This water-coloured drawing is very valuable evidence of a soldier of British infantry in the 1770s. It is one of five such studies of individual soldiers made when the 25th regiment was stationed on Minorca in that period. At first glance this might be mistaken for a man of the light infantry company which had been added to the regimental establishment in 1771. But he is in fact a private from one of the eight battalion companies. The original caption (in English) added by the artist (probably Guiseppe Chiesa) says, ‘Private XXV Regiment Marching Order’.
The light troops wore short coats and were generally better equipped for the kind of warfare that they experienced in North America at that time. But there was a marked difference between the parade uniform of the battalion companies and the dress they adopted for the actual work of fighting. This man’s coat is cut short, but still has turn-backs, and has plain yellow facings, not embellished with patterned lace. The sleeves are well-fitted, with snug yellow cuffs that have a button, lining up with three more on the sleeve. The white waistcoat is strangely edged with red, including the pockets.
The unusual hat is a cut-down version of his tricorn, but has no lace edge. There is a black cockade and a white-metal badge of some kind on the left side, and white tassels on the right. The white breeches have buttons on the lower part, and there are black gaiters which resemble light company leg-wear. The men wore white stockings, but in marching order these were covered by an extra white pair that had been treated with a water-proofing substance.
He has a broad white belt on the left shoulder for a black leather ammunition pouch. and a narrower white belt for his socket bayonet. The battalion company men did not have a sword. The other shoulder straps are for his grey fur knapsack. Beneath the straps is a not-so-neatly folded blanket worn over the right shoulder.
The musket issued to the infantry between 1769 and 1794 was the Short Land muzzle-loading flintlock. It weighed 10 pounds, 0.75 inch calibre. It was capable of firing 3 rounds a minute.
