Rifle Regiment Officer, War of 1812

Not suitable for children under 14 years – Unpainted and unassembled kit

The U.S. Rifles Regiment was an elite unit of the early 19th-century American Army. Unlike the traditional U.S. line infantry units, armed with muskets and blue-and-white uniforms, this regiment specialized in light infantry tactics and was therefore equipped with rifles and dark green or black uniforms, designed to take advantage of cover and adapt to rough terrain and forested engagements. It was the first U.S. rifle formation since the end of the American Revolutionary War, twenty-five years earlier. The regiment was first activated in 1808. During the War of 1812, it was temporarily designated as the 1st Rifle Regiment.

During the conflict, the War Department created three additional regiments of this type. These regiments never fought as single entities; instead, individual companies, detachments, and battalions were dispersed within larger infantry units, often separated by great distances and assigned to different commands. After the war, three regiments were disbanded, and the 1st Regiment returned to its original designation, without a numerical classification. The regiment was finally mustered out in June 1821.

"An old American institution, the rifle regiment reappeared on Army rolls in the years preceding the War of 1812. This type of unit was so valued that during the war three additional rifle regiments were created (in addition to the 1st U.S. Rifle Regiment). In the foreground (...) is a senior officer of a rifle regiment, wearing the gray campaign uniform adopted for these regiments in March 1814, later also worn by the 26th Infantry Regiment. The officer’s headgear is of the same model used by the light artillery, with the distinctive round rifleman’s badge and a green plume..."

(Excerpt from the guide sheets included in the assembly kit)