kurigan

Seeking help with me Redcoats

Recommended Posts

Knowing that amongst you all, there must be those possessed of in depth understanding with regards to uniforms, equipment and organizations of the British army from the turn of the 19th century, I have several questions or concerns about my own custom figure designs which I'm hoping someone will volunteer to clear up. 

I've tried, at length, by my usual methods of research and haven't come up with anything half so specific as I'd need. There seems to be plenty of information about a decade or more too late for my purposes, but I'm trying to create a certain environment as it bares upon the story I'm trying to tell through my MOCs, collectively.

I've always tried to be helpful, forthcoming and polite in offering help, where my personal level of expertise will allow. Now I'm hoping it will be repaid in kind, with out biting me in the hind quarters. Please understand going into this, that if your only advice is to search the web, I've exhausted it to no avail. I've been at this again and again for years and never came to anything like the font of knowledge I'd require. Also advice to track down and purchase, at great cost, books no longer in print, is waisted. That being said, I'll pose the scenario and questions below. Of you've no interest might as well disregard at this point it gets pretty thick from here.

The time frame for my tale is the turn of the 18th to the 19th century. The setting is a fictional island in an as of yet undetermined location. I have been between the Indian and the Mediterranean, but now with out considering the Caribbean and North America before. This would be a less than wealthy island town of some strategic value as a way point or port of call for merchants. Several times the island has changed hands from the Spanish to the Dutch to the English, who control it at the time of this narrative. Local pirates plague the area preying on the merchant traffic. The long harbor is defended by three batteries, two forts to either side of the bay, above the city and a smaller post nearer the channel. For a while I  had the one fort under control of the navy with blue uniformed officers in command (they were all I had at the time) . The other fort was populated with generic Lego redcoats. 

Hypothetically at these forts, who would likely be working the guns? Red coats, royal artillery or perhaps some branch I've not considered? Would militia or the like factor in at all? Is it possible to provide some reference images, or links there to, by which I can design my custom figures?

Further questions:

I've noticed, with no determinable consistency, different British shoulders wearing different colors on the folds of their coats. Some have white, while others are green, blue or even yellow. One source suggested to me that it was a regimental thing, but I've found no codex for the system. Do certain colors denote a particular speciality or branch? In most depictions, for instance, cavalry seem to ware green or black. What then, would best apply to my ship board marines and what ever solders belong in my forts?

Will the setting be a major determining factor in what sort of solders or regiments I use or make up? 

Would the cultural background eg. English, Irish, Welsh, Scottish of the solders/officers matter much to any of this?

I could go on, but I think I've asked enough for now but know I don't ask lightly. From my own experience I can understand, that if you do know this much about the subject, it didn't come to you easily or cheaply. With that in mind I assure you all, that anyone who could assist me with useful, accurate information would be doing me a personal favor. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Okay, I should be able to answer at least a few of your questions right now. After doing some research, I'll try to answer the others.

Yes, facings are dependent on regiment and not specialty. Different specialties tended to have wholly different uniforms. A guide to which regiments wore what facings and lace can be found here. Generally speaking, blue, buff, and yellow are among the most common.

The ethnicity wouldn't matter much. Most regiments were already diverse, and the specific ones, such as Highland regiments, got shipped all over the place so I don't think the location of your island would necessarily determine the ethnic makeup of the troops. A majority of officers I believer would be English and Welsh, unless you had highland troops, who were often, but not always, led by Scottish officers.

Location would only matter if you wanted to include native troops, which tended to have distinctive uniforms, or if you wanted to match it up with a regiment that was stationed in the area around the time you're looking at.

Edited by 2maxwell

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

From the books I've looked at, it seems like the Royal Artillery handled coastal artillery by the 19th century. If there weren't enough of them, however, they'd be assisted by locals and infantry. I didn't find a specific reference to it, but I'd guess the same would apply to sailors and marines.

This is a good guide to base your uniforms off of. The man in the tarleton helmet is horse artillery, so avoid that one.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Seeking help with me redcoats

Ok I'm with you so far, this is great; though, that's kind of the answer I didn't want. I came across that very image and one relating to it once I started wondering if royal artillery were my guys. My trouble, if I'm not mistaken, is their coats are a very dark blue. I'll make it happen in time if that's the case, but I will need to buy mini-figs or parts in that color. I already need a bunch for my naval officers, since I'm no longer satisfied with classic blue. What you say seems to give license to employ any period figures in working the great guns to keep the ranks up, which incidentally is a plot point I had hoped to support. One of my officers gets stuck commanding a battery in leu of a ship.

I wonder if black, of which I have no shortage, would suffice for royal artillery? If the picture is accurate, it's much darker then navy blue. for the marines I'll likely go with blue and gold, just because it looks snappy.

Now, looking around while I composed my reply I found this, which I saw before but forgot. In this image the colors appear very different. Which one is more accurate? If on the left I'm back to needing navy blue in bulk. If the right s more the thing I can reuse the old classic blue.

http://www.britishempire.co.uk/forces/armyuniforms/britishartillery/ra1792.htm

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think its supposed to be navy blue, but I doubt it would stay that way if you spent your time working cannons. I think black could work. A motley crew to man the guns might be the best idea. There were some islands that had only 1 officer and 40 soldiers to man 3 posts and over 30 cannons (which should have each had at least 7 men working them), and they recruited others to make up what they were missing.

Edited by 2maxwell

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Maybe you can try to contact the Royal Navy Museum/Library?

They should have this kind of information, and I think, if you have some luck, one of their people would be more then happy to help you out.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Seeking help with me redcoats

Ok I'm with you so far, this is great; though, that's kind of the answer I didn't want. I came across that very image and one relating to it once I started wondering if royal artillery were my guys. My trouble, if I'm not mistaken, is their coats are a very dark blue. I'll make it happen in time if that's the case, but I will need to buy mini-figs or parts in that color. I already need a bunch for my naval officers, since I'm no longer satisfied with classic blue. What you say seems to give license to employ any period figures in working the great guns to keep the ranks up, which incidentally is a plot point I had hoped to support. One of my officers gets stuck commanding a battery in leu of a ship.

I wonder if black, of which I have no shortage, would suffice for royal artillery? If the picture is accurate, it's much darker then navy blue. for the marines I'll likely go with blue and gold, just because it looks snappy.

Now, looking around while I composed my reply I found this, which I saw before but forgot. In this image the colors appear very different. Which one is more accurate? If on the left I'm back to needing navy blue in bulk. If the right s more the thing I can reuse the old classic blue.

http://www.britishem...lery/ra1792.htm

During the times you're stating Fort defences in colonies could be manned by a detachment of the Royal Regiment of Artillery or local recruits trained into cannoniers, now if the temperature and climate of the port was quite warm, for example in the Caribbean or Indian forts many gunners would fire the cannons in the mist of action without their jackets on and would then mostly look all white, with a waistcoat, shirt, trousers and gaiters. However in forts such as Fort Amherst, one of the largest Napoleonic forts in Europe above Chathams Royal Dockyards, the artillery detachments would wear full uniform.

If you're looking for a 'Royal Artillery' styled uniform and do not wish to result to decals to get a 100% accurate uniform, I'd advise using the Collectible Minifigures 'Revolutionary Soldier' uniform with the Pirates of the Caribean white laced tricorne.

col156.jpg

As it is as close as you could get without the use of accurate decals to the real American Revolutonary Era Royal Artillery, unless you're going for a more 'Napoleonic' look? This is the style of Royal Artillery uniforms as they looked in 1775 and remained fairly unchanged until about 1803 when the British Army began to bring in closed buttoned jackets whilst retaining the same deep blue, red serge facings and flat yellow/gold worsted lace.

Royal%20Regt.%20of%20Artillery%20.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

good guide to base your uniforms off of. The man in the tarleton helmet is horse artillery, so avoid that one.48.gif

Edited by theashioning

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    No registered users viewing this page.