1811 Officer's Regulations

In December 1811, a new uniform was specified for officers.  These are those orders.  Although some re-enactors have argued that the changes would not have been seen in Canada until the end of the war, John Le Couteur of the 104th, in his journal, reports that he turned out in his new uniform in "Saint John on the 13th" of July, 1812 (70).

1802 Clothing Regulations

Although the Commander in Chief had not ordered an new Clothing Warrant since 1768, in 1802, he did issue a new set of Clothing Regulations.  They are contained here in full, from an article in the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research by W.Y. Carman.  These Regulations contain many of the items that we base our impressions on.  An updated set of Regulations were published in 1811 for officers (see above).

1811 Drill Manual

This is the drill manual that Crown Forces, Upper Canada currently use.  It was intially published in 1807 and updated throughout the War in Europe. 

A Practical Guide for the Light Infantry Officer

This drill manual for light infantry is written by Captain T.H. Cooper.  It is an extremely useful and comprehensive guide.  This is the basis for the light infantry drill that we in the Royal Scots use, though we add from other manuals where necessary.

General Rules and Regulations for the Army, 1811

This is a link to a Google book, which is the complete Rules and Regulations for the Army from 1811.  This book, published by Horse Guards, offers everything an officer needs to know to run his unit.  There are many interesting topics covered here including 'Memorandum resepcting the Fixing of a Flint' and 'Camp Regulations.'

Notes on Chevrons

The three letters here are all written in 1803 and concern the introduction of Chevrons in the British Army (replacing Epaulettes and Shoulder Knots) for Non Commissioned Officers.  They are also taken from the Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research.

Notes on Lance Corporals

This file contains three primary source documents that mention Lance Corporals and their role in the British Army during the Peninsular War. 

The Purchase System in the British Army

This is an essay that I wrote for a British History course in University.  It outlines the reasons why the system of purchasing commissions remained so long in the British army.

Light Infantry Whistle Calls

Shown here is one version of the light infantry whistle calls used in the early nineteenth century.  These are based on the similar bugle calls, but were altered when it was felt the Americans could guess their signals. 

These whistle calls are the ones used by the Royal Scots, Light Company during reenactment displays.  They differ slightly from those above.

Notes form The Royal Military Chronicle

There are two articles contained here.  Both are from The Royal Military Chronicle - a journal published by British Army Officers for each other during the Peninsular War.  The first section is from their 'History of the British Army' and attempts to detail the history of the Royal Regiment.  The Second Section is a letter written to the Editors from Lietenant J. Allen, serving with the third battlaion of the Royal Regiment in the Peninsula.  It gives his version of the history of the Regiment and some notes of offiers' uniforms of the day.

Light Company Muster Roll

This is a list, courtesy of Glenn Stott, from the National Archives of all the soldiers that served in the Light Company of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Scots between December 1813 and March 1814.  The rank and file numbers 104 and Glenn has also included a list of later transfers to the Light Company.

September 1812 Inspection Return for the Royal Scots

This is a Rich Text Format file that includes all the information contained in the second biannual inspection return for the First Battalion of the Royal Scots in 1812.  Some interesting points to note are: the scarcity of officers (we only had 3 Captains serving with us); the size of the recruits (most were between 5'6" and 5'8"); and the fact that the Regiment didn't have any tents.

Pictures of Original items

This is a link to our pictures site.  The pictures on this page are all of original items in various museums.  Most relate to the Royal Scots, but there are some that may be of interest to a wider audience.  For example, one picture is of the Colour Sergeant badge for the Royal Scots.