7th Pennsylvania Ensign with Flag

 The Pennsylvania regiments have distinguished themselves by expansion and a blooding at Turnbull's Farm (read http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2019/11/skirmish-at-turnbulls-farm.html).  They have performed so well, in fact, that the Congress has ordered them another flag.

This one is copied from an original flag preserved in Independence National Historic Park (see Gwen Spicer's wonderful blog https://insidetheconservatorsstudio.blogspot.com/2012/07/red-white-and-not-blue.html).  This flag belonged to Captain Wilson's company of the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment.  By January 1781, the 7th had been consolidated into the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment.  However, the mutiny of the Pennsylvania Line rearranged plans, as many soldiers were furloughed after serving their three years of service.

The remaining soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line were consolidated into three brigades and sent to reinforce Lafayette's pitifully small army in Virginia.

Since the Pennsylvania soldiers endured multiple unit changes, it is quite possible that the flag did as well.  Equally likely (or perhaps equally unlikely) is that this pattern of flag was used by a few Pennsylvania regiments.  Of course, at the end of the day, it is a cool flag known to be used by Pennsylvania troops...good enough for me!

The proud bearer of this flag began as a figure from a Safari Ltd. tube of AWI British troops.  He was originally a flagbearer, and a very tall one at that (approximately 65mm-70mm from boots to hat.  Some judicious sanding on his boots and a thin base helped him to blend in better with the rest of the army, while still keeping his distinctive height.  His sword was sculpted on, but much of the detail on the original figure was left.

The flag itself was illustrated by this author and is available for free download at https://www.wargamevault.com/product/327526/1777-7th-Pennsylvania-Flag.  While there, check out our other free downloads and perhaps our paid products as well!

Mounted Militia with rifle (Accurate)

In the Southern campaigns of the American Revolution, mounted militia was an asset to the Americans.  Unfortunately, figures to cover these men are few and far between.

After a significant amount of conversion work, I finally have my first mounted militiaman.   He used parts from three different figures.  His body and head were from an Accurate militiaman, but the standing legs were removed and replaced with mounted legs from a Marx Paul Revere.  The long rifle was trimmed from a stack of such weapons and added with a little sculpting of his right hand.

His horse is an excellently sculpted one from  Classic Toy Soldiers.


The checked shirt was fun to paint and helps him stand out on the tabletop.

Ready to patrol the woods for signs of British or Loyalist troops!

2nd Pennsylvania Regiment - LOD Enterprises

Manufacturers that produce 54mm figures for the 18th Century are fairly uncommon.  Even more unusual is a new company producing this kind of figures.  When I first heard that LOD Enterprises was creating four sets of American Revolution figures, I was very interested.  Their sets have interesting poses and excellent sculpting.  Now at last I have finished painting my first figure from them.



No conversion was done except for removing the cuff buttons and painting them to match those of the 2nd Pennsylvania.




A group shot of enlisted men of the 2nd Pennsylvania from Armies in Plastic, ATS Toy Soldiers, and LOD Enterprises.

Continental Army Brigade

These are some brigade-level shots of the Continental Army

On the left of the picture are the converged light infantry companies.  Next to them is the 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment.  Behind the light infantry (though mostly invisible) is a light artillery piece and its crew, skillfully pointed by a French engineer.

The regular Continental infantry are in similar positions as before, but now they are backed by a substantial levy of militia.

Finally a shot of the seasoned unit, the 2nd Pennsylvania.  While they were featured in Redcoats and Ruffles before (http://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2016/04/2nd-pennsylvania-regiment-by-armies-in.html), they have been reinforced by three new figures from ATS Toy Soldiers.

Gaskins's Virginia Battalion (W. Britains)

This soldier loading his musket is a member of Gaskins's Virginia Continental Battalion in 1781.  Virginia's Continental troops had first served with Washington's main army in the North.  When the British began operations in the South, Virginia Continentals were sent to reinforce them.  Since Virginia remained relatively war-free, this was possible.

But everything changed when Benedict Arnold landed at the head of another expedition in late 1780-1781.  Virginia's troops were in South Carolina, and troops were badly needed to stop Arnold's destruction.  Yet more Continental (regular, as opposed to militia) troops were raised, under the command of Colonel Thomas Gaskins.

Despite being a Continental regiment, Gaskins's troops were poorly supplied.  "Virginia lost a great deal of her stockpiled supplies following the sack of Point of Fork arsenal by a Loyalist and British force on June 5, 1781.  Even prior to this, proper linen for hunting frocks was lacking, leading the state clothier to make up 'short coats' or jackets of coarse canvas with blue facings as an expedient summer uniform." [1]

This soldier wears one of these jackets.  His haversack may be issued by the Continental Army, captured from the British, or a private purchase.  His cartridge box is a former British item, and he has not removed the "GR" marking from it. (see photo at left) 

However, this soldier proudly shows his allegiance to the ideals of the American Revolution on his canteen, where he has carved "Liberty" on its side.

The figure began as a Britains "Deetail" Civil War figure.  The kepi was removed and a roundhat with cockade sculpted in its place.  Cuffs and collar were also added, and the bayonet scabbard removed.



Figure painted with Testors and CraftSmart paints; sealed with Mod Podge.



[1] James L. Kochan.  Don Troiani's Soldiers of the American Revolution, pg. 166.

Continental Light Infantry in Hunting Shirts

These two figures belong to the Continental Light Infantry.  They are dressed and equipped for Lafayette's Virginia campaign of 1781.  According to the records, some units wore traditional light infantry coats (that is, the coattails were cut short), while others were issued hunting shirts. [1]


The light infantry formed the backbone of Lafayette's force.  With these men, Lafayette attempted to defend Virginia against British raiders under Benedict Arnold, and later, Lord Cornwallis.

After the battle of Green Spring (July 6, 1781), Lafayette wrote in General Orders that: "The brilliant conduct of Major Galvan and the continental detachment under his command, entitle them to applause." [2]  These men were true veterans of the Continental Army.


References
[1] John U. Rees.  "Their presence here...has saved this state": Continental Provisional Battalions with Lafayette.  Pg. 33.  Available at http://revwar75.com/library/rees/pdfs/light.pdf

[2] Marquis de Lafayette.  Lafayette in the Age of the American Revolution volume IV, pg. 240.

Militiaman Priming

This militiaman is a conversion from Accurate's "Militia priming" figure.  The original figure had a very distinctive face with beard and balding head.  I substituted a different head from All The King's Men, and turned it so that he was looking down his gun's barrel, rather than at his priming horn.  The result is a dynamic figure (at least in my opinion!) who is keeping his eye firmly on his enemy while he is loading.  With opponents like Tarleton's Legion, this is a good idea!

Figure by Accurate; head by All the King's Men; painted with Testors paints.

Militiaman from Mollo and McGregor (Accurate)

Classic book illustration meets miniature figure.

This militiaman is based on a plate from the classic Mollo & McGregor book Uniforms of the American Revolution.  The picture shows him just to the right of his namesake.



The original figure was an Accurate militiaman.  All Accurate figures have been a joy to paint due to their incredibly detailed sculpting.  Unlike some of my more involved and complex conversions (see https://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2017/10/militiaman-loading.html), I only made a few changes to this figure.  These were shaving the engraved motto "Liberty" off his cap, leaving it plain, and removing the tops of his gaiters to paint them as striped stockings.

Is he guarding a notorious Loyalist, or a cache of supplies?

This figure gives me a wonderfully versatile militiaman who looks equally at home in the North and South, who looks well-dressed, who can easily be plugged into an urban setting, and who is professional enough to be trusted with guard duty.

Figure by Accurate; painted with Testors and Michael's "Craft Smart" paints.

Militiaman Loading

This militiaman was closely copied from a figure in one of Don Troiani's paintings. The picture on the right shows the original painting and my miniature recreation.

This figure was heavily converted from the original figure from Accurate. Originally, the militiaman was waving his hat. After painting one of these figures, I used the other one to make the loading militiaman. The hat was cut from the hand and the arm was bent into position using heat. Due to failed attempts to bend the hand into a fist, I needed to sculpt a new hand onto him. The ramrod was created from a straight pin. The photo below shows a comparison of the original figure and my conversion.

And this is the finished result!  He makes an excellent addition to my American citizen soldiers.

Continental Artillery

Open fire!

At the beginning of the American Revolution, the Americans lacked several important components for a modern, 18th Century army.  Among these was a professional artillery corps.  By 1781, the Continental Corps of Artillery had been created and uniformed in blue coats faced with red.  Sergeants wore yellow lace on the coat, and all ranks wore yellow trim on their tricorn hats.

The crew prepare to load the gun

The Continental Corps of Artillery participated in many engagements. In 1781 alone (which year these figures are painted to represent), they fought in at least four battles: The artillery fought at the Battle of Cowpens, the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, the Battle of Green Spring, and the Siege of Yorktown.




A Three-Pounder "Grasshopper" Cannon

Figures by BMC, painted with Testors paints.  No conversions were done to these figures.  The artillery piece was included in a set of DGN "American Revolution" figures.  It is painted to represent a versatile 3-pounder "Grasshopper" cannon.  Cannons were measured by the weight of the ball they threw; so a three-pounder cannon would fire a three-pound cannonball.

First Figure of 2017!

This Ideal militiaman is the first figure which I finished in 2017!  He is not an original Ideal figure, but is recast.  Since he wore a bicorne hat, I cut it down and sculpted a roundhat turned up on one side instead.  In addition, I lengthened his waistcoat, making him look more like a militiaman of 1776 than 1812.  His socks are medium blue with light blue stripes, an interesting combination which I like.  Click on the pictures to expand them.  Figure by Ideal (recast), painted with Testors Paints.

Riflemen

These two figures are militia riflemen in the service of Virginia.  One wears an olive-drab hunting shirt, while the other is dressed in a tan waistcoat and olive breeches.  They both carry long Pennsylvania rifles.  Lafayette's army during the Virginia campaign of 1781 included a unit of frontier riflemen.

Because the rifle lacked a bayonet, a rifle-armed unit was at a serious disadvantage when confronted with a musket-armed unit, which had bayonets.  To overcome this difficulty, riflemen were commonly paired with bayonet-equipped troops.  The riflemen could begin to inflict casualties on the enemy, while the musket-armed infantry would defend them with their bayonets against a sudden enemy rush.  Both the Americans and the British used these tactics, for the British had rifle-armed German Jaegers.

The rifleman standing firing is from Accurate American Militia #1, and the rifleman running is an Ideal recast.  I sculpted the roundhat turned up one one side for the Accurate figure.  Both are painted with Testors paints.

Massachusetts Light Infantry Officer

 This figure was previously featured on this blog at https://redcoatsandruffles.blogspot.com/2016/02/massachusetts-company-gimats-light.html.  However, I decided the officer needed a form of self-protection other than his sword, so he was supplied with a French fusil (light musket).  This makes him look far more like a partisan leader (partisan was the 18th century term for light infantry, etc.) and less like a typical line officer.

Now he and his light infantrymen can slink through the forests of Virginia, facing off against the British invaders under Benedict Arnold and later Lord Cornwallis. 

Figure by BMC, musket from MPC "Colonials".  Painted with Testors paints.

2nd Pennsylvania Regiment by Armies In Plastic

The 2nd Pennsylvania Regiment had an excellent reputation during the American Revolution.  They fought gallantly at Brandywine (1777), Paoli (1777), Germantown (1777), and Monmouth (1778).  The 2nd was a unit of trusted veterans and George Washington knew it.

When Major John Andre was captured and Benedict Arnold fled to the British, George Washington believed that West Point (where Arnold had formerly commanded) might be in danger.  He needed reinforcements to halt the British if they attempted to capture it.  He called on the Pennsylvania regiments, who marched 16 miles in 4 hours (from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.) to reach West Point.  "When Washington got word of Wayne's forced march and timely arrival, he quite rightly called the feat 'fabulous.'" (1)

 

In 1781, the Pennsylvania Line mutinied because of a lack of pay, but the 2nd Pennsylvania did not initially join them "until the other troops threatened them at bayonet point and with artillery." (2)  The 2nd was sent to join Lafayette and his hard-pressed Continentals in Virginia.  There they took part in the Battle of Green Spring and ultimately, the Battle of Yorktown.

The 2nd Pennsylvania wore blue coats with red cuffs and lapels and white waistcoats.  Colonel Walter Stewart was the colonel of the 2nd Pennsylvania and he was an officer who cared for his men. "I find the little necessaries for my regiment difficult to be procured and at the most exorbitant prices, but I am determined to get them and have them I will if possible,"--Stewart wrote. (3)

Figures are by Armies in Plastic "American Revolution: French Infantry."  I chose French infantry as the base for these soldiers because they were cast in white plastic.  Most men carry "Brown Bess" muskets, but one man has a French musket (distinguishable by the barrel bands).  These soldiers are painted with Testors paints.  Click on each picture to expand it.

(1) pg. 65, Victory at Yorktown by Richard M. Ketchum
(2)http://www.243regiment.com/history_2nd.html
(3) http://www.243regiment.com/WalterStewartHistory.html

Massachusetts Company, Gimat's Light Battalion 1781

These 7 figures represent a Massachusetts Light Infantry Company in Virginia, 1781. They are a part of Colonel Gimat’s Light Battalion, which was sent with Lafayette to capture Benedict Arnold.  Gimat’s battalion contained 5 Connecticut companies, 2 Massachusetts companies and 1 Rhode Island company. (1) This Light Battalion guarded Anthony Wayne’s right flank at the Battle of Green Spring, but its greatest honor occurred when it stormed the British-held Redoubt #10 at the Siege of Yorktown. (2)

By 1779, Massachusetts troops were ordered to be dressed in blue coats with white cuffs and lapels. (3) Their black caps bear the letters “L I”, for Light Infantry.  Each cap is also decorated with a red-and-black plume, a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette to the entire Continental Light Infantry.  To show their long service in Virginia (long service was hard on clothing), I painted some figures with trousers, some with breeches and stockings and some with half-gaiters.

The original figures are by BMC.  The light infantryman thrusting his bayonet is a slight conversion from a BMC British grenadier.  They are all painted with Testors paints.

1. pg. 46, A Guide to the Armies of the American War of Independence: Book 2 The Southern Campaigns by Greg Novak (Calumet, PA: Old Glory n. d.)
2. pgs. 145-147, The Yorktown Campaign and the Surrender of Cornwallis by Henry P. Johnston (New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1881; accessed at https://archive.org/details/yorktowncampaign00johnrich)
3. pgs. 106-107, An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Uniforms from 1775-1783 by Digby Smith and Kevin F. Kiley (London: Lorenz Books, 2010)