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The War of 1812 Magazine
Issue 16: September 2011
Reviews: Books, Film, Collectables and Ephemera
The War of 1812 in Miniature: A Review of Figures depicting American,
British and Canadian Soldiers of the War of 1812: Part I
By John Grodzinski
Many people enjoy the hobby of collecting miniature soldiers. Until
recently, figures depicting soldiers and Natives from the War of 1812
have been few and far between. From its base in Hong Kong, John
Jenkins Designs now offers a fine variety of 54mm figures most
of which depict soldiers, guns and equipment from the Battle of Chippawa,
an intense action that took place on 5 July 1814.
This is part one of a two part photo review of the figures making
up this collection. Part II will appear in the next issue of the War
of 1812 Magazine.
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| A detachment from Major Jacob Hindman's battalion
of the U.S. Artillery mans an 8-pdr gun. Note the gunner "thumbing" the
vent, prior to the charge being rammed down the muzzle. If this
was not done, the motion of ramming might cause the smouldering
fragments of the previous cartridge to flare up, creating a premature
discharge, usually with unhappy results for the gunner ramming.
These figures are from Jenkins sets, USChart 01, 02 and 03. |
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| A detachment from Captain James Machlachlan's company
of Royal Artillery mans a light 6-dpr gun in 1814. The gun commander
is sighting the weapon by giving hand signals to the gunner with
the handspike who is physically moving the piece. These figures
are from Jenkins sets, BChart 01, 02 and BChGun 01. |
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| British gunners man a brass 24-pdr. gun. It was rare
for a gun of this heavy calibre to be used as a field piece but,
in North America, the Royal Artillery had to be satisfied with
obsolescent types and this particular type dated back to the reign
of George II. These figures are from Jenkins sets BChart 01 and
02 and BchGun 02. |
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| Jenkins also makes personality figurines, known as
"Club figures," particularly if the subject shares his name.
Here we have Lieutenant William Jenkins Worth, Winfield Scott's ADC
in 1814. This figure is based on a Company of Military Historians'
plate, which in turn is based on a description contained in a memoir
by Worth of his time in the War of 1812. Note the "charivarees" or
riding trousers that button up the outside seam, a dramatic garment
favoured by young officers. This figure is Jenkins Club 2011B. |
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| Another "club: figure, this is Captain John
Jenkins of the Glengarry Light Infantry as he might have appeared
during the February 1813 attack on Ogdensburg in which he was badly
wounded. The officers of the Glengarry Fencibles dressed in a fashion
almost identical to that of British rifle officers. JJClub 2010. |
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| A soldier of Winfield Scott’s brigade wearing
the grey jacket which that brigade would make immortal in the summer
of 1814. Jenkins’s figures are exquisitely painted and such
detailed touches such as the grass and dirt stains on the knees
of this man’s white pants are typical. |
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| Some more men from Scott’s brigade. |
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| A junior officer bears the Regimental
Colour of the 11th Infantry of Scott’s brigade while another
officer advises him to be cautious. In the background is an infantry
drummer in reversed colours, wearing red rather blue. During
the War of 1812 an American privateer captured the annual clothing
of the 104th Regiment of Foot, which had buff facings. It was
purchased by the U.S. government and issued to the drummers of
the regular infantry. |
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| Jenkins traces his inspiration to create
War of 1812 figures to the books written by Canadian historian,
Donald E. Graves, whose works are shown here with approximately
half of the figures in the Jenkins War of 1812 collection. |
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