Although the 40th Regiment of Foot was merely a humble line battalion, it wore a very distinctive and elegant uniform.

Battalion Company Private, 40th Regiment of Foot, Circa 1777. This is the stripped-down, campaigning dress shown by Della Gatta in his 1782 painting of Germantown. This proud defender of the Chew House is clutching a red, knit Liberty Cap in his right hand, a relic taken from a dead American. (Courtesy of THE REBEL INDEX: THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL RE-ENACTMENTMENT SOCIETY)

BATTALION COMPANY PRIVATES

The privates were all issued brick-red wool coats with the collars, cuffs, and lapels, then called the facings, made of buff wool. The facings and pocket flaps were decorated with large pewter buttons stamped with the regiment's number. Around each buttonhole was sewn the regimental lace, a piece of white wool worsted tape with interwoven stripes (black on the outside edge and red on the inside) that was folded into a rectangle. The coats of all the troops in buff-faced regiments were lined in buff wool instead of usual white. Their breeches and waistcoats, commonly called smallclothes, were also made from buff material.

Other items of clothing included white linen shirts, black horsehair neckstocks, plain black linen or canvas leggings were issued to the Redcoats at that time, full gaiters and half gaiters. The main difference between the two is that the former extended to above the knee while the latter only reached the bottom of the calf. Both types buttoned over the shoes, and that may explain why the half gaiters were preferred by the troops campaigning in America -they had fewer buttons, and thus took less time to put on.

The distinguishing mark of the battalion company private was his black, felt, cocked hat. All the ranks in a battalion company wore them, and that is why they were referred to as "hatt men." A private's hat was edged with white worsted wool lace and decorated on the left side with a regimental button and a black, satin cockade.

The men were armed with the standard Short Land Musket, a .75 caliber flintlock affectionately dubbed the "Brown Bess." Ammunition was parried in a black leather cartridge box which hung on the right hip from a buff leather belt slung over the left shoulder. The bayonet was worn on the left side from a buff waistbelt. Food and water were contained in a soldier's linen haversack and tin canteen, which rested on his left hip. The rest of his ki i was placed in a white, goatskin knapsack.

GRENADIERS

As the flower of the regiment, the grenadiers of the 40th Foot were given uniforms befitting their elite status.

The most impressive article of all was the twelve-inch-high grenadier cap. It consisted of a five-inch-high black and white metal frontplate and a leather frame that was covered with red cloth. According to regulations, black bearskin was supposed to cover all the frame save for a small spot on the back, but the 40th broke the rules and did its grenadiers' caps up in white goatskin certainly a striking and handsome variation. A white XL, the 40th's Roman numeral, was stenciled on the exposed red spot on the back of the cap.

The grenadier's coat varied slightly from the battalion. man's in as far as two red cloth caps or wings, decorated with six loops of regimental lace and a border on the bottom, were sewn on the points of the shoulders.

In addition, the grenadiers all sported brass match cases on their cartridge box belts, a throwback to the days when they actually hurled hand grenades. They were also armed with short cutlasses called hangers to augment their muskets and bayonets.

LIGHT INFANTRY

The light infantry had a special uniform as well, but it was geared more toward facilitating their function as skirmishers and flankers than for show.

On his head the light infantryman wore a black leather skullcap circumscribed by three metal chains that had a polished, peaked, black leather flap in the front. This flap was edged in white and had a white crown, GR (for George Rex), and XL painted on it. On the left side of the cap there was fixed a black cockade and green feather by a regimental button.

The light infantryman's coat was cut short so that it resembled a jacket. This prevented him from getting his tails tangled in the scrub and underbrush. He also wore wings like the grenadier.

Additional equipment included a short hatchet and a belly box attached to the waistbelt that held extra ammunition.

NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS

Corporals dressed exactly like the privates in their respective company except for a white silk epaulette or shoulder knot which was sewn to the right shoulder of their coats.

A sergeant was marked by a scarlet coat with plain, white lace, a crimson waist sash with a buff center stripe, and his hanger. Battalion company sergeants had their hats edged with silver lace. They also carried ornate pole arms called halberds while the sergeants of grenadiers and light infantry used short muskets called fusils. DRUMMER & GRENADIER PRIVATE (1. to r.), 40th REGIMENT OF FOOT, Circa 1775-1783. Note that these two soldiers are wearing long gaiters and their caps are covered with white goatskin and not the usual black bearskin. 

OFFICERS

Excepting rank designations, the officers of the 40th Regiment wore a uniform very similar to that of the other ranks, although of finer cut, material, and construction.

The epaulette, which was then little more than a fancy shoulder knot, denoted rank in the eighteenth century British Army. The colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, and battalion company officers wore a single, gold epaulette, sewn to the right shoulder of the coat. Light infantry and grenadier officers had a pair, one on each shoulder. Their buttons were gilt, although unlike their brothers in other regiments, the 40th's officers wore no type of metallic lace around their buttonholes. Other marks of rank included the golden, crescent-shaped gorget worn by officers on duty, crimson waist sashes, and fine swords. Field and battalion company officers had gold lace on their hats. Battalion officers carried short spears called spontoons in battle while their fellows in the elite companies fought with fusils and bayonets.

MUSICIANS

Music played an essential role in eighteenth century warfare, and therefore musicians were given gaudy uniforms as a mark of their esteemed status and to make them readily discernable from the rank and file. A few units at this time had regimental bands, and at the minimum each company had one drummer while the grenadier company carried two fifers on its rolls.

Drummer and Grenadier Private: long gaiters and wear caps covered by white goatskin (not the usual black bearskin).

At this time, it was the custom in the British Army to dress a regiment's musicians in coats of reversed colors. In other words, the 40th's fifers and drummers possessed buff coats with red facings. Red wings, identical to those of the grenadiers and light infantry, were attached to the shoulders. Six regimental-lace chevrons decorated the arms, and long strips of lace covered all the seams on the coat. According to the regulations for buff-faced regiments, musicians' coats were lined in red. That was also the color of their smallclothes.

Headgear consisted of white goatskin caps very similar to those of the grenadiers. Musicians were armed with short hangers.

The drums of the 40th were made of wood. Hoops were painted red while the front half of the shell was painted buff. On it was inscribed a crown and royal cipher in gold. Below them were found the regiment's white Roman numeral, XL. The drum cords were all white. Drummers carried their instruments from buff leather shoulder belts. These often had holders for the drumsticks when they were not in use. Fifers carried their instruments in wooden or metal cases that were decorated in the same manner as the shell of the drum. These hung on the right hip by means of a thong that was draped over the left shoulder.

ADAPTATIONS AND CHANGES

The uniforms described in the previous sections correspond roughly with the strictures laid down in the Royal Clothing Warrants of 1768, the official British regulations for martial costume in the era of the American Revolution. These guidelines were largely devised by officers who had fought side by side with Frederick the Great in the Seven Years War, and thus bore a striking Prussian influence. The commencement of hostilities found the Redcoats outfitted more for the European parade ground than rural warfare in the wilds of North America. It did not take British commanders long to realize that their soldiers' uniforms were totally unsuited for and incompatible with the exacting task at hand.

Without much ado, steps were taken to correct the situation; and by 1777, the Lobsterbacks had undergone a complete transformation. Not only were they fighting in comfortable, utilitarian garb, but they adapted their entire way of war to cope with their surroundings. This fact is borne out by the comments of a Royal Marine officer on the training Howe's army received prior to the Philadelphia campaign:

The British troops on the Contrary have been Remarkably healthy from the great Attention pay'd them. They Swim in the Sea most mornings & in the Evenings have foot Races & other manly Exercises, their Decipline is that of light Infantry, which is the only Method of proceeding in this Country...."

Unfortunately, the details on the dress of this newly converted, light infantry army were never recorded. Apparently most officers seemed to have thought that temporary improvisations and changes made for the campaign season were not important enough tc set down. In the case of the 40th Regiment, however, we have been blessed by extensive documentation of this costume in the form of a canvas by the Italian artists, Xavier Della Gatta, of the Battle of Germantown.

Della Gatta painted a scene depicting the 40th Regiment entering the Chew House for the heroic defence. The uniforms that the troops are wearing are certainly a radical departure from the European style with which they entered the war. And since Della Gatta worked under the supervision of a British officer who witnessed the engagement, his representation has been accepted as accurate. All ranks are shown in red, sleeved waistcoats instead of the bothersome regimental coats. The hats have been uncocked and bound up on the left side in the popular round style. The enlisted men wear red feathers in their hats. White linen coveralls have replaced their breeches, stockings, and spatterdashes. They also seem to have recut their waistbelts, slinging their bayonet carriers from their right shoulders to form the crossbelt effect with their cartridge box belts.

Officers are only marked by red and white feathers in their hats. Gone are the golden epaulettes, buttons, and gorgets that would have made them such perfect marks for American riflemen. The officers retain their breeches and gaiters, but they seem to have exchanged their polearms for fusils as have the sergeants.

Conclusive evidence has not yet been found, but judging from this canvas and another Della Gatta executed of the Paoli affair, the entire British contingent operating on the Eastern Seaboard affected this simplified uniform. (The Della Gatta paintings are currently in the possession of the Valley Forge Historical Society).

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Andre, John. Major Andre's Journal. Tarrytown: William Abbatt, 1931.
Curtis, Edward E. The British Army in the American Revolution. London: Oxford University Press, 1926.
Katcher, Philip R.N. Encyclopedia of British, Provincial, and German Army Units 1775-1783. Harrisburg, Stackpole Books, 1973.
Kemp, Alan. The British Army in the American Revolution. London: Almark Publishing Co., Ltd., 1973.
Lee, Henry (Light Horse Harry). The American Revolution in the South. New York: Arno Press, 1969.
Mackenzie, Frederick. The Diary of Frederick Mackenzie. 2 Vols Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1930.
Strachan, Hew. British Military Uniforms 1768-96: The Dress of the British Army from Official Sources. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1975.
Ward, Christopher. The War of the Revolution. 2 Vols. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1952.

40th Regiment of Foot: Regimental History