battles I'm interested in. That said, I can see them patrolling the edges of the British lines, perhaps on duty in camp or even hovering around General Knyphausen who had a couple of dragoons attached to his staff (presumably as bodyguards or messengers). The figures' suitability for skirmish games is obvious and, to be honest,the figures are too nicely sculpted to be hidden away.


As these are "early war" troops I deliberately painted the horses in more traditional colours and not as palominos, tobianos or any of the more fanciful breeds that I enjoy doing. Paintings of dragoons in Mollo and on the Don Troiani website show the horses carrying white head bridles. These bridles have quite clearly been sculpted on most (if not all) of the Perry Miniatures cavalry, but I hadn't noticed until now; consequently, I painted white harnesses where applicable. Veterans of the Foundry and Perry Miniatures AWI ranges will know that throughout the packs are various figures that have faces very similar to that of Alan Perry. These figures are affectionately referred to by my London gaming companions as "Alans". A classic example can be seen in the close-up in the last pair below, although I would emphasise that I have never seen Alan looking so mean! This is a face that appears in each of the rank-and-file cavalry packs in the Perry range. I'm quite pleased with the way this figure turned out - as someone said elsewhere, he looks as if he's going to shoot every rebel he comes across.


3 figures. Painted May 2010.

17th Light Dragoons (1)

The 17th Light Dragoons arrived in America in 1775 and remained until 1783. The death's head badge on the helmet is said to have commemorated the death of James Wolfe at Quebec, although an alternative idea is that the motif is modelled on the Prussian Army's Black Hussars. The regiment saw service throughout the war in the north. In 1779 the regiment was sent to serve with the British Legion in the Carolinas ("stiffen" the Legion is the word used by Stuart Reid in the "King George's Army (3)" Osprey). The troops were engaged in numerous raids and skirmishes. In the published "British Grenadier!" scenarios, the southern 17th appear only once, as a 6 figure unit at Cowpens.


I want to build up my AWI cavalry his year, and I'm going backwards with the 17th - starting with Perry figures for the later, southern theatre and I'll finish with a 12-figure unit in full dress for the early part of the war (via one or two other things). In the south, the 17th wore white linen smocks due to the heat, although I have seen references to these being worn either instead of or over the regulation uniform. I painted the smocks on these figures with Foundry's "Palomino 56" palette as I wanted a creamy rather than white look. The officer's coat shows a bit of artistic licence. I thought it would look a bit odd if the officer wore the same coloured coat as the men - it's clearly a well-tailored coat rather than a smock. I thought I could paint it a slightly different shade of cream (as shown on the Perry Miniatures website), but that seemed a bit too "civilian" and I wanted something that was clearly a uniform. The cut of the coat is not quite right for the 17th's regular uniform, so I decided to paint it in dark green as a nod to Tarleton's Legion. I have read that the 17th were very proud of their uniforms when serving with the Legion, but maybe this officer had agreed with a loyalist friend that he would wear a green coat for the day, or his own uniform was being mended and this is his "No.2 suit". It's not historically accurate, but the green adds some colour to what are otherwise fairly uninteresting uniforms.

Again, work has affected blogging over the past week or so. Coming up are some more 17th Dragoons and, er, 1880s Baluchis....


6 figures. Painted April 2010.

16th Light Dragoons (1)

Perry Miniatures make a pack of the 16th Light Dragoons skimishing on foot. The 16th Light Dragoons Regiment was formed in 1759 and arrived in New York in September 1776. A dismounted squadron was formed to act as light infantry either in support of the mounted troopers or independently on its own initiative. Six troops of dragoons arrived from America and it seems that 33 men from each troop were drafted into the dismounted squadron, which mustered 198 all ranks. By late 1778 the regiment was badly understrength and the men of the 16th were drafted into the 17th Light Dragoons. The American and British armies both contained various "legions" which combined mounted and infantry elements; the loyalist British Legion, commanded by Banastre Tarleton, was one of the more famous (or notorious) of such units. The dismounted element of the 16th Light Dragoons fought at Monmouth in 1778 but that aside I am not aware of any further details of their service record. If the dismounted troopers transferred to the 17th Light Dragoons alongside their mounted comrades I assume that they continued to fight in the South later in the war. These are mounted as first grade skirmishers on 25mm x 50mm bases. Painted spring 2004. 6 figures.

Queen's Rangers Hussars

The Queen's Rangers was a loyalist regiment, originally raised by Robert Rogers of French & Indians Wars' fame but commanded during the AWI by Major Simcoe. Initially an infantry unit, a Hussar troop was added to the Queen's Rangers in early 1778. Three troops of light dragoons were raised a couple of years later, but the cavalry arm remained relatively small (although irregular units of loyalist horse seem to have been attached to the Queen's Rangers at various times). The hussar troop seems to have averaged between 30 and 80 men. The hussar cap was apparently adopted when a Hessian rifleman shot a Queen's Ranger after mistaking him for a Continental cavalryman on account of the similarity in their respective headgear. The Hussars fought at Monmouth in 1778 and then throughout the war up to Yorktown.

The second photo above shows one of Alan Perry's "self-potraits", that pop up in his AWI figures (and no doubt in other ranges too). I painted these Perry Miniatures figures a couple of years ago and my method for painting faces was very different to what it is now. I used to use the Foundry 3 colour flesh palette with a chestnut wash whereas now I use a mix of 4 to 5 Games Workshop/Foundry and Coat D'Arms flesh tones with a dark brown wash. This latter method gives more subtle results I think.

6 figures. Painted October 2004.