Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-04-03
RED COATS MUST CO.

RED COATS MUST CO.
The Proposed Change in the British Military
IEItDrEt
n. Y. Times.
The British army will before long begin
to be harassod by the same sort of doubt
as to its own identity which troubled the
old lady mentioned in nursery rhyme
whose pstticoats were surreptitiOusIy
shortened. First the British regiments
lost their old familiar numbers and re-
ceived instead geographical names. A
soldier 10 longer enlists in the Seven Hun
dred and Eighth regiment of the line, but
he enlists in the West Shropshire or the
North Lancashire regiment. Hardly
have the soldiers been able to commit to
memory the new names of their respective
regiments when they are informed that the
red coat Of the line troops is to be abol-
ished and that all the various arms OF the
service are to be clad in gray. The Brit
ish soldier is no longer free to be an Eng
lishman in preference to being a Russian
Or Prussiar, for in spite of Messrs.
Gilbert and Sullivan he is to Wear what is
virtually the same uniform which the
Russian soldier wears, and he will natur-
ally feel that his government has done it's
best to transform him into Russian.
The reason for the abolition of the red
coat is the fact that it is seen by an enemy
at greater distance than the grey coat
would be seen. A red coated regiment
drawn up against green hedge would be
visible aG a distance at which regiment
dressed in gray would be almost indis-
tinguishabie from the hedge. At least
this is the theory held by English military
refOrmers, and accordingly the British
army is to be made as invisible as possible
by dressing it in gray.
1t is only few years ago that the
Austrian army Was deprived of it's white
coats. With the exception of the red.
clad British troops, the Austriaus in their
w-white trOck coats and light blue
trousers were the most picturesque troops
in Europe. The white coat was abolished,
not on the preteXt that it could DO seen
ten or fifteen feet further than blue coat,
but because it could not be kept clean
when WORE in actual campaigning. More.
over, a blOod-stain showed with ghastly
effect on the white breast OF wounded
man, and unnecessarily troubled the
nerves of his companions. The objections
brought against the white coat were quite
unausweratie, and no one, except an oc
casional Vlenuese lady, mOurned the
disappearance OF the most impracticable
uniform ever devised.
In the search for q uniform that will not
be too ons!,icuous and that can at the
same time be kept comparatively unsOiled
in the field, blue Or gray has been adopted
by nearly every nation in Europe. The
French, the Germans, the Austrians aud
the Italians clothe their soldiers in blue
coats the Russian troops wear a blush
gray coat, and the same color is hence
forth to be worn by British troops. Be-
tween the blue aud the gray there seems
to be little to choose for unless the blue
is so dark as to be nearly black it cannot
be distinguished at a short distance from
gray. Were the general European war of
which we are always hearing oppressive
to take place, and were four
armies of different nationalities to be in
the same neig ghborhood, it would puzzle
officer to distinguish his own
troops from those Of an enemy or an ally.
Il used to be thought that one of the OBJ
jects OF dressing soldiers in uniform was
to enable officers to distinguish between
their own regiment and the regiments of
the enemy. This could be done in the
days when uniforms were brilliant and
No one could mistake the
British troops in the Crimea for either
Russians for Frenchmen, but the British
did on more than one occasion find it diff
cult to decide whether a body Of troops
visible at some distance belonged to their |
allies or to tho enemy. In those days a
soldier was supposed to be proud of his |
uniform, and to feel unwilling ever to |
disgrace it. That feeling must have |
pretty thoroughly died out, now that one
uniform is SO much like another. The |
British soldier in his red coat may have |
sometimes felt that he must not disgrace |
it by disreputabie conduct, but it is more
than doubtful if he will care much about !
the honor of a uniform that, in his own |
opinion, makes him little better than a |
Russian.
The abolition of the read coat will, of |
course, be exceedingly unpopular with the |
army, and it is even proposed to permit |
troops to wear red coats while in garrison |
for the purpose of alluring recruits who |
could not be attracted by the prospect of |
wearing gray coats. 1t certainly seems
piece OF extravaganza to supply |
active service and another of an entirely
stationed at home. The Italians
han it is to be managed by the
English reformers. Every Italian infant
lyman carries with him "a suit of sthin
brown linen overalls which he wears over
lis uniform while marching Or campaign
ng. The weight and cost of these over
Ills are trifling, and they are not only a
to the uniform worn under them
'ut they are even less visible at distance
han the gray coats of the Russians. The
english army, if provided with overalls,
Ould retain it's historic red coat and still
ecure all the advantages which are to &C.
rue from wearing gray coats.