British Regulars Commonly used to describe the Napoleonic era British foot soldiers , the British Regular was known for his flamboyant red uniform ( It took three hours for a typical British soldier to prepare his attire for " parade " ) and well - disciplined combat performance . Known famously in American folklore as the " Red Coats " , these crack soldiers were the backbone of Great Britain ' s military might in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries . There are several possible reasons why the British military outfitted its Regulars in red . The most commonly stated reason is that it would hide the appearance of blood on the battlefield , possibly demoralising the troops . This is unlikely because blood would show black on the red cotton tunics , and the white , or " buff " trousers that were commonly issued would hide no blood at all . Another possible explanation would be that red dye was extremely cheap , allowing 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 gunsmoke than most other colours . A final possibility is that red is the primary colour in the Royal Standard , the Royal Coat of Arms , and is the colour of St George ' s cross ( St George is the patron saint of England ) . During the Napoleonic Wars , the British Regulars were already a well disciplined , and experienced group of foot soldiers . Around half of the British Regular " Redcoats " , most were between the ages of 18 to 29 ; and an over sixth - tenths of the regulars were five feet , four inches , to five feet seven inches . The British Government at the time , did not allow enlisted men to be older than 45 years old . Although typically under English command , many of the enlisted Regulars were either Scottish or Irish . A small number of Regulars were from Prussia , or other smaller German states . From these multiple origins , also came into two different " Schools of Thought " ; The ' American ' thought , and the ' German ' thought . The American thoughts consisted of large focus on open formations light infantry tactics that were well suited for areas of rigid terrain , and dense forested areas ; best suited for enemies that have no cavalry , or artillery to use . The ' American ' favoured infantry ranks of two deep , and use of light infantry with rifles . The German thoughts consisted of a large focus on disciplined , close - drill order , well suited for the vast Central Plains of Europe . The thought was more favourable in large battlefields , were the enemy had large to mild amounts of cavalry , and artillery on the battlefield . The ' German ' School of thought 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 tactical reasons ( i . e . camouflage ) . However , not until 1902 , and the introduction of a universal khaki service dress , would scarlet be officially abandoned as campaign dress for European operations . The classical " British Regular " was most famous for his action in the Battle of Culloden , the Seven Years ' War ( 1756 - 1753 ) , the American Revolutionary war ( 1775 - 1783 ) , the Peninsular War ( 1808 - 1815 ) , the War of 1812 ( 1812 - 1814 ) , and the Waterloo campaign ( 1815 ) .