theBaron
Major
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2008
- Messages
- 10,382
Hi, all!
I'd like to share some images I've picked up as I researched the uniform details of the 15th Light Dragoons, one of the British cavalry units that served with the Allied army in Germany in the Seven Years War.
The regiment was raised in 1759, as the lessons on the usefulness of light cavalry were gradually absorbed, and took the place in the rolls of the previous 15th Dragoons, who were disbanded in 1748.
As light cavalry, the regiment's intended role was scouting, outpost work and skirmishing, the same role as hussars filled in armies on the Continent.
Here is a plate showing uniforms of the officers, non-commissioned officers, troopers and hornist, including equipment details:
Thanks to Roger Newsome, "billyturnip" over at PlanetFigure for this plate. As you can see, the 15th LD had green facing, with white turnbacks and smallclothes. The musician or hornist wore a greet coat with white facings--later, this was changed to reversed colors, if I am not mistaken, by the time of the War for Independence. He also carried a hunting horn. I think that he may have carried a bugle as well, but I have to confirm that reference.
As light dragoons, the 15th wore the crested helmet with the upturned peak, with a green turban and white metal fittings, red horsehair mane.
Here is a modern illustration of a 15th light dragoon in action:
We see the carbine on a swivel mount, suspended from the buff leather belt. The horseblanket matched the facings, with a cartouche on the corners, consisting of the "Union wreath"--a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk, with the regiment's number in Roman numerals over the monogram in the center: "XV" over "LD".
This image was captioned as "15th and 21st Light Dragoons"; it shows a drummer in the colors of the 15th, as well as a cornet in the background, left, and the hornist, off the edge of the illustration at the right. I think that the 21st Light Dragoon is the other cornet in the picture:
I haven't found any specific reference yet for drummers for the 15th, apart from the references to drummers for the dragoon regiments, generally. As such, I'm not sure how accurate the illustration is. However, it's not out of the realm of possibility, given other illustrations for drummers and musicians in armies of the time. As such, the coat is green and heavily laced.
The last illustration that I have is a contemporary painting of "A Light Dragoon", I think by Morier:
This is another illustration of the general uniform details; if I am not mistaken, this is a light dragoon of the 18th LD. They had white facings and horse furniture, as did the 17th LD, but the 18th had the royal cypher on the helmet flap, while the 17th had the skull and crossbones.
I haven't yet found any specific references to the regiment's colors, except for the image in the illustration above. I have only Osprey to go by at this point, "British Colours & Standards 1747-1881 (1) Cavalry". As far as I can tell, the 15th LD would carry guidons, as a dragoon regiment, with the King's guidon: crimson, with a crowned Union badge (rose and thistle on one stem), above a scroll bearing the royal motto, "Dieu et mon droit", in the 1st and 4th corners, a cartouche with the white running horse of Hannover, and in the 2nd and 3rd corners, a cartouche with the regiment's number in gold on a green field. The other troops would have had guidons in green, with a badge in the center of a stag and white hound, over a band with the motto, "The swift, the vigilant and the bold", surrounded by the Union wreath, and with the same cartouches in the corners as the King's guidon. If anyone has more specific references or can confirm these details, please do and post it for us. If anyone has a better illustration of the colors and could post it to this thread, I'd be very grateful. I will post any, that I can find.
For anyone choosing to model any of the Light Dragoons in the Seven Years War, I recommend Imrie-Risley's castings of the 17th Light Dragoons from the American Revolution. They can be converted with very little modification to a 15th, or a trooper of any of the other regiments of Light Dragoons serving at the time.
I hope you find this information useful, and thanks for looking!
Prost!
Brad
I'd like to share some images I've picked up as I researched the uniform details of the 15th Light Dragoons, one of the British cavalry units that served with the Allied army in Germany in the Seven Years War.
The regiment was raised in 1759, as the lessons on the usefulness of light cavalry were gradually absorbed, and took the place in the rolls of the previous 15th Dragoons, who were disbanded in 1748.
As light cavalry, the regiment's intended role was scouting, outpost work and skirmishing, the same role as hussars filled in armies on the Continent.
Here is a plate showing uniforms of the officers, non-commissioned officers, troopers and hornist, including equipment details:
Thanks to Roger Newsome, "billyturnip" over at PlanetFigure for this plate. As you can see, the 15th LD had green facing, with white turnbacks and smallclothes. The musician or hornist wore a greet coat with white facings--later, this was changed to reversed colors, if I am not mistaken, by the time of the War for Independence. He also carried a hunting horn. I think that he may have carried a bugle as well, but I have to confirm that reference.
As light dragoons, the 15th wore the crested helmet with the upturned peak, with a green turban and white metal fittings, red horsehair mane.
Here is a modern illustration of a 15th light dragoon in action:
We see the carbine on a swivel mount, suspended from the buff leather belt. The horseblanket matched the facings, with a cartouche on the corners, consisting of the "Union wreath"--a wreath of roses and thistles on the same stalk, with the regiment's number in Roman numerals over the monogram in the center: "XV" over "LD".
This image was captioned as "15th and 21st Light Dragoons"; it shows a drummer in the colors of the 15th, as well as a cornet in the background, left, and the hornist, off the edge of the illustration at the right. I think that the 21st Light Dragoon is the other cornet in the picture:
I haven't found any specific reference yet for drummers for the 15th, apart from the references to drummers for the dragoon regiments, generally. As such, I'm not sure how accurate the illustration is. However, it's not out of the realm of possibility, given other illustrations for drummers and musicians in armies of the time. As such, the coat is green and heavily laced.
The last illustration that I have is a contemporary painting of "A Light Dragoon", I think by Morier:
This is another illustration of the general uniform details; if I am not mistaken, this is a light dragoon of the 18th LD. They had white facings and horse furniture, as did the 17th LD, but the 18th had the royal cypher on the helmet flap, while the 17th had the skull and crossbones.
I haven't yet found any specific references to the regiment's colors, except for the image in the illustration above. I have only Osprey to go by at this point, "British Colours & Standards 1747-1881 (1) Cavalry". As far as I can tell, the 15th LD would carry guidons, as a dragoon regiment, with the King's guidon: crimson, with a crowned Union badge (rose and thistle on one stem), above a scroll bearing the royal motto, "Dieu et mon droit", in the 1st and 4th corners, a cartouche with the white running horse of Hannover, and in the 2nd and 3rd corners, a cartouche with the regiment's number in gold on a green field. The other troops would have had guidons in green, with a badge in the center of a stag and white hound, over a band with the motto, "The swift, the vigilant and the bold", surrounded by the Union wreath, and with the same cartouches in the corners as the King's guidon. If anyone has more specific references or can confirm these details, please do and post it for us. If anyone has a better illustration of the colors and could post it to this thread, I'd be very grateful. I will post any, that I can find.
For anyone choosing to model any of the Light Dragoons in the Seven Years War, I recommend Imrie-Risley's castings of the 17th Light Dragoons from the American Revolution. They can be converted with very little modification to a 15th, or a trooper of any of the other regiments of Light Dragoons serving at the time.
I hope you find this information useful, and thanks for looking!
Prost!
Brad
