BRITISH ARMY OF THE NAPOLEONIC WARS

"By God, They Frighten Me!"

BRITISH INFANTRY COLORS

OF THE

NAPOLEONIC WARS

Images Added December 2006

69th Regiment of Foot
91st Regiment of Foot

Notes

After 1800, the colors of British regiments of foot were based on the second pattern of the Union Flag (with the Cross of St. Patrick placed over the Cross of St. Andrew). Otherwise, the previous system was continued, with each regiment carrying a King's Colour and a Regimental Colour, the latter with a field in the regimental facing color. As before, regiments with white, gray or black facings had a Regimental Colour with the Cross of St. George throughout on a white field for white or gray facings and on a black field for black facings. All royal regiments had dark blue facings. The union wreath now included shamrocks for Ireland.

Most regiments' colors had within the wreath a scarlet, gold-edged shield bearing the regiment's number in gold Roman numerals. There were variations, however, since regiments with royal badges or "ancient devices" were permitted to bear them on their colors. The shape of the shield also varied, as illustrated for the 52nd and 79th Foot. As the years of war wore on, battle honors were added to the colors, sometimes in the form of badges such as the sphinx (for service in Egypt) and sometimes as inscriptions or scrolls.

The Foot Guards continued to carry company colors. Those of the Colonel's Lieutenant-Colonel's and Major's Companies were scarlet with regimental badges, the latter two including a canton of the Union Flag. The rest were Union Flags with company badges and Roman numerals indicating the number of the company. Usually a Guards battalion would carry only two of its several company colors in the field. As a general rule, the Colonel's, Lieutenant-Colonel's or Major's Colour served the battalion as the King's Colour, and a company color as the Regimental Colour. The Guards colors depicted below are those believed to have been carried by the 1/1 Guards and the 2/3 Guards at Waterloo.

The title of this page is taken from a remark attributed to the Duke of Wellington as he inspected newly arrived replacements for his army in the Peninsula: "I don't know if these men will frighten the enemy, but by God they frighten me!"

Credit: These drawings are based on images and information from Alan Pendlebury's outstanding site devoted to Napoleonic Wargaming Flags.