"Dearborn's Light Infantry" Topic

Dearborn's Unit was picked men who knew how to use a bayonet.
They were assigned to protect Morgan's Riflemen at Saratoga.
So where were they picked from?
hey should be wearing the uniform (if any) of their parent regiment. Or were they wearing uniforms at all?
One source states that, on the American side, that there were no uniforms at all at Saratoga. It was all civilian dress.

I need to represent Dearborn's men in 28 mm. Any help?

1) The actual selection process is unclear; Dearborn doesn't even mention it in his own memoirs as far as I can recall. My guess – based on how similar detachments elsewhere were raised both before and after – would be a call for x men and y officers and NCOs from each brigade (I think I may have already listed the brigades on another forum, but the Osprey Campaign lists those present in August).

2) They would, as you say, be wearing whatever uniform they had been issued. However, from Katcher, the Osprey MAAs, and various other sources, it seems unlikely that the Northern Army was given much clothing prior to the end of October 1777. There is an account of the surrender by a German officer that mentions all the Continentals lining the road as being in non-military dress (which would seem to preclude hunting shirts, as well).

I would be interested if anyone has anything more specific on this, as it's something that has intrigued me for a while. One of the Osprey MAAs on Washington's Army does mention coats being issued in small numbers, but no colour(s) are listed in the original documents cited. It is also quite likely that these might have gone to the senior NCOs, and maybe even some impecunious officers – rather than to whatever small groups of R&F had been raised at the time of the issue.

Since they were to "protect" the riflemen, it is very likely they would have bayonets too. This reflects British and German practice.

I would think they would probably be in hunting shirts similar to that being worn by the riflemen. Wither they were all the same color I can't speculate, but that time of dress seems the best guess to me.

Terry

There is a fairly good discussion on uniform issues to the Northern troops in the fortticonderoga.org website. This does indicate at least some troops were issued hunting shirts.

I wonder if a German officer would have considered hunting shirts "military dress",no matter the color.

Some German officers made drawings of Americsn soldiers, including one wearing. Hunting shirt and a LI cap.

The concept was a good one – protect the non-bayonetted riflemen with Light Infantry. But the reality was that in the first battle, the two groups ended up on opposite flanks, because of the way the battle developed. Reinforcements were needed "here" and away went Dearborn's troops.
But when the British tried to force Morgan from their woods, the riflemen drove off the British by themselves.
During the second battle, the American's were on a planned offensive, so the two groups did support each other. However, the second half of the battle was an assault upon fortifications. Again, the Light Infantry was not able to function as fully as had been intended.

Saxe, Both maps that I have seen show Dearborn right with Morgan on both sides of the battlefield.
First with the Pickets and then on the opposite side near the cabins, where the Canadians were.
That's right from the Osprey book, which is impeccable as far as research goes.

I've dived in Saratoga head first. I've cleaned out the Long Island Interactive Library on the subject and have visited every site that I can find. It's fascinating to attempt to piece together what regiments were actually wearing. Who's accounts to believe and who's to question?

I do have reason to believe that Hunting Shirts were more prevalent than originally belived. I'm also leaning toward Dearborn's men being picked for Mass regiments, but I need more conformation on that.