OSPREY - MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES The American Provincial (orps 1775-1784 PHILIP KATCHER Colour plates by MICHAEL YOUENPublished in 1973 by Osprey Publishing Ltd, P.O. Box 25, 707 Oxford Road, Reading, Berkshire © Copyright 1973 Osprey Publishing Limited This book is copyrighted under the Berne Convention. All rights reserved. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, 1956, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, electrical, chemical, mechanical, optical, photo- copying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner. Enquiries should be addressed to the Publishers. sox 0 85045 148 5 sed in Great Brit jacrold & Sons Ltd, NorwichThe American Provincial Corps 1775-1784 “The Early Years io To say that policy concerning the raising and use 1 troops of American Provine’ was confused would be an understatement. At first it was thought that the American rebels, a motley and untrained bunch of farmers with antique weapons, would flee in panic at the first sight of the red-coated might of King George HI Powder smoke rolling down over the corpses of Bunker Hill smothered that dream, and the British Army settled down to a new and un- expected role as besieged troops in Boston British officials remembered how long it had taken to train Provincial troops during the Seven Years War, locally called the ‘French and Indian War’, to the point where they were effective soldiers, Therefore Major-General Thomas Gage, commanding the army in Boston, decided initially to accept the offers of loyal subjects to form their own units only for militia duties. ‘Garrison Orders, 29th October 1 North British merchants residing here with their adherents having offered their services for the 5. Some defense of the place, the Commander-in-Chief has order’d them to be armed and directed them to be formed into a company called “the Royal North British They will be dis tinguished by a blue bonnet with St. Andrews Cross upon it. Mr. James Anderson to be Captain, Wim Blair and John Fleming, Lieutenants. The Guard Room and Alarm Post to be near Fennel Hall. The Company will mount a guard at Volunteers An officer and private of the Pennsylvania Loyalists — modern reconstructions of Provincial uniforms and accoutrements. The private wears the familiar red coat, tricorne and white small-clothes. His cartridge-box has a brass picreed insignia, the royal cipher, backed by a piece of red wool. His weapon is the Long Land model ‘Brown Bess’ musket, The officer, who holds a pontoon, wears a scarlet coat faced green and embroidered with gold metallic thread. He wears a gorget, a crimson silk sash and a sword; his hat is laced with gold chread, while the private's is bound with white linen. (The Pennsylvania Loyalists)