Bringing this topic back from the dead...."Cannon's Iri

Me paints good · Post by **Me paints good** » Mon Apr 11, 2011 11:44 pm

Has anybody ever found any uniform/flag details for these guys???

Rebel · Post by **Rebel** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:22 am

Assuming you mean Alexander Cannon (as in the Killiekrankie campaign), then the troops in question are elements of Nicholas Purcell's dragoons.

Unfortunately and as far as I'm aware there is little hard evidence as to how they were uniformed. Will check my records though, and if I find anything will post it.

All the best,

Mike.

Me paints good · Post by **Me paints good** » Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:04 am

WoW, that's more info than I ever had before...so they were dragoons fighting as infantry....means they had muskets and swords, no pikes....pretty sure were I a dragoon who had to do alot of walking, my riding boots would be out of the equation....

Thanks so much and yes, please post any uniform details....as soon as I get this pragmatic army finished (she's a bute!) I'm thinking of getting the army of Bonnie Dundee on the workbench

Me paints good · Post by **Me paints good** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 5:07 am

Looks like red with yellow facings, unit was knowns as the yellow dragoons

Rebel · Post by **Rebel** » Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:38 pm

Am looking into it - Hope to post before weekend.

Forlorn Hope · Post by **Forlorn Hope** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:14 pm

I couldn't find the previous thread on "Cannon's Irish" but please find below details from my own research.

Originally, James promised the Scots Jacobites Irish reinforcements as early as April 1689. This was to be a brigade of foot, under Maj Gen Thomas Buchan, consisting of the Earl of Antrim's, Cormac O'Neill's and Brig Gen Ramsay's regiments. However, the siege of Londonderry precluded their despatch.

In early May, a second detachment of 1,200 was about to be sent to Kintyre in small coastal craft. This plan was thwarted by the Williamites, who despatched 8 companies of foot (560), under Capt William Young, by sea and land to Kintyre on 7th May. They fought a skirmish with about 300 Scots Jacobites at Loup on 15th May and saw them off.

Finally in early July, James ordered three, on loan, French frigates to transport a force from Carrickfergus to the Scotiish mainland. This is where it gets slightly complicated - This force under Brig Gen Alaxander Cannon (former colonel of the The Queen Consort's Regiment of Dragoons 1687-1688) was said to consist of Col James Purcell's Regiment of Foot (400 raw recruits) and part of Cannon's own regiment of dragoons [these may have been three trops of Colonel Nicholas Purcell's Regiment of Dragoons] plus 79 unattached officers - There is reference to both James Purcell's and Nicholas Purcell's dragoon regiments. Both would have been dismounted (and dismouted dragoons are, effectively, infantry).

The force sailed on 10th july but was intercepted by the Scots Navy, who destoyed/captured two of the French frigates and most of the dragoons. The remainder made landfall at Lochaber on 17th July and, together with some 400 MacPhersons, joined Dundee before his advance on Perth.

I'm not sure of the uniform details of James Purcell's regiment but it may have been grey and about 300 were reported to have been in the Jacobite centre at Killiecrankie. I also believe the "yellow" dragoons were at the Boyne and certainly Nicholas Purcell was in Ireland for the whole of the Irish Campaign (and his regiment was at the capitulation)

Hope this helps (but may muddy the waters even more).

Regards

Rebel · Post by **Rebel** » Tue Apr 26, 2011 7:53 pm

Am working on it, but Easter and heavy workload have intervened.....