Britons at war: Camp life and campaign

Gemma Bagshaw. School of History. UGRL scholar: The Bicentenary of the End of the Napoleonic Wars, 2015.

The aim of this project was to discover and explore the experiences of camp life for British Redcoats during the eighteenth century. After visiting the National Archives to look through War and Home Office records, it was found that the four main aspects of the Redcoat experience included: camp arrangements, clothing both on the march and in camp, discipline and food/pay allowances whilst at war.

For more information on camp life see: http://tinyurl.com/aodbnpy

To learn more about Redcoat clothing and response see: http://tinyurl.com/a7fpdgl

ClothingThe traditional Redcoat uniform was made up of a regimental coat, white shirt, grey trousers, braces, shoes and shako. Each regiment had different coloured facings ranging from Willow Green to White Lining

A uniform, without extras such as shirts, cost £2 6s 9d. Extras were often taken from the dead on the battlefield. A forage dress made up of white trousers and a white shirt worn when relaxing in camp

Ornaments emphasised the grandeur of the army and included tassels, feathers, silk linings, lapels and buttons

Food and payThe daily allowance for a mess group was made up of 6lb bread or flour, 10 ½ lb beef, 1 ½ lb rice or oatmeal, 2 pints of rum

Soldiers were expected to live off the land whilst marching as supplying the troops was a problem. Plunder and pillage at each village the army marched through

A sergeant could expect to be paid up to 2s 6d whilst a foot soldier may have been paid only 8d per day. A private with the cavalry could expect 2s 6d and a drummer would be paid 3s

DisciplineCrimes include: drunkenness, theft, general misbehaviour

Punishment: running the gauntlet, being picquetted without shoes, being branded with a ‘D’ for desertion, flogging, execution

Sutlers could be flogged if found to be trading without a license and women were expected to wash, clean and cook

Camp followers and women subject to same military law – normally 6 women per 100 men on service

CampA regiment of foot of 790 men would carry: 160 tents, 160 tin kettles, 12 camp colours, 20 drum cases, 10 powder bags, 792 haversacks

A mess group of 5-6 men would share a tent, barrack or billet both at home and abroad. Barracks throughout England, particularly southern coast. Brentwood barracks could house 11,000+ men

Camp could be set up anywhere on campaign. More often than not soldiers had to sleep on rocks with nothing more than a greatcoat for cover