“Yes! Epaulettes in the navy are of gold lace; and officers in the army or navy who disgrace their arms are liable to have their epaulettes torn from their shoulders. According to an order of the Admiralty, in 1812, captains above three years post have two epaulettes, with a silver crown over a silver anchor; and post-captains under three years, have two, with a silver anchor without the crown. Commanders have two plain epaulettes; lieutenants, one; rear-admirals, two, with a star on the strap of each; vice-admirals, two stars, and admirals three stars. Marines used to wear two silver epaulettes, but, for good conduct, they are now called royal, and allowed to wear gold epaulettes, according to the rank they have acquired.”
“Now, please to give us the uniform of soldiers; for that is very striking.”
“If I were jesting, boys, I should say, the most striking part of a soldier is his sword, but in gravely describing things as they are, I must say that his dress is the most conspicuous thing about him. Were soldiers clad in common clothes their bravery would suffer as much as their appearance in our estimation.”
“Oh! it would never do for soldiers to dress in common clothes; we should not know that they were soldiers.”
“Red and blue are the prevailing colours in the army. You will, perhaps, like to know something about the full dress of the officers; the dress of the men is, of course, of an inferior quality.”
“Yes. The dress of the officers, if you please. Some officers that we have seen have cut a very grand appearance.”
“Passing by, for the present, the dress of general officers, staff officers, the personal staff attached to general officers, the staff of garrisons, the Royal Military College, the Royal Military Asylum, the Cavalry Depôt, garrison of Chatham, and the civil departments, I will come at once to the dress of officers of regiments of cavalry. These are, as I have told you, the life-guards, the royal regiment of horse-guards, the dragoon-guards, and heavy dragoons, the light dragoons, the lancers and the hussars. As changes are often introduced in the dress of officers, it is possible that my account may not in every particular be correct, but I will be as exact as I can.”
“Now, then, for the dress of the life-guards.”
“The officers of the life-guards, when in full dress, wear a scarlet coat, single-breasted, which has a blue velvet Prussian collar, embroidered, and a bear-skin cap, fourteen inches deep in front, with white swan feathers. So you see that British officers may show the white feather without being suspected of cowardice. Their pantaloons are of white leather; their swords have half-basket steel-pierced hilts, with steel scabbards, and crimson and gold sword-knots, and their gloves are white leather gauntlets. When in their undress, they wear blue pantaloons, and a blue cloth forage-cap. The shabraque, or horse-cloth, of the life-guards is blue, trimmed with lace and embroidered. An officer’s uniform is often of great value; but though to lose his full-dress would be a misfortune, to be stript of his honour would be a greater loss. Directly after the battle of Waterloo his royal highness the Prince of Wales, the Prince Regent, afterward George IV. declared himself colonel-in-chief of the household cavalry brigade. This was done as a mark of attention to the first and second regiments of life-guards, and the royal horse-guards (blue), who had conducted themselves very bravely in the battle. When the Prince Regent became King he still held the appointment, and William IV. afterwards followed his example.
“The life-guards must appear grand enough mounted on their fine horses. Now for the horse-guards, for they come next.”