When the red-hot antagonisms between England and her North American colonies finally exploded into war on April 19th, 1775, King George III had only seventy regular infantry regiments, barely 27,000 men, to defend the far-flung interests of the British Empire.

Light Infantry Private, 40th Regiment of Foot, Circa 1775-1776

Officially, a regiment of foot was supposed to consist of 477 officers and other ranks. It was a single battalion unit, divided into ten equal sub-divisions called companies. The average company usually included a captain, 2 lieutenants, 2 sergeants, 3 corporals, 1 drummer, and 38 privates. Eight of the regiment's ten companies were composed of ordinary stock, the battalion men, as they were called. These run-of-the-mill troops made up the bulk, the backbone, and the heart of the regiment.

The other two companies were elite formations, staffed by men specially selected and qualified. The tallest and strongest fellows were assigned to the grenadier company. Usually six foot or taller, the grenadiers represented the flower of the regiment, and were employed as super shock troops. The second elite company, the light infantry, was made up of soldiers picked for their quickness and agility. They were trained as marksmen, skirmishers, and scouts, in preparation for wilderness warfare. A colonel was supposed to command the regiment, assisted by two field officers, the lieutenant colonel and the major. The regimental staff was rounded off by a chaplain, adjutant, surgeon, surgeon's mate, and sergeant major.

These of course are just paper figures. The actual strength of a regiment of foot was far below the 477 man figure. Usually the average ran from 385 to 292 effectives of all ranks, and among the battalions stationed in the fever-ridden West or East Indies, it was even lower. There were barely enough troops to keep law and order in peacetime, let alone to put down a full-scale rebellion in the Thirteen Colonies, and later fight a global war against the combined powers of France, Spain, and the Netherlands. Yet, this was exactly what the infantrymen of the British line were called upon to do. Their ultimate defeat was inevitable. Incredibly, however, the Redcoats were able to stave off the final catastrophe for eight long years, fighting and often winning against impossible odds. They held their ground so well that in the end the Allies had to settle for a negotiated peace instead of an unconditional surrender.

One of the British line battalions which fought so hard, so long, and so well in the Revolution was the 40th Regiment of Foot. Its history was typical of the ups and downs experienced by King George's troops in the American War.

The news from Lexington and Concord found the 40th Regiment already at sea, sailing as reinforcement for British security forces garrisoning Boston. It was a tedious voyage, and the troops must have been extremely relieved to disembark at the Massachusetts port city in early June of 1775, despite the fact that the place was besieged by a superior number of Rebels. They hardly had time to find their land legs before the Battle of Breed's Hill was fought. Fortunately, the 40th Foot was not committed to the catastrophe, and thus missed decimation. The rest of the siege passed without incident. Winter cold, the lack of fuel and food proved to be more effective enemies than George Washington and his ragamuffin army could ever hope to be. When at length General William Howe decided to evacuate Boston on March 17th, 1776, the 40th Foot went with him.

The British sailed to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to be refitted, refreshed, and reorganized. In preparation for the upcoming campaign, Howe ordered his regiments to detach their elite companies so that they could be formed into special "ad hoc" battalions. The 40th Foot lost its grenadiers and light infantrymen to the 1st Battalion of Grenadiers and 2nd Battalion of Light Infantry, respectively. Although this policy did create some highly powerful units, it robbed regiments like the 40th of one fifth of their men, their very best.

In June of 1776, the 40th Regiment and the rest of Howe's greatly enlarged army sailed for the new seat of war, New York City. Howe intended to break the rebellion by seizing America's major port, and the 40th certainly did its best to accomplish this with a spirited performance in the smashing British triumph at Long Island (August 27th, 1776).

After that Washington was steadily and speedily driven from every position he tried to hold. The 40th Regiment took part in the pursuit as Washington retired out of New York and ran across New Jersey. The chase ended on December 14th, 1776, when the Rebels crossed the Delaware River to take shelter in Pennsylvania. Thankfully, the battalion companies of the 40th Regiment took to the comfort of their winter quarters.

Battle of Princeton

But Washington's victory over the Hessians at Trenton brought the weary Redcoats out into snow and mud to hunt him down. Ever the fox, Washington gave the main British army the slip, and found the 40th Regiment alone in the college town of Princeton, New Jersey, on January 3rd, 1777. Brushing aside two British regiments which had been posted nearby, the Continentals fell upon the village in hope of capturing the ammunition and food stored there. The 40th tried to defend Princeton, but they were just a handful facing the entire American army. Setting fire to the provisions, they fled toward New Brunswick. However, a large number of soldiers from the 40th and the other two English battalions barricaded themselves in Naussau Hall at the college and tried to hold the Rebels off. It was a futile gesture. Washington surrounded the building with swarms of his infantry and had young Captain Alexander Hamilton fire a few cannonballs through it. According to an American sergeant, that produced the desired result: "...a white flag appeared at the window and the British surrendered. They were a haughty, crabbed set of men, as they fully exhibited while prisoners on their march to the country."

It had been a terrible defeat. The 40th lost upwards of 100 prisoners, not to mention killed or wounded. But there were to be plenty of opportunities for revenge in the near future.

In July 1777, Sir William Howe took the 40th Regiment with him on his amphibious expedition against the infant United States' capital, Philadelphia. Landing on the west side of the Elk River on July 25th, 1777, the Redcoats proceeded toward their objective by liesurely marches. Washington tried to stop them at Chadd's Ford on Brandywine Creek, September 11th, 1777, but it was no use. Howe simply routed the Americans in the same way he had routed them so manyy times before. The 40th enjoyed the welcome sight of the Rebel's backs after a morning of stiff fighting.

In spite of the defeat, the canny Washington still hoped to prevent the loss of Philadelphia by resorting to guerilla warfare. On September 19th, General Anthony Wayne and eight regiments of the Pennsylvania line, about 1,500 men, were ordered to lie concealed near Paoli Tavern to strike at the British rear guard and baggage train as it passed on the way to the capital. Watchful Loyalists were able to warn the King's forces, and on the night of September 20th, 1777, Major General Charles Grey was sent with the 2nd Battalion of Light Infantry and the 40th, 42nd, 44th, and 55th Regiments to deal with the Continentals. Advancing with unloaded muskets, the Redcoats bayonetted the surprised Pennyslvanians before they knew what hit them. Nearly 300 were killed in their camp and as they fled while about 70 were taken prisoner. When daylight came, over 1,000 abandoned American muskets were found on the field. Only three Lobsterbacks were killed and five wounded: Princeton had been amply avenged. Six days later, the British occupied Philadelphia.

Once again, as at Trenton, Sir William Howe grew overconfident in the flush of victory. He spread his forces too thin. After leaving a sizable garrison at Philadelphia and sending out other detachments to mop up enemy resistance along the Delaware, the British commander encamped with the rest of his army, 9,000 men, at Germantown. George Washington now outnumbered this force by nearly 3,000 troops, and he was spoiling for a fight. Washington felt certain that if he could take Howe unaware with a dawn attack, he would be able to destroy the greater part of the British army and win the war in one master stroke. It was worth a try.

Battle of Germantown

On the evening of October 3rd, 1777, Washington set his Continentals and militiamen in motion for Germantown. The sun was just coming up when the lead elements of the Rebel forces struck the pickets of the British outpost at Mount Airey, about 2 1/2 miles northwest of the main English camp. It so happened that the troops manning the outpost were from the 2nd Battalion of Light Infantry and the 40th Regiment of Foot. The sentries were alert, and even though their line of vision was handicapped by heavy mist, they were able to spot the Rebels and discharge a series of warning musket shots while they were still a long way off.

Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Musgrave, commanding the 40th at the time, was out of his camp bed at the first shot. The Americans were rushing on with tremendous impetuosity, and they were close enough for him to hear them yelling, "Revenge Wayne's affair! Remember Paoli!" But Musgrave was remembering Princeton. He knew from hard experience that there was only one way to meet a surprise attack -- head on!

Hastily, the 40th Regiment was formed for battle. The men were so rushed that many had no time to get completely dressed. Shirts and waistcoasts were left strewn among the tents. No matter! All that the soldiers needed were their muskets, bayonets, and cartridge boxes. Then they advanced with the light infantry at the quick step to the relief of the pickets.

So furious was the Redcoats' onslaught that the entire American van was stymied and then driven back. The check was only momentary. More Rebels came up, but Musgrave refused to give ground. At length, superior numbers began to tell. The British troops were forced to retire, but did so stubbornly. Musgrave knew that he and his men were all that stood between Washington and Howe's unprepared army. If they were overwhelmed now, it would mean disaster for the King's forces in North America.

For over a mile, the 40th Foot and the light infantry fought a bitter, grudging, rear guard action. The Redcoats took cover behind every fence, wall, and ditch to give a volley or two. Then they would fall back to a new defensive position to fire on the flustered Continentals as they again came on.

Despite the punishment his men were dealing to the Americans, Musgrave realized that it would be a matter of time before the 40th Regiment was cut to pieces. A good soldier, he was not loath to face such an eventuality in the pursuit of his duty, but he was determined to take as many Provincials as he could with him. With this object in mind, he began to cast about for a suitable place to make a last stand. Musgrave did not have to look far. At the right end of the 40th Regiment's steadily shrinking, present line stood the mansion of Benjamin Chew. It was a mammoth stone structure with thick walls and sturdy shutters. Musgrave led six of his eight understrength companies, about 120 men, into the Chew House, barricaded the doors, closed the shutters, and opened up with an effective, sweeping, and continuous fusilade of musketry from the second floor windows.

The Americans could have easily left a regiment or two to keep Musgrave pinned down in the dwelling and pushed their attack against Germantown, but they were new to the art of war. Their officers had learned military science from reading such classical generals as Caesar, and they rigidly applied the ancient maxims to even the most novel situations. Led by Henry Knox, they convinced Washington that it was "unmilitary to leave a castle in our rear." Thus the great man wasted precious time in assaulting the 40th's position with Knox's artillery and battalions of infantry. To his dismay, he found that Musgrave had selected a perfect fortress, impervious to cannon and musket fire. Still Washington pressed the stubborn Redcoats, and in doing so forfeited the initiative and the chance of victory at Germantown.

Inside Chew House it was pure hell. Knox's cannonballs merely bounced off the thick, stone walls, but they shook the place to its very foundations, smashing in the frontdoors and windows, showering the defenders with lethal splinters. The Redcoats choked on the thick white musket smoke that filled every room. Sometimes all that they could see was the flash of their own weapons. The clamor from muskets and artillery, the angry shouting soldiers was deafening; a desperate American charge clawed its way through the shattered front door into the mansion, but Musgrave and his Lobsterbacks, fighting with bayonets from behind a barricade of furniture in the hallway, drove the Continentals out again.

For an hour or more, the 40th Regiment doggedly held out in this desparate fashion, time enough for Sir William Howe to rally his army, receive reinforcements, and drive the tangled American divisions from the field. Musgrave's dead-tired troopers were relieved by the 44th Regiment of Foot.

Germantown was a clear-cut British victory, and it was due to the courageous and determined behavior of the 40th Foot. Musgrave and his men received the cordial thanks of Sir William Howe, who recommended them to his army as an example worthy of imitation. King George III himself sent Musgrave a letter of congratulations.

Nor were the plaudits limited to the 40th's own countrymen. Even the enemy grudgingly admited that they were worthy opponents. Light Horse Harry Lee commanded Washington's cavalry escort at Germantown, and he called Musgrave's defense of the Chew House a "brave stand."

After the battle, Lieutenant Colonel Musgrave regrouped his men and they marched to winter quarters at Philadelphia a few days later. During the winter of 1777-78, the 40th Regiment must have received a large draft of recruits from England, for returns report 320 rank and file, a full 200 man increase over its strength at Germantown. In June of 1778, the regiment returned with the army and its new commander, Sir Henry Clinton, to New York City, after the entry of France into the war caused the evacuation of Philadelphia. There the 40th was reinforced again, bringing it up to 517 effectives before being sent to counter a possible Spanish invasion of East Florida in November, 1778. Nine months later, six companies were sent to Antigua and the other two to the Barbadoes to guard the islands against French raiders.

Return to New York

After serving as marines aboard Admiral Sir Samuel Hood's fleet, the 40th Regiment returned to New York in August, 1781. Tropical fever had reduced the regiment to 283 effectives, but by September 2nd, enough men had recovered to bring the number up to 304. On that day, they and their 21 officers were sent to raid New London, Connecticut.

Landing at New London on September 6th, the 40th was led by its new commander, Lieutenant Colonel Edmund Eyre, in a bloody, though successful, storming of Fort Griswold. Eyre was mortally wounded and his second-in-command, Major Montgomery, was slain by a spear, but the 40th carried the works, putting many of the garrison to the sword. In all, the regiment lost two officers and one sergeant killed, and four officers and fifty-three men wounded. After its return to New York on September 15th, the 40th was able to count only 244 men fit for duty with 89 sick or wounded in hospitals.

Before the end of October, drafts from England brought the number of soldiers the 40th had on their feet up to 280. They also increased its sick to 113. Inexplicably this number sank to 311 effectives in all before the year ended. Perhaps they were assigned to the Royal Artillery or the grenadier and light infantry battalions. Or maybe sickness and desertion were able to rob the 40th of men that American muskets never could.

The 40th Regiment of Foot ended the war as part of the garrison New York, City. In 1783, it returned to England.

Uniforms of the 40th Regiment of Foot