Pája Junek - Na stráži (French and Indian War)

Excellent film of the Czech French and Indian war scene. Recommended.

Bunker Hill in 1/72

Here's something great - a diorama of Bunker Hill in 1/1 ratio - excellent.

Fanfan la tulipe (1952)

Here's a clip from the original movie. It's up in parts but in Russian - here's part 1

Leuthen 1757

From something that was intentionally funny to something unintentionally hilarious. This German tv depiction of this Frederick the Great battle is possibly the worst depiction of 18thc warfare I've ever seen. The hand to hand sections (about 2:20) will have you spraying your coffee over the screen if you are not careful. As far as I know this battle was fought in snow.

Fanfan la Tulipe (2003)

This French movie is a remake of a 1950s film. It features the main character joining the French army which is why I feature it - it's a comedy and has Penelope Cruz in it. IMDB

Tuques

I have been enjoing the 'French in Wisconsin' site. It has some really well done pages and is a source for knitted tuques that look the bees knees.
Check it all out if you have an interest in French and Canadian stuff for the Seven Years War and beyond. Researcch artle pdf on winter footwear is well worth a look and it has a great winter moccasin pattern.
The image is from the section 'soldats' and is them depicting CFdlM in winter kit. Be sure to read the piece by Isaac Walters on tapabord hats too while you're there...it's a pdf

'Following the Moose'

Another couple of Krieghoff paintings depicting Canadian life. Is this fellow wearing a Scots bonnet in red? More images of Snowshoe art here where they have wooden snowshoes for sale.

the two-toned tuque

If you are interested in this Canadian classic this reconstruction is well worth a visit.

bottes sauvages

Footwear for this time of year for Canadians and Natives are these boots. There are a number of 19thc examples in collections.
Image from here

Season's Greetings

I think we have had this 19thc image by Cornelius Krieghoff before but it suits the purpose of being my card to you and it shows the traine (sled) in some detail. Red tuque in evidence too. Canadians didnt change their styles much over the years did they?

More capote pics

These are from the 1730s I think.

Compagnies franches de la Marine in capote

By Francis Back this depicts a 1690 Marine but the clothing would be pretty much the same for 1750s.

Winter scout in the Czech Republic

Some great images here from Black from His Majesties Independent Company of Foot from the Czech Republic of an event that took place last weekend. Looks bitterly cold but that's how we roll for the French and Indian war (says he in a nice warm house)...thanks for the images. Brilliant.

Moccasin kit

Over the years I have helped a few people get their kit up together for FIW reenacting and so as a few of you are getting interested I thought I'd take a few steps to get you started. First thing to make and get should be I reckon a pair of Centre seam Mocs. You can buy excellent kits for reasonable prices with all you need to make a pair. Smoke and Fire's kits are here. It's important to be able to make your own and its not all difficult and as Mocs tend to stretch and bend being able to rejig them is a worthwhile skill. It was common for expeditions to pause to make fresh Mocs so being able to make a pair is pretty worthwhile if you plan on being an irregular- Milice or Ranger. Wear them around your place and get the feel of them - and be prepared to make adjustments. Milice also wore Souliers de Boeuf which are reproduced here

Regiment de la Reine 1759

Image from the Royal Library Madrid showing the uniform as it was in the latter years of the SYW. After looking at the La Reine album I started looking at fusil M1728s - this would be a good gun for this impression.

Review of the AIP Rangers and Indians

The 1/32 figures are here reviewed. The end of the video has individual close-ups.

Eugene Leliepvre

Someone who has made a life's work of studying the army of Louis XV is this man who has probably covered almost every regiment. See the series 'Louis XV's army' on Osprey by Rene Chartrand.

Regiment de la Reine photo album

Paul Webb has a really good album of old photos of the Regiment de la Reine up on facebook. See them here and enjoy a fine group in its prime. I'm the guy on the right in this photo from about 98.

Marine in capot

Been a while since I posted a picture of me - here's one of me when I was an 'officer' in the Compagnies franches de la Marine from about 1998 at a training event in Wales.

The begging soldier woman.

Found this image on wikimedia on their Seven Years War section - it's a German camp follower and baby - I have not seen this image before and I think it's lovely. More from the artist here

Nouvelle-France - La Rébellion de Pontiac

I am not sure what this is from - it's in French - looks like a miniseries - maybe one of our French or Canadian readers might recognise it?

Montreal 1760

I failed to remember this anniversary in September - it was the final act in the SYW really and as the garrison capitulated not much of a fight but I should have mentioned this 250th anniversary event. See a pleasant display based on the surrender with Britain's toy soldiers here

Histoire du Québec 11 - La Guerre de Sept Ans

French language video on the Seven Years War. Part 12 here. There is some intriguing black and white footage in it which is quite epic which looks like its from the 20s or sometime around then - the silent era... anyone recognise it? Worth watching these docs even if you don't speak French.
NB This is probably the 1914 film Wolfe or the Conquest of Quebec.

Nice fort

For 28mm Mousquets et Tomahawks here

New stuff on the Galloping Major site

There's quite a bit new on the GM site including studio greens and forthcoming plans for a Robert Rogers personality figure.

French and Indian war reenactment scene in France

Anyone reading this blog have any inside knowledge of this subject? I know there are some native reenactors and of course the Bearn group which seems quite successful - I'd like to know more so if any of you have any contacts....?

Milice equipment lists

It's quite a useful research tool to look at the sort of stuff issued to New France Militia when going on expeditions. Some of these items are talked about on this page. It's a great page with most of the period references for Milice transcribed.

55th Foot - Light Company

Recreating the light company and dressed according to Knox's description this reenactment group looks worth joining if you are in the midwest of the US.

Lord George Augustus Viscount Howe

Wiki here. Interesting biography of the pioneer of Light Infantry here. 55th foot F&I service here.
Lord Howe is certainly a man who made his mark with the 55th when he took over their colonelcy in 1757 and his death (see pic) before the attack on Ticonderoga was decisive in that as 2nd in command Howe was sadly missed. Previously he had made the 55th into a model light infantry unit:
'You would laugh to see the droll figure we all make,' wrote a Massachusetts officer to a Boston paper. 'Regulars as well as provincials have cut their coats so as scarcely to reach their waists . . . No officer or private is allowed to carry more than one blanket or bearskin...no women follow our camp to wash our linen. Lord Howe has already shown the example by going to the brook to wash his own.'

De Levis papers

Bill on the Mocassins Group found this version of the De Levis papers. If you can speak French then you can read this important resource on the campaigns in the SYW online.

Before the Lake was Champlain - the Abenaki

Interesting look at a living history event and the participants.

A native's perspective of the Lake George tactical

Apparently next October's Lake George tactical is going to be an important one so in order to promote this event a little read this account from a native reenactor. I would recommend this event to anyone especially someone from Europe as you get a totally different view of the geography and so on of the area around Lake George.

Battle on Snowshoes

A few posts on the theme of winter warfare, which was an important facet of the SYW in America. Wintertime saw a new set of rules for mobile warfare. For the small numbers involved, incidents like the Battle on Snowshoes have captured the imagination of generations. This photo is one I don't know who took it, but it's from the Snowshoes battle reenactment that takes place each March around Ticonderoga but it's such a good photo it needs a larger audience.
More about the battle here

Jersey Blues

Incidentally this reconstruction is wrong in the sense that they had a linen strap for their cartridge box - but there ya go.
An interesting and unfortunate unit the First New Jersey Regiment. In some of the worst military disasters of the SYW. Formed in 1673 to ''repel foreign Indians who come down from upper Pennsylvania and western New York (in the summer) to our shores and fill (themselves) with fishes and clams and on the way back make a general nuisance of themselves by burning hay stacks, corn fodder and even barns."<sup>[1]

A book on the service of the Blues in the F&I 'Colonial Tribulations'</sup>
The Survival Story Of William Casterline And His Comrades Of The New Jersey Blues Regiment At Fort Oswego 1756 & Fort William Henry
<sup>promises to be an interesting read

Also see my piece on the Jersey Blues here
Origin of the Jersey Blues</sup>

Rangers by Remington

March of Roger's Rangers by Frederick Remington

15mm stuff

If you are looking for 15mm stuff this page of Blue Moon's 15mm line has some interesting product - including this resin fort.

De Langis

Somewhat less famous than Robert Rogers is this man who was one of New France's most successful scouts. Referred to by Rogers as 'Longee'. His rank was ensign and he led many warparties around the Lake George area. Sadly drowned in a canoe accident during the defence of Montreal. Image is by Francis Back of Compagnies Franches de la Marine in campaign kit.
Read about Langis in Bob Bearor's 'Leading by Example' here

La Marine

One of my favourite books on the Seven Years War is this book by Gallup and Shaffer. It's written by reenactors and it concentrates on what the Yanks call 'material culture' - in other words the items used by the Compagnies franches de la Marine.

Winter scout photos

We're in the grip of a cold spell and of course at times like this thoughts run to Snowshoes and ice creepers and winter treks. If any of you have any photos of winter activities related to the period send them to me and I'll put them up. Have a look at this page of a 2002 recreation of the battle on Snowshoes. Image from John Jenkins Design 1/32 Battle on Snowshoes

Mousquets et Tomahawks

There's an interesting piece in French and English on their blog about future plans - seems like the English version of this game is slated for January/February - and they also give this blog a plug - thanks!

Robert Rogers' Rules for the Ranging Service: An Analysis By Matt Wulff

This recent book is up in substantial chunks on Google books if you want to read about Ranging Rules and so forth. What I've read seems well written and researched. The author has his own Ranger group which has a fine website so check them out too.

Not By Appointment - SYW templates

I like this blog - a very useful piece of work that encourages the reader to have a go - and there's quite a few North American types to look at.

Snowshoemen in King George's War

From a suggestion from a reader I thought I would post about Snowshoemen who were according to this section of the book 'The First Way of War' were the first type of Rangers - assembled ready to respond to incursions from Abenaki and the like when war erupted. Worth reading the section and you can read about the young Robert Rogers joining one of these 50-man companies which in their early life were primarily defensive in nature. See also this page on reenactor's Harmon's Snowshoemen. The page is being revised at the moment but worth a look when finished.