Episode 147: Don Hagist, British Soldiers, American War

by Liz CovartAugust 15, 2017

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What about the British Redcoats?

When we discuss the military history of the American War for Independence, we tend to focus on specific battles or details about the men who served in George Washington’s Continental Army.

Rarely do we take the opportunity to ask questions about the approximately 50,000 men who served in the British Army that opposed them.

Don N. Hagist, independent scholar and author of British Soldiers, American War: Voices of the American Revolution, leads us on exploration of the “other” men who fought in the American War for Independence, the soldiers in the British Army.

This episode originally posted as Episode 010.

About the Show

Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.

It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.

Each episode features a conversation with an historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.

Episode Summary

In this episode, Don N. Hagist, author of British Soldiers, American War: Voices of the American Revolution, leads us on an exploration of the British Army and the men who served in it during the American War for Independence.

Don reveals how many men served in the British Army; How they became one of the best fighting forces in the late eighteenth-century world; And whether some of the myths that we have heard about the British Army hold true, such as whether the men who served in it represented the dregs of British society.

What You’ll Discover

How Don became interested in British soldiers during the American Revolution
Whether the “dregs of British society” served in the British Army
More about the background of the men who served in the British Army
What historical sources Don uses to study the military history of British soldiers
Whether the British Army stood as the most well-trained and well-disciplined army in the entire world after the French and Indian War (1754-1763)
How British regiments recruited soldiers
German soldiers who served in the British Army during the American War for Independence
How Don selected the accounts of the 9 soldiers he writes about in British Soldiers, American War
The story of Thomas Watson, common soldier in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers
How many men served in the British Army during the American War for Independence
How many men deserted the British Army during the American War for Independence
Information about the Journal of the American Revolution

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Time Warp Question

What might have happened if regional recruitment had been a standard practice for the British Army? Would desertion rates have been lower? Would the better cohesion of regional army units have affected the outcome of the War for Independence?