The Battle of Chippewa 5 July 1814

  Today is the 208th anniversary of the Battle of Chippewa.  Although minor in terms of numbers the Battle is important in the rebuilding of the American army during the War of 1812.  General Winfield Scott 's highly trained brigade is able to stand toe to toe with British regulars.  The brigades gray jackets becomes the stuff of legend in the history of the American regular army.  

  Back in 1985 as part of our honeymoon Janine and I traveled around the Niagara Falls area.  Our visiting the battlefields of Chippewa, Lundy's Lane, Forts George and Niagara was the start of a life long fascination with not only the War of 1812 but especially with the Niagara campaign of 1814. It was also the start of my interest in wargaming this campaign.

 

  The battle today is remembered by a number of units of the US Army.   The old  25th Infantry was later combined with the 27th, 29th and 37th Infantry Regiments to form the present day 6th Infantry Regiment. The 6th Infantry's motto is "Regulars, by God" from General Riall's remark about the American regulars during the battle.  A number of present day units of the United States Army trace their lineage to this battle and Scott's brigade.  The 25th US Infantry was later combined with the 27th, 29th and 37th Infantry Regiments to form the 6th Infantry Regiment. The 6th Infantry's motto is "Regulars, by God" from General Riall's remark about the American regulars during the battle.  Ten active regular infantry battalions of the United States Army (1-2 Inf, 2-2 Inf, 1-3 Inf, 2-3 Inf, 4-3 Inf, 1-5 Inf, 2-5 Inf, 1-6 Inf, 2-6 Inf and 4-6 Inf) perpetuate the lineages of American infantry regiments (the old 9th, 11th, 19th, 21st, 22nd and 23rd Infantry Regiments) that fought at the Battle of Chippawa.

  The Corps of Cadets of the United States Military Academy at West Point wear gray parade uniforms, but the assertion that they were adopted in commemoration of Scott's troops at Chippawa appears to be a legend, possibly started by General Scott himself.  There were a number of reasons given in 1815 for its selection. Gray wool jackets simply wore well and were considerably cheaper than the regulation blue coat.  Also, the Secretary of War disliked Scott and sent gray jackets (usually associated with militia) for his Brigade as an insult.

  The actual battlefield is preserved as the Chippawa Battlefield Park, a unit of the Niagara Parks Commission.  For a tour of the battlefield check this post from my blog: "A Visit to the Chippewa Battlefield";   https://bravefusiliers.blogspot.com/2018/07/visit-to-chippawa-battlefield-chippawa.htm

  Lastly, if you are interested in reading about the battle I highly recommend "Red Coats and Grey Jackets" by Donald E. Graves.  Outstanding!

 If you are thinking of building a War of 1812 army this is a perfect place to start.  You can, for a very reasonable amount of money build both sides.  Because of the colorful and varied collection of troops its a great way to start your new army.  It is how I started mine.