Uniforms.—Old Admirals in the Naval Gallery at Greenwich.—Admiral Forbes and the Duke of Bedford.—Dress of an admiral of the fleet.—Captains and commanders.—Full dress of the officers of the life-guards.—Dragoon-guards.—Light dragoons.—Lancers.—Hussars.—King George the Fourth and the life-guardsman.—Full dress of the officers of the foot-guards.—Infantry of the line.—Light infantry.—Fusiliers.—Highlanders.—Riflemen.—Sir Samuel Hood and the new-made boatswain.
“I have said nothing of the uniforms worn by soldiers and sailors, and will now enter a little on the subject. If you were to see the paintings of the hearty old admirals in the Naval Gallery of 66Greenwich Hospital, they would surprise you. Some of these tough old tars look as though they would not alter a brass button of their coats, if it affected the honour of old England, to prevent the broadside of an enemy from sending them to the bottom of the ocean. Their dresses are so odd and so different one from another that you would hardly think they were all admirals. Some have long curled wigs on; some have red coats, some blue, and some brown; some are clad in armour; some in buff leathern jerkins; some in loose robes, and others in red velvet gowns with ermine capes. In old times there was no fixed uniform for the navy; and, besides, some of these admirals are painted as they appeared on state occasions. In the reign of George II. some of these old heroes, talking over the subject of dress at one of their clubs, came to a resolution ‘That a uniform dress is useful and necessary for commissioned officers, agreeably to the practice of other nations.’ No sooner was this resolution passed, than a committee appointed Admiral Forbes to wait on the Duke of Bedford, who was then the First Lord of the Admiralty.”
“And did he go to the duke?”
“He did. He was shown into a room surrounded with dresses, and the duke asked him which of them he thought the most suitable? ‘Oh!’ said he, ‘the dress should be either red and blue, or blue and red, for these are the national 67colours.’ ‘That may be,’ replied his Grace, ‘but the King has settled the matter differently. He saw my duchess riding in the park the other day, in a habit of blue faced with white; it took his fancy, and he has ordered that it shall become the uniform of the royal navy.’ This uniform of blue and white was established in the year 1748, and remained unaltered, as to colour, until a few years ago, when King William IV. changed the white facing to a red one. At the present time we have our national colours blue and red.”
“But is there no lace about an admiral’s uniform?”
“Oh, yes. In 1812 the full dress of the admiral of the fleet was a coat of blue cloth, with white cloth lapelles laced, and cuffs, with five laces round the cuffs. The admirals the same, with only four laces on the cuffs. The vice-admirals, with only three laces on the cuffs. The rear-admiral, with two laces on the cuffs. The captain to the admiral of the fleet wore the undress or frock-uniform of rear-admirals. Captains and commanders wore uniforms of the same pattern. Lieutenants wore a uniform of the same pattern as captains, but without lace, and masters’-mates and midshipmen dressed as they did before. The officers wore epaulettes, according to their ranks.”
“Epaulettes! What, do officers in the navy wear epaulettes?”
“Yes! Epaulettes in the navy are of gold 68lace; and officers in the army or navy who disgrace their arms are liable to have their epaulettes torn from their shoulders. According to an order of the Admiralty, in 1812, captains above three years post have two epaulettes, with a silver crown over a silver anchor; and post-captains under three years, have two, with a silver anchor without the crown. Commanders have two plain epaulettes; lieutenants, one; rear-admirals, two, with a star on the strap of each; vice-admirals, two stars, and admirals three stars. Marines used to wear two silver epaulettes, but, for good conduct, they are now called royal, and allowed to wear gold epaulettes, according to the rank they have acquired.”
“Now, please to give us the uniform of soldiers; for that is very striking.”
“If I were jesting, boys, I should say, the most striking part of a soldier is his sword, but in gravely describing things as they are, I must say that his dress is the most conspicuous thing about him. Were soldiers clad in common clothes their bravery would suffer as much as their appearance in our estimation.”
“Oh! it would never do for soldiers to dress in common clothes; we should not know that they were soldiers.”
“Red and blue are the prevailing colours in the army. You will, perhaps, like to know something about the full dress of the officers; the dress of the men is, of course, of an inferior quality.”
69“Yes. The dress of the officers, if you please. Some officers that we have seen have cut a very grand appearance.”
“Passing by, for the present, the dress of general officers, staff officers, the personal staff attached to general officers, the staff of garrisons, the Royal Military College, the Royal Military Asylum, the Cavalry Dep?t, garrison of Chatham, and the civil departments, I will come at once to the dress of officers of regiments of cavalry. These are, as I have told you, the life-guards, the royal regiment of horse-guards, the dragoon-guards, and heavy dragoons, the light dragoons, the lancers and the hussars. As changes are often introduced in the dress of officers, it is possible that my account may not in every particular be correct, but I will be as exact as I can.”
“Now, then, for the dress of the life-guards.”
“The officers of the life-guards, when in full dress, wear a scarlet coat, single-breasted, which has a blue velvet Prussian collar, embroidered, and a bear-skin cap, fourteen inches deep in front, with white swan feathers. So you see that British officers may show the white feather without being suspected of cowardice. Their pantaloons are of white leather; their swords have half-basket steel-pierced hilts, with steel scabbards, and crimson and gold sword-knots, and their gloves are white leather gauntlets. When in their undress, they wear blue pantaloons, and a 70blue cloth forage-cap. The shabraque, or horse-cloth, of the life-guards is blue, trimmed with lace and embroidered. An officer’s uniform is often of great value; but though to lose his full-dress would be a misfortune, to be stript of his honour would be a greater loss. Directly after the battle of Waterloo his royal highness the Prince of Wales, the Prince Regent, afterward George IV. declared himself colonel-in-chief of the household cavalry brigade. This was done as a mark of attention to the first and second regiments of life-guards, and the royal horse-guards (blue), who had conducted themselves very bravely in the battle. When the Prince Regent became King he still held the appointment, and William IV. afterwards followed his example.
“The life-guards must appear grand enough mounted on their fine horses. Now for the horse-guards, for they come next.”
“The life-guards do, as you say, appear grand, but there is many a foot-soldier with his coarse, grey great-coat, and knapsack on his back, ay, and many a common sailor, in his plain blue jacket, that carries as brave a heart in his bosom as a life-guardsman. In the royal regiment of horse-guards the officers wear a blue coat with embroidered scarlet collar. Many parts of their dress resemble that of the life-guards, but their feathers are red, and their waist-belt white silk; their horse-furniture is scarlet with gold-lace and embroidery.”
71“How handsome their horses must look in embroidery, scarlet, and gold lace!”
“The officers of the dragoon-guards and heavy dragoons wear a scarlet coat with collar, cuffs, and turn-backs of regimental facings, and embroidered skirt-ornaments, and helmets of gilt-metal, with bear-skin crest. Their trousers are blue, and gold lace. Their horse-furniture is a high-mounting saddle, black sheep-skin shabraque edged with scarlet cloth, with dress housing of blue cloth and gold lace, a bear-skin flounce, and white web collar.”
“Gilt helmets! How they must glitter in the sun!”
“They do. A double-breasted scarlet jacket, with gold basket braid, is worn by the officers of the light dragoons, if it be not already changed for a blue one. Their chaco, or cap, is black beaver, with white drooping cock-tail feathers, trousers dark blue and gold lace, girdle and waist-belt gold lace. Their horse-furniture is embroidered blue cloth.”
“Why are dragoons called light and heavy?”
“The heavy dragoons are larger men, and have heavier and stronger horses. Light troops are the most nimble, and heavy the most powerful. The lancers, like the light dragoons, wear a double-breasted scarlet jacket; the cuff and collar are blue, and the button-holes embroidered; the cap-plume is a black cockade, their waist-belt and pouch-belt are of gold lace, and the pouch-box scarlet 72leather; their shabraque is of blue cloth embroidered.”
“The lancers wear scarlet jackets, but the life-guards wear scarlet coats; we remember that.”
“The clothing of Prince Albert’s hussars, I believe, is, blue dress jacket, pelisse all blue, with fur cuffs and collars; trousers, crimson with yellow stripes; undress jackets, blue; the hurby, or fur-cap, of seal-skin; the horse covered with a crimson shabraque, ornamented with German silver. On arrival of Prince Albert in England a squadron of the hussars escorted him from Canterbury to Sittingbourne. The band played on that occasion in front of the fountain at Canterbury, when his royal highness presented them with ten pounds. From the circumstance of this being the first regiment which received him on the English shores, and of his royal highness being struck with their fine appearance, Prince Albert, it is thought, selected it as his own.”
“Would it not be better if soldiers were clad in armour, as the knights used to be in old times. Nothing then could hurt them, unless it was a cannon ball?”
“It has been discovered that inside armour is better than outside. The courage of the heart is a stronger defence than the breastplate, and the skill and strength of the arm affords more security than a helmet of iron. Philip de Comines tells us of a number of armed Italian knights, who at the 73battle of Fournoue, being overthrown, were unable to rise on account of the weight of their armour; they were therefore taken prisoners, but they could not be killed until they were broken up like huge lobsters, with wood-cutters’ axes, by the servants and followers of the army.”
“Dreadful! dreadful!”
“James I. when speaking of armour, said, ‘that it not only protected the wearer from injury but also prevented him from doing injury to others.’ The following anecdote is told of George IV. After the battle of Waterloo, it was proposed to make some change in the dress of the life-guards. The King ordered one of the soldiers to be sent for, who was said to have slain in single combat six or seven French cuirassiers. He was asked a variety of questions, that his opinion might be obtained as to what kind of defence or dress was best for a soldier; but the King saw, by his answers, that he was overawed, and biassed in his opinion by the presence of the King, and also of his own officers, for he assented to everything. At last the King said to him, ‘Well, if you were going to have such another day’s work as you had at Waterloo, how would you like to be dressed?’ ‘Why, please your Majesty, in that case, I had rather be in my shirt-sleeves.’”
“It seems, that armour would never do for soldiers. What is the full uniform of the infantry officers?”
74“I have told you so much of the dress of the cavalry that I can only say very little of the infantry. The officers of the foot-guards wear a scarlet coat, with blue Prussian collar embroidered with gold, blue trousers, gold epaulettes, and bear-skin cap. The infantry of the line wear scarlet coatees, trousers of Oxford-mixture cloth, or white linen, with black beaver caps and white feather; and the light-infantry are dressed much the same, but their forage-cap is of dark green cloth, with an embroidered bugle in front.”
“Ay! the bugle in front of the cap is just right for the light infantry.”
“The light infantry are an active set of fellows, here, there, and everywhere at the shortest intervals of time. The fusiliers’ dress differs little from that of the infantry of the line, but their cap is bear-skin, with a white hackle feather. The Highland regiments wear a scarlet jacket, belted plaid, kilt, shoes and buckles, with a cocked bonnet, carrying six black ostrich feathers.”
“The dress of the Highlander is the oddest of all!”
“The Highlanders are famous with the broadsword. Perhaps you may remember Sir Walter Scott’s description of the fight between Fitz James and Roderick Dhu.”
“Ill fared it then with Roderick Dhu,
That on the field his targe he threw,
75Whose brazen studs and tough bull-hide
Had death so often dashed aside;
For trained abroad his arms to wield,
Fitz James’s blade was sword and shield;
He practised every pass and ward,
To thrust, to strike, to feint, to guard;
While, less expert, though stronger far,
The Gael maintained unequal war.
Three times in closing strife they stood,
And thrice the Saxon sword drank blood;
No stinted draught, no scanty tide,
The gushing flood the tartans dyed.
Fierce Roderick felt the fatal drain,
And showered his blows like wintry rain;
And as firm rock, or castle roof,
Against the winter shower is proof,
The foe, invulnerable, still
Foiled his wild rage by steady skill;
Till at advantage ta’en, his brand
Forced Roderick’s weapon from his hand,
And, backwards borne upon the lea,
Brought the proud chieftain to his knee.”
“What a desperate battle it must have been! Have you told us all about uniforms?”
“Why, I think that you have had quite enough of dress, I will, therefore, only say, that the rifle regiments wear green jackets and trousers, with a black beaver cap. The duty of the rifle-corps is different from that of other soldiers, for they hide themselves behind the trees, or lie along on the ground, or among the bushes, so as to be able to pick off the officers of the enemy with their rifles. Their dress is green, that they may not be spied 76out so easily. A rifleman will fire off his piece in almost any attitude, and bring down his enemy.”
“What, do they pick off the officers one by one, just as a sportsman does his birds?”
“They do, boys! Many practices in war will hardly do to dwell upon. I have not said so much about the uniform of sailors as of the uniform of soldiers; but I will give you a droll account of the scrape that a boatswain once got into on account of his love of finery. I think the account is given by Captain Hall, but I am not certain.”
“Let us hear it! Let us hear it!”
“I remember once, on the beach of Madras, witnessing an amusing scene between Sir Samuel 77Hood, then commander-in-chief in India, and the newly-promoted boatswain of a sloop-of-war, belonging to the squadron. The admiral, who was one of the bravest, and kindest, and truest-hearted seamen that ever trod a ship’s decks, was a sworn foe to all trickery in dress-work. The eye of the veteran officer was directed earnestly towards the yeast of waves, which, in immense double rows of surf, fringe and guard the whole of that flat shore. He felt more anxious than usual about the fate of this particular boat, from having ordered on shore the person alluded to, with whom he wished to have some conversation previously to their parting company. This boatswain was a young man, who had been for some years a follower of the admiral, in different ships, and to whom he had just given a warrant. The poor fellow, unexpectedly promoted from before the mast to the rank of an officer, was trigged up in his newly bought but marvellously ill-cut uniform, shining like a dollar, and making its wearer, who, for the first time in his life, had put on a long coat, feel not a little awkward.
“As soon as the boat was partly driven up the beach by the surf, and partly dragged beyond the dash of the breakers by the crowd on shore, this happiest of warrant-officers leaped out on the sand, and seeing the admiral above him, standing on the crest of the natural glacis, which lines the shore, he took off his hat, smoothed down the hair on his 78forehead, sailor-fashion, and stood uncovered, in spite of the roasting sun flaming in the zenith.
“The admiral, of course, made a motion with his hand for the boatswain to put his hat on, but the other, not perceiving the signal, stood stock still.
“‘I say, put on your hat!’ called the commander-in-chief, in a tone which made the newly-created warrant start. In his agitation he shook a bunch of well trimmed ringlets a little on one side, and betrayed, to the flashing eyes of the admiral, a pair of small, round, silver ear-rings, the parting gift, doubtless, of some favoured and favouring ‘Poll’ or ‘Bess,’ of dear, old blackguard Point Beach, the very ninth heaven of all lighthearted sailors. Be this as it may, the admiral, first stepping on one side, and then holding his head forward, as if to re-establish the doubting evidence of his horrified senses, and forcibly keeping down the astonished seaman’s hat with his hand, roared out,
“‘Who are you?’
“‘John Marline, sir!’ replied the bewildered boatswain, beginning to suspect the scrape he had got himself into.
“‘Oh!’ cried the flag-officer, with a scornful laugh. ‘Oh! I beg your pardon; I took you for a Portuguese.’
“‘No, sir!’ instinctively faltered out the other, seeing the admiral expected some reply.
79“‘No? Then if you are not a foreigner, why do you hoist false colours? What business has an English sailor with these trumpery machines in his ears?’
“‘I don’t know, sir,’ said poor Marline. ‘I put them in only this morning, when I rigged myself in my new togs, to answer the signal on shore.’
“‘Then,’ said Sir Samuel, softened by the contrite look of his old shipmate, and having got rid of the greater portion of his bile by the first explosion, ‘you will now proceed to unrig yourself of this top hamper as fast as you can; pitch them into the surf, if you like, but never, as you respect the warrant in your pocket, let me see you in that disguise again.’”