Knuckleduster Maryland Militia

Knuckleduster Maryland militia figures.  Much more enjoyable to paint than their Marines.

It's hard to figure out what American militia looked like during the War of 1812.  That's probably because most militia was a joke. It was almost more of a social and drinking club than a military institution in many places.  Some units had elaborate uniforms and others didn't.

One of the better known militia units is the 5th Maryland.  It's known because of the famous Don Troiani painting of the battalion at North Point pictured below.  It's a great uniform, and has even attracted some 5th Maryland re-enactors in the Baltimore area.  What's not clear, however, is whether this particular uniform was worn by Maryland militia across the state. According to sources, we're not even certain the 5th Maryland wore this uniform, or if each company in the unit was different.

In any case, Knuckleduster released their version of this unit in the spring, and I ordered them to represent the Annapolis militia that appeared near the end of the Bladensburg battle.  I enjoyed painting these figures much more than the KD Marines.  They are simple and clean.  They're in that basic march attack pose that opens all the detail on the figure up to easy painting.  The uniform, with its blue tunic and red facings, is attractive but straight forward.  I painted the white turnbacks with red piping according to the pictures of re-enactors, but which I suspect is also incorrect. I chose to give them a white turban and a plume that is white over black.  I'm not certain of the turban and plume colors, only that these colors likely represented differences between companies. 

I enjoyed painting these figures quite a bit, much more than the Marines.  I've included a couple of pictures: one of the KD guys alone, and one alongside the OG figures as a comparison.  I still think the Old Glory figures are a bit better, but the Knuckleduster figures are good too.  Sizewise, there isn't much of a difference.  The poses really wouldn't allow much opportunity to mix within a unit, but in the same army no problem.  My painting style has changed since I painted the Old Glory figures long ago.  I'll probably use the unit on the right as one of the Annapolis battalions.  The Knuckleduster unit sports a Maryland flag from Quindia studios.