British 19th Light Dragoons in Canada
The British had little cavalry in the North American theater
during the War of 1812 except Canadian militia cavalry. However, elements
of two regular cavalry regiments were sent early in the War of 1812…the
14th Light Dragoons and the 19th Light Dragoons.
Only the 19th had significant mounted elements, and it was
experienced, coming from a couple decades of service in India.
The Canadian website www.warof1812.ca has
two excellent articles on the 19th Light Dragoons in Canada, and we
refer you to them.
http://www.warof1812.ca/19thld.htm
General overview of 19th LD in Canada, with
focus on the time of the uniform change, which noted author Rene Chartrand
estimates as being the end of 1813 and the beginning of 1814. Thus, the 16th
Light Dragoon (1808-1813) uniform which MdLD has created as a ‘galvanized’
impression can be utilized with some respectability for Canadian theater events
up to January 1814. However, the regimental distinctions are different,
with the 16th having red cuffs and collars, and the 19th having
yellow cuffs and collars. We are not aware (as of Dec05) of a living
history unit recreating the 19th Light Dragoons in Canada, though
it seems a worthwhile object.
The uniform starting in January 1814 for the 19th
LD would have altered to the plastron-styled one with shako (vice the
hussar/lace styled with bearskin Tarleton that MdLD does). This 54mm
miniature is representative of the 19th’s appearance after
January 1814, though one suspects that the Canadian procured mounts would be
mostly dark Canadien horses.
http://www.warof1812.ca/lang.htm
extracts from the journal of Lt Lang of 19th Light
Dragoons 1813-1814, with commentary by author Adam Norman Lynde Interesting
details of deployment and employment.
There is a living history unit recreating the 12th
Light Dragoons (a member in recreated uniform is pictured here, which is nearly
identical to that which the 19th LD would wear pre-1814). The
website of the recreated 12th Light Dragoons in Great Britain
is located at http://www.12thlightdragoons.org.uk/.
Again, our MdLD “16th Light Dragoon: galvanized”
appearance is very similar to this, except with red (vice yellow) collar, cuffs
and overall stripe.
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Add in the same section 15th Light Dragoons
(Hussars) of Pennisula 1808, home islands 1809-1812, Pennisula 1813-14 and Waterloo 1815
British 15th Light Dragoons (Hussar) of early
& late Pennisula and Waterloo
The recreated Maryland Light Dragoons (MdLD) shares the
regimental uniform cut and coloring with the British 15th Light
Dragoons (Hussars) and the 16th Light Dragoons (slight difference),
and has used the details of the 15th LD (Hussar) other ranks’
dolman (coatee) to fill in for not-yet-available details of the MdLD officer’s
coat. Thereby, the same dolman, with differing accessories, serves as
MdLD officer (1810-1815), 15th LD (Hussar) enlisted (1808-1815) and
16th LD enlisted (1808-1813). There are two living history
units that specialize in 15th Light Dragoons (Hussars):
XVth Light Dragoons (Hussars) of Great Britain http://www.xvld.org/
Four members of XVth Hussars at Corruna
2004 event, led by Captain Potts
And
15th Light Dragoons (Hussars) of Ohio, USA
http://www.brigade-napoleon.org/cavalerie/hussard/15th/15th_hussars.htm
Two members of 15th Hussars
(in late Peninsular red shakos), led by Sergeant Hall
MdLD is particularly grateful to Ken Hall of the Ohio-based
15th for aid and friendship in research, and as MdLD fills out the
necessary accessories to our existing dolmans and other gear, we look forward
to participating with the 15th in Napoleonic era events on occasion.
We found the following uniform references of particular
utility…
Waterloo Uniforms:
1. British Cavalry, by John Mollo, a Historical Research Unit Publication, 1973
Wellington’s
Light Cavalry (Osprey Men-at-Arms Series #126), by Bryan Fosten, 1982
Charles Hamilton Smith’s 1812 Paintings of British
uniforms (there is one of the 15th)
10th LD (Hussars) at Corunna, Spain
1808-1809
Note: while MdLD has had to ‘fill in’ missing
details on the MdLD officer’s coatee (and officers, especially of the
cavalry arm, were known to embellish the regulations on occasion), we were
fortunate to have excellent text description in the Maryland regulations and
period paintings (though at quite a distance) for both officer and other ranks,
and to have multiple detailed photographs of a surviving original sergeant’s
MdLD coatee to enable a fine other ranks replication.
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Already listed but here’s a brief writeup for British
16th Light Dragoons
British 16th Light Dragoons
The recreated Maryland Light Dragoons (MdLD) shares the
regimental uniform cut and coloring with the British 15th and 16th
Light Dragoons, and in particular the pre-plaston (1813) uniform of the
non-Hussar Light Dragoons (ie the 16th) is very similar to our
recreation of the MdLD officer uniform. With the MdLD officer coatee and
a MdLD shako, using our MdLD small clothes and weapons and tack, we can quite
accurately portray the enlisted 16th Light Dragoon of
1808-1813. For most of this period, the 16th Light Dragoons
were deployed to Wellington’s army in the Peninsula, and they became in time quite expert in
outposting duties. This is admirably and in detail recorded in two period
journals of officers of the 16th:
Diary of a Cavalry Officer, by Lt. Col. William Tomkinson
(who was a Lieutenant under Captain Cocks for much of the Peninsular period)
Intelligence Officer in the Peninsula:
Letters and Diaries of Major The Hon. Edward Charles Cocks 1786-1812, edited by
Julia Page
If you wish to learn more of the professional aspects of
light cavalry, you could not do better than to read both of these references.
There is a living history unit
recreating the 12th Light Dragoons (a member in recreated uniform is
pictured here). The 16th Light Dragoons would differ in having
red collar and cuffs, vice the yellow collar and cuffs of the 12th.
In the Peninsular service, light cavalry would wear stow the gloves and plume,
and wear grey overalls with inside and cuff leather trim and a stripe down the outside
seams, over ankle boots. The website of the recreated 12th Light
Dragoons in Great Britain
is located at http://www.12thlightdragoons.org.uk/
There are several other British mounted units of the period
for which the MdLD/15th/16th kit have notable
similarities. However, they are further different than 15th and
16th (somewhat on the order of difference as the 19th).
These are (with the main differences):
1st Hussars, King’s German Legion.
Red on blue with Hussar cut, but with yellow vice white cord and busby or shako.
Royal Horse Artillery. Red on blue with Hussar cut, but with
yellow vice white cord and Tarleton helmet.
Mounted Rockets. Red on blue with Hussar cut, but with
yellow vice white cord and Tarleton (a cousin of Horse Artillery…).
10th Light Dragoons (Hussars). For a brief couple-year
period around 1811 they had similar uniform to 15th. Before
and after, the colors altered.
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