“From Saratoga to South Carolina, the 33rd was one of the most heavily-engaged units – on either side – throughout the war.”

By Robbie MacNiven

IN THE EARLY 1770s, the 33rd Regiment of Foot was widely considered to be the best-trained infantry unit in the British Army. This reputation would be tested beyond breaking point over the course of the American Revolutionary War. From Saratoga to South Carolina, the 33rd was one of the most heavily-engaged units – on either side – throughout the war.

The 33rd’s rise to prominence stemmed from its colonel, Charles, Earl Cornwallis, who took over command of the outfit in 1766. In an era when senior officers wielded huge influence over their own regiments, Cornwallis proved to be the best kind of commander. Diligent and meticulous, he focussed on improving the 33rd in every regard, from drills and field exercises to the quality of the unit’s weapons and clothing. The 33rd subsequently became known as the ‘pattern’ for the army, the unit on which other successful regiments were based. Prior to the outbreak of fighting in the American colonies in 1775, the 33rd’s abilities, particularly in new light infantry drills, were frequently praised. At one point they even assisted in training the elite regiments of the Foot Guards.

The 33rd missed the first year of the Revolutionary War, sailing for America in early 1776 as part of the ill-fated expedition to capture Charleston, in South Carolina. After joining the main British force in North America outside New York in August 1776, the 33rd was brigaded with the best units in the army — including the composite grenadier and light infantry battalions — for the coming campaign. They were part of the flanking manoeuvre that drove into the midst of the Continental Army at the Battle of Long Island and were involved in forcing the enemy from Manhattan at Kip’s Bay and then the inconclusive skirmish at Harlem Heights.

During the partisan war in New Jersey in early 1777, the regiment became known for its vigilance, with its lieutenant colonel, James Webster, ensuring the garrison force at the settlements of Amboy and Bonhamtown were on continual high alert for surprise assaults.

Later, the 33rd were part of Howe’s move to take Philadelphia, again fighting as part of a strong flanking movement that won the Battle of Brandywine, where they fired some of the last shots of the engagement. A few weeks later they held firm against several regiments of Maryland Continentals in a short but sharp firefight in dense fog during the Battle of Germantown.

At the same time, a number of recruits from Britain intended for the 33rd found themselves separated by an administrative error and bound for Canada. Their level of training and the excellence of their uniforms and equipment meant they were not simply amalgamated into another regiment, but remained as their own small, distinct force. They joined the Crown army under the command of General Burgoyne during the ill-fated push down the Hudson River, helping to man the Royal Artillery’s equipment during the Saratoga campaign before being captured with the rest of the army at its close.

After Philadelphia was evacuated, the 33rd’s reputation for excellent discipline meant they were the last British regiment to march out of the town, trusted to sweep up any stragglers and not burn and loot along the way. At the ensuing Battle of Monmouth during the British withdrawal to New York, they came to the rescue of a stranded battalion of British grenadiers and, in the last act of the battle, helped see them to safety.

In 1779 the 33rd were garrisoning the fortress at Verplanck’s Point, overlooking the Hudson River north of North York, when Continental forces attacked and overran the neighbouring defences at Stony Point. For several days the 33rd were cut off and surrounded, but there was no attack on Verplanck’s, and under Webster’s orders the small complement of artillery in the fort opened fire on an enemy-manned barge being used to ferry away cannons captured from Stony Point, sinking it and its cargo.

In late 1779 the 33rd were chosen to accompany their colonel, Cornwallis, on the British southern campaign, a fresh offensive intended to bring the Carolinas back under royal authority. The regiment was again in the army’s vanguard as it closed in on Charleston, South Carolina, acting as an entire regiment of light infantry. They went on to play a pivotal role in arguably the most complete pitched battle victory of the war at Camden in 1780, an action that also proved to be the bloodiest for the regiment. The Battle of Guilford Courthouse, seven months later, was similarly ferocious, leading to the death of Lieutenant Colonel Webster. It was the last major engagement the regiment fought in the field. By late 1781, Cornwallis and the rest of the army had been cornered at Yorktown where, after a short siege, they were forced to capitulate.

While much of the regiment marched into captivity after Yorktown, some parts of it, mostly the light and grenadier companies, had not been present, and continued to serve in Charleston and New York. Those officers who had avoided Yorktown succeeded in maintaining the much-depleted 33rd until the prisoners were released and re-joined the unit at the war’s end.

My study is partly a regimental history, giving the most detailed account yet of the 33rd’s actions during the Revolutionary War. It is also, however, a broader study of the British Army during the revolutionary era. It assesses what a single regiment can tell us about wider issues affecting Britain’s military. Everything from training, weapons and uniforms, organization, transportation, camp life, discipline, food, finances and the role of women and camp followers is addressed alongside the marching, fighting and dying done by the men of the regiment between 1775 and 1783. Primary sources, particularly engaging accounts such as the numerous letters of Captain William Dansey or the memoirs of John Robert Shaw – a regular enlisted man – provide what is hopefully an engrossing narrative to this part social, part military history of the British Army at war in the late 18th century.

Robbie MacNiven is the author of The Pattern –The 33rd Regiment and the British Infantry Experience During the American Revolution, 1770-1783. A native of the Scottish Highlands, he graduated from the University of Glasgow with an MLitt in War Studies in 2015, and the University of Edinburgh with a PhD in History in 2020. Besides his non-fiction work, he is the author of 13 novels as well as short stories, game scripts and comic books. His hobbies include wargaming, re-enacting with the recreated 33rd Foot and making eight-hour round trips every second weekend to watch Rangers FC. “Robbie MacNiven catalogues the 33rd’s American war with skill, an exhaustive survey of primary sources, and great historical flair” – Mark Urban, author of Fusiliers: Eight Years with the Redcoats in America.