Ambush!

It was just an ordinary patrol.  Five British infantrymen moving through the countryside as part of a foraging expedition.  But it quickly went awry.  Musket fire erupts through the forest as local militia seize this opportunity to harass King George's redcoats.

The soldiers of the 80th Regiment withdraws to a nearby hill and does their best to hold the militia at bay.  As they continue, the militia begins to encircle them.

It is clear to the corporal that they cannot hold out much longer against the numerically superior militia.  His only hope is that the other units in the foraging party will hear the musketry and come to his assistance.

To be continued...

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.