my AWI continental line

[cheng]

very quiet again on the GW-front?
i have been overexposed to kaisergard's armies lately 

...here's my American War of Independance's Continental Line..
i do not have much reference materials...please do not hesitate to correct me 

[kaisergarde]

YES Cheng, i like that.

[Sylvia]

A very dapper looking bunch of men, indeed!
(Especially the fellow on the far right in the front row. )

Excuse my ignorance on this period of history, but why do you refer to them as the "Continental Line"?

Thanks for the pics, cheng!

[cheng]

.....Especially the fellow on the far right in the front row.

....why do you refer to them as the "Continental Line"?
[/b]!

thanks all!

krystal.....i thought you'd fall for the dashing NCO with side-burns 
and not the older officer  ....at least i know i stand a chance 

from what i know, the americans(do you call them americans before they got their independance?) fought on both sides, as loyalists and as continental...can someone help me out here?

[Richard]

I'm sure that the Brits from the mother country (German King George's Jolly Old England) probably had many names for the troublesome Americans ...

The term "Continental" comes from the North American "continent" ... At the time, most Americans felt that ALL of North America would be "persuaded" to join in the struggle for independence. Canada, however, chose to remain loyal to the crown. But, the people from the thirteen colonies continued to call themselves "Americans" and "Continentals."

What's interesting is that Mexico is one of the three countries of North America, yet the American colonists didn't seem at all concerned about helping the Mexicans get their independence from Spain.

So, as not to bore you any further ... Everyone living in North and South America are technically "Americans" and anyone living on a "continent" are technically "continentals." But, the "Americans" grabbed both terms for themselves. Fortunately, we don't call ourselves "Continentals" anymore. That name seems to now be used mostly for the people living on the European "Continent."

Your Playmobil "Continentals" in their tricornes look pretty cool !!! ...
(Except the officers' "bicornes" came about thirty or so years later.)

Thanks for your questions and especially for sharing your latest customs!

BTW, Don't you agree that Krystal's instructions for attaching photos are also pretty cool? ...

All the best,
Richard

[GaiusIulius]

better then my continentals cheng  Nice work and I can understand that kaisergardes' army shocked u somehow 

[Capitan Enrique]

Very nice Cheng! Not much else to add - they look terrific, whether they are 100% technically accurate or not they capture very nicely the feel of the era, and that is the main thing, IMO.

[cheng]

thanks everyone! 

and Richard,
not at all boring...its all news to me!

bicorns...30 years later?!  so its tricones first, then bicorns next...finally unicorns?!    ...but seriosly, this is what i really really like to know!

and Krystal's instructions are perfect...but some members may still ask for an Idiot's Guide to... 

[Richard]

b]so its tricones first, then bicorns next...finally unicorns?![/b]

Interesting thought, Cheng ...

Three cornered hats, two cornered hats and a one cornered hat ...

Actually, you are pretty much correct! After the bicorne hat, miltary headgear went to "round" hats!

Shakos, bearskins, busbys, kepis, slouch and campaign, back and forth to the "pork pie" (with and without visor), and a variety of round helmets. And, lets not forget the miters ...

I'm sure that I've left out a few, but you get the idea.

Thanks for another thought provoking post with splendid custom figures !!!

BTW ... When you wrote "unicorne," all I could think of was a dunce cap .... 

All the best,
Richard

[cheng]

....Three cornered hats, two cornered hats and a one cornered hat ...
........."pork pie" (with and without visor).....

BTW ... When you wrote "unicorne," all I could think of was a dunce cap .... 

All the best,
Richard

and i always thought those tall hats worn by the earlier british red coats (those with metal plates in front and a little pom-pom at the top) looked like dunce caps....its a wonder how they managed to turn their heads quickly during close combat without losing their heads 

i was thinking of the uni-corne hat like those robin-hood caps 

thanks a lot...by the way Richard, when and who used the pork-pie hats?

[Sylvia]

Thanks for the explanation of the term "Continental", Richard. 

and i always thought those tall hats worn by the earlier british red coats (those with metal plates in front and a little pom-pom at the top) looked like dunce caps....its a wonder how they managed to turn their heads quickly during close combat without losing their heads 

Do you mean these ones?

18th Century British Grenadiers

Click the middle card and you'll note there is mention of the hats in the last paragraph. I can't remember where that info came from now, but I found it while researching bits to fill up the reverse of the cards.

It still doesn't tell us how the design of the hat helped it stay on the head though. I can only assume they were very snug-fitting.

[cheng]

thanks Krystal !
thats the hat i was referrring to!
and David's custom remains the ultimate for me...look at the hat...the rifle belts..their shoe spats...buttons...cuffs...lapels...everything!

very informative cards! and the card on the far right..."smoking kills"  never saw that one!
thanks David, again...whatever you may be up to now 

[Richard]

...by the way Richard, when and who used the pork-pie hats?

The military "pork pie" (not to be confused with the civilian fedora or trilby hats) was probably first worn by the Germans (Prussians) around the time of Napoleon. It is actually a field cap (Feldmutze) and it can either have a bill (peak) or not. The modern version (with bill or peak) in the US is called a "combination cap" and in the UK it's called a "peaked cap."

The fellow on the left has a more modern version with a peak, while the chap on the right has the bill-less earlier version.

The second illustration shows David's splendid Grenadier with a "mitre" hat. And, I have no idea how they kept them on during a battle (maybe bobby pins) ...

[Flash]

ur continental army looks great cheng, respect!!! 
i saw u filled the "gab" in the uniform coat with another colour, is hat just a strip of sellotape or did u actually paint it? looks a lot better than with the original blue i think!
u said u wanted to know if the r historically correct, its not exactly my time period, but what i can tell u is that chevrons (the seargent stripes) didnt exist in those days yet, as far as i know the us army adopted those only during or even after the mexican war.
i think this page http://www2.powercom.net/~rokats/armyhome.html might help (i need to thank richard at this point because he supplied me with it some time ago and it has been a great help ever since!)
its not meant as criticism btw, i really like ur army cheng, just some further info u might be interested in

[cheng]

thanks a lot Richard !
very comprehensive as usual and makes me want to look up more out of curiousity and interest in other new(to me) themes

and Flash, too !
i didnt spray them in case i had to change/correct, so i used tapes only...i've begun to add these to my another bunch of red coats which i will photograph next (those 'original' red coats from PM) they do looke better and this time with new belts crossed behind too