This King and Country BR055 British 17th Cavalry Officer from the Revolutionary War and is retired, making it a rare find. The distinctive skull and crossbones helmet shows how the details on the figure are exquisite, from the uniform to the weapons, making it a great addition to any collection. King & Country is known for their attention to detail and quality in their toy soldiers. The cavalry soldier type adds to the historical accuracy of the figure.
The excellence of this Regiment made it the first selected cavalry corps to be sent to America. It left Ireland in 1775 and landed in Boston just before the Battle of Bunker Hill. A small party joined the reinforcements in that fight, and we find that detachments were present in most of the important engagements throughout the war. The Regiment returned to Ireland in 1783.
After the British retreat from Philadelphia in 1778, the 16th Light Dragoons, the only other English cavalry regiment present during the war, transferred its effective men and horses to the 17th, and returned to England. The combined Regiment was popularly known at this time as the "Queen's Dragoons." Its Headquarters was at Hempstead, Long Island, from 1778 to 1783, but patrols and detachments were constantly on the lines about New York City, and with "Tarleton's Legion" in the South.
The men were a model of discipline for other cavalry troops raised by the British in America during the war. Their uniform may be described as: helmets of brass, with red horsehair crest, falling to the shoulder, front plates painted black with the badge and motto of regiment: a death's head, and a scroll beneath with the words "or glory" in white metal. A red silk turban was wound around the base of the cap. Coats and cloaks of red cloth faced and lined with white. Buckskin breeches and black top boots with tinned spurs. Buttons were of pewter for the enlisted men, and of silver for officers, all marked with the regimental number.