"AWI Grenadiers with different facing colors be appropriate?" Topic

Would having a mixture of different facing colors to make an AWI British Grenadier unit (let's say mainly a Battalion representation) be an appropriate way to paint them?

I created a unit of 24 Grenadiers for Black Powder at 28mm. Now I already have 3 Line Infantry Units with Buff, Yellow, and Green facing. I am probably going to add another 2, maybe 3, going with Black, White and Blue facings for them down the road. I am thinking of painting the facing on each stand of 4 models in those above colors.

I am kinda going for the picked man idea, but I am not certain if AWI British Grenadiers worked that way. If they do, great I will proceed as planned. If not, what would be a good facing color for this unit of Grenadiers?

AWI grenadier battalions were in fact converged battalions of companies from different regiments with different facing colors. So you're golden.

Absolutely!
That is the correct way to paint the unit.
Each grenadier battalion was composed of the grenadier companies stripped from MANY DIFFERENT REGIMENTS.
So it would be totally appropriate to have each element with different facing colors.
In my organization, I base 3 figures on 2"X1" stands. A line regiment has 6 stands of line troops, and 1 each of grenadiers.
Then when I have enough regiments painted I get the "free" converged light infantry and grenadier converged battalions.
My regiments have yellow, buff, green, blue, white etc facings.
So each stand if grenadiers in the battalion has different facings.

Btw, to use my organization with Black Powder, simply double rank my stands.

It's also important to know that your grenadier battalion would carry no flags.
Flags belong to the parent regiments, and companies stripped from those regiments would NOT take flags with them.

British battalions had 8 center companies of "hat men", 1 each of light infantry and grenadiers.

Battalion officers complained that Howe used the battalions as "nurseries" for the flank companies. Losses in the flank companies were made up by drafts on the center companies. This kept flank companies closer to full strength. Since the flank companies might not even serve in the same theater as the battalion, this was resented by the battalion officers.

Grenadier battalions were technically ad hoc temporary units, even though the composition may be stable for a long period of time.
They would not have any of the hallmarks of a permanent unit, like their own facing color or flag.

Thanks for the confirmation. I didn't include any flag bearers in my Grenadier or Light Bob units. I am a short of a full (read: 24 models)Light Infantry unit with 16 men+Officer+Bugler since that was pretty much all the short coats I could muster. As I get more short coat models, I fill out their ranks. My Grenadier unit is 21+Officer+Sergeant+Drummer.

I went so a bit of a odd basing solution. All my models are individually based on 20mm square with the old Wargames Factory, now Warlord, bases. These bases have a deep enough depression that I could sticking a 16.5mm square piece of magnetic tape (technically from a magnetic sheet). I then place 4 models on a piece of 40mm square sheet metal. Note: the below picture is an old WIP of my Continental troops.

In addition to the companies being kept at, or close to, full strength, the battalions themselves were larger – typically 12-14 companies, although at one point (when reduced to one single battalion each) the 1st Grenadiers and 1st Light Infantry both had 15 companies.

That's how I did mine.

When I paint, I do the entire battalion (Regiment). This would include both that unit's light and grenadier companies.
If you are only going to do a composite British Grenadier battalion, then your way would work.
Unless you do a little research and build the unit with the historically attached individual grenadier companies. If doing this way, I strongly suggest buying a copy of G. Novak's two volume study.

Tom Semian
Avalon, Pa. 15202

The one unifying element in the grenadier battalions was the hat feather which by December 1778, when the two flank corps were reduced to one battalion each of grenadiers and light infantry, was white in colour.

There is anecdotal evidence that this distinguishing mark was in use as early as 1776 by all grenadier battalions, although the witness account from 1822 is ambiguous. One illustration from 1777, "My Triumphant Entrance into Philadelphia" regularly referred to on the forum, shows an officer of the 1st Battalion with a black hat feather, though that evidence is hardly conclusive, either.

The Journal of John Peebles, Lieutenant then Captain of Grenadiers, 42nd RHR, indicates that, for certain periods at least, the CO of the 2nd Grenadiers imposed some uniformity in his battalion by requiring all companies to wear nether wear as specified by him; wool breeches for all in winter (with blue leggins in 1778) and white canvas trowzers in summer; in summer 1781 the 2nd grenadiers wore linen breeches and long black gaiters (The Black Watch grenadiers wore brown trowzers sourced regimentally in the winter of 1779-80).