The Spanish Louisiana Regiment, 1781
El Regimento de La Luisiana,
a unit of living historians dedicated to faithfully replicating the life & times of the Spanish soldiers which fought the British in the American Revolution, and which garrisoned Spain's North American colony of Louisiana for over thirty years
- A white cotton regimental coat with blue wool cuffs & collar, and blue lining;
- Blue cotton breeches and a blue cotton waistcoat. For headgear a tricorne hat edged in white, and with red cockade.
- White stockings; and buckled shoes. All uniform buttons and buckles should
be of white metal.
- A plain, black cartridge ammunition box, and bayonet, each seperately carried on buff leather belts so that these accoutrements hang across the body.
- Historically, the men were mainly armed with the brass-banded Model 1757
Spanish fusil. As ideal as it would be for a member to have one, given the expense of obtaining a replica of this weapon, British Brown Besses are a reasonable alternate as large stores of British supplies were captured in the war.
Supplementary items: Eating utensils; Canteen; Knapsack; White cotton leggings with white metal buttons; White cotton waistcoat & breeches (some accounts report the men were issued these for the summer months).
Led by Bernardo de Galvez, Spanish Governor of the Provincia de La Luisiana, the unit and several local militias & artillery laid a successful siege to British Fort Richmond in Baton Rouge in September of 1779. In February of 1780 the unit would form part of a multi-unit Spanish Army that would lay another successful siege, this time to British Fort Conde in what is now Mobile, Alabama. In May 1780, 29 men of the Regiment under Captain Fernando de Leyba, along with 200 local militia, successfully held off a major attack by Loyalist-led Sauk and Fox Indians on the Illinois country settlement of San Luis (today's St. Louis, Missouri). In May 1781, a combined army of Spanish peninsular & colonial units and French Army auxilliaries laid siege to the British fort at Pensacola and obtained its surrender. Although the British commander of Pensacola had ordered all British & loyalist units in the Mississippi area to cease fighting, Loyalist James Colbert and an army of 100 Chicasaw Indians and loyalists attacked the Spanish outpost of Arkansas Post in April 1783. Defended by members of the Regiment and the Spanish Royal Artillery, when ammunition dwindled 10 men of the Regiment & 4 Quapaw Indian allies rushed out of the fort to go get help. The attackers, not having seen them exit the fort, feared the Spaniards to be reinforcments & retreated. Thus ending the 2nd westernmost fought battle of the American Revolution and the unit's war record.
army pioneer, on the right
his blue uniform with royal livery lace. Unit musicians have the option of this coat or a regular infantry coat w/ the lace sewn on.
our unit
(actually Ft. St. Jean Baptiste in
Natchitoches, Louisiana)