Skinners and Cowboys - Westchester in the AWI

[commissarmoody]

Never heard of Mother Hulda before. She sounds interesting.

[Gangleri]

Hello, folks.  It's been a long time since I updated this plog - the usual impositions of life, and the death of my father (he lived to age 102!), kept me from doing so.  But in the meantime, despite not posting, I have been working on my Rebels and Tories when I've had the time.  Here are the results.


Here are the Cow-boys as they are now.  In the front is James DeLancey the younger, founder and commander of the Cow-boys, or as he preferred, the Westchester Refugees.  A former sheriff of Westchester, he knew the county "like the back of his hand" and was well-suited to the skirmishing and ambushing that was typical of the region.  Though his uncle, the famous Oliver DeLancey, was a staunch Loyalist, DeLancey seems initially to have intended to remain neutral, but he became a Tory of the purest water after Patriots destroyed some of his property in what is today Yonkers.  Later on I will likely add some un-uniformed Cowboys, but for now they're finished.


These are (still somewhat shiny) test models for some Queen's Rangers in cold-weather uniform.  They will be a mix of plastic and metal Perrys with round contract hats - NOT the commonly depicted incorrect uniform that stems from a later Loyalist unit in Canada.  This thread https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=130937.0 was quite helpful in getting the details right, although I see now the waistcoats on my test models should be the same green as the coats.


I am going back and adding casualties to each of my units, so here are the casualties for the Hessian fusiliers and jaeger, the 5th NY, and my militia.

I am also working on a few vignettes to add some 'local color' similar to the Mother Hulda I made a while back.  The following passage from Joseph Plumb Martin's memoirs always has stuck in my mind.  In it he describes a small but memorable scene from his time in Westchester with the Light Infantry.

There was an Irishman belonging to our infantry, who after the affray was over, seeing a wounded man belonging to the enemy lying in the road and being unable to help himself, took pity on him, as he was in danger of being trodden upon by the horses, and having shouldered him was staggering off with his load, in order to get him to a place of more safety.  While crosssing a worn out bridge over a very muddy brook, he happened to jostle the poor fellow more than usual, who cried out.
"Good rebel, don't hurt poor Hushman."
"Who you call a rebel, you scoundrel?" said the Irishman, and tossed him off his shoulders as unceremoniously as though he had been a log of wood.  He fell with his head in the mud, and as I passed I saw him struggling for life, but I had other business on my hands than to stop to assist him.  I did sincerely pity the poor mortal... most likely there he made his final exit.

Surely this scene, and a thousand similar ones that went unrecorded, show that curious mixture of kindness and cruelty that so often seems to emerge in war.





To fit the vignette easily to a single base I simplified the story by omitting the bridge, but I think it captures the spirit of Martin's account.  I also experimented for the first time with a mud effect from Army Painter.

I've nearly finished some other units as well but will hold off showing them until completion.  Until then, all the best.

[glenning]

Looking great as always! Also, let me offer you my condolences - 102 though, what an age to reach! Glad to see you're posting stuff again - just bought some of the same Dragoons the other day so this is very inspiring.

[fred]

Great looking figures, and setup very nicely on their bases

[commissarmoody]

Always enjoy seeing your Cowboy and Skinner posts. And that is a Great vigette.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Great work! 👍

That particular incident saddens me but thanks for bringing it to my attention as it helps personalize the conflict and is thought provoking.

[Baron von Wreckedoften]

Gangleri - condolences on the loss of your father, was he a wargamer too?

That's building into a nice collection - I'm glad the other thread was helpful.

[CapnJim]

A.  As others have done, I offer you my condolences.  But at 102, he outlived the odds-makers by a wide margin!

B.  Lovely figures.  Well done, as usual for you...

[Inkpaduta]

I may have missed it but have you played any games yet for this?
If so, what rules are you using?

[Ceeteegee]

Glad to see you posting again. The dragoons are very nice indeed. 

[Gangleri]

Thanks to all for your kind words.

Looking great as always! Also, let me offer you my condolences - 102 though, what an age to reach! Glad to see you're posting stuff again - just bought some of the same Dragoons the other day so this is very inspiring.

High praise from another detail-oriented AWI guy   The dragoons are great models but benefit from a bit of tweaking, I find, to give them a "campaign dress" look.

Gangleri - condolences on the loss of your father, was he a wargamer too?

That's building into a nice collection - I'm glad the other thread was helpful.

Yes, your posts in that thread were immensely helpful.  I may wind up adding a few flank company men just for the variety, based on the information you provided.

My father was never a wargamer, but he loved "toy soldiers" and gave me my first sets (mainly Britains) as a boy, as well as his own toy soldiers from the 1920s. And some years ago for his 95th birthday I posted this : https://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=76759.msg939207#msg939207

I may have missed it but have you played any games yet for this?
If so, what rules are you using?

I have not yet played any games - and indeed don't even know which rules I would use (I'm open to suggestions)!  My projects wind up being solo activites, in part because there aren't gaming groups close to where I live.  But I do have hopes to play one day, maybe once I add a few more units.

A.  As others have done, I offer you my condolences.  But at 102, he outlived the odds-makers by a wide margin!

B.  Lovely figures.  Well done, as usual for you...

Thanks very much.  And yes, he beat the odds by a long shot! Although I imagine he was chagrined that he didn't achieve his goal by beating the record set by his favorite cousin in Australia, who made it almost to 103.  Perhaps they are joking about it together now in the hereafter.

[Gangleri]

Hi folks, just a quick update.  I was able to complete the next patriot unit, the 3rd New York regiment.


The 3rd NY started out with an appealing uniform of gray faced green, which I used on my version of David Williams way back when.  However, they later acquired a more standard uniform of blue faced red which fits the middle/late-war period I am focusing on.


The officer is a converted Militia officer, and the drummer was originally a Hessian.  I will add another drummer without the reversed colors, which will allow the unit to be fielded instead as the 5th Connecticut, which also wore blue faced red but seems not to have reversed colors for musicians.  Both regiments were active in Westchester.


I added some other conversions (overalls, hats, etc.).  The Scots bonnet is taken from a photo of a reenactor.  I also used a few Brigade Games miniatures to add some variety.  It's my first time using them, and they are very nice.  Although they appear a bit spindly at first, they blend in quite well with the Perrys. My only criticism is that the faces all have the same high cheekbones and pointy noses.

More to follow soon.

[commissarmoody]

I always enjoy seeing this project updated.
Also happy to see the Birgade games figs seem to work well withe Perry Bros plastic/metals. I was worried that they might be too big so just ignored the range.

[Grumpy Gnome]

Looking good! And I am also glad to hear the Brigade and Perry work well together.

[BillK]

Wonderful work.