Elite 237 - British Light Infantry in the American Revolution (2021).pdf

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British Light Infantry in
the American Revolution
ROBBIE MACNIVEN
ILLUSTRATED BY STEPHEN WALSH
Elite • 237
British Light Infantry in
the American Revolution
ROBBIE MACNIVEN
ILLUSTRATED BY STEPHEN WALSH
Series editors Martin Windrow & Nick Reynolds
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
ORIGINS
BRITISH LIGHT INFANTRY ON THE EVE OF
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTIONARY WAR
Townshend’s
Rules and Orders
n
4
6
11
Howe’s
Discipline
n
Training in Boston
WEAPONS, CLOTHING, AND EQUIPMENT
Weapons
n
18
Clothing
n
Equipment
RECRUITMENT AND MOTIVATION
Other light infantry fighting for Great Britain
33
OPERATIONS
“Famous providers”
n
43
Screening
n
Skirmishing
n
Formed combat
n
Special operations
IMPACT AND INFLUENCE
Light-infantry influence on the wider British Army
n
56
The Continental Army’s response
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX: Organizational timeline of the regular light-infantry battalions
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Published sources
n
59
60
61
Unpublished sources
INDEX
64
British Light Infantry in
the American Revolution
INTRODUCTION
Light Infantry
by Matthew
and Mary Darly, 1772. The
return of light companies to
the British Army in the 1770s,
including among militia
regiments, led to a spate of
satirical works featuring obese
“light” infantrymen. While the
humor is obvious, they also
provide interesting evidence
for contemporary uniforms,
especially as this particular
piece was produced just after
the light companies began to
be re-formed in 1771. (Photo
© Trustees of the British
Museum. All rights reserved)
Starting in the mid-18th century, the British Army began to experiment
with the use of light infantry, deploying them in companies and battalions
to supplement British efforts across the globe during the Seven Years’ War
(1756–63). While the addition of light companies to regular battalions
and the experimental creation of dedicated light-infantry regiments greatly
benefited Britain’s military campaigns, especially during the French and
Indian War (1754–63) in North America, the new light troops did not
continue in service after the war came to an end. The practice of having
light companies in regular regiments was ended in 1763, and regiments
which had specialized in light tactics were either disbanded or reverted to
standard regulations. Despite this, British officers such as Lieutenant-Colonel
William Howe and Major-General Thomas Gage, who had served in the
light formations during the war, retained an interest in the potential of light
infantry on the regular establishments.
Beginning in 1771, light-infantry companies were
reintroduced into the line regiments of the British
Army. Interest in just how the light infantry would
function in future conflicts was exemplified by Howe
when, in 1774, he formed a training camp for light
troops at Salisbury, Wiltshire and demonstrated their
abilities in front of King George III. The outbreak of the
American Revolutionary War (1775–83) accelerated
the reintroduction of light-infantry formations and
doctrines into the British Army, manifesting itself
in the operational brigading of light companies into
composite battalions and practical Army-wide changes,
such as the use of open-order tactics and modifications
that made uniforms more practical for campaigning
in North America. While initially ill-equipped to deal
with the revolutionary movement in America, by mid-
1776 British forces stood poised for the counterstrike
that would reclaim New York for the Crown and
nearly destroy General George Washington’s recently
formed Continental Army.
British light infantry, whether in companies or
composite battalions, fought in every major battle and
4
A portrait of Captain Thomas
Hewitt, 10th Regiment of
Foot, 1781, by William Tate
(1747–1806). Hewitt received
his commission in 1772,
becoming a lieutenant in 1775
and a captain in 1777. A year
later he was given command
of the 10th Foot’s light-infantry
company. His portrait gives a
good indication of the uniform
changes adopted by the light
infantry, including the black
belts, shoulder wings, red
waistcoat, the small buttons
used on the jacket, his light-
infantry cap, and the short
officer’s fusil and bayonet. The
red cord over the belt on his left
shoulder is doubtless attached
to a powder horn slung under
his right arm. (Image courtesy
of the National Army Museum,
London)
many minor engagements during the American Revolution. Generally able to
match rebel irregulars and militia in skirmishing and “Indian fighting,” but
also frequently called upon to act as crack shock troops in special operations,
the so-called “Light Bobs” earned a reputation among both friends and foes
as the ruthless elite of the British Army. Their success on the battlefield
was mirrored not only by the light companies of the American Loyalist
Provincial regiments, but also by the Continental Army, which established
its own permanent light-infantry corps in 1777. By the time of the siege of
Yorktown (September 28–October 19, 1781), the Continental Army’s light-
infantry regiments comprised an entire division.
Though the light infantry were highly active during the American
Revolutionary War, many of the light-infantry lessons learned by the British
Army were once again forgotten at the end of the conflict. British forces
initially found themselves struggling to deal with the massed skirmishers
deployed by Revolutionary France in the 1790s, and it would take the efforts
of veterans of the American Revolutionary War, such as Lieutenant-General
Sir John Moore, to champion light-infantry tactics in time for success
against Napoleon.
5

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