FOOTNOTES:
[1] In those days written Tap-to, meaning that no more liquor was to be drawn.
[2] There were curious ideas afloat in those days about soldiers’ heads. Colonel Dalrymple of the King’s Own Dragoons suggests (1761) that the men’s hair should be cut close, but that they should be provided with Spanish lamb’s-wool wigs for cold and rainy weather.
[3] They were said, when thus docked, to have “hunter’s tails”; hence, perhaps, the popular identification of the Light Dragoon officer with the sportsman.
[4] Denotes one of the six original trumpet-calls.
[5] The calls were first authorised by regulation (so far as is known) in 1799.
[6] These are fragments of some of the inspection reports:—1770, “A very good regiment.” 1771, “A very fine regiment, and appears perfectly fit for service. Must have had great care taken of it.” 1772, “In every respect a fine regiment and fit for service.” 1773, “This regiment is an extreme pretty one and in good order.” 1774, “This regiment is in great order and fit for service.”
[7] This Colonel Washington must not be confounded with his namesake the famous George.
[8] Froude, English in Ireland, iii. 105, 106.
[9] This officer was not of the Seventeenth.
[10] This year 1802 also witnessed the introduction of the chevron on the sleeves of non-commissioned officers.
[11] This animal proved to be Cheettoo’s death. His hoofs were so extraordinarily large that his tracks were always recognisable, and hence exposed his rider to the certainty of continued pursuit. Cheettoo having been driven thus into the jungle was finally killed by a tiger.
[12] It is perhaps worth noting that the poleaxe was a favourite weapon with Royalist cavalry officers in the civil war.
[13] Now A.D.C. to the Governor of Bombay.
[14] The first hint of a short service system was given by a Frenchman, and presented, by translation, to England in 1590.
[15] Besides a halfpenny per day per horse of his troop.
[16] Articles marked [16] were found at the Dragoon’s expense out of his arrears and grass money. Also the following articles (besides the clothing specified in Appendix E): Goatskin holster top at 1s. 6d.; Horse picker and turnscrew, 2d.; Pair of saddle bags.
[17] All articles marked [17] supplied, according to King’s regulation and custom, out of the Light Dragoon’s arrears and grass money.
[18] White Jacket added to the kit by the special request of the men themselves at the close of the Seven Years’ War.
Transcriber’s Notes:
1. Obvious printers’, punctuation and spelling errors have been corrected silently.
2. Where appropriate, the original spelling has been retained.
3. Some hyphenated and non-hyphenated versions of the same words have been retained as in the original.