British Napoleonic Uniforms

Product Information

Regiment of (Light) Dragoons — pink facings, gold lace and buttons, blue and pink belt, grey dolmans

This is one of a series of research guides produced by the Museum to help you to explore the collections. For general research help see: a b c British Army Dress Committee (August 2005). Joint Service Publication 336: The Defence Supply Chain Manual. Vol.12 , Part 3, Pamphlet 15 (3rded.). p.Annex A. Archived from the original on 2007-11-06 . Retrieved 2008-07-29. Smith, Peter C. (1988). The Royal Marines. A Pictorial History 1664-1987. Spellmount Publishers. ISBN 0-946771-32-4.Smith, Digby (2006). An illustrated encyclopedia of uniforms of the Napoleonic wars: an expert, in-depth reference to the officers and soldiers of the revolutionary and Napoleonic period, 1792-1815. London Lanham, Md: Lorenz North American agent/distributor, National Book Network. ISBN 978-0-7548-1571-6. OCLC 60320422. For campaign, the gunners wore loose white or grey trousers. Originally they were worn over the breeches and gaiters. Later they were worn in their own right as trousers and the buttoned side fly was abandoned. Issued to officers on first posting to a warm-weather area: the uniform is similar to No.2 dress but made in a light khaki shade defined in Section 01.87 of the Army Dress Regulations as "stone". The resulting five-year campaign crippled the whole British Army through disease, especially yellow fever. Out of 89,000 British soldiers who served in the West Indies, 43,747 died of yellow fever or other tropical diseases. Another 15,503 were discharged, no longer fit for service, or deserted. [47] The islands of Martinique, Guadeloupe and several ports in Saint-Domingue were captured in 1794 and 1795 by expeditionary forces under General Charles Grey, but the British units were almost exterminated by disease. Haitian insurgents which had first welcomed the British as allies turned against them. Guadeloupe was recaptured in 1796 by Victor Hugues, who subsequently executed 865 French Royalists and other prisoners. [48] The largest émigré corps was the King's German Legion, which was formed in 1803 and was composed mainly of German exiles from Hanover and other north German states. In total, it formed two dragoon regiments (which later became light dragoons), three hussar regiments, eight line and two light infantry battalions, and five artillery batteries. Although it never fought as an independent force, its units were often brigaded together. The units of the Legion were regarded as the equal of the best regular British units.

Since 2011, No 5 Dress has no longer been issued due to the introduction of the Personal Clothing System – Combat Uniform (PCS-CU). From the last years of the eighteenth century, the bicorne hat was replaced by a cylindrical 1800 pattern infantry cap, then the later 1806 pattern infantry cap (known today as the "stovepipe"). In 1812, this was replaced by the false-fronted 1812 pattern infantry cap (known today as the "Belgic"). Despite modern literary claims to the contrary light infantry (including Rifle regiments) also converted to the 1812 pattern infantry cap from April 1813 as a letter by Colonel Sir Andrew Barnard of the 95th Rifles states:- " I have had caps enough in store to help the appearance of the 1st Batt. as it used to be but the 2nd and 3rd sport bang ups as the soldiers of the 52nd who were the first in the Division that put them on have christened them.." All regiments were expected to be compliant with regulations by April 1814. Grenadiers and Foot Guards continued to be issued bearskins, but these were not worn while on campaign. Officers of the 43rd Monmouthshire Light Infantry adopted a scarlet pelisse (Haythornthwaite, 1995). At least one of these officers had a turban on their shako, and this may have been generally matched with the pelisse. RiflesFor most of the wars, British cavalry formed a lower proportion of armies in the field than most other European armies, mainly because it was more difficult to transport horses by ship than foot soldiers, and the horses usually required several weeks to recuperate on landing. British cavalry were also more useful within Britain and Ireland for patrolling the country as a deterrent to unrest. Some exceptions were Wellington's Vitoria campaign in 1813, when he required large numbers of cavalry to ensure a decisive result to the campaign, and the Waterloo campaign, where the cavalry needed to be transported only across the English Channel. The colours were carried into battle for identification, and as a rallying point, in the care of sergeants or ensigns. Attending the colours in battle was dangerous, since they were a target for enemy artillery and assault. Due to the symbolic significance of the colours, their loss was a grave issue, and extreme measures were often taken to prevent such dishonour occurring. [29] The skirmishing and forward positions maintained by light infantry frequently made the bearing of colours inconvenient. For this reason, the newly raised 95th Rifles received no colours, but the converted line regiments retained their existing colours. Some light infantry regiments opted not to carry them in the Peninsula. [30] Medals [ edit ] Major R.M. Barnes, A History of the Regiments & Uniforms of the British Army. Sphere Books Ltd, London (1972), p.257 British Army Dress Committee (August 2005). Joint Service Publication 336: The Defence Supply Chain Manual. Vol.12 , Part 3, Pamphlet 3, Sect. 3 (3rded.). p.Para. 313. Archived from the original on 2007-11-06 . Retrieved 2008-07-29. The oldest of these was the 60th Regiment, which had originally been raised in 1756 for service in America, and which had long been composed primarily of Germans. During the Napoleonic Wars, most of the seven battalions of this regiment served as garrison troops in territories such as the West Indies, but the 5th battalion was raised in 1797 from two other emigre units (Hompesch's Mounted Riflemen and Lowenstein's Chasseurs) as a specialised corps of skirmishers armed with the Baker Rifle, and the 7th battalion was specifically formed to serve in North America during the War of 1812.

This gives changes to uniforms during the 1700s and regulations about uniform, clothing and personal appearance, which carried through to 1805 - 1812

Uniforms and guns

Canister, or case-shot, was a lethal short-range choice to cause maximum casualties among the enemy.Built of thin tin, the case was filled with lead balls of up to 200 grams each and would break apart upon leaving the barrel of the gun. Commando green: Commando qualified personnel serving in Commando units (including the Special Boat Service)