1. The British Soldier
The standard weapon used by the British soldier was the “Brown Bess” musket. It was named after Elizabeth I, one of the greatest queens of England. It was not very accurate and had a range of about only yards, That is why the soldiers fired in volleys facing each other.
Soldiers were enlisted for “life” and their pay was so low they often had other jobs on the side. That’s one reason why the Boston Massacre occurred – patriots were angry British soldiers were taking their jobs!
One of the British weapons most feared by American colonial troops was the bayonet. A bayonet charge by the British would often cause American units to scatter in fear.
The dye used to make the coats red was not very good and would turn a pinkish-brown under the sun. Imagine the yell “The Pinky-Brownies are coming!”
The Hessian Soldier- when the American Revolution began, the British Army needed more soldiers. King George III hired soldiers from the German state of Hesse – hence the name Hessians. These soldiers were hated by the American colonials as they were ruthless on the battlefield and brutal to the American colonial civilians.
The British soldier usually wore a red-colored wool jacket. Headgear often differed according to what regiment the soldier was in.