League Of Augsburg - Fighting Talk

Barry,

In the "League of Augsburg" section of your Gallery photos, you show Dutch Regiment 33 (Waldeck-Prymont) wearing red-orange hat tape.

Are there any other regiments in the period that used something other than white or yellow hat tape?


-- Jeff

Jeff, Interesting question. I have no pictorial evidence for coloured hat tape, it was usually white, silver or gold.

Yet I found a small note saying that when William III returned from England to Flanders in 1696, he brought along 100 'royal volunteers'; their flag was sprinkled with golden hearts and the motto "Fidelity, affection, honour" which was also on a blue tape round the crown of their hats. It doesn't state if the tape on their brim was blue as well.

Hope this helps some,

Mats

Mats is the Puritan and 'authority' on such matters Jeff and I would always defer to his research.

My approach is more heretical and 'arty' I gave Waldek red hat tape because I liked the look of it! and it set off the uniform rather well.

I apologise for setting a hare running there I have inadvertently done that before SEE BELOW extract from a caption in the 1300-1600 Gallery

The coloured pikes caused a stir and an odd incident at a show.A member of the public approached another group of gamers also demonstrating the same period and told them that their pikes were `wrong' because they weren't striped!! I just made it up for effect so sorry lads, ce la guerre!

Sometimes the painter in me just can't be suppressed by the history student!

Hey, I can be arty too! It's my profession after all...

Mats

Ah, artistry . . .

. . . Because so many of the Swedish GNW battalions looked so similar (not all of them, but many), I differentiated my brigades by color-coding the flagstaffs of the unit standards.

It worked well, the players on the Swedish side kept track of their units easily and, when I asked later, the Allies never realized what I'd done.

I liked the look of the different colored hat tape . . . I was hoping that it was a semi-common occurance in this earlier period.


-- Jeff

If it looks good nothing should stop you doing it!!!!

If you have time read an article I wrote a few years back (In the Warchest)
Dedicated Followers of Fashion. It deals with the Wargames Fashion Police... serious points made in a tongue in cheek way but exactly on the money with the Hat tape discussion

I am just getting into the War of the Grand Alliance period and just like I found with the ECW, uniform details vary from source to source. For instance, for the Orleans regiment:

Charles Grant, From Pike to Shot - white coat, red cuffs, red waistcoat, white breeches.

Mark Allen, WI article (forget the exact issue) - grey coat, blue cuffs, red waistcoat, red breeches.

They are similar, as I understand many of the "white" coats of the period were actually a grey color (though Grant lists some coast as grey/white and others as white), but the cuffs and breeches are the exact opposite. Many of the unit entries are like that.

Barry points out in one of his QnD guides that the most important part to get right is the coat and cuffs. Other details vary. Uniforms wore out quickly and replacements were made from commonly available cloth like in any other war, so trousers especially could vary.

That doesn't help in the situation above where the cuffs are completely different, but in that instance I get to choose what fits into my plan better. If I already have two units with blue cuffs, I might opt for the red for variety, and point back to my source if pesky questions arrive!

Heck, if some accepts that eighteen models represents a battalion, they should be able to accept the odd unit with colored lace on their hats!

Heck, if some accepts that eighteen models represents a battalion, they should be able to accept the odd unit with colored lace on their hats!

Clarence, I like your attitude (as well as your website and rules).


-- Jeff

Actually... on the coloured hat tape question... I rememeber in the Osprey Marlborough's Armies book there is a colour plate of a Danish Regiment.... Jyske I think... RED HAT TAPE!!!!!!


DA DA!!!

You're right Barry, it's there It's a generic Danish musketeer.

Evening all

My penny worth on hat lace, I too found that a few other units wore coloured lace other than the usual. My prince George of Denmarks look cool with orange lace, no ones corrected me yet, they know the reply to expect.

Interested in the Dutch cuirassier comments, cos I wanted to do a unit too but didn't know which units wore the cuirass, thanks Mat.

Almost finished my Dutch/ Danish Alliance Army, ready to start my French army ready for our demo in May.

Regards


Paul ( Budyenny )