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Eighteenth Century

Muskets were not very accurate weapons, since the barrels were not rifled to make the musket ball spin. The best way to have a good chance of hitting an enemy was to direct a lot of firepower from a closely spaced line of troops towards the general area. A lot of effort went into learning drills for manoeuvring large groups of troops without breaking the formation.
The black powder used for firing generates a lot of smoke, so visibility on the battlefield must have deteriorated quickly.
White cloth was used for a lot of the uniform because it was easy to cover stains on it with chalk if it couldn't be cleaned properly.
	These are uniforms of the 3rd New York Regiment which was raised to fight the British in the American Revolution (which those of you to the West of the Atlantic call the War of Independence).
	Regimental uniform colours were often determined by what cloth was available cheaply and in large quantities when the Regiment was raised as the Colonel was responsible for equipping the troops himself.
	The jackets are rather shorter than earlier in the eighteenth century, and the bottom corners were permanently pinned back. Only the top buttons are fastened and the rest of the jacket hangs open. The buttons are cast pewter and have "3NY" written on them.
	The breeches have a flap at the front with buttons at its top corners. The waistband of the breeches buttons in the centre at the front. There are laces at the back to allow size to be adjusted. The breeches also button at the knee.
	The soldier on the left has a clay pipe stuck through loops in the tricorn hat.
The 3rd New York reputedly spent a lot of the war in Canada without enough winter coats to go around so most of their casualties were caused by disease and cold rather than combat as shown here.
The British Army also tended to lose many more troops to disease than to enemy action. In the 19th Century their pioneering Surgeon General Dr "James" Barry , a graduate of Edinburgh Medical School, insisted on an adequate diet for the troops and clean hospitals, which reduced mortality considerably. Barry survived several scandals and even a Court Martial in a forty year long military career. It was only after death that she was discovered to be a woman.
The Americans received help from European countries, including France (which provided one million dollars worth of arms and munitions) and Spain. The British side included Hessian (German) mercenaries.
	This is a classic Highland man's costume, which was banned in Scotland, along with the Gaelic language after Bonny Prince Charlie's attempts to overthrow the Hanoverians in 1745-6. The plaid is about eight yards long and is made of two narrow strips of fabric sewn together side by side. It was used as a blanket as well as an item of clothing. It would be removed before charging into battle so as to avoid encumbrance. A knee length shirt was worn under the plaid.
	The blue bonnet was another traditional Scottish item of clothing.
	Lowland Scots did not wear the plaid. Their fashions were more like those of the rest of Europe. Lowlanders also spoke Scots rather than Gaelic.
The jacket shown here is shorter than the type which would be worn with either breeches or trews (trousers of plaid material). The plaid is bunched around the waist instead of being pinned over the shoulder. This provides lots of folds which could be used as pockets. There are many different ways of wearing a plaid.
The jacket, the plaid and the stockings are all made with different patterns of material. There is no evidence that members of the same clan wore a particular tartan before 1745. Modern clan tartans and the kilt in its present form date from the 19th Century.
	A small number of wives and families were allowed to travel with British Army troops. In order to reduce the chances of soldiers deserting, lots would be drawn to determine who would go on the dockside as troops were boarding a ship.
	Armies always had large numbers of camp followers, including traders of all kinds. There was very little in the way of officially organised support services & many entrepreneurs took advantage of this to make a profit out of ill supplied soldiers.
When a battle was expected to take place the local gentry and the families of officers might choose a nearby hill from which to watch the spectacle. There was very little danger to spectators due to the nature of the weaponry. Public executions were also a popular form of entertainment at this time.

NB: Members of the Edinburgh group have attended events arranged by the Society of the American Revolution and the English Civil War Society but this is not an official Web Site for either of these organisations.

further information :
Scotland
Jacobite Heritage
Drawn Sword: The MacBean Stuart and Jacobite Collection
The Plaid

America
Early America Archive
From Revolution to Reconstruction
History Place - The American Revolution
French Indian War 1755
Chronology on the History of Slavery and Racism

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