AWI Horse Furniture Question

[TheWeasel]

I am in need of some historical advising regarding officers' horse furniture for the British army in the AWI period. I have been searching in vain to find out more definitive rules of how these were laid out, particularly in regard to the design of the blanket or shabraque of a mounted officer of an infantry regiment.

So far I have found that in most cases, it is of the regimental facing color, trimmed with lace of the regimental metal. However, it is difficult to get more specific than this. I have seen varying devices, badges, and GRs on the corners of the blankets. Is that the device of the reg't, or is there a general-use icon?

Another question, as I am painting up a white-faced regiment, is if that affects the horse blanket. I know with musicians and regimental colors, red and white facings are treated differently than the normal reverse coloration.

Any help or directions to more definitive resources would be really helpful. Thanks!

[Baron von Nickedoften]

Hi Weasel,

You pretty much have it - facing colour with a border in the appropriate "metal" for officers' lace.  No special rules for any "odd" colours, such as white, red or black (unlike drummers, Colours etc).  As for devices on the saddlecloth, nothing in the 1768 Clothing Warrant suggests any decoration, although it is possible that the 15 infantry regiments that had special badges in the AWI period (1st to 8th, 18th, 21st, 23rd, 27th, 41st, 42nd, 60th - of whom the 1st, 2nd and 41st did not serve in America) may have included theirs; we just don't know.  If they did - and it was certainly done as part of the Warrant by all cavalry regiments - this would be on the rear corners only, there being no holster caps (unlike the cavalry), just a bearskin cover.  These badges were the same ones used on the Colours and the drums, so you can get the details here:-

http://www.fifedrum.org/crfd/BD_1.htm

That said, shabraques were expensive items, and just as most officers had a private's uniform converted into a single-breasted frock coat or similar for wearing in the field, so I suspect mounted officers used a simple blanket for their horses on campaign (though they possibly had the "real deal" in their baggage for parades etc).

Generals had no fixed regulations at this time, but the overall consensus (there are few portraits of AWI-period generals on horseback unfortunately) is dark blue with gold lace for the generals themselves, and silver lace for staff officers (Adjutants-General and Quartermasters-General).  No signs of any badges on the shabraques at this time.  Of course, a brigade commander was often the senior CO within the brigade, holding local (ie unconfirmed) rank, so he would have his regimental saddle cloth.

[TheWeasel]

Thanks Baron!

This is mighty helpful. I'll probably go with the more nondescript field-use blanket since silver on white won't show up all that well, and the sculpt looks more like a normal blanket than the slightly more distintive shabraque. I'll have to paint up a General at some point, too, for a bit more pomp...