Independence Day

 

  Spending a quiet day today.  Weather is rainy but starting to clear up finally after A week of this.  Later this evening going out to a minor league baseball game followed by a fireworks display.  Certainly cannot get more American then that!

  As 5 July is the anniversary of the Battle of Chippewa I got my War of 1812 figures out for a game.  This is the battle that got me interested in the period and most of my figures are painted for this battle and Lundy's Lane.  

Here is some some eye candy from the game and much more about it tomorrow.  Stay tuned please.

Battle of Chippewa July 5, 1814

   July 5  is the 209th 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.

Ensign DeBerniere'sMap of Bunker Hill

 

Ensign Henry DeBerniere as an officer in the 10th Regiment of Foot in 1775.  An enterprising officer with a talent for map making DeBerniere had undertaken spy missions in 1774 mapping routes out of Boston.  He took part on the 19 April mission to concord to destroy the supplies gathered there.  And he made a series if maps of Boston and the surrounding areas.  One of his best maps is of the Charlestown Peninsula and British troop movements during the Battle of Bunker Hill.

  There are a couple editions of this map on the internet.  This one is from Geography and Map Division Library of Congress ( G3764.B6S3 1775 .B3 Vault) and is an excellent copy.  The details of the map are outstanding and super useful to students if the battle or miniature wargamers wishing to refight the battle historically.

  This enlarged section showed the area where the Howe landed his main force at Moulton's point; sent his light Infantry companies along the beach to turn the American flank and the Grenadier attack against the rail fence.  The numerous fences slowed the British advance, and exposed them to small arms and cannon fire while trying to cross them.  The Royal Artillery could not cross the fields due to these fences so went a round them and got stuck in the wet marshy ground at the base of Breeds hill. The routes if the 5th and 52nd regiments during the third attack are clearly marked.

A close up of the Light Infantry companies on the beach trying toout flank the American position along the rail fence.  This area today is near the present Charlestown High school  and still has a sharp drop which obscure it from the ground.  The order of march for the light bobs are (from left to right) 23rd, 4th, 19th, 52nd, 43rd, 65th, 59th, 47th, 35th, 38th and 5th.

The final assault on the redoubt and breast work on Breeds hill. This is one of the very few maps which show how close Charlestown was to the hill and how snipers there effected earlier attacks.   It also points out the barn which had to be taken before the final attack on the redoubt.  Again fascinating details here like the extra flank companies position with the Marines and 47th regiments.

  

National Park Service Art

  If you have visited a National Park Service battlefield you probably stopped and looked at the wayside exhibits.  These are placed on the battlefield and usually have a illustration and text.  What you may not know is the NPS owns a good deal of art work;  much of it commissioned for the park.  These are stored at the Harper's Ferry Service Center in Harper's Ferry West Virginia.  Recently most of the art work has been digital and put on line.  This means you can see the art work and download copies;  for your you own use.  

  They can be found on line.  To get you started here is a link to some Rev War stuff;

npgallery.nps.gov/HFC/SearchResults/d86bb824bf2643e482ed02cc592f0854?page=1&view=grid&sort=default

Militia on first line at Guilford Courthouse.

Webster's Brigade starts the battle of Guilford Courthouse

  It's an interesting mixed bag.  There are old illustrations from past hand books from the 1950-60's.  Lots of early work from a very well known artist.  I also found the old slides from the 1960 slide show at Minute Man NHP!

Lt. Frederick

Breed's Hill battlefield

"Bunker Hill After the Battle"

by Thomas Davies  1775

(New York Public Library)

A fascinating watercolor done by Thomas Davies of the Bunker Hill battlefield done shortly after the battle.   The view is from the base of Breeds hill looking up towards the redoubt and breastwork built and defended by Colonel William Prescott and his Massachusetts soldiers.  This was the area through which the 5th and 52nd Regiments marched to attack in the final assault.  Note the remains of the fences throughout the field which numerous British officers spoke about.  Also the three soldiers in the fore ground wearing cut down coats and cut down cocked hats.

Battle of Bunker's Hill dioramas

  

If you are here from The Minuatures Pages TMP please note Tango and TMP do not have my permission to use my work   I have asked both  Bill and Tango to please credit my blog.  If they did not want to do this then please not use my site.  Tango promised not to use my blog if that was my stand;  but then continued to link to posts here. I cannot protest this on TMP as Bill has banned me for asking this of him.  

  Being the anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill I thought I would post a series of articles on the battle this week.  When I was with the National Park Service (1975 to 2005) I was site supervisor for the Charlestown district of Boston National Historical Par which included the monument. Although the city of Charlestown has been built over the battlefield a careful walk will still turn up portions of the fields today.

  Back in the 1980's and 1990's there were three dioramas at the Bunker Hill monument in Charlestown Massachusetts.  These were very important to the Park Rangers who used them for interpretation of the battle.  While there are still some landmarks of the grounds the entire battlefield has disappeared under contract and tenement houses.  Presently I have been told these dioramas have been moved across the street to a new and improved museum.

  Two of the dioramas were built by the Pittman studios in Cambridge Massachusetts during the 1930's.  The first was a diorama of the Charlestown peninsula as it looked at the time of the battle.  It includes Boston and the surrounding countryside.  Most importantly it showed the harbour and various small rivers and creeks.  What it does not show are the mud flats and marshy ground which effected where the British could or could not land troops.

  Next was a large shadow box of the redoubt atop Breed's Hill.  The view is along the breastork towards the redoubt atop Breeds Hill. As with all Pittman dioramas there are plenty if fascinating details.   The figures are made from wax and clay.  

  Lastly, a massive diorama of the battle.  This was constructed by a members of the  Massachusetts Military Miniatures painters for the Museum of Fine Art,  in  Boston as part of a bicentennial project in 1975.  The figures were made by Jack Scruby and as still available today as his 9mm American Revolution line.  The topography is excellent but the troop movement show a variety of times during the battle rather then one attack.

Lieutenant Robert F. Massie and Edgar Allen Poe

  

  Edgar Allan Poe, the famed poet and author, served briefly in the military as a teenager, under the alias “Edgar A. Perry,” and was stationed for five months at Fort Independence in Boston harbor.  Poe, who was born in Boston but grew up in Richmond, joined the military in 1827 at the age of 18, although he listed his age at the time as 22.  He lied about his age so he could avoid having to obtain his parent’s consent to join the military. Other sources indicate he concealed his real age, as well as his real name, to avoid the numerous gambling debts he had accrued.

  After enlisting, Poe was sent to Fort Independence in Boston harbor in the summer of 1827.  During his short stay at the fort, Poe saw a memorial to Lieutenant Robert F. Massie.  Asking about it Poe was told about a duel that occurred there in December of 1817 during which Lieutenant Massie was killed.

  The legend says that Massie was so popular among his fellow soldiers that they attacked his killer, Lieutenant Gustavus Drane, and sealed him up within a vault in the fort.  Rumor has it that this story later served as the inspiration for Poe’s short story “The Cask of Amontillado.”

  It is a fact that a duel occurred there at the fort in 1817 and it resulted in Massie’s death. Massie was buried at the fort and his grave was marked by a marble tombstone, although his grave was later moved to Fort Devens.

  Yet the story of Drane being walled up inside the fort is pure fiction. In fact, Drane actually continued his military career after the duel and later rose to the rank of Captain. He passed away in 1846 and his death was recorded in the U.S. Army Register that year

  Although Drane was never walled up in the fort, several sources, such as “The Complete Illustrated Guidebook to Boston’s Public Parks and Gardens” indicate that during renovations at the fort in 1905, a skeleton was found chained to the wall of an abandoned casement inside the fort.  The skeleton was reportedly wearing scraps of an old military uniform.  As the fort was used as a state prison from 1785 until 1805, it is highly possible the skeleton could have belonged to a former prisoner, although it was never officially identified.

  Should you visit the military cemetery at Fort Defend today Lieutenant Robert F. Massie original monument and his more modern tombstone can still be seen.