Virginia Militia, Guilford Courthouse, 1781

At the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, there was not such an American Army as such. The main force who opposed the British troops, beside the famous Minutemen, were members of preexisting militias that were organized, equipped and trained in a diverse way.

These militias were heirs of the English Trained Bands, corps of local men that were called to fight for king and country when required. They included a wide array of members, from inexperienced civilians to hardened veterans of the Franco-Indian War. Sometimes they were fully equipped and uniformed and other times they were marching in civilian clothing. The normal sight was a mix of both tendencies. All this variety implied that the performance of these units was very variable.

As the war went on, the Continental Congress made huge efforts to standardize and improve the equipment, uniforms, training and leadership of these units, that were to become the basis for the first units of the Continental Army and a valuable complement to them. That was the case of the Virginia Militia; they evolved from shameful acting at the Battle of Camden, where they fled as soon as they made contact with the British, to a very brave stand and skirmishing action at the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, only seven months later.

In our miniature we have portrayed one of those iconic militiaman, with the typical attire mix of uniform an civil garments along an imported French Charleville musket. This figure can be painted in several combinations of uniform and also as stated in the Continental Uniform regulations.