Skinners and Cowboys - Westchester in the AWI

[Grumpy Gnome]

Brilliant! This post adds to my “missing Upstate New York” Halloween nostalgia. 🎃

[FreakyFenton]

Great stuff!

[Gangleri]

Brilliant! This post adds to my “missing Upstate New York” Halloween nostalgia. 🎃

"Upstate" New York is a mysterious place.  Once you set foot north of Yonkers, you never know what might happen!

Bringing you another Tory unit today, one that needs no introduction, the Queen's Rangers.  They had a lengthy service record in the war but in particular they are of interest to me because of their participation in the Stockbridge battle mentioned earlier and because of an action in Mamaroneck, just a short distance from my home, during Howe's movement towards White Plains in 1776. A force of Rangers occupied the village in support of Howe's advance from lower Westchester but were overwhelmed in a daring night attack by Col. Haslet and his Delaware regiment.


Here they are.  I relied much on Baron von Wreckedoften's knowledge of the real uniforms given the confusion/misinformation about this unit's appearance.  In keeping with the autumn theme they are in winter dress: shortened coats of green trimmed green, with green waistcoats.   I used Perry British infantry in short coats/broad hats with the feathers and lace trimmed off, as well as some Brigade miniatures and kitbashed Perry American/British plastics.


Officer and drummer.  I couldn't find any information on the drum design so chose a simple royal cipher.


Some conversions.  On the left is an attempt to show someone wading through shallow water, achieved by cutting off the feet, scultping some ripples, and applying repeated coats of gloss modpodge.  On the right is a Ranger in a Scotch bonnet - maybe seconded from the Highland company.

Till next time.

[commissarmoody]

So the tall cap we see them wearing in art is incorrect?

[Cat]

"Upstate" New York is a mysterious place.  Once you set foot north of Yonkers, you never know what might happen!

I recall a conversation with a friend from Long Island who was insisting that Sleepy Hollow was "Upstate"
 
Me: "It's inside the northern edge of Westchester County, it's on the Metro North Hudson Line!"
 
Her: "Oh, well I suppose then."
 
: 3

[Ruire]

So the tall cap we see them wearing in art is incorrect?

Not exactly - rather it didn't appear until 1780. The attached hussar company had (different) caps pretty early on since they had gotten a bit of red-on-red fire and that might be part of the confusion.

[CapnJim]

More nice looking chaps.  In that batch, I particularly like the guy wearing the tam.... 

[genew492]

I lived in Westchester from 1961 through 2018. Folks from the Island and New York City often called anyplace north of The Bronx "upstate". We in the lower hudson valley and the real upstaters always got a good laugh out of this.