Fusiliers: The Saga of a British Redcoat Regiment in the American Revolution

This book should be required reading for all aspiring historians on the American Rev War. Many older historians should also take note of this fine book. Mark Urban purports to tell the story of one British regiment, the 23rd, or Royal Welch Fusiliers, but it is really about the whole British expereince in the war that the book concerns itself. While foscusing on this one illustrious corps the author provides us a means to evaluate the whole evolutionary process the British army went through in this conflict. As the author points out in the introduction so much of the American perspective of the Rev War is riddled with myth and fable that even the better writers on the subject seldom give much effort to show the British side of things. To these writers the redcoat most often is seen as a mindless machine that stumbles about the Thirteen Colonies until finally defeated at Yorktown. Little more credit is given to his generals either. Here at last we get a Brit writing on the subject which is so dear to the American national mythology. Perhaps only a non-American author can approach this topic with anything resembling fairness. For certain many myths cherished by Americans are dispelled here. Yes, the colonists did surprise and outfight the British in the first battles of the war. Like most peace time armies the British were clanky and needed a jolt to get themselves moving again. The result was the rebirth of the Light Infantry which soon was beating the Americans at their own game. The author spends a lot of time discussing the actions of the combined Light Battalions, of which the 23rd's Light Company formed apart. For it was here that the greatest tactical innovations were taking place. General Howe who is often critiqued by American authors for his slowness in the New York campaigns gets credit here for reinvigorating the army with the Light Infantry spirit as it had developed in the earlier conflicts against the French and Indians. Howe was an indifferent strategist, but he was a good reformer and tactician. The Light Infantry battalions became the cutting edge in the army's reforms to fight in a more open manner. Those clanky redcoat battalions at Lexington, Bunker Hill and Saratoga became the nimble, hard hitting victors at Camden, Guiford Courthouse and Green Springs. Few American authors wish to acknoledge this transformation, and in the process credit the British with overwhleming strength in the beginning of the war, and with total weakness toward the end. While this may seem true because of sheer numbers, in terms of quality and performance the British army of 1780 was much more efficient than that of 1776. Howe and Clinton's indifferent leadership has gone far to reinforce these impressions, but surely the aggressive Cornwallis and Lord Rawdon provided the counter to it. One very important consideration also needs to be understood. The British could not afford heavy loss. While their army was impressive in size during 1776, Howe

Mark Urban's "Fusiliers" is a valuable contribution to the litany of regimental histories which dot the landscape of military history. Whereas the vast majority of Revolutionary War books available in the United States are written from an unabashedly American perspective, "Fusiliers" makes for a refreshing change in tempo as the author states from the beginning his intention to break from the American point of view. With this in mind, the narrative follows the day-to-day existence of the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers immediately prior to the outbreak of hostilities in 1775 through the years immediately following the end of the American Revolution. Urban draws in no small part from the existing memoirs and writings of members of the regiment, and paints a vivid picture of life within the regiment during the war. While the constant shifts in leadership and composition are covered, the author does not neglect to explain the background details of the Fusiliers' movements and even manages to provide an insightful window into the development of light infantry warfare during the war and its impact upon post-war British infantry doctrine. Readers do not have to fret about reading a constant stream of derisive remarks for the rebel side: Urban is equally critical of both the Americans and the British. There are minor errors sprinkled throughout the book, mostly publisher's mistakes rather than discrepancies in accuracy, but it does not detract from the overall quality of the book. As it is written in very readable prose, it is recommended to anyone looking for a view of British military affairs at the regimental level during the Revolution, and for the advanced enthusiast of the time period.

Mark Urban has written a thrilling story of a British regiment during the American Revolution. It could well be dedicated "To those who serve honorably in unpopular wars." The war was widely unpopular in England; King George, the prime minister (Lord North) and the American secretary (Lord Germain) stood virtually alone in steadily seeking victory. The 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers are the focus of this fine book. (Formed in 1689 to oppose James II and the French, it is one of the oldest regiments in the regular army, hence the archaic spelling of the word "Welch" instead of "Welsh".) The unit fought through the entire six years starting at Lexington and Concord in 1775 and ending at the surrender at Yorktown in 1781. They participated in every major campaign except Burgoyne's. Certain members were chosen by lot as prisoners of war after Yorktown, while the remaining members returned to England. Urban's book takes samples of original writings -- diaries, letters and books -- written by generals, captains, lieutenants, "pipsqueak" subalterns, and privates. An Original And Authentic Journal Of Occurrences During The Late American War: From Its Commencement To The Year 1783 by Roger Lamb and Diary of Frederick Mackenzie are two of the many sources Urban relied on in creating this view of the Revolution from the British side. Colonists called the Fusiliers "lobsterbacks" and they were cursed, spat upon and showered with rocks long before the war began. A British brigadier returned the favor; "The people here are a set of sly, artful, hypocritical rascals, cruel, and cowards. I must own I cannot but despise them completely." Urban puts a human face on these men, including the strong differences about whether the war should be fought at all, "for the schism between Whig and Tory ran deep within the army." Back in England, Whigs were strong opponents of the king's policies. "This debate, about whether the Americans were 'brothers' or not, would continue for years to come." The Fusiliers were 85 years old in 1775 and had an elite reputation earned in the 1750s and 1760s. By 1775 the Fusiliers no longer used the fusil, a lightweight musket with a flintlock firing mechanism. When the unit arrived in the Colonies, it was full of new, untested recruits. By the Battle of New York in 1777 it had become one of the best units in the British army. Several companies were trained as "light infantry" units, troops who deploy quickly and "had mastered skirmishing: moving in small groups and exposing only the minimum necessary to shoot at their targets." One light infantryman said: "We have learned from the rebels to cover our bodies if there's a rail or tree near us." The Americans who fought in the French and Indian War (1756-63) had learned this system from the Indians.The tactical units were so successful that Washington, who had himself fought in the French and Indian conflict, trained his own units to imitate the British. Urban's book is well researched and

Mark Urban's Fusiliers provides a blow by blow account of the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers involvement in the American War of Independence. The 23rd Fusiliers participated in the war from Bunker Hill to the surrender at Yorktown. The book is well written and is based mainly on primary sources. This is the fifth book that Mark Urban has written on military topics. The references are listed in the back of the book with the page that it is used in the chapters of the book. There is also an index for quickly locating names and subjects.. Fusiliers is written from the British perspective of the American War of Independence. In the first chapter Urban acquaints the reader with some of the main characters that he follows throughout the book. Of the four he identifies only two survived the war and only one became truly prosperous. Urban draws from personal correspondence from the main characters many of which have never been published before. The first battle covered is Lexington, Urban explains that the first shots fired at this battle may have been due to soldiers spoiling for a fight due to their frustration at the colonial militia retreating or flat out running away. Urban also points out that the British attempted to put out the fire that burned down the Concord Townhouse. "Colonel Smith organized a line of soldiers to pass buckets of water, trying to staunch the flames." (p.23) The Americans did of course blame the British for the burning of the Townhouse. Urban points out that it was the lack of discipline of the soldiers that caused the British to lose at Concord and Lexington. Urban does show some of the propaganda that the British soldiers fell prey too. The British solders believed that most of the colonials were sharpshooters, especially those dressed in buckskin or those in fringed hunting shirts. George Washington knew of this and dressed up some of his men in that style of dress just to help spread the rumor. In addition, Urban does not portray the British as merciless as they are shown in American history books. Also the British tactics, as Urban points out with the formation of the "Light Bobs", are much more flexible than portrayed in American History. Another issue that Urban discusses is the obstacles faced by officers to get promoted within the Army. Rank was purchased in the British Army during this period and it was quite expensive. If an officer was not from a rich family or did not have a rich patron it was difficult to get promoted. Not many were promoted based on merit and bravery. One of the main characters was Lieutenant Fredrick Mackenzie who had thirty years of service but was confined to his low rank due to being impoverished and lacking a patron. (p. 1) Urban also provides a great deal of insight on the senior British officers of the war, Howe, Cornwallis, Balfour, and Calvert and their roles in the 23rd Fusiliers and the military and political arena at the time. Discipline was problem

Mark Urban's Fusiliers is a classic example of the value of first hand accounts in the hands of a master craftsman. Urban is every bit the story teller as Thomas Fleming. As the earlier very fair review noted, the author retells the battles of the American Revolutionary War from the point of view of the officers and enlisted men of a single British Regiment - the oddly named Royal Welch Fusiliers. Anyone interested in a more rounded picture of the Revolutionary War would not go wrong by fighting their way from Boston to Long Island to Brandywine to Charleston to Camden to Guildford Courthouse and ultimately to defeat at Yorktown with the indefatigible Sergeant Lamb, the maturing Lieutenant Calvert and the capable Col Balfour. The recounting of the initial combat at Lexington and Concord is truly masterful in combining the details of the fight with the drama of sitting on a powder keg. The Battle of Breeds Hill/Bunker Hill is told with equal attention to both detail and drama. It is also a much more accurate view of the war in the Carolina's than Mel Gibson's energetic but extremely inaccurate Patriot. The author interweaves the battles with the mini-tragedies of the lives and deaths of the officers and soldiers, with the emergence of new infantry tactics and with both British Army politics and British politics in general. What emerged for me besides how tough soldiers of this period had to be was the both the tactical skill of Cornwallis and the strategic incompetence of almost the entire general staff of the British Army - but perhaps there was no winning strategy. This is a well produced book with informative and clear maps of the geography and individual battlefields. The color illustrations are well chosen though military portraits of American leaders such as Washington, Gates, Greene and Marion would have rounded things out. Altogether it is a great read.