"American Continentals: Gorgets?" Topic

Well, I just bought a bunch of Armies in Plastic AWI soldiers for some fun 54mm games with friends.

I knew that the scultping and such were fairly generic and meant to fill in for both sides and such. However, I just started painting my third figure, an officer, as a Continental and I now see he has a gorget around his neck.

Some brief time on Google seems to indicate Continentals did use these? There is a reference to a "George Washington" maybe wearing one, but…

Anyone have any info for Continental gorgets?

"A" George Washington, FASAfan? As though you never heard of anyone of that name? Evidently there's a Peale portrait of him with one from his provincial service days.

Here's on being auctioned. Side not specified, but I doubt many British units put "Liberty" on theirs.
link

I've seen another with a Palmetto. British and ones made for the Indian trade seem much more common, though. Unauthorized, would be my guess, and probably usually unaffordable in an army scrounging for shoes and cartridge boxes. Doesn't keep me from painting them on my own Continentals, of course: my miniatures are often better and more uniformly dressed than the armies they represent, and this is especially true of the Continentals.

The Washington painting is when he was a militia colonel in the Virginia militia in 1772.

Arms and Armor in Colonial America 1526-1783 by Harold L. Peterson says that a few early war militia officers might have worn one, but that the gorget is not mentioned in any general orders or regulations, nor are they present in any authentic art work. That said, none of my figures are half naked and bare foot, and they carry flags that I think look cool.

Fantastic responses! Thanks both to Robert and 79thPA.

Yeah, I've heard of a couple of Georges but I never can keep them straight. There's the tyrant king who invented peanut butter or something and the guy who invented the one dollar bill – I know that much!!

In the British Army, only infantry and Marine officers wore them.

Generals and staff officers did not.

Virginia Tory, thank you!

Also 79thPA, I've got my eye on a copy of the Arms and Armor book by Harold L. Peterson. Thanks for the mention.

It is an excellent resource.