A unusual command figure

I needed a command figure for one of my Rifle regiments .  One of the rules sets I regularly use allowed skirmishers to snipe at a battalion's command.  Devastating small arms casualties could also possibly kill them.  Thus creates morale issues for that battalion.  But what figure to use?

Going through my box of left over figures I passed by various officer types.  Doesn't work I thought.  Then he jumped out at me!  Perhaps influence by Eric's 1798 Irish rebellion games and that crafty Jesuit Father Carol (A very well know individual on TMP).  Perhaps it was the Rev. Caldwell yelling "Give em Watts boys" * at the battle of Springfield NJ.  Or the southern Baptist at Huck's Defeat.  Could it be the  Mad Padre from his blog which I greatly enjoy transported back in time?  

No matter he seemed the perfect figure to march with my "Over The Mountain" riflemen who are going to chastise Patrick Ferguson at Kings Mountain.

*During the battle, according to tradition the Rev Caldwell took copies of the old Watts hymnals  from the church and gave them to the troops to use as cartridge paper.  

Kirkwood's Delaware Light Infantry

 

  Following the disaster to the American Army at the Battle if Camden 1780 the famed Delaware regiment was reduced to two companies of infantry.  One was commanded by Captain Jaquett and was assigned to the Maryland Regiment.  The other, commanded by Captain Robert Kirkwood is used as a light infantry company.  Although attached to the famous Maryland-Delaware light infantry battalion at the Battle if Cowpens 1781, it served otherwise throughout Greene's campaigns as a independent light company.  The small company if about 100 men saw service at Guilford Courthouse, Hobkirk Hill and Eutaw Springs.  If you are building Greene's southern army 1781 you need thus unit!

A Don Trioni impression of the Delaware Infantry

The Delaware regiment was attached to the Maryland line and supplied through that colony.  Both before and after the Battle of Camden they were issued blue regimental coats faced red and white small clothes.  Interestingly the officers from Maryland in October 1781 were issued blue and red wool to be made into regimental coats and waist coats.   During the summer if 1781 Greene obtained hunting shirts for the Continental line as a summer uniform.  Traditionally the Delaware regiment had yellow trim to their cooked hats.  

The Company of Military Historians issued a plate in their uniform series depicting a soldier of Kirkwood as company dressed in a yellow trimmed cocked hat, hunting shirt and striped overalls.  No sources are cited.  All issues if overalls to Greene's army appear to be if brown linen or osnaberg materials.

Company of Military Historian plate of Colonel Hall's Delaware Regiment .

 For more information on the uniforms I highly recommend the following article:

Babits, Lawrence E. " Supplying the Southern Army March 1780 to September 1781."

Military Collector and Historian, vol. 47, no. 4 (winter 1995).

For my miniature Delaware company I am painting them in blue regimental coats faced red with yellow trimmed cocked hats.  The figures are from Old Glory miniatures second edition.  I will be mixing brown and tan overalls as well as some unlocked hats to give a field impression of the mixed nature of supplies as well as soldier improvement to their uniforms.  

Final painting push of 2020

 

  I have been preoccupied with family and personal issues for the past couple weeks so have fallen behind in writing and answering replies to my blog.  Now that things have slightly improved I will be posting more regularly.  Thank you for your patience.

Going through my boxes of unpainted lead I  come up with figures for four units I need to add to my  American Revolution collection.  These are Kirkwood's Delaware light infantry (1781),  the infantry for Light Horse Harry Lee's Legion (1781), the Maryland Delaware light infantry battalion (1781) and Haslet's Delaware Regiment (1776).  These are at present on the painting table and primed and ready to go.  more information on the unit histories and figures used will follow.

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Edward Suren "Willie" miniatures

 

In cleaning out The drawers and storage boxes on my painting table I found a small group of 30mm Suren figures.  I had started  working on them back in the late 1980's and like too many projects they fell to the way side.  Curse that butterfly effect!

I have always found the Edward Suren miniatures to be outstanding, and after all these years they have not lost their charm.  I really like them and hope to fund the money to add some regiments to my collections.  I do wonder after all these  years how the molds have held up and what the castings look like today.

As an aside during a trip to Great British in the early 1980's I visited the Black Watch Museum.  I was most excited to see the Suren  diorama about the attack on Fort Ticonderoga.  It was amazingly detailed and the staff was most amused after an hour there I was still looking at it.   Unfortunately none of the pictures I took came out so I have no visual memory if it.  I do wonder if it is still there and what condition it is in.  Also, if any readers of this blog know if the location of any other Edward Suren dioramas please let me know as we are planning a visit to Great British 

New Rivers, a wonderful gift

I received an incredible surprise the other day.  In response to a post I made here and on the Fife and Drum Miniature forum I received a new set of rivers for my table set up.  These were made by Bill Nevins who runs Kings Mountain miniatures.  Bill makes incredible terrain and the terrain of his bases for figures. Tgey are diorama like in quality.  Turns out Bill was working in making roads for one of his displays and took up this as a challenge.  Can I make something like this?

There are two sets of rivers.  The largest is 6" wide and about 12' long.  It includes a number of pie shaped pieces to add twists and turns.  There us also a section with a ford and another section with a smaller stream branching off from it.  Then there are. A number of smaller streams about 2" wide.  More then enough for any game.  

Basic canvas with chalk applied.

Then painted blue and gloss added.

The rivers were made from stretched canvas that artists use for painting on.  Acrylic caulk is then spread over the canvas and painted with acrylic gloss paint.  I asked for a very deep dark blue but you can use any color really.  Lastly it us given A couple of coats of gloss medium.  Smaller details like highlighting and a few dashes of white to represent waves add to the effect. The fords have small islands on them.  They are covered in a static grass.  

Most of the pieces layer out.

A big piece with a narrow stream branching off of it.

A wide and a narrow river ford.  

I like these very much and in the future will be seeing much use on my table.  they are a very flexible system which is just what I was looking for.  Bill mentioned that this system can also be used for making roads.  

Thank you Bill!

Crossing the River.

Get off my lawn

Armistice Day

 

   My grandfather, Edward McNamara from Lexington Massachusetts served with the 101st Regiment (Medical company), 26th Yankee Division in the first world war.  He seldom talked about it, and when he did it was a terrible memory which haunted him.  It was only later that I found out  he was mentioned in the division's orders and was decorated for heroism.  He never mentioned this to me.  I found out later through my own research.  But  I will always remember his smile when he told me how at 11:00 A.M. on 11th November the guns stopped and he and his friends knew they would live, knew they had survived.  He went on to raise a family and contribute to society.  During the next war he built ships for the Navy at the Charlestown Navy yard.

   And as this date is now called Veterans Day I say thank you to my father in law, Aldrich Stevens  who served in the  3rd Ranger Battalion (Darby's Rangers) in the Second World War.  He saw service with them at North Africa, Sicily and Italy.  Seriously wounded he did not make the Anzio landing and thus missed the action at Cisterna (although he may have listened to the last radio calls while at headquarters).   Like my grandfather he too was haunted by the memories of what he saw, experienced and especialy those he lost.  But again he went on with life.  Due to the GI bill he got a education, raised a family and contributed to society.  

I remember their sacrifices and hope both men  have found peace.