Sentence:  The gunfire , which was so near that it seemed just a piece up the road now , stopped for long enough to count to twenty ; and in that brief interval , a <WSD>redcoat</WSD> officer came tearing down the road , whipping his horse fit to kill . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  British soldier; so-called because of his red coat (especially during the American Revolution)