The Weapons of the Army
The British used standard equipment of the 18th century during the Revolution. This included muskets, cannons, swords, and bayonets.
Ranged Weapons
The British musket was known as the Brown Bess which was named after Elizabeth I of England, one of the English Queens from the 1500's. The gun itself was very innacurate when firing alone. This was one of the key reasons as to why they did volley firing. It could probably be used up to fifty or sixty yards, but the accuracy would be an issue still. The gun itslef would do massive damage to a target if it hits because the size of the bullet. The actualy medical service back in the 1770's was not an amazing system. Thus, if they survived the shot they would probably die from infection.
The cannon was actually an extremely effective weapon at the time. In order to operate it though one would have to be an expert in geometry to calculate the projectiles arc. Using it though had many great advantages. The weapon itself caused physcological warfare as you march to the enemy as cannon fire blasts around you. That would not be the most fun thing to do in the world, and I'm sure the soldiers agree with me.
The gun itself had many different types of ammunition, this was called "shot". For example, Grape shot was like the massive shotgun. In general though the solid shot was the most common form. It was simply the giant lead ball that we see in all the movies.
The cannon was actually an extremely effective weapon at the time. In order to operate it though one would have to be an expert in geometry to calculate the projectiles arc. Using it though had many great advantages. The weapon itself caused physcological warfare as you march to the enemy as cannon fire blasts around you. That would not be the most fun thing to do in the world, and I'm sure the soldiers agree with me.
The gun itself had many different types of ammunition, this was called "shot". For example, Grape shot was like the massive shotgun. In general though the solid shot was the most common form. It was simply the giant lead ball that we see in all the movies.
Melee Weapons
The melee at the time was not a very complex ordeal. In general you had two weapons, bayonet and sword. We will first begin with the bayonet.
The bayonet was first invented in the 1640's as a plug bayonet. This was designed as a spear that you shoved down into the barrel of the gun. When you used the bayonet you could not fire the weapon. It provided some safety, but it did have a tendency to unattach itself from the barrel. That was something many Musketeers feared at the time. So about 30 years later in 1670's the socket bayonet was invented. This bayonet was attached onto the muzzle and not to the barrel which still provided the user the ability to fire. Now one would not have to spend time to fit the bayonet on at an oncoming charge, but could leave it on the whole time!
The sword was generally issued to officers, and to all cavalry. Two types of swords existed during the Revolution: a curved sabre for light cavalry, and a longer, sturdier sword for heavy cavalry. The sword itself never was an amazing weapon at the time of the Revolution as it was the world of gunpowder. However, all cavalry used it as their mainstay for centuries and they still used it for full effect against cavalry or fleeing enemies.
The bayonet was first invented in the 1640's as a plug bayonet. This was designed as a spear that you shoved down into the barrel of the gun. When you used the bayonet you could not fire the weapon. It provided some safety, but it did have a tendency to unattach itself from the barrel. That was something many Musketeers feared at the time. So about 30 years later in 1670's the socket bayonet was invented. This bayonet was attached onto the muzzle and not to the barrel which still provided the user the ability to fire. Now one would not have to spend time to fit the bayonet on at an oncoming charge, but could leave it on the whole time!
The sword was generally issued to officers, and to all cavalry. Two types of swords existed during the Revolution: a curved sabre for light cavalry, and a longer, sturdier sword for heavy cavalry. The sword itself never was an amazing weapon at the time of the Revolution as it was the world of gunpowder. However, all cavalry used it as their mainstay for centuries and they still used it for full effect against cavalry or fleeing enemies.
Uniforms of the Infantry
The British soldier never really had standard uniforms. Many companies and regiments actually had their own uniforms. The reasoning behind this is actually quite simple. If somone had on the same desgin as you they would obviously be in your regiment. It also provided some physcological fear in battle. When soldiers saw the uniforms of an established regiment, they would be quite scared.
In general though, most of the British soldiers share similar aspects in their uniforms. These include the coloring and overall clothing.
Beneath all the fancy designs of the regiment lies the clothing. They were generally pants and a shirt along with a red jacket. This is were the term "redcoat" came from. The uniform also included satchels and back packs for food and ammo.
Head gear was generally different per unit, but some types of head garb was used quite often. These included the infamous tri-pointed hat, and the grenadier hat. Below are some examples of these uniforms.
The only remaining prevalent force other then the standard army were the loyalist soldiers. They wore green to show that they supported the King and his cause. At the time though this would prove to be an excellant indicator for the colonists to fire at them first. This would be due to the fact that they viewed each other as traitors of their nation.
In general the rest of the uniform after that are in the hands of the unit themselves. The following images show examples of these uniforms
In general though, most of the British soldiers share similar aspects in their uniforms. These include the coloring and overall clothing.
Beneath all the fancy designs of the regiment lies the clothing. They were generally pants and a shirt along with a red jacket. This is were the term "redcoat" came from. The uniform also included satchels and back packs for food and ammo.
Head gear was generally different per unit, but some types of head garb was used quite often. These included the infamous tri-pointed hat, and the grenadier hat. Below are some examples of these uniforms.
The only remaining prevalent force other then the standard army were the loyalist soldiers. They wore green to show that they supported the King and his cause. At the time though this would prove to be an excellant indicator for the colonists to fire at them first. This would be due to the fact that they viewed each other as traitors of their nation.
In general the rest of the uniform after that are in the hands of the unit themselves. The following images show examples of these uniforms