"Grenadier cap, April 15th 1775." Topic

"Captain Harris, then senior Captain of the 5th Regiment, and captain of the Grenadiers, was ordered to cover the retreat. He was so hard pressed by the Americans, that half his company, and Lieutenant Baker, were killed or wounded. This was his first day on actual service. The killed or wounded wa sufficient evidence of the fire to which he was exposed, but it did not disturb his coolness or his humanity, for in the retreat he filled his grenadier cap with water for the relief of the wounded, and when found by Lord Percy adminsitering it to them, would fain have had him partake of the precious beverage…"

The life and services of General Lord Harris, G. C. B., during his campaigns in America, the West Indies, and India : S. R. Lushington. 1840

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George Harris (1746-1829) joined the Fifth as a 17-year old Ensign in 1763. With his Grenadiers he served in Lt Col. Meddows' 1st Grenadier battalion and was present at all Howe's major battles, being wounded at Brandywine Creek. Promoted Major, he took over command of the Fifth after Lt Col Walcott was mortally wounded at Germantown, until Lt Col Meddows took command.

The Fifth formed part of Grant's expedition to the West Indies and under Meddows featured prominently in defeating the French attempt to recapture St Lucia at La Vigie in December 1778.

If Grenadiers did not wear caps at Lexington and Concord, I've wasted an awful lot of money on them.

That would be April 19th.
April 15 is IRS tax filing day, a different day that will live in infamy.

April 19, indeed. All fat thumbs here. Still, as it seems I can't edit the thread title, it'll give folk something to talk about.

I seem to remember reading here or on Rev List a suggestion that the lack of QM entries for Grenadier caps reported missing after the Lexington operation, might indicate that the flank battalions marched wearing cocked hats rather than their regulation headgear.

So, the Harris reference, although not exactly first hand testimony seemed interesting in that regard.

I'll get me coat.

The wise guy know it alls, who don't have big bucks invested in 5 companies of 12 Grenadiers in bearskin, seem to think that the "operation" to go raid Lexington and Concord was not supposed to be a battle where troops would wear their finest. It was supposed to be a work detail, pure and simple.
Some would argue that the bearskin caps were in storage and never worn at all.
You can imagine how *I* feel about that! It's bad enough that the thread counters take flags and colours away from the "Tow Row Row" lads, but deprive them of bearskins too???
So thank you for that. Although the thought of drinking water from a bearskin cap seems a bit gamey.

Well, all my greandiers are in their caps and all my regulars are in cocked hats. I guess my AWI gaming is anachronistic and I like it. All the media growing up portrayed them that way so I have kept that legacy!

Chris

Ha! And you'd have to hurry, before it drained away through the cloth back.

Yes, that was precisely the, ah, proposition I meant.

I am glad Captain Harris has provided some comfort. The flags question, though, I think you'll have to live with. Or without.

A very interesting thread. I wish I could add something of substance as to if The Grenadiers wore their caps on April 19 or not. Some individuals have suggested they did not by looking at the Doolittle plates which do not show grenadier bearskin caps. The Doolittle plates are many things; brilliant on terrain and topography and an illustration of the provincial congresses view point. But uniform details are just not there, nore is there an attempt at uniforms.

The returns of lost and broken equipment for Apri 19, 1775 does not mention caps. It concerns itself with muskets, musket slings, waistbelts, shoulder belts and such items. This can be found in the public record office WO 36/3. I am trying to figure out how to post a photograph of it to this site.

Although not from April 19 there is a water color by Lt. Richard Williams of the 23rd RWF of a fusilier on guard duty and he is wearing his fusilier cap.

As to Captain Harris filling his cap with water; based on reconstructions i doubt a cap would hold anything.

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing about a gren cap not holding water very well. They carried canteens for that, and often carried tin cups too.

The Lushington book, published in 1840, was based in part on Harris' correspondence but also on material recorded , it would seem, in the 1820s when the General was in his mid-seventies and, as he admitted himself, his memory poor.

As to whether one particular grenadier captain carried a canteen or tin cup on April 19th, I couldn't say.

The point of the story would seem to be Harris's concern for his men and his courtesy to his superior officer, Lord Percy.

The image of bringing water to the wounded (from where?) is very specific but could of course be a piece of picturesque narrative licence, either on the part of the general or his biographer.

You can drink out of a hat, maybe. Not that I'd try it.

Here is the listing of lost and broken equipment for 19 April 1775. I know it does not help with answering if Grenadiers wore their caps but perhaps it will of some interest here.

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My Grenadiers where bearskins. My hat companies carry flags. I don't apologize for it and I am not changing them.

Just out of curiosity, was that return compiled exactly on April 19?
Because it seems to me that all the companies were rather busy that day.
Or was it a catch up?

After breakfast on the 20th, I would imagine.

There was no date nor time on it when it was filled out. I would guess it was on the 20 April.

Keep the men busy

"My Grenadiers where bearskins."

There bearskins. There castle.

"Keep the men busy"

Well, somebody has to pay for this stuff and it is not coming out of my budget!

"There is your bearskins, my lord. There are your.." Oh- wait.

Well played sir…

At least Fusiliers, while on guard duty wore their caps in Boston. Detail from watercolor by Richard Williams in 1775 while in Boston.

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Ok. I'm convinced.

42nd – remember officers bought their own caps. The soldiers got theirs as issue items, depending on whether the regiment had taken them across the Atlantic and the QM had orders to issue them. So the fact an officer had his cap doesn't prove the wider issue. Much as I'd like it to :-)
EC

Officers on guard duty?

The OP was writing about the 5th and the picture (if that's what you're referring to Winston) is of a 23rd Fusilier. The question about Fusiliers' bearskins is another whole strand. But either way the point still stands.
Remember also, there's a compromise answer, which is of a limited number of bearskins available to a QM for 'general's guards' and other specific tasks performed by small parties from a regiment or its grenadier company.
EC

I believe the Titanic also went down on the 15th of April.

coincident?

42nd – remember officers bought their own caps. The soldiers got theirs as issue items,

I don't have a dog in this fight (Nor a battalion of grenadiers painted and based).

That notwithstanding, and leaving the intrinsic merit of the Lushington biography to one side, I think it highly unlikely that an officer would march in a bearskin cap while his men paraded in 'undress' cocked hats. The reverse would be more likely.