"AWI British Legion Infantry Uniforms" Topic

While the British Legion cavalry uniforms are well documented little is known about their infantry uniforms.

I read here dauphinehotel.com/legion.htm that they wore short green jackets with green lapels, black collars and cuffs, green waistcoats and white breeches. It does however not say anything about the Legion's Infantry headgear and equipment.

Since they were light infantry I assume that their equipment was black like the British Light Infantry but I have NO idea about what kind of headgear they wore. Was it a helmet, a bicorne, a shako like the Queens Rangers, who knows?

So here's my question: how would you (or have you) represented your British Legion Infantry? What brand of figures, in what headgear?

Mine will be regular British Infantry with green coat with black facing on lapels and cuffs, white turnbacks, white trousers, black bicorne.

I was going with green roundabout & slouch hats. The Perry figure in cut down coat & slouch hat is a consideration.

Actually, I meant to write tricorne.

I still have some OG Brit Legion infantry.They have them in a short coat with lapels,and with the same headgear,Tarleton helmet,as the cavalry.
Lefferts says:Short,round,tight green jackets,black collar,cuffs and lapels,with variety buttonhoes.
Lefferts got this from "A List of the officers of the Army Serving in North America..NY 1783".From the NY Historical society.
No mention of headgear.It also says Tarletons British Legion were mostly clothed in white during the summer months.Probably white linen frocks or overshirts.
Perry's make a couple sets of the 17th LD in this dress,so the Legion was most likely dressed the same.

Check out the Perry Miniatures website, particularly the American War of Independence Gallery.

picture

The figures in the rear rank appear to be from their AW40 pack (Continental Infantry Advancing, shouldered arms), and seem to work quite well as Loyalist infantry.

I hope to build a Loyalist unit using these "Contiental" figures.

Fonzie,

The Legion infantry uniform has been discussed in previous TMP threads and would depend on which time/campaign you are considering, as the loss of most of the light infantry at Cowpens led to other units being attached to Tarleton.

Have a look at "Brutal Virtue: The Myth & Reality of Banastre Tarleton" by Anthony J Scotti. The author is a BL infantry re-enactor (sadly all the photos of him are b/w) and he describes the infantry uniforms for 1780 on p.34 and in footnotes 10 and 11 to Chapter 3 - basically what you already have. He opts for the "Tarleton" - reading between the lines for no other reason than it looks good, as he quotes a document describing "leather caps" (as distinct from the cavalry helmet) being made for the infantry in June 1780.

FWIW, I would opt for roundabouts and slouch hats for the summer, with white jackets and trousers and a black hat with a green or black plume (or possibly none at all). For the winter - eg Cowpens - I'd either go for the cut-down coat and slouch hat, or perhaps some early-war British light infantry (on the rather tenuous assumption that those leather caps arrived before the battle). As a third option, you could use musket-armed QR figures with white jackets.

After Cowpens, the infantry companies were disbanded, IIRC, and replaced by detachments of Regulars, including mounted infantry (eg one company of the 23rd Foot is with him at Gloucester Point in 1781). So British troops in Southern campaign dress would seem appropriate, maybe even those excellent Perry 23rd Foot figures.

I've just read that link and there's an interesting comment post-Cowpens by Harry Lee, talking about contacting the Legion cavalry AND INFANTRY at a time when Tarleton was using the Foot Guards light company as support. Either this is a memory lapse by Lee, or else Tarleton's infantry must have worn red in order for Lee to have been confused.

I have use the Foundry/Perry uniformed militia figures, painted with dk green coats, black facings and white turnbacks. Hats are amix of slouch and tricorne, I have painted some tricornes with lace some without. Trousers are brown, blue or white and waistcoats are in a variety of blues, blacks, reds, browns, whites and yellows. Equipment belts are black, with brown/tan packs and linen sacks. Socks/half gaiters are in grey, brown or blue.

Leaders are from the continental infantry advancing blister from foundry.

All in all the unit has a good "campaign" feel suitable for a fairly wide time-period.

For other loyalists (Volunteers of Ireland, Royal North Carolina Rgt etc) I use the continental infantry + command painted up with red coats - they look the part.

Steve

The legion infantry converted to green coats late in the war - at least by the time of Wiederhold's 1783 list. At the time of Cowpens, however, the legion infantry were wearing red coats, and probably looked no different than other provincial units. For compelling evidence see this discussion - link - and read Babit's seminal work on the battle.

The discussion I refer you to claims that the legion infantry had black facings but I think that is because blue looks black on the Barron map (note that the unit markers for the legion infantry and the 23rd Foot are identical). Note also that the Americans quoted in Babits did not distinguish between the 7th foot and the legion infantry, suggesting that their uniforms were quite similar. Babits does not come out and say that the legion infantry wore red coats and blue facings but he does point out that green coats were not worn.

All accounts do agree, however, that the legion cavalry wore green coats with black facings.

The Volunteers of Ireland are one loyalist foot regiment that did have a distinctive appearance. See Troiani's depiction here:

link

OK, so maybe not all sources agree.

95thRegt: "It also says Tarletons British Legion were mostly clothed in white during the summer months.Probably white linen frocks or overshirts."

From: link

"BRITISH LEGION:. Cavalry - green jackets, black collar, lapels and cuffs, white and buff pants; Infantry = green jackets, white waistcoats and breeches. Drummers in green jackets, pants and waistcoats. Clothed in white while in the South (as they were reported as being clad in the same manner as Lee's Legion and the 3rd Continental Lgt Dragoons who both wore white)."

Actually, I believe the British legion were only said to have worn the same color uniform as Lee's legion (Specifically I think the reference comes from Lee's description of Pyle's Massacre during the Guilford campaign - the loyalists made the fatal mistake of thinking Lee's dragoons were Tarleton's dragoons). Lee's legion probably wore green not white (see: link In fact, before heading South, there was one occassion on which the light dragoons of the Queen's Rangers were able to ride freely behind American lines because they were also indistinguishable with Lee's forces.

At some point, Lee's legion may have changed to a light-colored uniform (as suggested by this picture circa 1782 painting of Lee. My guess is that such a change would have been made to avoid additional confusion with the British.

Everyone, including Troiaini (see link and link ), shows the 3rd light dragoons in white with blue facings, namely because of paintings like this one picture of William Washington. Unknown (I think) is whether this uniform was actually kept throughout the war, or how well the 3rd light dragoons were supplied during the Southern campaign. Keep in mind that Washington's forces included men from the 1st LD, and they may have been differently uniformed (see link ). White coats with blue facings certainly make for a handsome uniform, and they were also adopted by at least some of the men of the 2nd LD late in the war. In any case, white coats with blue facings should not have been confused with white frocks.

The link for Lee's legion should be:

link

Thanks gentlemen, that's a lot of food for thought you have given me.

I like the suggestion that they might have worn red coats at Cowpens. I have an unpainted British Light Infantry battalion in Tarleton helmets that I could paint as Legion Infantry in red coats. Or I could paint them in green coats. Not sure yet, need to give it some thought. ;-)

Fons

Hi everyone,
I've just had the British Legion horse is what is typically envisaged. However, the foot are downplayed somewhat. My sources are numerous and I do not wish to list them all. The BL foot have been said to have worn Green, Grey, White and red coats. In actuality I believe that they wore a mixture of red and green, probably faced black. The unit was said to have been mounted and dismounted at various intervals, normally after an action where horse casualties were high. I think it is likely therefore that many of the original horseman later served on foot until they were able to replenish their mounts. There fore I think it would be advisable to represent the infantry as the Perry miniatures British Infantry in Slouch hats, red coats and black facings with one or two in green coats and maybe even the odd traleton helmeted miniature thrown in for good measure.

Does anyone have any information on the cavalry guidon carried by the horsemen??