Eighteenth-century infantry officers led from the front. Without radios, without runners that could be trusted to deliver complex messages under fire, the captain or lieutenant of a Continental Line company gave his orders the only way they could be reliably given — at the top of his voice, from inside or just ahead of his own firing line, where his men could see him. The pose this figure depicts — pistol raised in one hand, sword in the other, mouth open mid-order — is the working life of a company officer in combat: vocal commands, visible position, personal weapons drawn because his role might require him to use them. The pistol was generally a single-shot affair good for one close-range emergency; the sword was the primary weapon, used both ceremonially and seriously. Officers were targeted by enemy marksmen for exactly the reason they were placed in front — without them, the firing line couldn't function as a unit.

This figure shows a Continental Line officer in mid-command — pistol raised, sword drawn, mouth open in mid-order. He wears the late-Continental dress: blue coat with red facings, cuffs and lapels, white waistcoat and breeches, the tricorne worn brim-up, knee boots. The dress is the same as the rank-and-file but with the additions an officer carried — sword, sash, and the pistol that meant business in close quarters. He pairs with the Continental Line officer standing at ease (the contemplative parallel to this figure's action stance), the Continental Line Ensign with Flag (the colors his unit fights around), and a soldier loading at the standing-ramming position — together composing the company leadership and the line itself.

1/30 scale (60mm), matte-painted, single figure boxed. Catalog number 16031. As with the rest of the W. Britain modern range, the painting is photographic-quality detail intended to read well in dioramas and display cases.