Following the Civil War, the United States government turned its military attentions to occupying the Reconstruction South and making expansion safe in the plains and mountains of the continent. The ten cavalry regiments of the Regular Army were primary forces for tackling the task of securing the vast American West.

This figure represents a cavalry corporal of the year 1876. Prior to 1861, the mounted arm of the US Army had been five mounted regiments, composed of two regiments of dragoons, one of mounted rifles and two of cavalry. In 1861, these were renumbered as cavalry regiments 1 through 5 and the 6th Cavalry Regiment was added. Immediately following the war, the 7th and 8th Regiments were added in addition to the 9th and 10th, which were composed of African-Americans.

All of these regiments would fight the Native American Indians (dubbed "the finest light cavalry in the world") with distinction in spite of obsolete equipment, parsimonious budget constraints and harsh living conditions.

The Fusilier figure is cast in white metal and excellently detailed. The kit comes with the figure proper, the head with wide brimmed hat, two arms, the hands (one holding the 1873 Springfield .45-70 carbine), the base and some arrows to add to the scene.

There was very little clean up required before construction. The sculptor has done an excellent job of depicting the uniform and equipment of the period. The only addition I would have made is the color cord with acorns around the crown of the hat, although some contemporary photographs show them absent. The corporal is also armed with a holstered pistol and a knife.

The knife was for utility purposes more than fighting, and my research turned up a very important use for it. The issue ammunition belts of the time were acid tanned, and the cartridge cases were copper. When the two came in contact for any period of time, a chemical reaction put a residue on the carbine ammunition that caused fouling in the chamber of the weapon. The copper cartridges also had a tendency to swell in the chamber after several rounds were fired, and the extractor would then easily rip the base off the round rather than pull it out entirely.

The knife was used to pry out the remainder so another round could be loaded. It would take several more years before the government would switch to brass-cased ammunition. The single shot carbine would remain in service for years, in spite of repeaters being available to any who wanted them (including the Indians), because multi-shot weapons might encourage soldiers to "waste expensive ammunition." The arms fit into the torso in a fairly straightforward manner, but some filler was necessary on the seam of the left arm. It was a bit of a puzzle as how to make the connection of left and right arms and the right hand, which holds the carbine, and have them fit at an appropriate angle.

I accomplished this by the expedient of gluing on the left arm, then the right arm. After that, I positioned the hand/carbine with a bit of Milliput putty on the right wrist where it fit into the sleeve opening to get all the places in alignment. The head was attached last. A nice wooden base was attached to the figure's metal base and groundwork blended to fill the area. Some empty copper cartridge cases were fabricated from styrene rod and placed on the ground.

Static grass and a bit of cat litter along with the kit-provided arrows completed the look. This figure kit is well done and offers the modeler an accurate miniature of period. I recommend it.


My source for the figure was Red Lancer. For reference, I recommend The Horse Soldier 1776-1943, Volume II by Randy Steffen, ISBN 0 8061 1450 9, Longknives, The US Cavalry and Other Mounted Forces 1845-1942, by Kurt Hamilton Cox & John P. Langellier, ISBN 1 85367 233 5, and Sound the Charge, The US Cavalry in the American West, 1866 - 1916, by John P. Langellier, ISBN 1 85367 319 6.

US Cavalry Trooper 1876
(Little Big Horn)