Those of you who are looking for a different kind of musket-period army might take a glance at one of the stranger creations in American history, Mad Anthony Wayne's Legion of the United States. The Legion was formed as a desperation move on the part of the infant U.S. Government. In 1790 and 1791 American forces under Marmar and St. Clair had been routed by the Indian Confederacy of the Old Northwest Territory (modern Midwest). the Indians had considerable clandestine help from the British in Canada. So in 1792 Congress doubled the size of the army to a theoretical 5,400 men and changed its name to the Legion of the United States to promote recruiting by recalling the glories of the Roman legions (they were very classic-minded in those days). Anthony Wayne, former Continental Army major general, was picked as commander, and after two years of preparation they marched out and decisively defeated the Indians at Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794. Formal peace was concluded with the Treaty of Greenville the next year after which Congress promptly halved the army, dissolved the Legion, and went back to the standard regimental organization. ORGANIZATION Due to low pay (three dollars a month for a private), poor recruiting and steady desertion, the Legion never actually rose much above 3,000 men. Between this and the need to detach some forces for garrison duty in the East and South, Wayne had to improvise an organization quite different from the theoretical one. The T/O given below is the probably one for the 2,600-man Northwestern force of the decisive campaign of 1794. The Legion had a headquarter staff of 10. It was divided into four Sub-Legions, each consisting of 5 staff, 1 cavalry troop, I artillery company, 1 rifle battalion, and 2 line battalions. The line battalions had 3 companies, the rifle 2 (it was very hard to find good marksmen). Each company or troop had about 60 men. Wayne tried to keep this figure constant, consolidating companies as necessary. There were perhaps 2 or 3 guns per artillery company, 6-lb. field guns and very light howitzers. Each company supposedly included 10 officers and NCO'S, and each battalion an extra 6 staff, but like everywhere else, these were under-strength. TACTICS On the march, the Legion's artillery and baggage were placed dead center, with two columns of infantry flanking them, and further beyond the cavalry and riflemen forming a skirmisher screen on all sides. Effective long-range reconnaissance was provided by a force of 60 "spies", who were recruited from the wildest of the white frontiersmen and friendly Chucksaw and Choctaw Indians. They received eight times the regular pay rate, and ranged far ahead of the army, scouting, capturing prisoners for interrogation, etc. To prevent surprise in camp (which was what happened to St. Clair) Wayne took a page from the army's namesake, the Roman Legion. Every single night fortifications of wood and earth were raised around the camp. The soldiers grumbled at Wayne's precautions, but they were effective. Little Turtle, the chief architect of St. Clair's downfall, complained "The Americans are now led by a chief who never sleeps." In battle the Legion had detailed and oft-practiced instructions for meeting an attack from any direction. Basically, while the riflemen bought time, the infantry formed into two lines, a front and a reserve, and the cavalry massed on either flan k for a classic double envelopment. Wayne did not rely on firepower alone, however. Since his Rcvolutionary days he had expressed a preference for the bayonet, and drilled the Legion in disciplined charges with it. At the decisive moment at Fallen Timbers, he actually launched such an attack, which combined with a cavalry swing around the Indian left, completely routed them. The Legion pursued for two miles in thick woods (the fallen timbers) apparently keeping formation pretty well. A set of detailed wargame rules should reflect this line charge ability, which Wayne really worked on. As to other formations; the column was strictly for marching, and the troops were taught to use defensive squares, including one to hold the entire Legion. Riflemen carried true long rifles, 'tomahawks' and scalping knives instead of bayonets. These were used, too: an account of a skirmish casually mentions going out and collecting the scalps off thirteen Indian bodies afterwards. The cavalry were called dragoons, but were not used as mounted infantry. Instead they were taught to charge in a rather open formation, because it was expected,correctly, that they would be used in rough country. UNIFORMS Dark blue coats cut as in the Revolution; red collars, cuffs; white buttons, waistcoats, turnbacks, belts; 'Spanish brown' knapsacks, canteens, dark blue blankets, dark blue trousers; black shoes and half-gaiters (calf-length). The helmet was a black light infantry design, almost exactly the same shape as a British Napoleonic Horse Artillery helmet. A binding running around the bottom edge carried in color, as did the plume on the right. Binding and plume colors were white in the Ist Sub-Legion; red in the 2nd Sub-Legion, yellow in the 3rd Sub-Legion; and green in the 4th Sub-Legion. The 'caterpillar' crest was always black. Hair was the Revolutionary period pigtail, left natural in the Ist and 3rd Sub-Legions (black or dark brown); powdered white in the 2nd and 4th Sub-Legions. Officers wore large black bicornes with plumes of the correct Sub-Legion color. Insignia is not known for certain, but included epaulettes for higher ranking men, probably much like the Continental Army. Black scabbards, gold mounted for artillery, silver for others; in addition officers were required to carry sponttoons in battle. Musicians wore red coats, dark blue colors and cuffs (what a target); drum belts were white, drums dark blue with an eagle insignia on them - a variation of the U.S. Seal; gold epaulettes for 'senior musicians, one per rifle or infantry battalion; 1 drummer and 1 fifer per infantry or artillery company, 1 bugeler per rifle company, 1 trumpeter per cavalry troop. Cavalry had dark blue saddle blankets with a yellow edge, 1 saddler and 1 farrier per troop. Artillery had new uniforms issued in the fall of 1794, which probably reflected the amalgamation of all gunners into a Corps of Artillerists and Engineers. These were supposed to have red plume and helmet bindings for all members. "Spies" wore typical frontier hunting shirts, etc.; friendly Indians wore a yellow band in their hair to distinguish them. STANDARDS Wayne wanted, in imitation of the Roman Legions, to mount a large silver eagle on a pole, but this was never made. He almost certainly carried some banner, which may have been (this is very controversial) a 1777 model national flag, 13 stripes with 13 stars arranged in either three rows of 4-5 or five rows of 3-2-3-2-3. Each Sub-Legion carried a color made for St. Clair, never used, and subsequently modified. Dark blue field, with a bald eaglee in the center, clutching in his left claw a red and white vertically striped shield with a blue bar across the top; in his right claw 13 golden arrows slanting left and downwards. The eagle was on top of a white cloud and in front of an irregular yellow sunburst, which had 13 silver stars in an irregular semicircle just above it. In the upper canton was a silver wreath encircling the name of the unit in three lines: '1st/Sub-/Legion,' etc. Each infantry battalion, cavalry troop, and possibly rifle battalion and/or artillery company as well carried a standard whose field was its Sub-Legion color, with the name of the Sub-Legion inscribed on one line in the middle: '1st Sub-Legion', etc. The inscription was probably black for the 1st and 3rd, white for the 2nd and 4th. Information on both uniforms and standards is sketchy, and the above is my best guess from the available data (most of the actual records were lost when the British burned Washington in 1814). One thing that is certain is that the dress uniforms were worn into battle: Wayne issued orders to that effect just before Fallen Timbers and supposedly went into a rage when after the battle, a hot August day, some of his men merely took off their coats. Also, before Fallen Timbers the Legion stacked knapsacks and heavy baggage in a small fort, and took only canteens, blankets, arms, and ammunition into battle. MILITIA The Kentucky and Pennsylvania militia acquired a well-deserved reputation for rapid rearward movement in Harmar and St. Clair's campaigns. There is a story that on hearing that one of his regulars had been accidentally wounded, Wayne explained he had rather it had been six of the militia. Nevertheless, to flesh out his forces, guard supply convoys, and add extra scouts, Wayne employed a 1500-man Kentucky division under Charles Scott in his 1794 campaign. These were all 'mounted volunteers' who could fight like true dragoons, on horse or on foot. By the Militia Act of 1792 these forces had an even more elaborate structure than the Legion, but which was even more widely ignored. Companies which were supposed to contain around 90 men, showed up for muster at 60, and through casualties and desertion (mostly the latter), dropped to 40 or less on campaign. Since Scott started with two brigades of 800 and 700, this would suggest 13 companies in the first, 12 in the second, with possibly some intermediate regimental organization. By Fallen Timbers each brigade had dropped to 500 men. Uniforms were the usual frontier melange, although Scott and other officers may have worn their old Continental Army coats. Standards were probably carried, but their design is unknown. MAJOR SOURCES Burton, Clarence M., ed. 'General Wayne's Orderly Book.' Michigan Pioneer and Historical Collections, XXXIV (I934), 341-733 Gardner, Asa B., 'The Uniforms of the American Army.' - Magazine of American History (1877), 461-492. Jacobs, James R., The Beginning of the U.S. Army, 1783-1812. Princeton, N.J.; Princeton University Press, 1947. Pratt, Fletcher, Eleven Generals: Studies in American Command. New York. Back to Table of Contents -- Courier #78 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2000 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com