Summoned by the drum

 

Here we have another addition to my League of Augsburg collection. These are local levies of civilians.  They will do for the fellows turned out by their landlords, or by a national emergency or local threat. 

As a rule, the local noble could count on the support of the gentry and stronger tenant farmers to produce a unit of cavalry. Often a family member had some military service to help things along. 

 

I’ve given this unit above castle keep flag.

Here is another such unit with a simple cross patee guidon allowing multiple identities. 

Depending upon when and where an enterprising leader might cobble together a unit of musket armed men mounted on farm nags.  

Not quite cavalry but useful.  Consider them dragoons as may of them became.

Others,lacking horses, might have fire arms and be proficient using them.  There were never many such men.  They could be used as loose shot.  Here is a full size unit.  Mostly they would appear in smaller numbers.

Town and village would produce the infantry.  I'm currently working on a un-uniformed unit equipped in the old-fashioned way.  One third pike men and so less muskets than in the more modern regular battalions. The next two units have only improvised weapons.   

 

They have a stiffening of more experienced men.  They could be well motivated but morale is likely brittle. 

 

We may ask, what motivated the notables to raise troops?  The reasons could be various and not mutually exclusive.  Prime was to protect their property and to secure future rewards for their allegiance.  Secondary, was to eclipse their local rivals and if possible to predate upon them.  Yet, we also find men of genuine heroism.  Men, and women too, resolved to do what they saw as their duty regardless of danger.  They were not limited to the notables.

I’m pleased to have got these done.  They allow for a range of scenarios. As you can see all of the unit flags could do for Jacobites, Monmouth’s men or Williamites.