Paul B | 14 May 2016 4:26 a.m. PST |
Does anyone know when the British army changed over from the uniform of the FIW with red waistcoat/breeches and over the knee gaiters, to the AWI type uniform with white waistcoat/breeches and short boots? Was there an interim period when a mixture of the two might be worn? |
MajorB | 14 May 2016 4:41 a.m. PST |
Somewhere between 1763 and 1775. Was there an interim period when a mixture of the two might be worn? As with most uniform changes it would probably have been conducted on a rolling programme regiment by regiment. So yes there would probably have been a period when some regiments were wearing the new uniforms while others were still in the old. |
historygamer | 14 May 2016 4:44 a.m. PST |
Fashion often precedes regulations and that was the case here. The Royal Clothing Warrants of 1768 … fifedrum.org/crfd/1768.htm … officially changed the clothing of the British Army, but unofficial changes were creeping in starting in the 1750s, but more so in the mid 1760s. The previous clothing warrant was in 1751: fifedrum.org/crfd/1751.htm But some things to keep in mind:
1. Braddock's two regiments wore osnaburg (cheap linen) small clothes on their campaign of 1755. Not likely dyed red, but probably natural linen color. 2. Marching gaiters were a seasonal issue and often did not follow the clothing warrants at all. During the F&I period gaiters could be white for dress, brown for campaign (though only Braddock's regiments come to mind) and more usually black (black balled linen or wool) – could be full length cloth in the F&I period, or with small stiff leather tops (handy for scoping up ground debris) made of a separate belt and leather piece. It is also well documented (Knox's Journdal, Bouquet Papers) that wool Indian type leggings (often called leggins) were wore in North American starting in 1759 – often of blue wool, sometimes green. When trouble started in the colonies in 1775 there had already been a fashion shift away from the long gaiters to the short ones, that came just above the ankle, often called spatter dashes. Also make of linen or wool, black balled to help make them water proof. Long gaiters were often worn during the winter months. The fashion again changed (without any regulation change) to gaitered trouses or overalls – the ones with buttons and a covering over the top of the shoe. The could be made of wool in the winter (often brown) or white linen for the summer – same for the waistcoat (linen) as service in North American – unlikely summers in Europe – were hot. To answer your last question, the cross over period likely occurred during the Boston occupation. The unit involved in the Boston Massacre is often pictures in F&I type coats with white small clothes (likely wool). You also see the cross over in paintings in Minorca as well. It was during the mid 1760s that the bearskin mitre cap starting replacing the cloth one. |
historygamer | 14 May 2016 4:59 a.m. PST |
Of course there were also all the unofficial changes to uniforms, often starting in 1775 in the Boston garrison leading up to the ordered changes by General Howe in late 1775/early 1776 at Halifax, and of course the Guards extreme changes before they shipped out. |
Paul B | 14 May 2016 5:02 a.m. PST |
Wow that was a fast response, many thanks. My next question was going to be about the grenadier bearskins but you've answered that as well. |
Supercilius Maximus | 14 May 2016 12:52 p.m. PST |
Paul, I seem to recall a secondary source indicating that one of the Bunker Hill regiments was still wearing the old cloth mitre grenadier caps with fur edging as a token gesture towards the 1768 Warrant – however, I've never found out which regiment it was, or seen a primary source for it. Further to historygamer's excellent answer, there were also "style" changes, such as the wearing of the bayonet belt over the shoulder instead of around the waist, following the loss of the short sword by all but the grenadiers. There is also a watercolour, showing a group of British soldiers viewing the NE slope of Bunker Hill after the battle, wearing cut-down coats and uncocked hats with feathers – possibly light company men, possibly not (or even possibly new light company replacements for the battle losses wearing adapted centre company uniforms), but looking much more 1777-81 than 1768 Warrant. |
historygamer | 14 May 2016 8:13 p.m. PST |
According to Eric Schnitzer, the marines (who started wearing the bayonet belt over the shoulder in 1772) were also wearing round hats in 1775. I haven't followed up on that with him, but I do know the Marines were ordered to cock their hats following the pattern set by the 4th Regt – whatever that was – in 1775. I wonder what fashion the British were following in moving into bearskin caps? French? Certainly not Prussian. I want to say the bearskins were first worn as a protective cover over the clothe cap, but that might be one of those myths and I haven't seen anything to support that. I still cringe when I see the movie Last of the Mohicans showing the 60th grens in bearskins. I suspect that move was based on the speculative Embleton drawing from the old Robin May Osprey book. |
Supercilius Maximus | 15 May 2016 2:28 a.m. PST |
The British became the exception to the rule that Catholic countries had bearskins and Protestant ones had cloth mitres – I think this might have also been linked to which nations had mountain ranges, and therefore bears. Of course, this occurred after the British had taken New France from the French and thus provided themselves with what, at the time, must have seemed like an unlimited supply of raw material. |
42flanker | 15 May 2016 4:23 p.m. PST |
the rule that Catholic countries had bearskins and Protestant ones had cloth mitres I wonder if that was not more of aa retrospective observation than a rule of the time. The earliest example of bearskin grenadier caps in British service are those worn by the 42nd grenadier in the Morier collection of paintings dated to circa 1747-51. There is other evidence from this time. This is before the start of the Seven Years War, let alone the British aquisition of New France. The French adopted grenadier caps fairly late. AFIK, some time between the latter years of WOASS and 7the YW (dont have my books to hand). These were of fur. Fur fringed grenadier caps of one sort or another had been evident in the later C17th. I don't think the purpose was other than to make the wearer look fierce and exotic. Regarding the taller fur grenadier caps, it seems that Austrian and Hungarian grenadiers were the first to wear these. As so often proves to be the case, when one probes deeper, a fair number of military fashions in the 17th and C18th had their origin in the eastern borderlands. |
Supercilius Maximus | 16 May 2016 3:31 a.m. PST |
Sorry, I was being facetious – it does hold good though. |
historygamer | 16 May 2016 6:01 a.m. PST |
"The British conquest of Acadia took place in 1710. It was formally recognized in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht…" I believe the Brits had access to lots of bears starting in this time period. :-)
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42flanker | 16 May 2016 7:34 a.m. PST |
"The British conquest of Acadia took place in 1710. It was formally recognized in 1713 by the Treaty of Utrecht…"I believe the Brits had access to lots of bears starting in this time period. I should think they had access from the earliest settlements onwards. The question is, when did they use bear fur to top off their grenadiers back in Europe? The men of the 42nd Royal Highlanders also attached tufts of bearskin to the cockade in their blue bonnets from about 1760,IIRC, if not earlier. The officers attached plumes of the ostrich, that well known denizen of the Acadian back woods. |
Supercilius Maximus | 16 May 2016 9:18 a.m. PST |
I believe ostriches can migrate. Don't know about as far north as Scotland though…… |
42flanker | 16 May 2016 2:11 p.m. PST |
Oh, they're native to SCOTLAND, just not to Nouveau Scotia |
Virginia Tory | 17 May 2016 8:08 a.m. PST |
Some of these questions may have not answers. I mean, why did the British change from stovepipe to "Belgic" shakos during the Napoleonic Wars? Less material made it cheaper perhaps? Not that I'm an expert on the cost of bear fur. Might have just been an expensive fad, assuming the grenadiers in the AWI wore them all the time anyway. |
42flanker | 17 May 2016 3:47 p.m. PST |
A) They needed a refit because everyone's caps had fallen apart in the Peninsula. The barretina worn by Portuguese troops evidently caught someone's fancy (it was really an Austrian design) and so it was approved. It was apparently not as smart as prints lead us to believe, which explains why in 1816 the so-called 'Waterloo'/'Belgic' was replaced by the 'Regency.' B)What was an expensive fad? Bii) The 1768 bearskin was not really worn much in the field and in America didn't last beyond the Philadelphia campaign. Some of the 1st Grenadiers, at least, had grenadier caps with them and put them on before advancing on the enemy at the battle of Brandywine Creek. It would seem that in general, by that date, their normal headgear was an uncocked felt hat. |
Virginia Tory | 23 May 2016 4:43 a.m. PST |
Ugh, Regency styles were terrible. All Prussian, all the time. Everything fell apart in the Peninsula. And it's doubtful any regiment serving there even wore the barretina, not including new regiments/drafts arriving in 1813-4. Bearskins have always struck me as an expensive fad. There's a reason the British, at any rate, stopped wearing them in the field at least during the Napoleonic Wars (and arguably during the AWI for some units). |
42flanker | 24 May 2016 4:24 p.m. PST |
Ah, bearskins. I get you. Yes. The curious workings of military fashion. I think it's easy for us to forget how notions of impracticality to our mind seem not to have applied (notwithstanding the continuing ability to supply troops with poorly designed equipment and clothing). In part it might have been because the comfort of the troops was not always of prime importance- even if officers had to put up with design stupidity as well. Re, the barretina in 1815: "Our infantry indeed, our whole army appeared at the review in the same clothes in which they had marched, slept, and fought for months. The colour had faded to a dusky brick-dust hue; their coats, originally not very smartly made, had acquired by constant wearing that loose easy set so characteristic of old clothes, comfortable to the wearer, but not calculated to add grace to his appearance. Pour surcroit de laideur, their cap is perhaps the meanest, ugliest thing ever invented. From all these causes it arose that our infantry appeared to the utmost disadvantage dirty, shabby, mean, and very small." Cavalie Mercer It does seem though that the idea of looking splendid on the field of battle out weighed notions of comfort an practicality, even if in reality the 'costume print' ideal was hardly ever achieved, if at all. |