"Loyalists, which uniform" Topic

Would Loyalists wear Continental uniforms or British uniforms? I want to do the New Jersey Volunteers Thanks

Loyalists typically wore green, sometimes British red. In the case of this particular unit

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What year?
Loyalist uniforms are as complicated, if not more so than Continental uniforms.
I have used Continental uniform figures, painting them red or green.
The main difference is that the American uniform tends to be a bit more ad hoc and thrown together. No lace is a crucial difference.
There are of course Loyalists with their own unique uniforms, like Volunteers of Ireland, Queen's Rangers, British Legion, etc.

Some loyalists wore green. Most wore red British uniforms with facing colors. Depends on the unit.

Katcher has the New Jersey Volunteers raised in New York in 1776 and in garrison until sent south in the operation in Savannah in 1779. They fight throughout the southern campaign. He also notes there were three battalions of them that begin in green and then adopt red coats faced blue. I'm guessing they head south with new red uniforms.

Aug 1777, Battle of Staten Island. Col. Ogden's 1st and 3rd New Jersey Regiments against the 1st and 3rd New Jersey Volunteers. The Volunteers were in Green and White, I just didn't know if there was much difference between the style of the uniforms.

Some Loyalists units began in green and switched to red. Others stayed green. It's complicated.

I have been saying for a while that Loyalists often considered themselves "more British than the British."
It shows in their uniforms.
I truly believe that whenever possible they would try to uniform themselves as a typical British unit, even carrying colours.

And if you paint some of your Loyalist units in red then they can double as British regulars if needed (and vice versa).

So far I've only completed the Queens Rangers (in green) in my reorganization of my AMR forces but I do plan on several Loyalist units, at least one in green.

Jim

For Time Portal Passages initial issue, we did a special edition covering the Loyalists and their uniforms. One section covered every unit which I could find and their statistics. Another section listed uniforms and changes. Another section listed all battles that they participated in.

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A more direct link: link

In Schloss Piepenbrink, the loyalists wear green and like it. I want my battlefields to have an many visual clues as I can arrange--and I have no intention of painting early AWI and late AWI uniforms of the same unit anyway.

I like painting Loyalist units in green uniforms because it provides for more colors on the battlefield. Have always thought of the AWI as a poor man's Napoleonic period for the array of colors and uniform styles. The collector can have lots of variety--without having tp provide thousands of 'em.

Very cool Bill N. Thanks for sharing.

"I just didn't know if there was much difference between the style of the uniforms."

I think everyone is missing his question. He was not asking about color (I don't think), but cut of the coats.

The answer – it depends on the unit. Most Loyalist units wore coats contracted out – likely by the same contractors who were making the uniforms and kit for the British army.

Loyalist coats had facings (when green coats, usually the facings were white or red), cuffs, turnbacks (white wool for all), collars – just like a British Army coat. Depending on the year, unit, and type of unit (Lights, grens, etc.) the coat may have been shortened, just like the army units.

American coats in 1777 are a bit more problematic. They were supplied by the state. Likely no standard pattern. Could be short or long as well. The turnbacks may have been the facing color, not white wool like the Brits and Loyalists.

So, depending on what scale of figure, the differences might, or might not be noticeable for the cut of the coat.

I hope that answers your question – that is, without more specific research on the units involved. FYI – there are re-enactment groups for each of the units you mentioned. You can likely go to their websites and look up their uniform information.

I was asking about the coats. I was trying to decide on either Warlord's British or Continental infantry to use. I'm going to go with the Continental figures and paint them Green and White. Thanks all.

I would not do that. I use British figures and paint them the appropriate colors. The British actually furnished some of the uniforms and they were green before they switch it all to red later in the war. Some units continued to wear green, most notably the Queen Rangers or at least I think the QR did.

I would go with British uniforms and the color green (just because I like telling my loyalist apart on the table, and it breaks up the sea of red).

It was in '79 that the Provincial Corps were ordered into red coats. Some like the 1st American Regiment (The Queen's Rangers) kept their green jackets, as did Butlers Rangers. I believe Johnson's Royal Greens went into red.

As others note, the loyal Provincials started in green, then in 1779 most were switched to red (I've never seen a convincing reason). Simcoe had to fight hard to enable the Rangers to retain their green.

In the south, the British had significant supply problems. According to a return published in the Cornwallis Papers, in October, 1780 the stores at Charleston held only a handful of red coats or cloth. However, they held 350 blue cavalry coats, 274 "Russia" infantry jackets, 1,140 yards of blue cloth, 1,435 yards of brown cloth – and 12,420 yards of plaid!

I'm sure that this cloth was eventually issued, whether to provincials, militia, or even regulars, to as Cornwallis once puts it "cover their nakedness".

Green and White, Continental Uniform



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Good work.

Thank you, now to paint up another 11 to use for my "Battle of Staten Island".
New Jersey Volunteers, 52nd Foot and Hessians versus 1st and 3rd New Jersey and the 2nd Canadian. There were others involved but I'll be happy with this as a start.

Nice job.