UNIFORMS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION -- British Forty-Third Regiment of Foot, 1775

UNIFORMS OF
THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

This was one of the first regiments to arrive in Boston in 1774, before the beginning of the Revolution. The flank companies (the Grenadier and Light Infantry companies) were present at Lexington and Concord, and the entire regiment was at Bunker Hill. The 43rd was very active in many of the principal battles of the Revolution, and served throughout the entire war, but had the misfortune to lose its Colors at Yorktown, when captured with Cornwallis.

The regimental dress pictured is that of the battalion men, and shows us how they appeared at the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Their coats were faced with white, and the buttons were of pewter, with the number 43 stamped on them. In summer, they wore short black canvas gaiters or spatterdashes, but for full dress and parades, long black canvas gaiters with white tops. In winter, the dress was the same, with long brown cloth gaiters. No overcoats or greatcoats were issued at this period, except a few to each battalion for guard duty. The men were kept warm with heavy underclothes and mittens, and later in the war, long overalls of brown cloth were issued for campaign in winter, and white coarse duck overalls in summer.

The parade dress remained the same as described above, throughout the war. After 1777 the regiment received white cross-belts with brass plates, in place of the body belt shown in the drawing. All the officers of the regiment carried fusils like grenadier officers, in place of the espontoon.

British Forty-Third Regiment of Foot, 1775

Forty-Third Regiment of Foot, 1775

[SOURCE: Uniforms of the Armies in the War of the American Revolution, 1775-1783. Lt. Charles M. Lefferts. Limited Edition of 500. New York York Historical Society. New York, NY. 1926.]

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