Black Powder Reenactment: Fourth Sub-Legion of The United States

The Legion of the United States was a reorganization and extension of the United States Army from 1792 to 1796 under the command of Major General Anthony Wayne.

The legion was composed of four sub-legions, each commanded by a brigadier general. These sub-legions were self-contained units with two battalions of infantry, a rifle battalion , a troop of dragoons and a battery of artillery. Light infantry skirmishers armed with Pennsylvania long rifles were used to screen the infantry.

The legion was recruited and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and built into four sub-legions. These were created from elements of the 1st and 2nd Regiments from the Continental Army. These units then became the First and Second Sub-Legions. The Third and Fourth Sub-Legions were raised from further recruits.

From June 1792 to November 1792, the legion was stationed at Fort LaFayette in Pittsburgh. The legion then moved to the United States Military's first basic training facility at Legionville in western Pennsylvania on the banks of the Ohio River.

The frontier fort was built on the orders of General Anthony Wayne General Wayne also established various forts along his line of march to ensure adequate re-supply, and garrisoned these forts with freshly trained legionnaires.

The legion was trained from its early days in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to fight in a woodland environment. Each sub-legion had its own attached artillery, dragoons and riflemen, light and heavy infantry. Officers, sergeants and enlisted personnel were trained to fight in small units and were used to being geographically separated and fighting on their own.

General Anthony Wayne's tactics were to fire and move quickly with the light infantry as his front line forces supported by heavy infantry. The legion was taught to move quickly on the enemy so he could not re-load, then attack with bayonets. This was the whole design and concept of the legion.

By August 20, 1794, the Legion of the United States had trained for over 25 months and was a finely honed machine. The success of the legion is owed mostly to Major General Anthony Wayne.

The reenactors of Wayne's Legion can be seen at the Woodville Plantation just outside of Pittsburgh PA.

For more information about events where they are participating and additional history, visit their site at http://wayneslegion.org/history/

Have A Great Battle!
The Old Crow

Black Powder Era Fort King George: For your next building project

 Old Fort King George, an 18th century frontier fortification on the Altamaha River, was reconstructed from old records and drawings. It is the perfect project for any Black Powder enthusiast.

Fort King George is the oldest English fort remaining on Georgia's coast. From 1721 until 1736, it was the southern outpost of the British Empire in North America. A cypress blockhouse, barracks and palisaded earthen fort were constructed in 1721 by scoutmen led by Colonel John “Tuscarora Jack” Barnwell.

The fort was the first of the British 18th century posts built to counteract French expansion in America and was also a flagrant trespass upon Spanish territory. During its occupation, Spain continually demanded that it be destroyed.

The blockhouse was 26 feet square with three floors and a lookout in the gable from which the guard could watch the inland waterway and St Simons Island.

For the next seven years, His Majesty’s Independent Company garrisoned the fort. They endured incredible hardships from disease, threats of Spanish and Indian attacks, and the harsh, unfamiliar coastal environment.

During the occupation, more than 140 soldiers and officers lost their lives here. After the troops were withdrawn to Port Royal in 1727, South Carolina kept two lookouts at Fort King George until General James Oglethorpe arrived in 1733.

Oglethorpe brought Scottish Highlanders to the site in 1736. The settlement, called Darien, eventually became a foremost export center of lumber until 1925.

The reconstructed fort and structures include a blockhouse, officers' quarters, barracks, guardhouse, moat and palisades.

If you'd care to build the entire grounds here is a layout to use.

The museum at Fort King George gives a basic diagram for the blockhouse, rampart, palisade and moat elevations.

This is a reproduction of the Scottish Highlanders huts used at that time and the foundation for the settlement of Darien.

They were a basic mud and wattle constructed building as shown here.

We'll leave off with several additional photos. If you give this a shot, let us know how it goes!

Have a Great Battle,
The Old Crow

Bolt Action World War II Polish Army from Warlord Games

Okay, we know we haven't posted in a while so we'll try to make up for it this week with a few postings on a variety of gaming subjects. Today we'll continue with the WWII theme. Warlord Games Bolt Action range continues to expand and there are plenty of choices for any enthusiast or collector.

With the latest Bolt Action release "France and the Allies Armies", it seemed the perfect time to show this beautifully painted Polish army. This Bolt Action supplement covers the armies of France, Poland, Greece, Norway, Holland and Belgium that stood against the German Blitzkrieg, as well as the resistance forces that sprung up in the aftermath of occupation.

The army, painted by Andy Isherwood,  contains over 1500 points of models.

3x command units, 3x medics, 1x spotter, 4x 12 man squads with a BAR in each, 3x HMG, 3x Mortar

2x Sniper teams, 2x Anti Tank Rifle Teams,

2x 37mm Anti Tank guns,

2x 75mm Anti Tank Guns

6x Tankettes (3 with machine guns and 3 with cannons)

2x 7TP's with cannons

1x 7TP with twin turret machine guns, 1x Ursus armoured Car

And what Polish army would be without 6x Cavalry

There is a special motorbike conversion, objective markers, and pinned helmet on stick markers too.

All in all you have to admit this is a sweet looking army!

We leave you with several additional shots for your viewing pleasure.

Have a Great Battle!
The Old Crow