Battle of Guilford Courthouse 15 March 1781

  " As at Camden, the British went forward as soon as they were in line. Captain Peter led the 23rd on as acting commanding officer, with the regiment effectively in two wings under captains Saumarez and Champagne. As they went forward, one of them noticed the ‘field lately ploughed, which was wet and muddy from the rains which had recently fallen’.  On  they trudged towards the fence that marked the end of Hoskins’ cornfield and the beginning of the woods to the fore, observing as they grew closer that the rails were lined with men. MacLeod’s cannon opened fire, sending their ballwhooshing into the American lines. Colonel Webster, on horseback, trotted to the front of his brigade and called out so that all could hear, ‘Charge!’ The men began jogging forward, bayonets fixed and muskets levelled towards the enemy. A crackling fire from their left, Kirkwood’s riflemen, began knocking down a redcoat here or there, but did nothing to check their impetus. When the British line was little more than 50 yards from the North Carolina militia everything seemed to stop for Serjeant Lamb: … it was perceived the whole of their force had their arms presented, and resting on a rail fence … they were taking aim with the nicest precision. At this awful period a general pause took place; both parties surveyed each other for the moment with the most anxious suspense … Colonel Webster spurred his horse to the head of the 23rd and bellowed out, ‘Come on my brave Fusiliers!’ Some of the Americans started to run, but most held on for a moment; there was a rippling crash of American musketry when the redcoats were at optimum range, 40 to 50 yards away. Dozens of Webster’s men went down as the musket balls cut legs from under them or smashed into their chests. Lieutenant Calvert worried for an instant how his men might react to such a heavy fire: ‘They instantly returned it and did not give the enemy time to repeat their fire but rushed on them with bayonets.’ Captain Saumarez noted with pride, ‘No troops could behave better than the regiment … they never returned the enemy’s fire but by word of command and marched on with the most undaunted courage.’..."

Quote from;

Fusiliers:  The saga of a British Redcoat Regiment in the American Revolution  by Mark Urban

Hessian Colors Captured at Trenton. Where Are They?

 

 Rereading Richardson's Standards and Colors of the American Revolution this morning.  What happened to the Hessian colors captured at Trenton?  They were displayed in the halls of Congress for a short time. On 31 December 1776 William Ellery writes the Governor of Rhode Island a description of the flags which are on display in the room where Congress meets in Baltimore.The six colors captured at Trenton are depicted in good detail in Charles Wilson Peale's painting of Washington victorious after Trenton and Princeton. Other colors captured have survived.  There are four Anspach-Beyreuth colors captured at Yorktown still in existence and in good condition. Two are at West Point, one at the Smithsonian and the fourth one at Yorktown. Davis (Regimental colors in the War of the Revolution) said there were no know (to him) Colors in Germany when he did his research during the 1900's.  The colors of the 7th (Royal Fusiliers) Regiment are at West Point.

   Here is some information about what happened to them. Davis describes the existing colors when he examined them in 1907 in the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and photographed the two flags and the remains of a third which had a black field. These were in the Clymer papers. These two colors and the fragments disappeared sometime between when Davis saw them in 1900-1907 and the mid 1970's when they were found to be missing. It is possible, based on a " cryptic" entry on a accession card that they were loaned out and never returned; possibly during the Sesquicentennial of 1926.

   William Buehler wrote Admiral Preble on 18 November 1881 "two flags out of six captured ...At Trenton are in the department on the hill at Harrisburg." This appears to have been the William Penn museum at Harrisburg Pennsylvania. Richardson is quoted as saying staff members " have no knowledge as to the whereabouts of any surviving remnants there. "

   Lastly there are fragments of another Hessian flag captured at Trenton in the First City Troop Museum in Philadelphia. The fragments are about " twenty by seven inches and are black brocade will seamed to a narrow strip of White are are decorated with a small elements of brown and yellow painted designs. "

Richardson, Edward W. Standards and Colors of the American Revolution.

1982.

Davis, Gherardi.  Regimental Colors in the War of The Revolution.

1907.

For a copy of the book online see:

https://archive.org/details/regimentalcolors00davi/page/n12

The great snowball fight at Harvard Yard 1775: or Virginians vs. Yankees

 

  Following the outbreak of fighting on 19 April 1775 the local New England Army of Observation placed Boston under siege.   Among the various regiments taking part was a militia regiment from Essex county, the Essex County militia regiment. Lieutenant Trask, decided that son  Israel, age ten should come along with him to the war. The young boys duties were as he wrote later , “the care of the baggage and the property of the mess. When the officers were called on duty, which was daily the case, either to mount guard, or fatigue duties in fortifying the camp,...my duty alternately was to take the edibles prepared at the mess to the officers on duty, which in some instance [were] miles distant.”  In December the Essex regiment was moved into one of the buildings of Harvard University

. And then some new soldiers arrived from outside New England. Strange and unusual they caught the eye of Trask who watched with great attention;

"A day or two preceding the incident I am about to relate, a rifle corps had come into camp from Virginia, made up of recruits from the backwoods and mountains of that state, in a uniform dress totally different from that of the regiments raised on the seaboard and interior of New England. Their white linen frocks, ruffled and fringed, excited the curiosity of the whole army, particularly to the Marblehead regiment, who were always full of fun and mischief."

 Col. John Glover 's  Marblehead regiment must have been an unusual sight to the men from Virginia.  Made up of sailors the clothing of the regiment was short coats, round hats and sea trousers.   In additionthe men of the regiment were a mixture of white, black and native Indians serving together. "[The Marblehead men] looked with scorn on such an rustic uniform when compared to their own round jackets and fishers’ trousers, [and they] directly confronted from fifty to an hundred of the riflemen who were viewing the college buildings."

To the amusement of young Trask things quickly escalated:

"Their first manifestations were ridicule and derision, which the riflemen bore with more patience than their wont, but resort being made to snow, which then covered the ground, these soft missives were interchanged but a few minutes before both parties closed, and a fierce struggle commenced with biting and gouging on the one part, and knockdown on the other part with as much apparent fury as the most deadly enmity could create. Reinforced by their friends, in less than five minutes more than a thousand combatants were on the field, struggling for the mastery."

"At this juncture General Washington made his appearance, whether by accident or design I never knew. I only saw him and his colored servant  both mounted. With the spring of a deer, he leaped from his saddle, threw the reins of his bridle into the hands of his servant, and rushed into the thickest of the melee, with an iron grip seized two tall, brawny, athletic, savage-looking riflemen by the throat, keeping them at arm’s length, alternately shaking and talking to them."

"In this position the eye of the belligerents caught sight of the general. Its effect on them was instantaneous flight at the top of their speed in all directions from the scene of the conflict. Less than fifteen minutes time had elapsed from the commencement of the row before the general and his two criminals were the only occupants of the field of action."

British Army and Sherman's Army

 

  We picture Sherman's army marching through the south followed by trails of escaped slaves.  By the thousands at some times.  What we don't remember is this was not the first time this happened.  In 1781 when Cornwallis marched through Virginia it was a massive preview of what Sherman would later see.  It has been estimated that upwards of over  12,000 slaves ran away to join Cornwallis army as it marched across Virginia.   Some historians suggest the number may be higher. In addition the stables of Virginia were now used to remount the Crown cavalry.   General Greene had been begging for horses to be sent to his army in South Carolina but Jefferson refused and held back.  These same horses were now used to remount the British Legion, Queens Rangers and a mounted infantry company from the 23rd.  * For one of the very few times in the war in the south the British cavalry were equal. or superior in quality to the Americans cavalry.

  

Ewald:  "Every officer had four to six horses and three to four negroes, as well as one or two negresses for cook and maid.  Every soldier's women was mounted and also had a negro and negresses on horseback for her servants. Each squad had one or two horses and a negroand every non commissioned officer had two horses and a negro."

"Yes indeed, I can testify that every soldier had his negro who carried his provisions and bundles. The multitude always hunted at a gallop and behind the baggage followed over four thousand negresses of both sexes and all ages."

Ewald discovered that in his own detachment his men possessed twenty horses and that "almost every jager has his negroe.". But within 24 hours I had brought everything back on the track again."

Cornwallis' attempted to bring order from chaos and restrict the number of horses and ex slaves employed by his officers and men.  orders were issued.  A Colonel,  Lt. Colonel or Major could have five horses and two blacks as servents. A Captain could have three horses and one servant.  Staff and junior officers could have two horses and one servant.  Surgeons and Sergeant Major had one horse and servants.  Enlisted men were not allowed anything, as usual.  "No women (white camp followers) or negroes to possess a hirsee, nor and negresses to be suffered to rude on a march except such as belong to the public departments."

To designate those escaped slaves who were officially with the army Cornwallis ordered, "The number or name of the corps to be marked on a conspicuous manner on the jacket of each negroe.". " All negroes who are not marked agreeable to the orders repeated at Petersburg will be taken up and sent away from the army."

* according to Lt. Mackenzie the 71st were supposed to be used as mounted infantry but refused to Tarleton losing the 1/71st ar Cowpens.  

sources:

Gregory J. W. Urwin:  When Freedom Wore a Red Coat: How Cornwallis’ 1781 Campaign Threatened the Revolution in Virginia

Army History, No. 68 (Summer 2008), pp. 6-23 (18 pages)

Lord Cornwallis' Insignia for Runaway Enslaved Peoples

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I2z5jDdu_kQ

You may be cool but...

 

You may be cool, but you'll never be as cool as these guys.   Spiffy uniforms, outstanding moustaches and a beautiful women hanging on while playing a miniature Wargame!

             Pretty cool picture I found off the internet.  Looks to be from a old movie.