Ft Ticonderoga- Fife & Drums

 Fife and Drums of the Royal Roussilon Regiment by the site reenactors of Fort Ticonderoga/Carrilon.

French troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War in Canada: Royal-Roussillon

2eme Le Regiment de Royal-Roussillon was sent to Quebec in 1756. It's main fighting was at Fort William-Henry, Carillon/Ticonderoga, Quebec and finally Montreal.
Painted figures to followSargeant, Royal Roussilon(Gerry Embelton)


Drummer, (www.cmhg.gc.ca)

British troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: 45th Regiment

The 45th Regiment of Foot was one of the British units involved in the retaking of St. John's, Newfoundland after its capture by a French fleet in June 1762. Earlier in the war, the regiment took part in the capture of Fort Beausejour (1755) and the siege of Louisbourg (1758). The smaller figures in the background include a sergeant (at left, holding a halberd) and a grenadier (wearing a mitre cap, at right). Reconstruction by Charles Stadden. (Parks Canada)
This image was also shown at Ft. Edward, National Historic site in Windsor, Nova Scotia back in the 1980s. I have one full battalion modeled which is in previous posts.

Our Newest Member, Calvin | Robot Chicken | Adult Swim

 I used to collect the GI Joe figures as a kid in the 80s. I lost most of them when the basement in my house flooded and my cats used my stuff as toilets.

British troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: 17th Regiment

The 17th Regiment of Foot arrived at Halifax in 1757. It took part in the siege of Louisbourg as part of Brigadier James Wolfe's brigade. The 17th’s grenadiers were surprised by a French sortie on 9 July 1758. Their captain, Lord Dundonald, and part of the company were killed. The regiment was later part of General Amherst’s army, advancing up Lake Champlain in 1759 and down the Richelieu River in 1760. It fought at Île-aux-Noix and was at the surrender of Montreal in September 1760. (Library of the Canadian Department of National Defence)
Painted figures to follow

French troops in the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: Louisbourg Garrision 1755-58

New photos to be added 2022
The régiment des Volontaires-Étrangers was a unit of German mercenaries serving France. First raised in 1756, the unit's 2nd battalion was sent in 1758 to be part of the Louisbourg garrison. It arrived not long before the beginning of the siege which saw the fortress fall to the British. This unit's grey-white coat with green collar, cuffs and waistcoat were unusual for German regiments in French service - most of them wore blue coats at this time. Reconstruction by Eugène Lelièpvre. (Canadian Department of National Defence)

The 2nd Battalion of the régiment de Cambis was sent to reinforce the garrison of Louisbourg shortly before the fortress was besieged by a large British force. When Louisbourg surrendered, outraged soldiers of this regiment burned their colours rather than surrender them. Note the white cravat tied around the standard pole. This and the white cross were common to all French army colours of the period. The pattern of green and red on the colour was the mark of the régiment de Cambis. (Parks Canada)

British Troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian war: 58th Regiment

The 58th Regiment was raised in England in 1755 at Gloucester. It was then sent to Ireland in 1757 then to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1758 for the Louisbourg campaign. It then went on to Quebec in 1759. Further action for this regiment took place in Havana in 1762 and finally in 1763 the regiment went back to the UK.

The 58th Regiment of Foot was one of several British units sent to America in 1757 in preparation for the attack on Louisbourg. Although the siege did not begin until 1758, the regiment saw the capture of the fortress and was present at the capture of Quebec the following year. This soldier is shown in marching order, carrying his pack and haversack. His red coat shows the black regimental facings of the 58th Foot on its cuff and lapels. The uniform is unusual for British infantry of the period because the regimental lace is yellow instead of the normal white, and the coat lining (seen on the turned back coat tails) is buff instead of white. Reconstruction by G. A. Embleton. (Parks Canada)
My painted figures to follow.
The 58th was not sent to North American during the American Revolution. They were sent to Gibraltar. They then spent their time in garrison as part of The Great Siege of 1779-82.

58th Regiment. 

Victoria Secret Fashion Highland Romance Bagpipe Music

 Gee nothing like mixing bagpiping and underware! Thanks to those who made this video.

Retreat from Fort William-Henry scenario

This spring, I bought the Osprey Campaign Fort William-Henry book. And since I was a young lad, I have been facinated by the battle and subsequent movie which was made back in 1992.
So I've decided to try and recreate the battle on the table top.

Using elements of Field of Glory Renissance, I plan on running a game whereby the British player attempts to take as many of the garrison to Fort Edward.

A few interesting elements come into play.
First, the British player does not have the ability to shoot, as all of their ammunition has been seized. They are allowed to keep their muskets and other side arms. However, the Amerindians are hell bent on getting payback from the Anglo-Americans.
The British objective is to get as many of their troops off the board.
The Amerindian objective is to a) take as many captives
                                          b) or inflict casualties.

The French player can come to the rescue of the British, and are allowed to fire at any Amerindian who will not give up their prisoners.

I will also be using elements of the Caatan Junior game to show what spoils the Amerindians can take away so to speak.
(www.plasticsoldierreview.com)
This first shot is of the battlefield. The Anglo-Americans attempt to march to Fort Edward. The swords indicate that the soldiers still have their weapons. The barrels indicate those Amerindians under the influence of rum. As the warriors move in, they have the option of either taking the soldiers captive, killing them or just stealing their gear. The last shot shows an officer being taken captive. After I explained the history of this battle, my son then lined up all of his Amerindian warriors and made the officers run the gauntlet.

Kashiwa festival 2014

A lovely bit of spinach chicken curry by Lion of India, a great little truck serving fresh curry and naan. My wife and I had some while waiting for our children to begin their part of the dancing. 

My daughter is a bit nervous and shy. She had fun though. I must note that my phone is making these shots appear huge.

Ian didn't like his picture as it looked like he had antlers and a bee tail, so he asked me to remove it.

My son seems bemused with the attention and this shot makes it look like he's got sparkles coming out of his head! It's just a trick as the little boy next to him was in a bee costume.

One of the first smiles I've had in weeks. My wife bought this chunk of watermelon for all of us to share. After I ate the top half, she broke into chunks. I was also chuckling as I had just been able to extract myself for a conversation with a drunken Canadian from BC who has lived in Japan for over 20 years and missed being able to chat with someone from home.

I took this last shot just before going back on the train. The esplanade outside the station was absolutely jammed packed with people who were dancing to the rhythm of these taiko drummers. It was a very powerful beat which made everyone jump and dance. All in all a pretty good afternoon out with my family.

British Grenadiers of the American Revolution

In 1768, the British Army had a massive overhaul from its experiences in the Seven Years War and French and Indian War. Tatical training was overhauled, mainly in the firing procedure, going from volley fire to platoon firing.
The visible changes came to the uniforms. Gone was the mitre cap, in was the first model of the bearskin caps. The breeches color was changed from red to white, as where the waistcoats.
Only regiments faced buff kept their buff breeches and waistcoats.
The gaiters which had been white for parade were changed to black in order to save costs.
The Grenadiers in theory kept their small swords while the rest of the infantry discarded them. However, on campaign, these were probobly kept in quartermasters stores.

I have modeled 25 grenadier companies for the Quebec 1775, and Saratoga 1777 campaigns, as about 11 of these companies took part in that campaign. The rest are painted to represent British troops for Boston 1775, and New York 1776.
Later campaigns, I will use the same figures for lack of anything else.
Painted figures to follow

British Grenadiers of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War

This posting is about the Grenadier companies which served in the campaigns in North America from 1755-65

 40th Regiment, Grenadier company made up of members of the Halifax Citadel Regimental Association (Kerry Delorey)

 Composite grenadier battalion made up of Grenadier companies of 22nd, 40th, 45th, 48th, 78th at the Louisbourg 1999 encampment. (Kerry Delorey)

The ‘Louisbourg Grenadiers’ was a temporary unit formed in 1759 for the Quebec expedition from the grenadier companies of three regiments that were stayed behind as part of the British garrison of Louisbourg. The image shows grenadiers of the 22nd (left), 40th (right) and 45th (centre) Regiments of Foot. General Wolfe was with the Grenadiers when he was hit at the battle of the Plains of Abraham on 13 September 1759. The grenadier of the 40th at right is shown in full marching order. He also wears the brown marching gaiters that were used on active service. Note how each regiment's uniform has different facing colours and lace to distinguish it. Reconstruction by R.J. Marrion. (Canadian War Museum) 

Painted Grenadiers to follow.

British Troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: 60th Regiment.

The 60th Royal American Regiment was one of the largest regiments raised during the Seven Years War. Eventually, the regiment had 4 battalions which was considerable as most regiments only had 1! In several of the campaigns, the 60th made up the majority of troops. Two of the battalions served in the siege of Louisbourg and two served in the Quebec campaign.

 photo courtsey of Kerry Delorey. 

My painted figures to follow. 

British troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: 78th Fraser's Highlanders.

Probably one of the more colourful regiments of the British army of this period was the 78th, 

Private, 78th (Highland) Regiment of Foot, or Fraser's Highlanders, 1757-1763

The 78th (Highland) Regiment of Foot was at the siege of Louisbourg in 1758, at the siege of Quebec in 1759 and at the battle of Sainte-Foy in 1760. It remained in garrison at Quebec until disbanded in 1763, some of its men remaining in Canada as settlers. 
This regiment was raised by former Jacobite, Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat. Most of the officers were former Jacobites who found redemption in the British Army. Raised in January 1757, the regiment was able to gain so many recruits, that further companies brought the strength of the regiment to over 1500 officers and men. The regiment had some significant issues, most of the men spoke only Gaelic, thus the NCO's and officers needed to be bilingual. The uniform of the regiment incorporated various elements of highland dress. Bonnets, kilts, broadswords and pistols.
The shorter highland coat was red faced white. Various sources cause confusion about the tartan of the issue plaid, however, it would no doubt have been the government set, as issued to the 42nd Royal Highland Regiment and the 77th Regiment.

 photos courtesy of Kerry Delorey,

 

 

As noted in previous blog postings, I have modelled these troops in RAFM metals and plastics either Airfix or Italeri conversions. 

The 78th served in the Louisbourg and Quebec campaigns. At the end of the war, the regiment was disbanded and took land grants in Quebec and Nova Scotia. 

British troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: 43rd Regiment

The 43rd Regiment was raised in 1741 serving in Flanders. In 1756, they were garrisioned in Ireland and were then sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1757. The 43rd were then posted to Fort Anne, in Annapolis Royal and Fort Cumberland. It was a difficult task, acting in garrison as a counter insurgency force against the Mi'k Maq and the Acadian gurreillas. In 1758, they were NOT part of the Louisbourg campaign. They were however used as part of Wolfe's campaign in the Saint John river valley in the fall of 1758. They were then sent to Quebec in 1759.

 (Gerry Embleton) going out on patrol on another winters day in Nova Scotia, 1758

Painted figures to follow.
 

Camp of the British 43rd Regiment during the siege of Fort Beauséjour, June 1755

The men of the British 43rd Regiment of Foot were part of a 2,000 strong army under Lietenant-Colonel Robert Monkton that took Fort Beauséjour after a brief siege in the summer of 1755. At left can be seen men of the grenadier company, distinguished by their pointed mitre headdresses. In the centre are ordinary soldiers who have the tricorne hats worn by most of the regiment. The young men to the right are drummers, wearing coats with reversed colours (white with red facings instead of red with white). This was intended to make drummers easy to spot in a fight, which was important, since drum beats were used to give orders. The presence of women and children seem odd in a military encampment, but each British regiment would have a small number of soldiers' families following them on campaign. Reconstruction by Lewis Parker. (Parks Canada)

British troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: 15th Regiment of Foot

The 15th Regiment of Foot was raised in 1685 in Nottingham. It's first foray into the New World was during the 1740 campaign of Cartagena de Indias in modern Columbia. The regiment also served in Flanders and the '45 Jacobite Rebellion.  In 1758, the regiment was sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia to take part in the 1758 Louisbourg campaign. It then went on to take part in Quebec, 1759 and then Montreal in 1760. It then went to Martinique and Havana in 1762. The regiment then returned to Quebec in 1763 and Montreal in 1765. They finally sailed back to the UK in 1768.

Light infantry company

Ensign with the regimental colour of the 15th Regiment of Foot, 1757-1767

All regiments of infantry (or 'foot') in the British army of the 18th century had two colours. Each colour was carried by a junior officer called an ensign. The King's colour was blue with the red and white crosses of St. George and St. Andrew superimposed. This was the 'union flag' of Great Britain, carried after England and Scotland united in 1701. The second (or 'regimental') colour was same colour as a unit's facings (yellow for the 15th Foot), with a small depiction of the union flag in one corner. The regiment's name ('XV REGt.' here) was displayed in the centre, often within a wreath of roses (for England) and thistles (for Scotland). The 15th followed their colours from the siege of Louisbourg (1758), through Battle of the Plains of Abraham (1759) to the final surrender of New France at Montreal in 1760. 

French troops in Canada during the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: Regiment de Bearn

2eme Regiment de Bearn was send to New France in 1755. as part of General Dieskau's forces, they were sent to Fort Niagara. Later, they were sent on the Fort Bull attack, and Fort William-Henry. It then took part in the battle of Fort Carillon/Ticonderoga. From 1759, the battalion was part of the garrison of Quebec.
At the end of the Seven years War, the regiment was disbanded.
Painted figures to follow.

 (photo courtsey of Kerry DeLorey)
  

Soldier with regimental colour, régiment de Béarn, circa 1757-1760

When the 2nd Battalion of the French régiment de Béarn was sent to New France in 1755, it carried this regimental colour. Note the white cravat tied around the standard pole. This and the white cross were common to all French army colours of the period. The pattern of isabelle (a yellowish brown) and red horizontal bars on the colour was the mark of the régiment de Béarn. This contemporary print shows the regiment's European-pattern uniform, with red collar, cuffs and waistcoat. A special Canadian-pattern uniform with blue cuffs and waistcoat was worn from 1755 to 1757, but the uniform shown was worn in New France by the 2nd battalion from 1757 to 1760. (Parks Canada)

French troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War in Canada: Regiment de Berry

2eme and 3eme Regiment de Berry were sent to Quebec in 1757. The regiment took part in the battles of Fort Carillon/Ticonderoga in 1758. During Quebec 1759, the regiment was posted as the guard force to the west of Quebec with Regiment La Reine. It was this force with formed the nucleous of the French under Levis who attempted to retake Quebec in 1760
Painted figures to follow.

 (not sure of the artist on this shot, please let me know if you are aware of the author/artist)

French troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War in Canada: Regiment de Guyenne

2eme Guyenne was sent to Quebec in 1755. The regiment's service in New France meant that it took place in all of the major battles and campaigns up to 1760. Oswego, Fort George, Fort William-Henry, Carillon/Ticonderoga, Quebec, Montreal.

 (art work courtsey of Musee de l'Armee, Paris)

Soldier with regimental colour, régiment de Guyenne, circa 1755-1760

This regimental colour (or 'drapeau d'ordonnance') was carried by the 2nd battalion of the French régiment de Guyenne when it was sent to New France in 1755. Note the white cravat tied around the standard pole. This and the white cross were common to all French army colours of the period. The pattern of isabelle (a brownish-yellow) and vert-gris (green-grey) on the colour was the mark of the régiment de Guyenne. This contemporary print shows the regiment's European-pattern uniform, worn in New France by the 2nd battalion from 1757 to 1760. (Parks Canada)

I have painted a Grenadier company of this regiment to be used in my wargames. Picture to follow. 

British Troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: Royal Artillery

 not sure where I got this from, but if anyone knows the artist, please let me know. 

(www.rafm.com) Battalion gun

 Galipoer gun

 These gunners I have painted up as Royal Artillery, Charleston SC Artillery company, Rhode Island Artillery company. The metals are in storage in Nova Scotia.

 (www.plasticsoldierreviw.com) While my plastic RA gunners are a mix of these and

 from the Revell Imperial Artillery from their 30 Years War range.

British Troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: 28th Regiment

The 28th Regiment originally raised as Gibbons Regiment was one of the English regiments sent to Newfoundland in the late 1690s. When elements of the regiments stayed behind, they became the independent companies which were then formed into the 40th Regiment. The 28th  sailed from Cork, Ireland in 1757 being sent to Halifax, Nova Scotia serving part of the garrisons of Fort Anne, Annapolis Royal, and Fort Cumberland . They then took part in the Louisbourg 1758 campaign and Quebec 1759. They were kept in garrison through 1760 and after Montreal's surrender, they were then sent to the Caribbean taking part in Martinique and Havana. They were then sent back to Canada serving in Montreal until 1767.


(painted figures to follow)

 Art work by Gerry Embleton 

 (Kerry Delorey photo)

British Troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: 40th Regiment

The 40th Regiment, which I have blogged about before, was the first regular British regiment raised in Nova Scotia in 1717.

 40th Grenadier. Photo courtsey of Kerry Delorey 

The 40th Regiment of Foot was the longtime British garrison in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. This common soldier firing a musket is shown in the dress of around 1745. For ordinary service, English soldiers wore brown gaiters instead of white, which easily got dirty. When the weather was chilly, they unhooked the turnbacks of their coats to cover their thighs and buttoned the lapels across the chest.

painted shots to follow

By 1758, the 40th Foot, also known as Hopsons had served in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. 

The Grenadiers were part of the Quebec campaign of 1759 as one of the companies of The Louisbourg Grenadiers, the  Grenadiers of the 22nd, 40th and 45th regiments. All of these I will post painted figures of in the coming weeks.

French troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War in Canada: Languedoc

2eme Landouch were part of the French metropolotian troops sent to New France in 1755. I have these figures modeled in plastic and metal, and like my other units, the plastics are here in Japan while the metals are in Nova Scotia. This battalion suffered heavily in the French and Indian war. Of the 556 officers and men who arrived in Quebec in 1755, 51 remained in September 1760!

 Languedoc is the blue faced coats (www.cmhg.gc.ca) 

(www.rafm.com) French infantry in their waistcoats.

French troops of the Seven Years War/French and Indian War: La Sarre

The 2eme La Sarre was one of the French regiments sent to New France in 1756. This battalion is modeled in both plastic and RAFM metals. (www.rafm.com)

 La Sarre took part in the sieges of Fort Oswego, William-Henry, Carrillon/Ticonderoga, and then Quebec. Their main claim to fame in that campaign was their fight at Montmorency on 31 July, 1759. By 13 September, on the plains of Abraham, 2 officers and 40 men surrendered! On their return to France in 1760, of the original 31 officers and 515 men, 130 officers and men came back! 

 photos courtsey of La Sarre reenactment group, Quebec, Canada.