Hello All,
This post is a tad long and the explanation is convoluted, but in the end the logic is so compelling and flawless that I feel free to drag this out much more than is necessary.
The Monongahela series released by John Jenkins suffers from having very few officer releases and in my addiction I feel compelled to widen that missing niche. The only caveat is that logic must prevail in the end.
The photos are from my Battle of Monongahela shelf dedicated to the first few minutes of the Battle (1755). The vast majority of figures are John Jenkins, but as you can clearly see, there is a K&C Figure NA-130 - The Letter. The figure is advertised as being 7th Hussar (French Napoleonic Cavalry), but I propose to widen its use.
In the display, this figure represents Sir John St. Clair. Sir John St. Clair was the Quartermaster General for the Expedition. Depending on Authority, he held the rank of Major or Lt. Colonel in the British Army. Between 1735 and 1746, he was stationed on Minorca in the Mediterranean. From 1746 to 1748, he served with Austrian Army in Northern Italy during the War of Austrian Succession (Britain and Austrian Allies). This experience was a success and he was highly thought of in the Austrian Military and Court. During his time at the Austrian Court, St. Clair picked up a Hussar Uniform which he brought to North America. As Quartermaster General, he was known to wear this Hussar uniform in an attempt to intimidate and bully supplies and wagons from reluctant colonials, particularly German born colonists. Ben Franklin in his famous newspaper advertisement threatened that unless the needed supplies and support could be gathered there would be unwanted consequences.
From the Franklin advertisement: "If you do not do this service voluntarily, your Loyalty will be strongly suspected.... violent measures ..... I suppose Sir John St. Clair the Hussar, with a Body of Soldiers, will immediately enter the Province, for the Purpose aforesaid, of which I shall be sorry to hear."
The advertisement cured the supply problems.
We know St. Clair still had his Hussar uniform in 1758 as he threatened to wear it while conducting the logistic "duties" for the Forbes Expedition which successfully captured Fort Duquesne. At the time of the Battle, St. Clair was nearing 50 years old.
Ok, but how can anyone justify the use of a K&C French Napoleonic Figure as a mid-18th Century Austrian Hussar (1750's)? The uniforms couldn't possibly be similar - just no way!!!
In the link below, you should find a drawing and page describing the Slenyi Hussars of the Austrian Army for the Seven Years War (1755-1763). Outside the hat, the drawing at the bottom of the page and the uniform description of the Austrian Slenyi Hussars is an awfully good match for K&C's 7th Hussars, especially giving allowance for additional gold braid on senior officers. But for this to fool the neighbors, the K&C figure had to be hatless and appropriately an older officer. Double Bingo!!! The letter itself is very quartermaster-like and a nice touch. I was hoping for a second older and hatless K&C figure in a more "combat" pose for another shelf, but that would be excessively greedy ----- I don't expect K&C to release the hatless action piece for at least another 2 or 3 months.
http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Splényi_Hussars
To be honest, I had to pay Andy very big bucks to make this figure for me, but it was well worth it, plus the Napoleonic Collectors were then able to add the delightful Hussars Series to their Collections (Warning: Advance Payment via PayPal to Andy is Mandatory, No Returns and the production window is really, really long). Somedays, the collecting gods just smile!!!
As I type this, I realize that repainting figures would be more straightforward, but the adoption of that option is for another thread and those with more skill. Overall, twisted and distorted logic, but it works for me.
In the photos, you might see individual releases not originally intended for the Battle of the Monongahela, but I have managed to justify their inclusion on the shelf.
QB-02b = Captain Matthew Floyer 40th
QB-05 = Captain William Stone 47th
Both these officers were letter couriers from New York who brought intelligence on the French movements in Canada and on Lake Erie to Braddock. These officers were given permission to join the flying column by Braddock, so their inclusion on the shelf is historically accurate as are their uniforms. They were most likely with advanced column. From the Horatio Gates Letter, both officers were most likely with advanced party and both officers were killed in the battle.
The two pistol figure is by Conte, a very nice figure actually. He represents George Croghan, one of the chief guides/scouts for the expedition. A frequently told story is that the severely wounded Braddock tried to lay hold of Croghan's pistols wanting to "die as on old Roman, by his own hand, as Quinctilius Varus had when his three Roamn legions were slaughtered by Germanic tribesmen in the Teutoburger Forest in AD 9." More accurately, the figure is a very good likeness of Spencer Tracy from the film Northwest Passage.
Happy Holidays,
Everyone
This post is a tad long and the explanation is convoluted, but in the end the logic is so compelling and flawless that I feel free to drag this out much more than is necessary.
The Monongahela series released by John Jenkins suffers from having very few officer releases and in my addiction I feel compelled to widen that missing niche. The only caveat is that logic must prevail in the end.
The photos are from my Battle of Monongahela shelf dedicated to the first few minutes of the Battle (1755). The vast majority of figures are John Jenkins, but as you can clearly see, there is a K&C Figure NA-130 - The Letter. The figure is advertised as being 7th Hussar (French Napoleonic Cavalry), but I propose to widen its use.
In the display, this figure represents Sir John St. Clair. Sir John St. Clair was the Quartermaster General for the Expedition. Depending on Authority, he held the rank of Major or Lt. Colonel in the British Army. Between 1735 and 1746, he was stationed on Minorca in the Mediterranean. From 1746 to 1748, he served with Austrian Army in Northern Italy during the War of Austrian Succession (Britain and Austrian Allies). This experience was a success and he was highly thought of in the Austrian Military and Court. During his time at the Austrian Court, St. Clair picked up a Hussar Uniform which he brought to North America. As Quartermaster General, he was known to wear this Hussar uniform in an attempt to intimidate and bully supplies and wagons from reluctant colonials, particularly German born colonists. Ben Franklin in his famous newspaper advertisement threatened that unless the needed supplies and support could be gathered there would be unwanted consequences.
From the Franklin advertisement: "If you do not do this service voluntarily, your Loyalty will be strongly suspected.... violent measures ..... I suppose Sir John St. Clair the Hussar, with a Body of Soldiers, will immediately enter the Province, for the Purpose aforesaid, of which I shall be sorry to hear."
The advertisement cured the supply problems.
We know St. Clair still had his Hussar uniform in 1758 as he threatened to wear it while conducting the logistic "duties" for the Forbes Expedition which successfully captured Fort Duquesne. At the time of the Battle, St. Clair was nearing 50 years old.
Ok, but how can anyone justify the use of a K&C French Napoleonic Figure as a mid-18th Century Austrian Hussar (1750's)? The uniforms couldn't possibly be similar - just no way!!!
In the link below, you should find a drawing and page describing the Slenyi Hussars of the Austrian Army for the Seven Years War (1755-1763). Outside the hat, the drawing at the bottom of the page and the uniform description of the Austrian Slenyi Hussars is an awfully good match for K&C's 7th Hussars, especially giving allowance for additional gold braid on senior officers. But for this to fool the neighbors, the K&C figure had to be hatless and appropriately an older officer. Double Bingo!!! The letter itself is very quartermaster-like and a nice touch. I was hoping for a second older and hatless K&C figure in a more "combat" pose for another shelf, but that would be excessively greedy ----- I don't expect K&C to release the hatless action piece for at least another 2 or 3 months.
http://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=Splényi_Hussars
To be honest, I had to pay Andy very big bucks to make this figure for me, but it was well worth it, plus the Napoleonic Collectors were then able to add the delightful Hussars Series to their Collections (Warning: Advance Payment via PayPal to Andy is Mandatory, No Returns and the production window is really, really long). Somedays, the collecting gods just smile!!!
As I type this, I realize that repainting figures would be more straightforward, but the adoption of that option is for another thread and those with more skill. Overall, twisted and distorted logic, but it works for me.
In the photos, you might see individual releases not originally intended for the Battle of the Monongahela, but I have managed to justify their inclusion on the shelf.
QB-02b = Captain Matthew Floyer 40th
QB-05 = Captain William Stone 47th
Both these officers were letter couriers from New York who brought intelligence on the French movements in Canada and on Lake Erie to Braddock. These officers were given permission to join the flying column by Braddock, so their inclusion on the shelf is historically accurate as are their uniforms. They were most likely with advanced column. From the Horatio Gates Letter, both officers were most likely with advanced party and both officers were killed in the battle.
The two pistol figure is by Conte, a very nice figure actually. He represents George Croghan, one of the chief guides/scouts for the expedition. A frequently told story is that the severely wounded Braddock tried to lay hold of Croghan's pistols wanting to "die as on old Roman, by his own hand, as Quinctilius Varus had when his three Roamn legions were slaughtered by Germanic tribesmen in the Teutoburger Forest in AD 9." More accurately, the figure is a very good likeness of Spencer Tracy from the film Northwest Passage.
Happy Holidays,
Everyone
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