In the early 1770s, the 33rd Foot acquired a reputation as the
best-trained regiment in the British Army. This reputation would be
tested beyond breaking point over the course of the American
Revolutionary War. From Saratoga to South Carolina, the 33rd was one of
the most heavily-engaged units - on either side - throughout the war.
The 33rd's rise to prominence stemmed from its colonel, Charles, Earl
Cornwallis, who took over in 1766. In a period where senior officers
wielded huge influence over their own regiments, Cornwallis proved to be
the best kind of commander. Diligent and meticulous, he focussed on
improving the 33rd in every regard, from drills and field exercises to
the quality of the unit's weapons and clothing.
The 33rd subsequently became known as the 'pattern' for the army, the
unit on which other successful regiments were based. Prior to the
outbreak of fighting in the American colonies in 1775, the 33rd's
abilities, particularly in new light infantry drills, were frequently
praised. At one point they even assisted in training the elite regiments
of the Foot Guards.
The 33rd missed the first year of the Revolutionary War, but sailed in
early 1776 as part of the ill-fated expedition to capture Charleston, in
South Carolina. After joining the main British force in North America
outside New York in August 1776, the 33rd was brigaded with the best
units in the army, including the composite grenadier and light infantry
battalions.
Over the next five years the regiment engaged in every major battle of
the Revolutionary War, from Long Island and Brandywine to Germantown and
Monmouth - it even had one unlucky company of recruits present at
Freeman's Farm and Bemis Heights, and the subsequent surrender at
Saratoga. In 1780 'The Pattern' was part of Britain's southern
expedition, which put Cornwallis in command of the Crown's efforts to
subdue the Carolinas. Here the 33rd provided perhaps their greatest
service - and fought their most desperate battles - at Camden and
Guildford Courthouse. They marched to eventual defeat at Yorktown, but
not all of the regiment's companies were captured, and some continued to
serve actively elsewhere right up until the end of the war.
This work is partly a regimental history, giving the most detailed
account yet of the 33rd's actions during the Revolutionary War. It is
also, however, a broader study of the British Army during the
revolutionary era. It assesses what a single regiment can tell us about
wider issues affecting Britain's military. Everything from training,
weapons and uniforms, organization, transportation, camp life,
discipline, food, finances and the role of women and camp followers is
addressed alongside the marching, fighting and dying done by the men of
the regiment between 1775 and 1783. Primary sources, particularly
engaging accounts such as those of Captain William Dansey or John Robert
Shaw, a regular enlisted man, provide an engrossing narrative to this
part social, part military history of the British Army at war in the
late eighteenth century.
