Americans in Redcoats

British war drums sounded the alarm as 120 battle-hardened veterans in red formed a line here and became the first to face Whig woodsmen advancing through the trees below. Fixing bayonets as they had in countless drills, they charged the riflemen. British hopes of ending the 6-year-long rebellion rested on Americans like these. Leaders in London believed a backbone of provincial soldiers could set the example and train Tory militia to march and fight properly, so that Americans in redcoats and local loyalists together might reestablish Crown control in the South. Ferguson's provincial regiments included the King's American Regiment under Captain DePeyster of New York, the Loyal American Regiment under Major Main of New York, the New York Volunteers under Captain Ryerson, and the Prince of Wales American Regiment under Sergeant Townsend of Connecticut and New York.

South Carolina · United States