A Redcoat of the '45
 

Uniform

The British army had been wearing red as its standard uniform colour since the days of the New Model Army during the Civil War, 100 years before, and still does in dress uniforms today. The coat, breeches and waistcoat were all made of wool, the coat (and often the breeches) being red, and the waistcoat being made from the previous year’s coat.

Different regiments had different coloured facings (linings, cuffs and turnbacks) to distinguish them - royal & guards regiments wore blue, the 13th as here had yellow facings.

A linen shirt and Stock (neckcloth) were worn under it all.

Mitre Cap

These cloth caps were worn by the Grenadier company of each battalion (the others worn a simple tricorn hat), as a sign of status, to make them look taller and more intimidating, and to not get in the way whilst throwing grenades. The design varied for different regiments.

Match-Case

This small brass case was worn on the cross belt by Grenadiers only, and in theory had a piece of burning slow-match inside to be used to light the fuse on grenades. Usually though grenades (which were small black metal balls packed with gunpowder, and a fuse in the top -rather like a cartoon bomb) were really only used in sieges by the 1740s.

Grenadier of the 13th (Pulteney’s) Regiment

A Grenadier of the 13th (Pulteney’s) Regiment, 1745. Photo courtesy of English Heritage, with thanks to Alan Turton

Haversack

A leather slung over the back which the soldier carried his ‘necessaries’ in - spare shoes, stockings, shirt etc, and any personal belongings. He also carried a breadbag for his ration of food, and a tin canteen for water.

Musket

The famed ‘Brown Bess’ musket, in the 1740s still of its earliest type, the Long Land Pattern, with a 46-inch barrel. The musket was muzzle loading, charged with gunpowder, and fired a lead musket ball weighing an ounce. Trained soldiers could get around 3 rounds per minute fired off. Each man carried 24 rounds slung in a black leather Cartridge Box at his side.

Bayonet

17 inches in length, this socket bayonet fitted to the outside of the muzzle of the musket, so allowing the soldier to defend himself in hand to hand combat and still load and fire his musket.

Shoes and Gaiters

Soldiers had black leather buckled shoes on their feet, and white or black (depending on whether or not they had been on the continent in 1745) canvas gaiters.

Short Sword

A cheap, brass hilted short sword was still worn by all British soldiers in the 1740s, although they were very rarely used in combat.

Grenadiers and Hatmen

Each British Infantry battalion (of anything up to 500 men) would be divided into 10 companies. Nine of these would be the tricorn-wearing line companies, or ‘hatmen’, the other would be the Grenadier company - composed of the largest and strongest men in the battalion, who were to act as shock troops in battle. In earlier years they had carried grenades into battle, but by 1745 they kept the name and trappings only as a sign of their elite status.

Recruitment and Life in the Army

Soldiers were in theory volunteers, there was no conscription in the British army, although recruiting sergeants were not above some dirty tricks to get sorely needed men to join. In 1745 with the shortages of men, some criminals were impressed out of prisons, or local vagrants taken up - unsurprisingly these ‘Vestry men’ were responsible for many of the atrocities in the campaign. Men were given their uniform, but then had to pay for that, their food, the army hospitals, surgeons and so on out of deductions from their pay (in theory 6d (6 pence) a day). Food was poor, although it included alcohol rations, barracks filthy (although in the 1740s most men were away at war or garrisoning the colonies) and discipline harsh. Floggings with a Cat O’ Nine Tails were common for even minor offences.