The Pattern

The British Army sent to America during the Revolutionary War was composed of multiple regiments, units that each had their own distinct traditions, culture, and uniforms. One regiment, the 33rd Regiment of Foot, proved itself to be “the pattern” regiment among all others for its smart and progressive approach to warfare.

Historian Robbie MacNiven’s book, The Pattern: The 33rd Regiment and the British Infantry Experience During the American Revolution, 1770-1783, documents the formation, exploits, and hardships of this British Army regiment. During the late 18th century, many colonels – the officers in charge of regiments – did not serve directly with their regiments in the field. Instead, they served elsewhere in the army, like in the case of the 33rd Regiment’s colonel, Lord Charles Cornwallis. Colonelcies were often either bought or bestowed, and colonels, like Cornwallis, oversaw purchasing equipment for the soldiers of the regiment that was not issued by the government, such as regimental coats, cartridge boxes, or belts. The amount in which a colonel invested his time and money into his soldiers could determine their appearance and effectiveness, and Cornwallis’ investment made his men the best dressed and drilled regiment in the army. Their ability to adopt the tactics of light infantry, moving quickly with each soldier separated from the other by several feet, proved to be of great use in their fight against Revolutionary forces. In America, the 33rd Regiment was present at most of the major battles as well as dozens of minor skirmishes. The Pattern introduces readers to the 33rd Regiment’s soldiers who served at these battles, men such as John Robert Shaw, William Dansey, Richard Cotton, and Thomas Nichol, among many others, whose stories spotlight the lives, experiences, and struggles of British soldiers during the American Revolution.

Read a short excerpt about how Cornwallis managed the commissioned and non-commissioned officers within his regiment.

Excerpt

Cornwallis appears to have implemented minor changes with the regiment’s command structure prior to embarking in 1776. Of the company commanders on parade in July 1775, seven out of 10 would still be leading their companies (albeit nominally in the case of Colonel Cornwall himself) by the time of the New York campaign of 1776. Major Creed left the service in 1776, his role in the regiment taken on by Captain John Yorke of the grenadier company, while Captain Burnett of the light company was replaced, as we shall see, by Captain Dansey. The only other change in the company command structure was the loss of Captain Acland. The wealthy young officer transferred to the 20th Foot not long before the 33rd sailed for America. No reason was given, though it might be inferred that the well-connected gentleman, with his uncommonly rapid rise through the regiment and his history of agitating for even higher commands, did not fit well in the 33rd’s officer culture or the cadre Cornwallis was looking to build and maintain within his regiment.

Certainly, Cornwallis took a close, active interest in the structure of his regiment at every level. In a letter written in 1771 to Captain Sackville Turner, the colonel specified that he was ‘very anxious’ to make a sergeant, George Ward, ‘Qr Master [Quartermaster], Fielding will succeed him, I shall then have rewarded my three best serj:s. [sic]’ He also informed Turner that ‘you shall certainly have Celler's company, Burnett will be glad of the Light Infantry.’ Ward did indeed become the regiment’s quartermaster, receiving his ensigncy in 1776 and a lieutenancy in 1778, while Turner and Burnett did get the companies that Cornwallis specified, prior to Burnett's later dismissal from the light company. In this way we see the colonel managing his subordinates, not only fellow-officers but also the regiment's non-commissioned officers — he was aware, and mindful, of who the best sergeants were.

An even more potent example of Cornwallis’s desire to closely handle his regiment’s officer corps came in 1774. In what seems to have been a fairly extraordinary exchange during a visit to the War Office, Cornwallis went head-to-head with the Secretary at War over the appointment of the 33rd's new lieutenant colonel;

“His Lordship [Cornwall] applied that Major [James] Webster might have leave to purchase the Lieutenant Colonelcy. After the usual polite compliments of a courtier, Lord Barrington the Secretary at War, insinuated that Major Norton, was the first on the list for preferment, and being an older Major, and an officer of distinguished merit and interest, could not be passed by. To this Lord Cornwallis replied, that he had no doubt of Major Norton’s merit, but that he had a value for Major Webster, whose merit he had long been witness to; that the regiment was going to Ireland, where he could not attend it himself, on account of his duty in Parliament; and that he chose it should be under the direction of an officer whom the regiment knew and esteemed. The Secretary expressed his regret, that it could not be as his Lordship wished. When the Early found what he had urged did not make the proper impression, he told the Secretary with a firmness that staggered him, that if Major Webster was not appointed Lieut. Colonel, he might also look out for another Colonel. This settled the business, and Major Webster was Lieutenant Colonel of the 33rd April the 9th, 1774.”

MacNiven, Robbie. The Pattern: The 33rd Regiment and the British Infantry Experience During the American Revolution, 1770-1783. (Warwick, UK: Helion & Company, 2023), 58-60.