The slaughter by the Monongahela of General Braddock's two British regiments (44th and 48th Foot) by a small group of French officers in charge of soldiers of Les Compagnies Franches de la Marine (independent companies of the Navy), Canadian Militia and "savage" Indians, sent shock waves around the world. Upon arrival in London, this news prompted the British government to authorize the raising of a four-battalion regiment combining the discipline of Regulars with the training of Rangers. The recruits were to be found from among Swiss and German settlers in Pennsylvania and Maryland, and volunteers in Hanover and other German states. This ideas was first proposed by one Jacques Prevost. Prevost seems to have been "an incompetent Swiss adventurer who apparently was fleeing from a French Court-Martial. By glibness and effrontery, Prevost gained the support of the bumbling Duke of Cumberland." [1] Prevost was authorized to recruit "a number of Protestant Swiss and German officers and sergeants, who would said for America [2] The Earl of Loudoun, now Commander-in-Chief in North America, was the nominal head of the regiment. But upon arrival in America, Henry Bouquet took command of the First Battalion in Carolina and Frederick Haldimand the second in Pennsylvania. The Swiss Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Bouquet quickly grasped the necessity of different tactics and training of his men for forest warfare. With this in view, "he concentrated on marksmanship, physical fitness, and individual initiative." [3] The four battalions varied greatly in skill. The first battalion was specially trained for forest warfare as light infantry. Battalions 2 and 3 were regular line units. The fourth battalion, commanded by Prevost, "was a military mad house. Prevost himself was universally despised for his ignorance, insolence, and brutality, but could not be disciplined because he was Cumberland's protege." [4] By December of 1756, Bouquet had recruited most of the Americans available, which was only 547 men. The Regiment was initially designated the 62nd Regiment of Foot and given the title of Royal Americans. Being designated a "Royal" Regiment was a title to be proud of in the British Army. No other "Royal" Regiment was made up of such a unique composition. During the French and Indian Wars, it was roughly made up of the following: one-fourth American, one half Irish and the rest were miscellaneous Germans, Poles and Bohemians. In February 1756, after most of the 50th and 51st Regiments were captured at Oswego, these units were disbanded and their remnants included in the 60th. The Royal Americans were then renumbered as the 60th Regimentof Foot. They carried this number and title until it because a part of the Royal Rifle Corps in 1824. This proud Regiment served in all the major campaigns from 1757 on. Battalions 2 and 3 were at the siege and surrender of Louisbourg. The Grenadier Companies from these two battalions made up a part of the famous Louisbourg Grenadiers. These battalions, along with the Louishourg Grenadiers, were to accompany General Wolfe in his advance on Quebec. Wolfe, who felt that American troops were worthless, asked General Amherst for more Royal Americans and the famous Rogers Rangers. Amherst could not spare those units from other fronts, so Wolfe had to do with the units he had. The first Battalion, under Bouquet, was at the first capture of Fort Duquesne along with the 60th's new commander who was a "regular colonel of ability, John Stanwix." [5] It then seved in the Carolinas. Portions of the Regiment were also at the final sieges of Fort Carillon at Ticonderoga (1758 and 1759) and Fort Niagara (1759). During 1763, dispersed garrisons, which consisted of the Royal Americans, met the first shock of Pontiac's Rebellion. After seven years of grueling wilderness warfare, the regiment was half mutinous with many desertions. The Regiment remained on American soil until 1775, when it was transferred to the West Indies. It never again served on American soil. The uniform of the 60th was to be the standard British uniform of the period. This was to consist of red coats with red waist coats. The Regiment being "Royal" received the facings of blue. This included the lapels (which could be buttoned either opened or closed) and the coats' turnbacks. Unlike the other British regiments of the time, the enlisted men's uniforms lacked lace while the officers had silver lace. The regulation tricorn was edged white around the edges. The breeches were to be in red cloth like the coats, but due to a shortage in the colonies, they were often of buckskin. Brown canvas "marching gaiters" were commonly worn in the field, while white gaiters were reserved for full dress. This again was not always accomplished. Some units around Albany wore green gaiters tied with a red garter (they were originally ordered in blue). The belts were in a buff color common to the British Army of the period.  Lt.-Colonel Bouquet adopted articles of frontier dress for his first battalion. This consisted of hunting shirts and Indian style leggings. They could not be distinguished from many American Militia units. Little can be found about the 60th's Grenadiers except the regulation of 1751 would have been followed. The Grenadier Cap would have had a blue upper front with the Royal Cypher on it surmounted by a crown. The Hanoverian white-running horse would be found on a red field on the bottom front of the mitre. The cloth backing would be red with a lower blue border. This would all be topped off with a white tuft. The rest of the uniform would be the same. The colors of the regiment were established according to the normal regulations of the British Army. In the center, the King's Cypher within the garter, with a crown over it. In the three corners of the second color the King's Cypher and the crown. The colors of the second battalion was to be distinguished by a flaming ray of gold descending from the upper corner of each color towards the center. The fourth battalion's colors show the regimental color of blue with a crown over a gold floral cartouche, the center of which is red and inscribed with G R and IV. The King's color has the same cartouche in the center and another very small cartouche near the lance head, with REGT LXII. The fact that this number is on the King's color proves these are the original colors given the regiment in 1757. These flags now hang in the Museum of the Royal United Service Institution, Whitehall. Wargamers who wish to recreate this regiment in miniature have a wide range of figure types to use. The regular British line figures would be the standard. The gaiters can vary in color as well as the breeches. Many companies makefiguresof American Militia in huntingshirts which can be used for the first battalion. FOOTNOTES [1] The Company of Military Historians, Military Uniforms in America: The Era of the American Revolution 1755-1795, Presidio Press, San Rafael, Calif., 1974. (Hence appears as MUIA). [2] MUIA. [3] Lawson, Cecil C.P., A History of the Uniforms of the British Army, Vol. III, Nicholas Van, Ltd., 194 Bishops Gate, Loundon E.e.2, 1961, pg. 209 (Hence listed as CCPL). [4] MUIA. [5] Connell, Brian, The Savage Years, Harper and Brothers Publishers, New York, 1959, pg. 115. BIBLIOGRAPHY Barthorp, Michael, British Infantry Uniforms: Since 1660; New Orchard Editions, New Orchard, Poole, England, 1982. Connell, Brian, The Savage Years, Harper and Brothers Publishers, New York, 1959. Downey, Fairfax, Louisbourg: Key to a Continent; Prentice-Hall, Inc.; Englewood Cliffs, N.J., 1965. Hamilton, Milton W., Sir William Johnson: Colonial American 1775-1763; Kennikat Press Corp., Port Washington, N.Y., 1976. Havinghurst, Walter, Three Flags at the Straits: The Forts of Mackinac, Prentice-Hall, Inc., N.J., 1966. Howard, Robert West Thundergate: The Forts of Niagara, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J. 1968. Isely, Bliss, The Horseman of the Shenandoah: A Biographical Account of the Early Days of George Washington, The Bruce Publishing Co., Milwaukee, 1962. Lawson, Cecil, C.P. A History of the Uniforms of the British Army Vol. III, Nicholas Van, Ltd., 194 Bishopsgate, Loundon E.C.2, 1961. Long, I. C., Lord Jeffrey Amherst A Soldier of the King The McMillan Company, N.Y., 1933. Louergan, Carroll Vincent, Ticonderoga: A Historic Portage, Fort Mount Hope Society Press, Ticonderoga, N.Y., 1959. Parkman, Francis, Montcalm and Wolfe, Atheneum, N.Y., 1984 Parkman, Francis,The Struggle for a Continent, ed. by Pelham, Edgar, Ph.D., Little, Brown & Company Boston, 1905. O'Meara, Walter, The Guns at the Forks: Forts Duquesne and Pitt, Prentice Hall, Inc., N.J., 1962. Rogers, Colonel H.C.B., The British Army of the Eighteenth Century, Hippocrene Books, Inc., New York, NY, 1977. The Company of Military-Historians, Military Uniforms in America: The Era of the American Revolution 1755-1795, Presidio Press, San Rafael, CA, 1974. Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. VIII No. 6 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1989 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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