"British lights hats" Topic

Did they always wore this cap

Or could they also wear bicornes like the "centre companies"?

Also, did they always have shoulder wings?

Variations on that kind of cap are generally associated with the light infantry but according to 'Don Troiani's Soldiers of the Revoltion' (text by James L. Kochan) the leather caps initially issued were heavy and hot: "On campaign it was often discarded or left behind, replaced by a "cap-hat" made from a cut-down felt hat or by a simple "round hat" with a narrow brim".

Later in the war, a lighter version of the leather cap was introduced. This is the type of cap often associated with the Queen's Rangers and was described by Simcoe as being "neat and commodious".

I think when uniforms were simplified for campaign shoulder wings may also have disappeared from some units but hopefully someone a bit more knowledgeable will be along soon to confirm (or deny?) this.

The 'helmet-cap' shown above, with peak, upright frontlet and red horsehair cres was a regimental design peculiar to the 5th Regiment. The 9th Regiment's light company had a cap of similar Neo-classical inspiration. These were possibly inspired by the similar helmet-caps adopted by the Light Dragoon regiments raised during the 7YW.

The design of headgear worn light companies formed in 1771 seem to have been at the colonel's discretion and there was considerable variation on the theme, as surviving illustrations show; for instance, as seen Loutherbourg's sketches for his Warley camp paintings of 1778.

General Keppel submitted a leather cap designed by himself for standard issue to Light companies. Lacking the Neo-classical crest, it had a turned-up frontlet flap with three concentric circles of chains around the crown. How many regiments chose to adopt the Keppel model is not clear. None of the uniform caps appear to have been very practical.

Cut-down hats were in use by the New York campaign of 1776 and men of light infantry and grenadier battlions were shown wearing uncocked hats in the Philadelphia campaign of 1777. In 1779 the single Light infantry battalion left in New York appear once again to have been wearing a felt cap with a horsehair crest on Neo classical lines (possibly resembling the adapted 'cap-hat' worn by Burgoyne's column in 1777). By that stage a green hat or cap feather was being used to indicate the light infantry arm.

Ok so may wear a round hat or a shorter model of the center one.
I guess that wings were obligatory if you wore the coat, I've seen some images of lights in waistcoat tough, for the southern theatre.

Thanks for the info

'Waistcoats' open to a certain amount of enthusiastic debate

As noted, there is no documentary evidence (that I am aware of, anyway) of any standardization of British light infantry headgear during the AWI. The illustration is indeed of a style worn by the 5th Foot; whether any other regiments wore the same style is anybody's guess.

The round hats were likely a common campaign hat for the center companies as well as the light companies.

Although there were a few exceptions, and the Guards in particular tended to stick to regulation gear, the British Army from 1775 to 1815 (the period of which I can speak) was not fussy about uniforms. Wellington's famous comment to one of his regimental colonels that "you may dress your men in pantaloons [a formal wear for young men about town] for all I care, as long as their muskets are in good order and they have 60 cartridges" could have equally applied to the AWI.

As mentioned above, I believe there is a surviving example of a 9th Regiment light infantry cap similar in style to that of the 5th.

Re. the Guards: surprisingly perhaps, they did in fact adapt their uniforms substantially for the American campaign. They also formed a light infantry company for the brigade sent to America, since the order in 1770 for infantry regiments to add light coys to their establishment had not applied to them.

Back in London, of course, strict adherence to regulations was required.

Interesting research on the Guards here, including a section on their light infantry cap: PDF link

Here also is a selection of Loutherbourg's sketches for his 1778 paintings, showing a range of light infantry headgear: crested 'Neo-classical', an adapted 'cap-hat', and what appears to be a Keppel model, with frontlet and plume.

link

The provenance of the 9th's helmet has been questioned. The Keppel model was probably the most widely used, but was far from being official, or even widespread. There is a memo from Fraser (the general) to Philips complaining about what appears to be the variations in headgear among the grenadier companies in Burgoyne's army (unfortunately, there is a chunk of the document missing, so we don't know for sure if he is talking about fur caps or the modified hat-caps).

I would disagree with Rawdon in applying Wellington's comment back in time to the AWI. He may not have been bothered with what his men wore (in what was, after all, a very difficult theatre to deliver new clothing irrespective of its availability), but you can bet that COs and NCOs very much WERE bothered and did all they could to achieve a uniform appearance. The same applies in the AWI: numerous orderly books have entries dictating where/when "pattern" clothing can be viewed and copied, and both Howe and Burgoyne seem to have been keen for a "distinctive" British look, if only to facilitate distinctiveness from the enemy.