1798 Rebellion Project Part 8: Militia Grenadiers and Yeomen

 I got some extra models to add variation to my British force when I was starting this project. Among these are some Londonderry Militia Grenadiers, which I've just finished up! I don't need them for the list I am working towards, but it's always good to have more options. I suppose the yellow facings they're wearing mean they could be used as North Cork Militia Grenadiers too, but I don't know much about uniforms and organisation at all! 

I really like the second model from the left. The pose adds a lot of animation to the Group. 

I also finished the second group of Yeomen I needed. These chaps have round hats rather than tarletons, which I think look really cool. As much as I like the Militia uniforms, the Yeos add a lot of colour to the force. 

I am fairly sure they have been sculpted with the wrong coats, as they resemble those of the Yeomanry Cavalry rather than Infantry. I've done my best to paint them as normal infantry uniforms, though. 

As usual, closeups reveal that I need to do some more matt varnishing! 

The two groups in line. 

The "Britbox" so far! 

I have General Sir David Dundas on the painting table at the moment. He is a Status III Leader who is the last model I need for the British! Hopefully my next post will see the entire British side completed. 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 7: The Last of the North Corks

I finished off the last group of Militia this weekend, along with a Leader. It's nice to have them done, because I'm using some more unusual models to represent the other troops in the army. It's not historically accurate, but this is Sharp Practice - the "historical drama" version of the past! 

Here they are:

 

There's always one spot of gloss varnish that shines through the matt! 

A very imperious British officer 

Here's a group photo of the whole lot :

This is the list from the Sharp Practice 1798 Supplement that I'm using for the British. I'm going to use Yeomen for the Militia under the Status II Leader, just to add some variation. All that's left to do for this list is another group of Yeos and a Status III Leader. Of course, being a wargamer, I have a few more units in the lead mountain too! I have a group of Militia Grenadiers on the desk at the moment, for example. 

This is the rebel list. I have completed three and a half groups of "Pikes and Assorted Firearms", one group of Scouts and a Status II Leader. That leaves two and a half groups of foot and three leaders. So there isn't too much more to do! 

The supplement also includes this list, which is very attractive! It could easily be used in conjunction with my naval project for the rebellion. The TooFatLardies Christmas Special 2014 features 1798 Rebellion scenarios for both Kiss Me Hardy and Sharp Practice. I'd love to link them together in a campaign! 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 6: George of England's Hirelings

 In a previous post about the North Cork Militia, I included an engraving of Captain Swayne. This is one of the most famous images of the rebellion, and depicts a pitch-capping. 

Captain Swayne and the North Cork Militia rampaged through the town of Prosperous in Co. Kildare, torturing suspected United Irishmen. During the Battle of Prosperous, the rebels set fire to the local barracks, killing the Captain and his men. Information is available here and here, but there doesn't seem to be a lot written about Swayne.

The model I used is from Trent Miniatures' Militia Command pack. I added a cauldron of bubbling tar using Milliput. As with all my Sharp Practice leaders, he's on a 40mm base. 

I also finished up a group of Yeomanry Infantry. I was inspired to paint these after my visit to the Fr. Murphy Centre. Unfortunately, at the time I ordered the models for this project there were no Mounted Yeomen available, but most of the Trent range is now back in production. Hopefully I'll get to paint the Camolin Cavalry in future. 

There isn't much information available on the Yeomanry uniforms of this period, so it's difficult to find the correct facing colours. I just copied the colour scheme for this group from a painting in the Osprey Men at Arms book on the 1798 Rebellion. I think the mix of blue, red and white makes them quite striking, as they almost resemble a Union Jack. 

One of the bayonets is broken-I'll fix it, but not right now

I really like the Tarleton helmets on these chaps. They're very evocative of this era.

Next up on the painting desk is the last group of Militia. I was considering painting them as a different unit to add some colour variation. I think I'll paint them as North Cork again, though, as they will look better in formation with other groups wearing the same uniform.

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, beir bua!! 

1798 Rebellion Project Part 5: a Mixed Bag of Rebels

This week I painted up another batch of United Irishmen. I added a few conversions and extra details to make them a bit more varied. I took inspiration from a few sources.

This figure was inspired by this article. A Canadian museum owns a Bronze Age Irish sword which they claim was used at the Battle of New Ross in 1798. A new handle was fitted to the weapon, and it shows signs of having been sharpened and used relatively recently. It is indeed possible that a 2500 year old sword was used during the rebellion! 

The sword is from a plastic Games Workshop skeleton kit. It's not exactly the same shape as the real sword, but it's fairly close. I bent the hands into shape using pliers. I was going to put something in his left hand, but thought the clenched fist pose looked cool. It's as if he's daring an opponent to come closer! 

This chap is armed with a fowling piece, a long barrelled gun which was used to hunt ducks. Such weapons were often used on the Wexford Slobs, and are best known from the song "John Kelly of Killann". Some had brass barrels. I cut the original barrel down, and glued on some paperclip wire in its place.

This banner features the Gal Gréine , the Irish Sunburst flag. This flag seems to have first been used in the 18th Century, and became very popular with Irish Nationalists from the 19th Century onwards. It harkens back to the legends of the Fianna, a group of heroes who sometimes referred to themselves as "Gal Gréine" or "sunbursts". I don't have any evidence that the flag was used in the 1798 Rebellion, and doubt that it made an appearance. But I think it's an eye catching design that's worth including.

Since I'm painting batches in packs rather than units, I had some extra gunmen left over. There are lots of them still to do, and they'll be mixed through all the pike blocks. I've made a few modifications to them as well. I changed some of their muskets into blunderbusses by cutting off the end of the barrels and adding a ball of Milliput. 

Fr. Murphy Centre, Boolavogue

 As part of my efforts to visit sites relating to the rebellion of 1798, I recently visited the Fr. Murphy Centre in Boolavogue. I've previously written about Fr. Murphy and his role as a leader in my Sharp Practice force. The centre consists of several 18th and 19th century farm buildings, one of which housed Fr. Murphy from his appointment as priest in 1785 until the rebellion. At this time, Catholic priests usually didn't have parish houses, instead often staying with others. Murphy lodged with the Donoghue family.

Fr. Murphy regularly visited his friend Tom Donovan, who was a member of the United Irishmen. It may have been here that Murphy's politics began to be formed, although he would continue to follow official church doctrine and did not openly support the Society. However, Murphy began to organise resistance to British rule after numerous attacks by the Camolin Cavalry. These were spurred on by Cavalry man John Donovan, who,  despite being Tom's first cousin, was possessed of very different political convictions. 

Murphy encouraged his parishioners to surrender their arms to the Cavalry in exchange for guarantees of protection. However, the repression continued. This culminated in violence at The Harrow, the first rebel victory in Wexford. A group of Camolin Cavalry, including Lieutenant Bookey and John Donovan, were attacked by local men, led by Murphy. John Donovan was fatally shot by his cousin, and the yeomen were utterly defeated. Murphy’s role as a rebel leader had begun. 

The Donoghue home. Fr. Murphy's room is the one on the right. 

Fr. Murphy's room. The wooden covering was used to protect the sleeper from insects falling from the thatch! 

Vestments of the fashion worn by Fr. Murphy 

A mid-19th Century farm house, built next to the older house. 

This lodge is another 19th century building. It was used to house migrant workers

I really enjoyed the trip to the centre. It's a bit of a hidden gem, and I'd highly recommend it to anyone who's interested in Wexford history. There's a lot of fascinating information about local lore and farming in addition to the historical stuff. My visit has inspired me to choose Yeomen as the next unit I'll paint! 

Go dtí an chéad uair eile, 

Beir bua!

Evoy's Forge: A 1798 Pike Factory

 As part of my current project, I've made it my goal to visit some of the sites associated with the 1798 Rebellion. As I pass by many of these places on an almost daily basis, it's easy to take them for granted. I realised that it's been years since I visited these locations, so I still have lots to learn from them.

Here are some photos from a recent trip to Evoy's Forge. It's at the foot of Carrickbyrne Hill, where the United Irishmen camped before the Battle of New Ross. It is located on lands that were part of the Brown-Clayton Estate. The estate includes the Brown-Clayton Column, constructed in 1836 in honour of Ralph Abercromby, who, among other things, was briefly leader of British forces in Ireland during the rebellion. 

The forge was used to produce pike heads, which were then attached to ash staves. A variety of pike designs and sizes existed, based on regional and personal preferences. They could be between 8 and 14 feet in length (See F. Thompson, "The Uniforms of 1798-1803". A valuable resource).

A plaque by the forge commemorates the rebels' march from the camp to New Ross. 

   The Irish translates to "At God's right hand     were they all", a common dedication to         deceased people. 

The forge was restored in 1998 for the bicentenary of the rebellion. The Irish reads "This forge was restored in honour of all the smiths of 1798". 

The front of the forge. The slate roof was originally thatch. 

The interior features a furnace and other equipment. 

I'm really looking forward to making deployment points for my Sharp Practice forces. I think that this building will be perfect. 

After looking around the forge, I headed up Judge's Road in Bagenal Harvey's footsteps. Unfortunately I hadn't the time to explore the hill fully. There's so much to see there, including an ancient standing stone and the ruins of a hedge school, not to mention the rebel camp. I'll definitely be back soon.