American Revolution Armies: American Army

  To mark the July 4th holiday I thought I would hold a muster of my American Revolution armies.  These are all 25mm figures.  Hope that you enjoy them!

1776 Division:

McDougall Brigade:
19th Continental bn.
1st New York bn.
3rd New York bn.
Smallwood's bn.

Glover's Brigade:
3rd Continental bn.
13th Continental bn.
14th Continental bn.
26th Continental bn.

Hitchcock's Brigade:
9th Continental
11th Continental
4th Continental bn.
12th Continental bn.

Pennsylvania Brigade:
1st Pennsylvania bn.
3rd Pennsylvania bn.
Pennsylvania State bn.
German bn.

Continental Artillery:
Forrest 's Battery
Hamilton's battery

Greene's Southern Army 1780-81:

Maryland Brigade:

1st Maryland Continental  bn.
2nd Maryland Continental bn.

Virginia Brigade:

1st Virginia Continental bn.
2nd Virginia Continental bn.

Militia Brigade:

4 battalions of militia

Rifle men:

Cavalry:
Militia Horse
Lt. Col. Harry Lee's Legion Dragoons
Lt.Col. William Washington's Dragoons

Work in Progress

Getting a few things done during my time at home. The loyalist line is coming all my very nicely.  The New York Volunteers is painted and based.  I am waiting for the flags I ordered to arrive and then they are done.

The Volunteers of Ireland are almost done painting.  I still have the flags to add and then put grass on the bases.  These were very finicky figures to paint but I like them.

Lastly I have a group of the 20th Regiment painted.  Very good figures and the start of yet another campaign for me!

I will be posting some additional pictures from my Rev War collection in the next couple days in honour of July 4th. 

More to follow.

Next Project

  Reading is a dangerous thing.  Especially for those of us with butterfly tendency.  After reading, and rereading "The Road to Charleston " I have taken a real interest in the period from April to September 1781 in South Carolina.  While not as well know as the time period between Camden and Guilford Courthouse it is nevertheless a fascinating petiod.  Plus for the table top a most interesting variety of troop types. State Line, Militia and Continental.  Rifles, legion infantry and rangers.  Mounted infantry, mounted militia and regular cavalry.

New York Volunteers Regiment near completion.  Waiting for colors To arrive and based To be flocked.

  To start this new theater I am raising a Loyalist brigade.  Based around Lord Rawdon's forces at Hobkirk Hill these will include Volunteers of Ireland, King's American Regiment, New York Volunteers and South Carolina Royalists.  The Provincial Light Infantry battalion will not be painted, but will be represented by other units in my collection.  I would like to raise Captain Coffin's mounted company of the New York Volunteers and am studying returns of equipment scalable to make a educated guess at what they were wearing.  Although I am not planning on raising any addition American Regiments for Greene's army additional rifle units and militia are always needed.  We will see!

  In addition I have been working on the British 20th and 62nd regiments from the Saratoga campaign.  These are new figures from Fife and Drum miniatures.  They look great but are coming along very slowly.

Start of the 20th Regiment of Foot.

  Lastly I am working on a game based on the Battle of Hobkirk Hill.  I think this has the potential to be a interesting game.  I am using the actual order of battle;  but increasing the size of the regiments.  In addition both sides have posts able reinforcements that may (or may not) arrive to help.  Stay tuned for more to come

An unexpected surprise on our walk.

  As I mentioned Janine, Fritz and I have been taken a series of walks over at the old Fort Devens.  There are a number of areas which are seldom traveled and very deserted.  While strolling along one of these abandoned roads I spied a sign post up ahead.

On walking up to it there was a map on one side and pictures of  a shell and a hand grenade!

Warning!  Area may contain unexploded ordnance!

Well, talk about taking things home from wirk!  I think it time to turn around and walk the other way.

Walking at Fort Devens

Final parade of the 26th Yankee Division at Fort Devens 1919

Janine and I have been doing daily walks over at Fort Devens.  It is a chance to get out, get some exercise and fresh air.  The Fort was mostly closed years ago.  There is still a very small  military presence but the majority of the fort is open to the public and being developed for public use.  We are very familiar with the area as we lived there for six years.

Fritz loves going to Fort Devens

Gardens near old Commandant House.

Steps to another adventure.

There is a lot of open areas.  Since not too many people are familiar with it we sometimes feel we have the base to ourselves.

The crown jewel of the base is Rogers Field.  One can still imagine formations of troops drilling there.  Janine's father (3rd Ranger battalion) at the end of WW2 and my grandfather (101st regiment, Yankee Division) at end of WW1 both were on the base when they were mustered out of service. So we have a connection with the site.

One reminder of our present situation was discovered the other day.  Along with memorials to veterans in many ways was a new market out up last year.  It was to the Spanish Flu epidemics that swept through the base at the end of WW1.

11th Continental Regiment 1776

The General Assembly of Rhode Island decided to raise a brigade of three regiments to join the Army of Observation during the Siege of Boston in April 1775.  these three regiments were organized and marched to Boston in May.  The three regiments were named after their commanding officers;  Hitchcock,  Varnum and Church.   Brigadier General Nathanael Greene commanded the brigade. The regiments were adopted into the Continental Army when General George Washington arrived in Cambridge and took command on 3 July 1775.

The regiment was re-organized as the 11th Continental Infantry on 1 January 1776. Following the British evacuation of Boston in March 1776, the regiment,  was sent to defend New York City. The British landed in force on Long Island in September 1776 and defeated the  Continentals at the Battle of Long Island. Later the Rhode Island regiments played a prominent part in the Battle of Harlem Heights.  After the retreat across the Jerseys they took part in the fighting at Second Trenton and Princeton.  In the 1777 reorganization the 11th Continental became the 2nd Rhode Island regiment.

Once again there is very little primary documents concerning the 1776 uniforms.  It appears they had either brown faced white regimental coats or hunting shirts.  Again the regimental colors are from later in the war.  They are from GMB  and figures are from Fife and Drum.

Dedicated to my old friend Carl Becker, 2nd Rhode Island regiment.  To cousin Carl from Cousin Mark.

9th Continental Regiment 1776

 After reading a history the two Rhode Island regiments of the Continental line I just had to add both reginents

The Continental Army was completely reorganized at the beginning of 1776, with many regiments receiving new names and others being disbanded. Enlistments were for one year. Varnum's 1775 Regiment was reorganized  1 January 1776 and re-designated as the 9th Continental Regiment. Under Colonel Varnum, the regiment remained near Boston until the British evacuation. It was then ordered to Long Island and took part in the New York and New Jersey campaign, including the battles of Long Island and Harlem Heights. They later took part in the second battle of Trenton and Princeton.   When the Continental Army was reorganized in early 1777 they became the 1st Rhode Island regiment.

Uniforms for this time period have few references.  From what I could find (mostly secondary sources) it appears they had hunting shirts or brown regimental uniform coats faced red.  Flags for the regiment are the colors used later in the war.  They are from GMB.  Figures are from Fife and Drum miniatures.