As announced in the last GBN, Greenhill are shortly to publish Wellington’s Army, a large-format, full-colour book detailing the uniforms worn by the British soldier during the 1812-15 period. The artist was Charles Hamilton Smith, the descendant of a Flemish family, who served in the British Army, travelling to the West Indies, the Walcheren Island expedition of 1809, the Netherlands, and the United States. He contributed to the Encyclopedia Britannica, and worked on the design of the Houses of Parliament. Yet it is for his Costume of the Army that he remains the most famous. The changes to the British uniform - the most radical of which affected the cavalry - were not always welcomed by observers, nor by the soldiers themselves. In his introduction to Greenhill’s new volume, Napoleonic expert Philip J. Haythornthwaite discusses some of the response to the changes: “The British Army had worn a very distinctive set of uniforms, which were easily recognisable at a distance … It was this practical aspect of uniform design that was Wellington’s only concern, not the minutiae: ‘I think it indifferent how a soldier is clothed, provided it is in a uniform manner; and that he is forced to keep himself clean and smart, as a soldier ought to be. But there is one thing I deprecate, and that is any imitation of the French, in any manner. … It is impossible to form an idea of the inconvenience and injury which result from having any thing like them, either on horseback or on foot. Lutyens and his piquet were taken in June because the 3rd Hussars had the same caps as the French Chasseurs à Cheval … and I was near being taken on the 25th September from the same cause.’ Wellington’s advice went largely unheeded by those authorities at home who were determined to introduce new styles of uniform, and the new appearance of the light dragoons in particular appalled many observers: ‘I expected to see something on returning home; but certainly not to see anything so extraordinary as part of our cavalry, who are absolutely metamorphosed, in external appearance, to Frenchmen. On crossing the parade at the Horse Guards, I observed several nondescripts, and, on questioning a serjeant, was told, to my utter astonishment, that they were Englishmen and soldiers, belonging to the 13th Light Dragoons!!… I sincerely hope I shall never live to see the day that it will be necessary to model the British army on that of the French before we can beat them. I do not say that we may not improve from an enemy, but copying the French in a general way is like “Rome learning arts from Greece, whom she had subdued”.’” Haythornthwaite goes on to highlight the contrast between Hamilton Smith’s lavish designs, and the reality of subjecting uniforms to the inevitable wear and tear of the battlefield: “The appearance of the army during a long campaign was often very much less impressive than that suggested by Hamilton Smith’s plates, as uniforms became worn and stained. Many contemporary accounts describe the deterioration of a unit’s appearance, such as that recorded by William Wheeler of the 51st in January 1812: ‘We were on duty every other night, our clothes worn thin and wrecked by the fatigues of the former Campaign. It was difficult to tell to what regiment we belonged, for each man’s coat was like Joseph’s “a coat of many colours”.’” However, many soldiers also took pride in their battle-worn garments: “Frederick Mainwaring of the 51st probably spoke for many soldiers on campaign: ‘No one thought about the cut of a coat, or the fashion of a boot, or looked coldly on his neighbour because his ragged garment was less fashionable than his own; sufficient was it that he had a coat on his back.’ Wellington’s most familiar comment upon the ordinary soldiers who composed his army was made in the course of remarks concerning the French system of recruiting: ‘The conscription calls out a share of every class no matter whether your son or my son - all must march; but our friends [the ordinary British soldiers] are the very scum of the earth.’ Although a notable exaggeration, this remark seems not to have been made in any condemnatory manner, for on at least two occasions when he used the expression he added: ‘you can hardly conceive such a set brought together, and it really is wonderful that we should have made them the fine fellows they are.’” Wellington’s Army contains sixty-one colour plates of Hamilton Smith’s designs, plus twelve ink-and-wash drawings indicating his original sketches, some of which differ from the final design. All plates are accompanied by incisive commentary by Philip Haythornthwaite, detailing the history of the unit, and the extent of the uniform changes. This is a companion guide to Greenhill’s Napoleon’s Elite Cavalry. Back to Greenhill Military Book News No. 116 Table of Contents Back to Greenhill Military Book News List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by Greenhill Books This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com