Long historical rant on red coats follows, be warned:
The Brits wore their red coats because they didn't think blending in was that important. After all, the had fought guerilla wars before and won many times, and they would in the future as well. Until the rifle was invented, muskets fired enmasse in linewarfare was simply the dominating form of warfare. And musket lines looked mighty nice when worn in uniform.
And let's not forget that even though militia was a large part of the American Revolution, there was also a hefty dose of line infantry. And the brits had their own militia and guerilla fighters: Colonists and indians who were sympathetic to the brits.
So while Militia soldiers is definetly the "icon" of the revolutionairy war, one shouldn't attribute him to being the sole reason for the victory. Infact, the americans nearly lost didn't they? It simply wasn't that effective to abandon line infantry just yet. Thus, they would often fight in open fields. And an organized army wearing similar uniforms could scare the **** out of any enemy.
Also let's not forget that the Revolutionairy war was (in terms of military strength) a rather small war. I mean, armies would be composed of around 1000 - 5,000 men. Compare to the Napoleonic war in Europe just a decade or two later, and you have armies of around 50,000 - 150,000 men. I think that Militia warfare would be more or less impossible during those terms.
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Originally Posted by DVW5150
Why did the British wear those red coats , they were easy targets in the greenery of this country ? Just an observation . ( no offense ) , " Ahem , maybe we should wear something more concealing to blend in with the country side ?"
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