"Georgia Brigade 1776 to 1779: part 2" Topic

Here is the second (of two parts) on the Georgia Brigade during the American Rev War. Again it was from the little seen but outstanding publication Gorget and Sash, volume 2 issue 3.

link

Thank you for posting this. Georgia Continentals don't usually merit much study, and the campaigns against East Florida don't get much mention in popular histories of the AWI.

It was also great to see the ad for The Little Soldier at the end of part 2. when I built my first AWI army decades ago they were one of the shops that supplied my troops.

I don't agree with the author's assessment on the uniforms of Georgia continentals. Some of Lefferts descriptions of deserters from the 2nd and 3rd Georgia and some from the 4th do date from 1776-77 and are from more northern papers, as the author states, suggesting they were deserters from when the units were raised or shortly after. However three for the 4th from 1778-79 come later and from a source where that unit was deployed. The black faced red coat described in one description is similar to the regimental worn by some South Carolina Continentals at the time, suggesting Georgia may have been able to tap some of that same supply. The other two descriptions sound like uniform coats rather than civilian attire. So I think in 1778-80 some Georgia Continentals did have regimentals.

This doesn't mean the Georgia Continentals didn't wear hunting shirts too. A study of the 2nd SC Continentals provides quotes indicating SC Continentals were issued or used hunting shirts in 1776-1777, and that at least some hunting shirts may have been issued to SC troops that participated in the 1778 Florida campaign.

Bill, thank you for that infirmation. I agree with your suggestion that during 1778-80 some of these continental had regimental and that there might have been some cross over from South Carolina supplies.

I am also finding that after 1776 hunting shirts are not as prominent as popular literature would have us believe.