If you go down to the woods today...

...well if you are an American militiaman in the War of 1812 you might regret it.

These men are just off the painting table and ready to join my British and Canadians in our next 1812 game. I think they look ready for some serious business.

The figures are mostly Dixon and Old Glory that have been languishing unpainted in my lead pile for several years. I intend them to represent men of the western tribes — Shawnee, Ojibwa, Potawatomi, Odawa etc in my ongoing 1812 campaign. These tribes and others joined Tecumseh’s grand coalition to resist American expansion before and during the War of 1812. They could also happily serve in French & Indian War and AWI games.

And here is the great man himself wearing the British uniform given to him by Sir Isaac Brock in thanks for Tecumseh’s help in capturing Detroit. He was also given the rank of Brigadier in the British army. This is an old RAFM figure I painted years ago and I think he could use a bit of a touch-up.

The native warriors are supported by a detachment of freshly painted Caldwell’s Rangers. This Canadian unit of frontiersmen and fur traders fought mostly in the west alongside Indian allies. They were issued plain green jackets with no facings and wore caps made from cut-down shakos. The figures are Brigade Games.

If that is not enough to scare the Americans there is also a party of Mohawks scouring the woods. These are RAFM figures wearing a fair amount of European dress as appropriate for centuries of European contact and having been settled in Upper Canada for nearly 30 years.