38

THEBRITISHARMYIN EGYPT by StephenEde-Borrett adopted these during the campaign. The tbr€e battalions of Sepoysfrom India wore no trousersor breechesbut a peculiar The Egyptiancampaignof 1801was,for the British Army, swift white breechcloth affair which camedownonly to the top of the and startlingly succ€ssful. thigh. After a seri€sof r€heanals at Mamarie Bay in Asia Minor Officially officers *ere supposedto wear the cockedhat still, the British vanguardled by Major GeneralSir JohnMoore (the but contemporaryillustrations and accountsmate it clear that futu.e victor of Corunna) stormed ashoreat Aboukir Bay od the geat majority quickly adopted the round hat, which was March 8th.' The Army had already beendivided into Brigades alsowom by all ranks of tbe 61stFoot (ftom the Cape)and the and in the initial landings Moore's ReserveBdgade lost 31 20th. 24th. 25th and 26th Foot from lndia and De Roll's. The officers and 642 other ranks killed and wounded - heary other battalions in the main wore the 1800patt€m stovepipe casualties, particularly when compared to the rest of the shako, although againthere is someevidencefor the round hat canpaign. (SeeTables 4 & 5.) beingwom or adoptedby battalionsnot origmally issuedwith it. The march on Alexandria, which beganon March 13th was Many grenadier companies,the fusilier regimentsand drumeffected in three columns: me|s in most regim€ntswore the grcnadier cap. Plumeswere The Right, pamlel to the Sea- S John Moorc's Reserve white over red for the centre companies,green for the light The Centre- Craddock's,Cooke'sand the Guards'Brigades companies and *hile for grenadiercompades. led by the 9fth Foot. Th€ Highland regiments,asmight be expected,wore kilt and The Left - Cavan's& Stuan's Brigadesplus one battalion of bonnet with the shorter doublet-like coat. Marines ftom the fleet, led by the 92nd Foot. De Watteville's had a dark green coat with black collar and The fbst encounter with the French Army took place at cufls and greentumbacksedgedblack. The cut of this coat was Mandora on the first day of the march andcost Abercromby 60 similar to that of the Austrian Army of this time - or inde€dto officeE and 153 other ranks killed - the high proportion of the Kleber OrdinanceCoat.2The breeches*ere bdght blue and officen lost is interesting,but I haveno explanationfor it. Both 1lom with short cali length black gaiters.The regimentalshako the 90th and the 92nd received"Mandora" as a battle honour was also unique being light gey, very slight bell-shaped,atrd for this action. with a black edge-braidedyellow band around the lower third. Ofle of the geat€st problemsfor Abercromby at this time was Grenadiershad a red cockadeand loop with a white feather. the shortageof horses,asTable 1 shows.This problem wasnot The light companyhadthis all in geen, the cente companiesall rectified until after the Battle of Ale&ndria when the black. Mamelukesjoined Abercromby in increasingnumbers. EstiThe ChassewsBritannique'suniform compriseda dark geen dates put thef numbers at about 2,m0 cavalry ftrlus some coat in a stylethat is bestdescribedlike that wom by the Duchy 2-3,000Turkish foot) by April 5th, and another body of over of Wa aw troops in c18078, gr€y breecheswith shon black 2,000 cavalry joined in May. These numbers are substantial gaite6, and a black stovepipeshako. All belts, etc. were black, whenit is realisedthat the whole Army numberedbarely 15,000 all buttons and platessilver or pewler. The regrmentwasissued effectivesat the outset of the campaign. with rifles and was true light inJantry. Ofhcers wore the round It makesan interestingfootnote to this successfulcampaignto hat.3 note that after ejecting the Frcnch Eg]'pt was rctumed to The CorsicanRangerswere another unit of rifle armed ligbt Turkish hands- only for the Governmentto attemptto seizeit inJanEy and again drcssed accotdingly. In app€arancethe back in 1807.The latter campaignwas not, to understateit uniform was effectively ttat of the 60th Foot, but with r€d somewhat, a great successand Eg)?t remained part of the facingsto the coat. Breech€swer€ gley andthe belts,etc. black. Turkish Empire. A1l buttons w€re silver/pewter.4 lrwenstein's Jasersis a more obscureunit. It was also rifle ORGANISATION armedtight inlantry andsoprobablywore a uniform akin to that The theoreticalestablishmentof a battalion of Foot (for the fell/ of the Corsican Rangers,although it is known to have wom Horse in Egypt seeTable 3) was 10centrecompadies,and t\to round hats throughout the Eglptian campaign.The coat was flank companies(one grenadier and one light), plus a smal dark grey-geen, facedgreenwith all beltsblack andbuttons the usual silver/pewter.Breecheswerc grey-greenand wom with Battalion staff. Each Companyhad, again theoretically (and Table 3 sho\rs short black gaitels. The artilery wore blue coats faced red. A uniform little how far apafi were iheory andrcality), 4 offic€rs, 5 sergeants,2 different from that wom in the Peninsula. drummers,5 coryorals and 95 privates. The Light Dragoon regimentswhich servedwith Aberoomby were uniformed in a blue jacket with regimental facingson TJNIFORMS collar. cuffs and tumbacksand lac€ acrossthe front. Headwear Nearly all the battahonsof Foot engagedin EgyPt, including was the Tarleton' helmet.sBelts, etc. were white, aswere the Dillon's, Stuart'sMinorcans,De Roll's and the Sepoys,worc breeches. The sadalleclothwas edged in regimental facing 'Napoleonic' cut - Tabl€ 6 sets out colour. (SeeTable 6 for d€tails of facings.) red coats of the nomal Hompesch'sMounted Rifles or Light Dragoooswaslhe only derailsof facings.etc. Most units wore white or light grey trousersover, or m place foreigD cavalry regiment to serve with Ab€rcromby and its of, white breechesand short black gaiters De Roll's, and uniJormwasquite unusual.The j acketwasmid greenwith a red po$sibly the61st,woregleyor *hile Saiterlrcuserssuchashad plastron ftont, collar and cuffs. Red breechesand stovepip€ been DoDulardurinq lhe American War o[ IndePetrdenceshako, with a white and ted plume. Black belts, buttons, etc. wentvvearsearlier--tbereis alsolhepossibilitylhatolherunits yellow. The shabraquewasgreenwith a red van-Dyked edge.

INTRODUCTION

Table I The Cavalry upon Dis€mbarkation, March Eth, t801

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Table 2 The Army's organisationupon dis€mbarkrtion,March 8th l80l Commanderin Chief: Sir R.lph Abe.cromby CavalryBrigsdel 11thLight Dragoons.one troop (attachedto bdgadeonly) 12th Light Dragoons 26th Light Dragoons Hompes€h's MountedRifles(2 or 3 Troopsonly present) Gusrds Bri$de - Mqior G€neralLudlow 1stBattalionColdstreamRegt. of Footguards 1stBattalion3rd Regt. oI Footguards lst Brigad€ - Major General Coote 2nd Battalionlst or Royal Regt. of Foot 1st Battalion 54th (West Norfolk) Foot 2nd Battalion54th (Westnorfolk) Foot 92nd(Highland)Foot 2nd Brigade- Mqjor G€neral Craddock 8th (The Kingt Regimen0 Foot l31h(lst Somersetshire) Foot lSth (The Royal l.ish) Foot 90th Perthshire Volunteen 3d Brigad€- Mqior GeneralLord cavan 50th (West Kent) Foot 79th Foot (CameronianVolunteen) 4th Brigade- Mqior C€n€ral DoJle znd or Queen'sOwn Royal Regt. of Foot 30th(Canbridgeshire) Foot ,'4th (East Essex)Foot 89thFoot sth Brigade- Major G€n€ralJoh Stu.rt Stuart's Minorcan Regiment De Roll's SwissRegiment of Infantry EdwardDillon'sEmig6 Regimentof Infanrry Res€rveBrigad€- Sir John Moor€ 8rd (Royal Wetch Fusili€n) 28th(North Gloucestershire) Foot 42nd (The Royal Highland) Foot 58th(Rurlandshire) Foor 40th (2nd Somersetshire)Foot - 4 companiesonly Conican Rangers An ery: 24 x 6pdr gunsin 4 batteries 16 x 12pdr gunsin 3 batteries 6 x 5%" howitzers SicgeTrain: 4 x 12pdrguns 20 x 24pdr guns 2 x 10" howitze$ 10 x 8" howitzen 18 x 5%" monars 10 x 8" monars 12 x 10' monars De Watteville's Swiss Regiment of infantry, Irwenstein,s Jage6 and The ChassewsBritannique arrived a couple of days after the initial force - the first two went into Stuart's brigade andthe Chasseurs into Moore's.

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NOTES 1. Th€ date of March 4th given in me French CampaigniD EqWL Palt I (w1.34) is, after fiuther research,incorecl. 2. A good accountof this rcgiment and its uniform appearsin Military ModeliDg, Augtst 1981. 3. SeeMilitary Mode ing for Ocrober 1987. 4. SeeWitary Mode ing for December 1987. 5. This helmetis traditionaly saidto be the only wholy Britisb military headwearever wom. 6. One troop only of this Regiment was present. The troop servedas the C-in-C's escort. 7. I havebeenunableto ascertainthe exactdateofthis musterit is certainly before the actual landings. 8. The discrepancf in numbe$ for these Regiments is accountedfor in the men left on Malta.