The 47th Regiment of Foot - “A Very Fine Regiment”

Only one of the seven British regiments which left Canada with Lieutenant-General John Burgoyne in 1777 could make the claim that its soldiers had fought on April 19, 1775.  This was the 47th Regiment of Foot - "a Very Fine Regiment".  If this designation sounds familiar, it's how the regiment was described when inspected in 1772, and is the title of Paul Knight's "very fine" book by the same name.

It seems appropriate to write about the 47th again, as we approach the 249th anniversary of the fighting at Lexington and Concord, after having now read Knight's book, and as a group of dedicated reenactors now portray the grenadier company of the regiment.

Knight's book includes chapters on the history of the regiment, its officers, men and women, the training it received, and its service in North America.  Other reviewers have described the book as requiring a slow, deliberate read, which makes sense given the amount of information it contains.  Having done so, I'd recommend this work as a one that will expand the reader's understanding of this regiment in particular, and those other British regiments which fought in the  Saratoga campaign. 

As an American (more on that in the next paragraph), it's interesting to read an account of the Revolutionary War written in Great Britain by an author who is not only familiar with his subject, but has actual military experience that benefits his book and his readers.  Knight, like J.A. Houlding in Fit For Service, which covers the training of the British army in the 18th century, and others such as Don Hagist in British Soldier American War, works to dispel the myth that the British soldier in North America was pulled from the gutter or the grogshop, and sent to fight shoulder to shoulder, mindlessly, against an elusive enemy.

An unexpected aspect of this book for me was the author's use of the term "rebel" for what many refer to as the "Patriot" or "Provincial" forces.  Rebels is certainly period correct, as Burgoyne did so even when he acknowledged that his view of his enemy at the start of the campaign was "delusive", but its consistent use took me by surprise. [1]

As to the substance of this work, by focusing on one unit, Knight has been able to take a deep dive into the story of the regiment and its soldiers.  The reader benefits in a number of ways.  One example is with Captain James Henry Craig, a name those familiar with the surrender negotiations at Saratoga will recognize.  Knight traces his life from his birth in British occupied Gibraltar in 1748, education at a military academy in Italy, and commissioning into the 30th Regiment of Foot, through his promotion to captain in the 47th in 1771, and assignment as commander of its light infantry company in 1774.  Knight shares that Craig saw action on April 19th, and at Bunker Hill in 1775, and that as a result of his being wounded at Hubbardton on July 7, 1777, he was assigned to duty in Burgoyne's headquarters. [2]  

Knight also shares detailed examples of how the regiments in Canada in 1776, including the 47th, were trained and equipped.  These include drilling on light infantry tactics and target practice; and the wearing trousers made from tents or Russian linen, and the alteration of its existing clothing for the 1777 campaign because new clothing hadn’t arrived. [3]  

While it's hardly surprising that Knight highlights the positive attributes of the 47th and its service in America, he also reveals the cost of service, and the occasional misstep.  Among these are casualties which the regiment suffered at Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775, including Lieutenant Richard Gold whose wife had died before the regiment sailed to America, and who on his death two days later from his wounds would leave two children, ages eight and nine, orphans in Boston.  Another is over a year later, in October of 1776, after leaving Boston and arriving in Canada, when the regiment was chastised for its overindulgence in rum and "the insolent, shameful and ungrateful Clamour made at Evening Parade". [4] 

Unfortunately, the map on page 180 which purports to show the route of march of the Convention Army in 1777 from Saratoga to Cambridge is flawed.  Setting aside the straight line from Saratoga through Williamstown to Hadley, which cuts the corner on the actual route of march south to Pittsfield and then east through Partridgefield, Worthington and Chesterfield to Northampton, it also depicts the remainder of their march east as passing through Rutland, Massachusetts (where some would be relocated to in 1778).  Rather, they passed through Worcester, the county seat ten miles to the southeast, as is documented in a number of primary sources - including a journal kept by an officer of the 47th.  Overall though, this is a very fine book that expands our knowledge of this particular regiment, and understanding of the capabilities of the British troops who fought under Burgoyne in 1777.

As an aside, as important as it may be students of the American Revolution to understand that the British soldier in 1777 was a trained professional, we need to appreciate that commitment continues through to the present day.  My persistent searches for information on British Army regiments led YouTube to recommend a video to me on training for urban combat.  While the Parachute Regiment didn't exist in 1775, they train as hard and well today as any who came before them, and as allies and not enemies of Knight's and Burgoyne's "rebels".

[1] John Burgoyne, Expedition From Canada, Appx., xcvii.
[2] Paul Knight, A Very Fine Regiment The 47th Foot during the American War of Independence, 1773-1783 (Warwick: Helion and Company, 2022), 103 and 128.  Knight also includes a biography of the second of Burgoyne's designated negotiators for the surrender, Lieutenant-Colonel Nicholas Sutherland, who prior to taking command of the 47th in 1776, served extensively in North America from 1755 to 1773.  (Knight, A Very Fine Regiment, 139.)

[3] Knight, A Very Fine Regiment, 131-133

[4] Knight, A Very Fine Regiment, 115-116, 136

Next Week: Captured On April 19, 1775, Part I - “About Thirty Soldiers Are Prisoners” 

For more on the Convention Army's 1777 march from Saratoga to Boston, see:

1777 March Blog Home          Overnight Stopping Points          Towns and Villages Along the Way

 Annotated Bibliography