ROFUR-FLAGS

 1:72nd scale high quality
Banners, Flags, Standards, Guidons, Pennons
 

The American Revolution 1775-1783

The Seven Years War had caused enormous costs for the British government - or to be more exact: for the people of the British Empire. In the American colonies the dramatic rising of taxes, other governmental charges and customs for incoming goods caused an uprising which culminated during the 1770s. Finally incoming goods from England were boycotted and refused which resulted in heavy financial losses for the British crown. 1774 the government sent 11 regiments of British Infantry to occupy Boston where the Board of Customs was located.

1775 the 13 New-England-colonies had a population of about 2,3 Millionen inhabitants. Virginia, Pennsylvania and Massachussetts were those provinces with the most settlers. More than 50% of the people were against a revolution and stayed loyal with the British government. During the war, about 40 000 men of these "Loyalists" served their king in the British army.

The colonies had no sufficient economic basis to rise and equipp an effective army. Without France entering the war on the New-England side in 1778, followed by Spain in 1779 and the Netherlands in 1780, the Revolution probably would have ended shortly after it had begun. Indeed France, Spain and the Dutch were not acting as supporters of humanity when they helped the Americans to gain their independance. They just took the opportunity to damage the domination of a traditional rival in worldwide trading affairs. So, besides the American theatre of war, this conflict was also fought in the Caribean, the West Indies, around Gibraltar and the English Channel.

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At April 19th, 1775 near Lexington and Concord New-England some of the reorganized militia attacked troops of the local British military commander. The defeat of the British marked the start of the war.

The Continental Committee, officially representing the New-England provinces, confirmed the military resistance against the British Troops. An army should be raised under the command of plantation-owner and former colonel of militia, the Virginian George Washington.

Juli 4th, 1776 Independance from the British Government was officially declared. In addition to the militia furnished by the individual federal States, a "Continental Army" should be organized - which at any time of the war did not exceed between 20 000 and 30 000 men.

As the British had some difficulties to mobilize enough men for the war in America, the government had to hire considerable troops from German states. These German mercenaries made about 30 000 men, most of them Hessians. But also on the American Side Germans were fighting in great numbers, mainly Settlers from Pennsylvania and Virginia.

The war of Independance was fought in a strictly different way compared to the kind of fighting practised on the European continent. The American countryside was thinly populated, none of the fighting parties disposed of heavy cavalry. only Dragoons were engaged - but in small numbers and in first rate for reconnnaissance duty or ambushes. As the war progressed, the British increasingly made use of light infantry and skirmish tactics.

To a great extend, the American Revolution was a civil war, fought not only between Americans and British, but also among American Rebels on one side and the American Loyalists on the other.

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Indian warriors. Compared to the engagements of the French and Indian War, Indian warriors played a less important roll during the revolutionary conflict. As the new-England settlers took their land, the natives first sympathized with the "great white father" Georg III.
Some of the tribes saw the opportunity to terrorize the frontier settlers, in fact without much tactical advantage for the British army. The British were not able, other than during the French and Indian War, to produce some charismatic officers who would be able to effectively organize and lead Indian fighting groops.

1779 Washington´s Army under the command of General Sullivan carried out an extensive punishment action against several Indian villages.

Some of the greater Battles of the conflict:
1775: Lexington&Concord, Bunker Hill.
1776: New York, Trenton
1777: Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Saratoga.
1780: Charleston, Camden.
1781: Cowpens, Yorktown.

 

1/72-08: American Revolution 1775-1783 (1). Patriots and Continental Army 1

The Grand  Union, 1st American National Flag, Jan 1776 - July 1777 / 2 different Patriot flags, e.g. Bunker Hill 1775 / Sons of Liberty Flag (rattle snake) / American National Flag from July 1777 on, Variation / National Flag Variation, e.g. Yorktown 1781.

1/72-09: American Revolution 1775-1783 (2). Patriots and Continental Army 2

Patriots Liberty Flag 1775 / American National Flag from July 1777 on, 2 Variations / Militia flag "don´t tread on me" / National flag variation, e.g. Yorktown 1781   / General Washington´s Headquarter´s flag.

1/72-10: American Revolution 1775-1783 (3). British Infantry 1

Regimental colour and king´s colour 23rd Foot (The Royal Welch Fusiliers). Amerika from 1773 on. Lexington, Bunker Hill 1775. New York, Brandywine 1777. Cambden 1780, Yorktown 1781 / Regimental colour and king´s colour, Queen´s Rangers of America / Regimental colour and king´s colour 5. Foot (Royal Northumberland Fusiliers). In Amerika 1774-1778. Lexington & Bunker Hill 1775, New York & Germantown 1777.

1/72-11: American Revolution 1775-1783 (4). British Infantry 2

Regimental colour and king´s colour 4th Foot (King´s Own), Amerika since 1774. Lexington & Bunker Hill 1775, New York, Germantown 1777 / Regimental colour and king´s colour 27th Foot (Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers), Boston 1775. New York, Brandywine 1777 / Regimental colour and king´s colour 9th Foot (Quebec 1776, Burgoyne´s 1777-Feldzug, Saratoga 1777).

1/72-12: American Revolution 1775-1783 (5). British Infantry 3

33th Foot, regimental colour and king´s colour. With Cornwallis in Amerika since Mai 1776. Charleston 1776, New York 1777, Virginia und Carolinas-campaign, 1781 Yorktown / regimental colour and king´s colour 3rd Foot (The Buffs), In Amerika Juni-Sept. 1781. Eutaw Springs, Carolinas 1781 / regimental colour and king´s colour 18th Foot (Royal Irish Regiment). Boston 1774. New York, New Jersey campaign 1776/77, Brandywine 1777, Germantown, Stony Point 1779, Yorktown 1781.

1/72-134: American Revolution 1775-1783 (6). French Infantry 1

Each regiment flew one white flag and several ordnance flags of identical colouring.

1 white flag and 1 ordnance flag, Regiment Royal Deux Ponts, Yorktown 1781 / Regiment Bourbonnais, white flag and ordnance flag. (Yorktown 1781) / Regiment Touraine, 1 white flag and ordnance flag. (Yorktown 1781) / white flag and ordnance flag, Regiment Soissonais.

1/72-135: American Revolution 1775-1783 (7). French Infantry 2

Each regiment flew one white flag and several ordnance flags of identical colouring.

White flag and ordnance flag, Regiment Saintonge (Yorktown 1781) / white flag and ordnance flag, Regiment Gatinais, Yorktown 1781 / white flag and ordnance flag, Regiment Auxonne (Yorktown 1781) / Regiment Agenois, ordnance flag (Yorktown 1781).

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