The Royal Regiment, and Other NovelettesGrant, James
History
The Royal Regiment, and Other Novelettes
Grant, James
Scotland -- Fiction; Scotland -- History, Military -- Fiction
In May of the same year, Colonel John Grahame of Claverhouse imported
from England 150 ells of red cloth, 40 ells of white, and 550 dozen
of buttons, for the use of the Life Guards, and the Council ordained
that the uniform of the Scottish infantry should be "of such a dye as
shall be thought fit to distinguish sojours from other skulking and
vagrant persons, who have hitherto imitated the uniform of the King,"
and red was the dye so universally adopted that in 1685 we find 300
ells of it ordered by Captain Patrick Grahame for the City Guard of
Edinburgh.
The Cavalier trooper, Captain Crichton, writes of the Scottish
cavalry in _red_ in 1676; and in 1684 we find that the dress of the
Coldstream Guards was a red coat lined with green, red stockings, red
breeches, and white sashes.* "The colonel and other officers, when
on duty, to wear their gorgets."
* Royal Orders, &c.
In Sir Patrick Hume's account of Argyle's descent upon Scotland
(printed in Rose's Observations upon the historical works of Mr.
Fox), among the Scottish forces led by the Earl of Dumbarton, he
says, "wee saw in view a regiment of red-coat foot, too strong for us
to attacque." This was the Scots Royals, or 1st Regiment of the
Line. Before the victorious charge at Killiecrankie, Viscount Dundee
is said to have substituted a green for a scarlet uniform over his
buff coat; and the former colour is yet considered ominous to those
of his name who wear it.*
* Browne's "History of the Highlands."
Some years before the Revolution, Grenadier companies had been added
to the English and Scottish establishments.
Charles II. having resolved to introduce hand-grenades, on the 13th
April, 1678, issued a warrant for a company of one hundred men to be
added to the Holland regiment, under the command of Captain John
Bristoe, to be armed with those explosives, and to be styled
Grenadiers. A similar company was soon added to every other corps in
both countries. These soldiers carried fusils with bayonets,
hatchets, and swords. Their uniform was different from that of the
musketeer and pikeman; the two latter had round hats with broad brims
turned up on one side, the former a fur cap with a lofty crown; they
also wore cravats "of fox tailes."
"In 1678," says Evelyn in his Diary, "were brought into the service a
new sort of soldiers called Grenadiers, who were dextrous at flinging
hand-grenades, every one having a pouch full; they wore furred caps
with coped crowns like Janizaries, which made them look very fierce,
and some had hoods hanging down behind. Their clothing being pybald,
yellow, and red." Such was the origin of our "British Grenadiers" of
immortal memory!
According to Fosbroke, after throwing the grenade, on receiving the
words "Fall on," they rushed on the enemy with hatchets, which they
wore in addition to muskets, slings, swords, and daggers.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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