WAR OF 1812 SOLDIERS HAD TO BE TOUGH

Ron Watts in uniform of British Soldier War of 1812.

British soldiers who fought in the War of 1812 had to be as tough as nails. They were not pampered.  To prevent the carrying of personal items, uniforms had no pockets. One uniform had to last three years. They were issued with three shoes—not pairs. The shoes had leather tops with wooden soles. There were no left and right shoes. They were rotated to promote even wear.

Ron Watts, a London re-enactor, displayed the uniform, Brown Bess musket, his sword and other items of British army life of the time, during a meeting of the London and Middlesex Historical Society recently.

Soldiers’ hats were tall to make the men appear taller. The hats were made from beaver skin with the hair removed, he said. Later, the hats were reduced in height but carried false fronts, again, to make the soldier appear tall.

Coloured vertical hackles stood next to the false front to help indicate which men were where during the smoke of battle.

Watts’ role during reenactments was that of an engineer. These soldiers wore a sturdy leather apron to protect the clothing. In his case, he also carried a billhook, “a rather vicious looking weapon,” used for many purposes, including cutting brush, wood, trees and for building bridges; it also could be used for cutting meat and in battle.

“The main weapon was the Brown Bess musket—still used today in re-enactments.”

The British used 69 calibre musket balls. They were smaller and easier to load, but were notoriously inaccurate, he said. A good soldier could shoot and reload three times in a minute. (Watts was tested and was rated at just slightly below three times.) The musket was reliable up to about 80% of the time on a dry day.

Re-enactment soldiers today use about 90 grains of powder per shot, but some use 100 or even 110 grains. Soldiers had to be very careful when loading: too much powder could result in broken ear drums or damage to the weapon itself. They were supposed to check to see that the touch hole was smoking to be sure the gun had gone off. When in good condition, a musket could fire 18-20 rounds without misfiring. When it misfired, the soldier had to stop and clean it. To keep it in top condition, the weapon was carefully cared for, with the stock protected with wax.

Photo by Roxanne Lutz

The Brown Bess musket was the longest serving weapon used by the British, he said. It was also the first weapon made with interchangeable parts. Prior to about 1760, when a musket broke down, it had to be returned to the original gunsmith for repair because only he had the correct parts. After the use of interchangeable parts came into effect, different gunsmiths could manufacture the different parts and any gunsmith could repair a musket.

The manufacturers of powder mixed it with sawdust to increase the quantity, but while it did that, it reduced the effectiveness of the weapon in the field.

Watts appeared at the meeting dressed in the colourful uniform of the Royal Scots. “On the end of my musket, I have a 22-inch three-sided bayonet. Many of the British soldiers of the time believed that after the first shot, the musket became a handle for the bayonet, much preferred in close-order combat, rather than reloading and firing.”

During the Battle of Longwoods, the British attacked from a low valley with the Americans on the high ground. It had snowed the night before and the slope was slippery. The American soldiers not only had the advantage of higher ground but also used Kentucky rifles. Although slower to load—about one shot per minute—their rifled barrels put a spin on the ball that made for much more accurate shooting than that of the Brown Bess.

The British lost that battle.

Site of the original battle near Wardsville, Ont.

You can visit the site of the battle on Longwoods Rd. (Number 2 Highway) 51 kms west of London east of Wardsville.

The Upper Thames Military Reenactment Society will re-enact that battle, May 3-4, 2014. It will be held in the Longwoods Road Conservation Area. This is not the site of the original battle. From London, drive west on Longwoods Rd. from the exit of Highway 402—it’s about five kms.

Click here for more information: www.battleoflongwoods.ca