"Could use suggestions for a Loyalist provincial regiment" Topic

I want to have a Loyalist force for generic games as well as recreating specific battles. For the sake of easy identification this force is being made up of green coated troops. As many Loyalist regiments shifted uniforms quite often I am not concerned that all the regiments I select had green coats at the exact same time, only that they had green coats at one time or another.

I have already chosen the Queen's Rangers and the British Legion infantry.

I have also decided to do a regiment of the New Jersey Volunteers with cocked hats and white facings.

I need to choose one more Loyalist regiment with cocked hats and a facing other than white. I am assuming red and black would be the most common facing colors for green coats other than white?

Any thoughts or suggestions? Any other regiments that were particularly active that wore green coats and cocked hats at some point during the war?

Thank you in advance.

If you want a Loyalist regiment for generic games why don't you just paint up a unit of militia without a standard bearer, that way you can use the force for either a rebel or a loyalist unit……That's what I did.

King's Royal Yorkers is my favorite…well, next to Butler's Rangers, but of course Butler's men never fought in ranks, as far as I know. At some point the Yorkers switched from green/white to red/blue.

Paint some "Continental" figures as Loyalists, and do them with red coats, facings your choice.
This makes them look different.
They can be deLancey's, Skinners, etc.

Yorkers for me, too.

Thank you gentlemen, but I am already going to be having a white faced regiment with cocked hats so they could easily pass as the Yorkers.

The militia idea is a good one, but I already have almost 10 militia regiments that only need a command stand swapped out to become good loyal soldiers of the King.

John,
That is a good suggestion too, but I already have some motley looking redcoat regiments with blue facings that could work as Loyalists.

What I am looking for is a cocked hat, green coated regiment with a facing color other than white. Either a regiment that fought in a number of battles or the second most popular facing color would do.

We all come here for help from time to time but this seems a simple enough web based research project. It wasn't that long ago this was a chore requiring multiple resources. Now just Google up Loyalist regiments and then Google specific ones until you find what you need.

What about the King's Orange Rangers? Green coats with, er, orange facings. There's some painted examples and a bit of history here: link

Other options include:

- Queen's Own Loyal Virginians: green faced red;
- Prince of Wales' Loyal American Volunteers: green faced blue.

Giles

Apparently buff was the second most common facing colour after white for the green uniforms; black and red were quite rare, from what I've read.

Early morning,
I have been looking on the web as well as my own book collection and have found a lot of conflicting information which is why I posted here. I know a lot about the regulars, not as much about the loyalists.

Thank you Giles and Supercilius Maximus, that is what I needed.

Quite a few buff-faced coats (and obviously buff small clothes as well) were issued in Canada in 1775/76, so that would also be quite a flexible choice.

I think the KRRNY had a brief flirtation with blue coats faced white, and hated them because it made them look like Continentals.

royalyorkers.ca

I think today's re-enactment unit out of Canada wears green faced with blue. I think their website gives details on what they do and don't know about the uniforms of the Yorkers.

Try this site for a good start: link

I thought the Yorkers wore blue facings.

I believe there are several units that the facts just aren't clear.

My great great………. Grandfather was in the KRRNY, met my wife when i was with the army in New Brunswick and her Great great Grandfather was with the Kings Orange Regt.

Good thing the rev happened :)

The common early war uniform was a green coat with white, black, or blue facings. White small clothes, round hat, and brown wool gaiters. DeLancey was able to clothe his brigade in red coats, faced blue. The Loyal American Reg't, and the N.Y. Volunteers/3rd American reg't. seem to be the only buff faced green coats that I've seen.

In 1779 the Provincial Corps were ordered into red coats and gaiter-trousers. The Queen's Rangers/1st American Regiment kept their green uniforms, as did Butlers. I am not aware of any Loyalists wearing red coats with white facings

I think the Loyal American Regiment would be a decent call. They served in the New York City area and wore green coats with red facings and round hats.

The Loyal American Reg't, and the N.Y. Volunteers/3rd American reg't. seem to be the only buff faced green coats that I've seen.

I think a lot of the buff-faced coats went to Canada and were issued to the "English" militias of Quebec and Montreal.

Of course most Provincials were in red coats after '79

Supercilious Maximus,

Do you know what years the NY Volunteers wore green with buff facings? Is it known if they had buff, white, or black belts? Of course it would make sense for them to get buff small clothes, but is there any evidence they actually received them?

Thank you in advance.

KRRNY; " A corps more accustomed to the axe than the firelock". Forget who the quote is from, but seems apt. My favourite would be the Kings Orange Rangers.

An order of clothing for Provincials from 13 Sep't 1776( I think) called for 5,000 green coats (facings not specified) lined in white baize. 5,000 white waistcoats and breeches. Nothing about buff. The provincials, at the beginning, were commonly issued cartridge boxes that were worn on a narrow black waistbelt with a black sliding bayonet frog. So no buff belting.

When the provincials were ordered into red coats you might have seen buff waistcoats and belts, but they were also ordered into linen trousers