Zwaanendael Museum

Update- All June DeBraak tours are fully booked! Spots are still available for July, August and September!

Its June! Lots of great events are taking place at the Zwaanendael Museum this month. DeBraak tours, 250th programing, and special Pride Month social media posts are coming your way.

The Zwaanendael Museum is also open on Tuesdays! Visit the museum Tuesday- Saturday from 10a.m. to 4:15p.m. Admission is always free.

A few weeks ago we introduced the New Castle and Sussex County Militias. Over the next two weeks we will introduce you to some of the units of the Kent County Militia. Today, we will take a closer look at the Kent County Militia's Dover Light Infantry Company.

Historical records indicate that Kent County had at least two battalions of militia. The Dover Light Infantry Company, formed in the spring of 1776, was part of the 1st Battalion. Captain Thomas Rodney, the brother of Delaware's Caesar Rodney commanded the company. For most of 1776 the company was tasked with keeping Delaware's loyalists in check. By the end of 1776, the Continental Army was in a dire need for men after numerous defeats. In response General George Washington called on the militias of the new 13 United States. The Dover Light Infantry Company answered the call and marched to Washington's aid.

The company fought at Trenton in December 1776 and Princeton in January 1777. For playing a vital role in the American victories at the battles, Washington assigned the company as his personal bodyguard. Thomas Rodney's wartime diary offers an insight into the company's service with the Continental Army. After serving as Washington's guard, the company returned to Delaware later in 1777. It activities through the rest of the war are unknown.

Illustrated here is the uniform of the Dover Light Infantry Company in December 1776. The private on the left wears a short green wool coat with red facings and white turn backs. He wears brown overalls. His cap is a jockey style leather cap with green ribbon and a red feather. The officer on the right wears a grey overcoat over his uniform. Other than riding boots, uniforms were the same for officers and enlisted men. It is believed all men in the company were prescribed the grey overcoats. Both are armed with muskets and wear their cartridge boxes around their stomachs. The boxes are nickname "belly boxes."

Download the uncolored version to use as a coloring page to enjoy at home or stop by the Zwaanendael Museum and grab a copy!


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