The British Regulars. a term that is commonly used to describe the Napoleonic-era British foot soldiers, were known for their distinct red uniform and well-disciplined combat performance. Known famously in British folklore as the Red Coats, the hardened soldiers were the backbone of the British Army in the 18th and the 19th centuries.
There are several possible reasons for the British Army outfitting its Regulars in red. The most commonly-stated reason is that it would hide the appearance of blood on the battlefield, which would possibly demoralise the troops. That is unlikely because blood would show black on the red serge tunics, and the white, or "buff", trousers, which were commonly issued, would hide no blood at all.
Another possible explanation would be that red dye was relatively cheap, which allowed the army to give its troops better equipment without wasting money on more expensive dyes.
Another good reason could be that British officers needed to be able to identify their men in heavy smoke. Red would show better through smoke than most other colours.
A final possibility is that red is the primary colour of the Royal Standard and of the Royal Coat of Arms and is the colour of Saint George's cross (Saint George is the patron saint of England).
During the Napoleonic Wars, the British Regulars were a well-disciplined group of foot soldiers with years of combat experience, including in the Americas, the Irish Rebellion of 1798 and the War of 1812. Most of the British Regulars were between the ages of 18 and 29, and over sixth tenths were 5'4" to 5'7" tall. The British government at the time did not allow enlisted men to be older than 45.
Although typically under English command, many of the enlisted Regulars were either Scottish or Irish. A small number of Regulars were from Prussia and other states of the German Confederation. From those multiple origins also came the two different schools of thought: the "American" and the "German".
The American school focused on open-formation light infantry tactics, which were well suited for areas of rough terrain, and dense forested areas, which were best suited against enemies that had no cavalry or artillery. It also favoured infantry ranks of two deep and the use of light infantry with rifles.
The German school focused on disciplined close-drill order, which was well suited for the vast European Plain. That approach was preferred in large battlefields if the enemy had large numbers of cavalry amd artillery. It favoured infantry ranks of three deep and the use of smoothbore muskets.
After 1855, starting in India and gradually extending to other colonial outposts, the scarlet uniforms were often replaced with khaki on campaign for the tactical reason of camouflage. However, not until 1902, with the introduction of a universal khaki service dress, would scarlet be officially abandoned as campaign dress for European operations.
The classical British Regulars were most famous for their actions at the Battle of Culloden, the Seven Years' War (1756–1763), the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783), the Peninsular War (1808–1815), the War of 1812 (1812–1815) and the Waterloo campaign (1815).
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