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What were the red coats?

Updated: 8/22/2023
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9y ago

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The term "Redcoat" was coined to refer to a foot soldier in the British Army. During the American Revolution, colonists also referred to them as "Lobsterbacks."

The British regulars were referred to as thus due to the bright red coats they wore as part of their uniform, and because the color red often symbolized British nationalism. The fact that their uniform made them stand out in battle, British troops often developed a sense of pride, and were both feared and awed by rival armies for their bravery, determination, and unsettling discipline in the heat of battle.

The British Army was well-known to extensively drill their soldiers. Redcoats were renown on the battlefield of Europe for their ability to march in straight lines in the face of cannon and musketfire, even when the person next to them was killed, with unwavering confidence. Their discipline often allowed them to defeat opposing armies outnumbered, which was often the case due to their relatively small army compared to those of other European powers.

The use of the scarlet-coated uniform began to decline ultimately in the late 19th century after the Napoleonic Wars. When the Mahdist Sudanese forces rebelled in 1881, British troops fought for the last time in their Redcoat uniforms in the Battle of Gennis on 30 December 1885, forming part of an expeditionary force sent to aid Egypt against the Mahdist Sudanese. On 28 January 1885, a small regiment of British regulars in Khartoum were ordered to fight in the "traditional home service" uniform consisting of the bright red coat and white slacks as a warning to the Madhist rebels that the real British forces had arrived.

Today, the home service uniform is reserved for ceremonial purposes. In many parades and military ceremonies, the Queen's Life Guards and Foot Guards don the symbolic scarlet dress. The Redcoat remains an important part of British military history, and as a symbol of the British Empire as a whole.

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10y ago
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9y ago

The Red Coats were regular soldiers in the British Army.

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9y ago

the red coats are the british men during the american revolution. they are also called the red lobster.

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9y ago

British soldiers were known as the redcoats

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14y ago

The redcoats were the British army.

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What were the names of the British troops in the Boston Massacre?

The Red Coats (are coming!) The Red Coats (are coming!) The Red Coats (ate coming!)


Who did the red coats fight for?

The red coats fought for England. (The king)


Who were the red coats was it loyalists or patriots?

Neither, "red coats" were British soldiers stationed in the colonies. They wore red coats as part of their daily uniform hence the moniker "red coats", or "lobster-backs".


What did the red coats wear durning the American revolutionary war?

Red Coats were the soldiers sent by the British king to control the colonists, who used this term for them because their coats were red. It was the Red Coats that the Americans fought against in the Revolutionary War.


Who were the red coats in paul reveres ride?

The red coats were British soldiers.


What is difference between the Red Coats and the Continental Army?

the red coats were british and fought against america


Who were the redcoats fighting for?

The people that fought the Red Coats were the rebels. The Red Coats were the British soldiers that wore scarlet coats, while the Rebels or Patriots were American soldiers that wore blue coats.


How did the red coats get their name?

They got their name because of their red coats!


What were the blue coats called jn the revolutionary war?

The Blue Coats were the Patriots and the Red Coats were the Loyalists/Regulars


How did the red coats fight?

in lines


Why did the Americans call the British Lobsterbacks?

i believe they called them lobsterbacks mainly because of the red coats that they wore.


Did colnists throw sticks and stone at the red coats?

Colonists threw sticks and stones at the Red Coats, which gave way to the Boston Massacre.