"Kirkwood's Delaware Lights" Topic

What would Kirkwood's Delaware Light Infantry looked liked at the battle of Hannah's Cowpens?

Light Infantry caps or not?

My bet. Cocked hats with yellow edging and blue regimental coats faced red would be how most appeared.

Agree with Bill.

I have not read of a special uniform for light infantry companies within Continental Line regiments. I would guess they wore the standard uniform. Based on supplies at that time blue coats faced red and hats with yellow trim. But without and documentation in front of me it is only a guess.

Probably a lot like this painting, plus some hunting shirts. I don't think they would have Light Infantry caps.

The OB I just looked at hardly had any Delaware troops there. I'm never clear on the Continental lights that come and go but they could have simply cut down a cocked hat too.

Morgan's entire Continental force had hardly any there. Three companies of Marylanders drawn from the survivors of seven regiments, one company from Delaware, one from Virginia, maybe a detachment from North Carolina and roughly 90 dragoons. That is why Morgan had to reinforce his third line with militia.

So why do you think there were any DE lights present?

link

HG, Go here and see how many times Kirkwood's men are referred to as "Lights". I've seen it in dozens of books and articles.

Was it an official designation?
That's not clear to me.

I don't think they are lights. I believe they were Line Continentals. Nafziger shows that they were not at Cowpens. But Buchanan shows they were. There were about 80 of them at Guilford Courthouse. Among the very best American regulars.

If you'd like a very accurate rundown on the Delaware Battalion under Kirkwood (two companies, the other commanded by Jacquett) see Long, Obstinate, and Bloody about the Battle of Guilford Courthouse.

Kirkwood's company was definitely light infantry which was why they were brigaded with Washington's cavalry and a rifle company at Guilford Courthouse in a provisional 'legion' similar to that of Lee's. They operated on the American right flank initially and then withdrew to the 3d Line. Jacquett's company was assigned to the 1st Maryland.

The Maryland and Delaware Continentals formed the Maryland Division and were transferred to the southern army where they were the troops who didn't run at Camden. They lost heavily and were reformed as two companies of Delaware infantry and enough Marylanders to make up a regiment.

The Maryland Division was arguably the best in the Continental Army. They were definitely in the top two.

I've read both of Babit's books and I cannot find a reference to head gear in either one. Or an opinion, one way or another, if they were considered official Lights or not.

Bill-One source you might want to consider is Babits' Supplying the Southern Continental Army. In it he quotes Otho Williams as saying that 200 regimental coats, 403 hats and 242 pairs of shoes were issued in October, 1780. He also cites a NC source that the uniforms were blue coats faced red. He does not expressly state that the coats and hats were issued to the two Delaware companies in addition to the Maryland troops, but it is a reasonable assumption. Shoes for Morgan's command seem to have been an issue because Babits also says Greene ordered 200 additional pair to be sent from stores in Salisbury to Morgan's troops in January, 1781. Can't tell the source for that.

'Ordered to join the Southern Army, the Regiment marched from Morristown on April 17, 1780 to win enduring fame by their desperate heroism at Camden. After that disaster, survivors were reorganized as two companies of light infantry under Captain Robert Kirkwood and established a reputation as the elite of the Southern Army'

-Military Uniforms in America, Volume I, The Era of the American Revolution 1755-1795, edited by John Elting. Text on page 80 facing the uniform plate.

Regarding the light infantry caps, 'Inspection reports of [Captain John Patten's company which was designated as light infantry, the 9th company of the reorganized regiment in 1778] indicate that both cocked hats and the Delaware's original caps were worn.'-same reference.

It might be a good idea to check SgtMaj Seymour's Journal and see if it is mentioned there. I'll dig out my copy and take a look later.

So 80 is too many for a company. My guess is that this is the remainder of the Delaware regiment which waxed and wained throughout its history.

Ok. Best description of what happened to the regiment is on the reenactment unit webpage. So the regiment split in two after the defeat at Camden. Kirkwood's half seemed to get a title of lights. So it's begs the question, how did Delaware kit out their lights prior to Camden?

And, did they kit out Kirkwood's detachment as lights, if Delaware lights had a different uniform? Or, did the designation as lights only refer to how they were used and fought?

From the 1 st Delaware Regiment History page:

August 16th 1780 – Battle of Camden, South Carolina. The Delaware Regiment suffers greatly as one of the veteran Continental units that stands their ground and fights at the Battle of Camden as much of General Gates' army retreats precipitously. Going into battle with approximately 275 men, the Delaware Regiment suffers heavy casualties with about 70 killed and 70 wounded. 10 officers and about 60 soldiers are captured (possibly some of the wounded). About half of those captured are soon rescued by "The Swamp Fox" Francis Marion. As a result of this engagement the Delaware Regiment is splintered into 2 units. One unit is designated as a light infantry unit and is led by Captain Robert Kirkwood. The other soldiers of the Delaware Regiment augment the Maryland Brigade infantry, with Captain Jaquett leading this company assigned to work with the 1st Maryland Regiment. So at this point we have 2 different units with members of the Delaware Regiment continuing to serve. Severely wounded and invalid soldiers and a handful of officers are sent back to Delaware to help with recruiting to refill the ranks of the Delaware Regiment.

There is an excellent book on the Delaware Regiment by Christopher Ward, The Delaware Continentals 1776-1783. It was published by The Historical Society of Delaware in 1941. It is both excellent and thorough.

I would also highly recommend the Journals of Robert Kirkwood and SgtMaj Seymour.

For casualties, see Howard Peckham's The Toll of Independence: Engagements and Battle Casualties of the American Revolution. This gives total casualties for the engagements, and not by unit, unfortunately.

For unit strength reports an excellent reference is Charles Lesser's The Sinews of Independence: Monthly Strength Reports of the Continental Army.

Examples:

-May 1779: 242 all ranks present and fit for duty.
-March 1789: 220 all ranks present and fit for duty.

Unfortunately the returns are only for the Main Army and certain other units. Gates' and Greene's returns for the Southern Army are not included.

There was no 1st Delaware Regiment. As there was only one Continental infantry regiment from Delaware throughout the war, it was entitled 'The Delaware Regiment.'

There were not '2 different units' but only one after Camden, being two companies commanded by Kirkwood and Jacquett. Both were assigned/attached to the 1st Maryland Regiment.

From The Continental Army by Robert Wright, 273:

'Authorized 9 December 1775 in the Continental Army as the Delaware Regiment. Organized 13 January 1776 to consist of eight companies from Kent, Sussex, and New Castle Counties. Assigned 27 February 1776 to the Middle Department. Relieved 5 August 1776 from assignment to the Middle Department and assigned to the Main Army. Assigned 25 August 1776 to Stirling's Brigade, an element of the Main Army. Relieved 1 September 1776 from assignment to Stirling's Brigade and assigned to Mifflin's Brigade (redesignated 8 October 1776 as Stirling's Brigade), an element of the Main Army.'

'Reorganized 1 January 1777 to consiste of eight companies. Assigned 22 May 1777 to the 1st Maryland Brigade, an element of the Main Army. Relieved 22 July 1778 from the 1st Maryland Brigade and assigned to the 3d Virginia Brigade, an element of the Main Army. (Captain Allen McLane's Company assigned 16 December 1778; relieved from assignment 13 January 1779-see 2d Partisan Corps.*)'

'Reorganized 12 May 1779 to consist of nine companies; concurrently, relieved from the 3d Virginia Brigade and assigned to the 2d Maryland Brigade, an element of the Main Army. (2d Maryland Brigade relieved 5 April 1780 from assignment to the Main Army and assigned to the Southern Department.)'

'Reorganized 3 September 1780 to consist of two companies. relieved 1 January 1781 from the 2d Maryland Brigade and assigned to the Maryland Brigade, an element of the Southern Department. Expanded in the summer of 1781 to consist of four companies by the reorganization of two companies at Christiana Bridge.** Reorganized 4 January 1782 to consist of two companies.'

'Furloughed 17 January 1783 at Christiana Bridge. Disbanded 15 November 1783.

* Captain McLane's Delaware Company was assigned to the 2d Partisan Corps (Lee's Legion) as the 4th Troop.

**Christiana Bridge is in Delaware.

From the Encyclopedia of Continental Army Units by Fred Berg, 37-38:

'On December 9, 1775 Congress authorized a Delaware battalion and in January, 1776 Colonel Haslet's Delaware Regiment was accordingly accepted into the Continental service. Haslet's Regiment served with distinction though the year. Haslet, himself, was killed at Princeton, but under his successor, Colonel David Hall and a cadre of Haslet's former officers, the regiment was rerecruited and reorganized for the 1777 campaign. Through the years Hall's Delaware Regiment maintained its reputation. Although in 1776 the entire regiment wore the cap associated with light infantry, the author has yet to find any contemporary evidence the whole unit was intended for that role. There is reason to believe, however, that in 1776 and 1777 before all Continental battalions had light infantry companies, that the Delaware Regiment did have one of its companies trained in that capacity. The disaster at Canden on August 16, 1780 shattered the famous regiment. Most of the regiment's men were killed or captured in that battle. Afterwards, the survivors formed two companies under Captain Kirkwood and were assigned to a mixed Maryland-Delaware Light Infantry Battalion…after October 30, 1780. At Guilford Courthouse on March 15, 1781, the Delaware men formed a flank detachment for the front line and suffered further casualties. By late 1781 a few recruits arrived to strengthen the tiny remnant of the old Delaware Regiment to 4 companies. On June 13, 1782 General Greene assigned the regiment to LtCol Lauren's Light Infantry Corps. The Delaware men were furloughed soon after June 11, 1783.'

The best references I have found for the Delaware Regiment are the afore mentioned (in a previous posting) Military Uniforms in America and the above references The Continental Army and Ward's history of the regiment which is quite extensive.

I looked up the regiment in a number of books. Suffice to say their uniforms changed over time, including at one point wearing brown coats faced red (1778). The way the regiment apparently tried to distinguish itself was by wearing the yellow tape on their cocked hats – usually associated with artillery.

What they were wearing by 1780 or 1781 is sketchy give the split in the unit, the distance to Delaware, etc. Being assigned as Lights or in a flank position was based more on assignment and ability, not caps. In October 1780 NC issued the regiment short coats and small clothes, no mention of any hats. Katcher says that this included hunting shirts, new shoes and blue striped pants, though he notes the exact citation is lacking for this.

That said, if you want to put Light caps on them likely no one can say you are wrong or right. Cutting down a cocked hat into a light cap is simple enough. Whether they did it or not is another question. Given previous quotes from the unit, they seemed attached to the yellow tape, but if they still retained that is unknown at this time.

TMP link

This is how I have them as a converged unit. I'll just drop the converged, since I plan on doing all 5 Continental units at Cowpens.
These will suffice as Kirkwood's Delawares. Lights or not.

I'm tending to think that the entire Flying Army was considered "light". Perhaps not in the true military regulations sense, but in the common vernacular of the times.

This means that I only have the 3 Maryland Companies left to do. Huzzah!

This is some sour grapes, but I really don't understand how enthusiasts for wargaming, military models, and military history steadfastly use the term 'converged' for provisional units. The latter is the correct military term and should be used.

It is similar to some insisting that dragoons in the Napoleonic period, especially the French dragoon regiments, continually label them as 'medium' cavalry, when no such designation from the period exists.