"Caribbean Spanish Costumes/Uniforms in 1797?" Topic

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Now that it has become somewhat clear to me what the British wore in the Caribbean at that time, what about the Spanish and their colonial militias?

It seems that most sites I find have their links disabled for some reason, to where I cannot see them up close:
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Thanks.

CC

PS. Who makes appropriate figures for that location and period in 28mm?

Are these really accurate for that period?
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If there is nothing else online, I guess I could still order this book:
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CC

If you are a MagWeb subscriber, there have been a number of articles in El Dorado on the Spanish forces in the Caribbean.

The picture looks generally right.

They would be wearing something close to the AWI uniform & I think Historifigs has some new AWI Spanish that look decent.

Have you tried the NY Public Library Collection, yet, CC? And maybe see if you can find the period-appropriate volume of El Ejercito de los Borbones. (Sorry, I've got the earliest volume, Felipe V & Luis I, that's 1700-1730s and the colonial Marines illustrated are of 1717.)

But I almost forgot my new booklet, La Campana de Pensacola, 1781 that is No.7 of the Guerreros Y Batallas series by Manuel Petinal via Almena Ediciones publishing. It's sort of like an MAA Osprey including eight (a bit naive) colour plates and a bunch of b&w period plates.

The line look like they're in AWI French uniforms including the heart-shapes where the turnbacks meet except no lapels and they have turned-down collars. They have crossbelts for cartridge-box and bayonet and no waist-belt. The grenadiers have armchair-style busbies with a long bag. Some of the men are shown in flattish tricornes and others are in leather caps with a small comb and a false front with a small plume on the left-hand side. It doesn't immediately indicate if these are light companies or if the whole regiment except the grenadiers wore the cap. I'm sure that these are all illustrated at the NYPL, so check them out before buying or ILL any of these books.

There might be something in this link

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Not all have pictures but check through all of the plates

Thanks!!!

CC

What about uniforms for the earlier period ie The Golden Age of Piracy? Most Pirate movies show something like a AWI British uniform when to my mind it should be more like WSS. I have seen reference to British Marines in that period but nothing about their uniform, particularly in the Caribbean. Garrisons were small in those days and visiting Navy ships would have supplemented the numbers for operations against Pirates or other nations.

It has taken a while, but here are some things I've found (a lot of it in Spanish):

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References:
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QUESTION:
So, since this topic was first brought up, are there any new 28mm figures that could be used for those troops (the "Regimiento Fijo de Puerto Rico", and the "Milicia Disciplinada de Puerto Rico")?

Thanks.

CC

This is interesting too, about the re-enactment group:
puertorico1797.com

Videos:
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CC
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Well I suppose it depends on your interpretation of the headwear. If you want a tricorne or at least can live with one then French for the AWI would possibly do the trick. Front rank do a range. You could simply say they are in older pattern uniforms.

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If you want a a more definitive bicorne, which the NYPL plates suggest is the case in 1797 you will need to look elsewhere

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Possibly your best bet would be Foundry's, now withdrawn, range of French revolution era infantry. The French Rev sets, guilotine, mob etc are still on their site but I had thought they did some more infantry in bicornes.

Addendum, the Front rank Napoleonics in Bicorne might work.

BTW, the Brits for the period may well have been in somewhat simplified uniforms compared to the reenactment photos. The relevant Ospreys suggest round hats ( very common in the tropics) and single breasted roundabout coats)
From memory the only people who do anything approaching this in 28mm are Redoubt in their Wellington in India Range.

Wow, Carlos, that is fantastic info. I will look them up. Thanks so much.

CC

Regarding the early Spanish marines, for Poitier501, El Ejercito de los Borbones Volume I, 1700-1746 shows a 1717 Marine corporal in red stockings with black garters; blue breeches; blue waistcoat; and a white coat with white collar and cuffs--the coat also has thin blue lace loops around the buttonholes, so three on the cuffs and an unidentifiable number of loops across the coat front (not many though, so perhaps painting three or four would be appropriate?); brass buttons; a white shirt without a neckstock; black hair ribbon; black tricorne laced gold for the corporal (so yellow for the men, I'd assume); with the red cockade with its central gold lace line and button holding it to the tricorne. As a corporal his cuffs are also edged in gold lace, but I don't know if the men would have had yellow lace trim on theirs or just plain white cuffs. There are large coat pockets with three buttons and scalloped to match where the buttons are placed. It looks like there are lace loops too, but as only the buttons are plainly visible, I can't tell if they're blue, gold laced or just plain white with stitching to accommodate/secure the button.

The Marines' wore the same equipment as land grenadiers--a ventral belly box (with crossed anchors) in reddish-brown leather; a waistbelt in buff leather including a sabre and its frog and a separate bayonet frog with the bayonet hanging vertically contrasted with the sabre on an angle; the sabre has a red cord attached to it and has a cup hand guard, thin knuckle guard and handle with pommel all in steel; the scabbards are both dark brown leather with steel mounts on them; and a buff shoulder belt over the right shoulder with a brass match-case attached. The shoulder belt seems to be holding a piece of handled equipment (an axe?) but only its plain, rounded, wooden handle is visible. It seems to have a red, tasselled cord hanging from it.

Oh, and the white coat doesn't have turnbacks, as was usual in the early 18th Century.

There is some archaeological evidence available at

artifacts.org/default.htm

In particular, I have found

artifacts.org/Luisiana.htm

and

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useful, though I have primarily been interested in the War of 1812, the Creek War, and the First Seminole War. Also, the Uniformology disc "The Army of Spain in the New World and the American Revolution 174-1795" covers the period well. In spite of the title, the uniform plates run through 1811. Finally, there is a recreation unit for the Regimento Fijo de Luisiana

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that musters in a uniform very similar to the Puerto Rican group.

Rick

Wow. I didn't know that there was so much available.

Now, if only I could make a decision on what 28mm figures to use from the few options available . . .

CC

It is gratifying to see what information has become available and accessible in the past few years.

Rick

I heard some of you guys are looking for some info on the Spanish soldiers, 18th C.?

Agueybana, mi cacique!

Yes. What do you have for us, my lord?

I just found this:

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CC

These riders look quite good!
Any more info? 'Accurate' or 'fantasy'?
Are the 2 with different uniforms trumpeters or officers (would turn them into privilegied targets..)?

Nice image, anyway.
JL

Map of attack on San Juan, 1797 (Spanish text):

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CC

Lots of interesting details (Spanish text also):

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CC

This is indeed a nice description of the uniforms (English too):

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CC