Dear Mr Lopez, I had a very quick look in my files with regards to the British infantry uniforms of the units during the April 1797 attack. The line infantry regiments were the 14th, 42nd, 53rd, 60th and 87th. Apart from the 42nd which was a Highland regiment, these should have worn the standard infantry dress - I append an illustration made about 1900 of the dress of the 14th during the mid-1790s. On the whole, this would have been the style worn by the British troops. The troops in the West Indies in April 1797 would not have had the new style coat with closed lapels ordered introduced from 30 November 1796. However, before 1812, the new clothing had to be inspected before shipment in February, which means that the clothing had to be made before February for distritution to the troops in the West Indies from 25 December. Any order for changes in the uniform given after that date would be implemented in the next clothing. In short, in the case of the April 1797 siege, the clothing worn by British troops had been made before February 1796 and distributed in late December 1796 or early 1797. It would not have had the changes of November 1796. The uniform worn before the 1796-1797 changes was remarkably similar to the one worn during the American War of Independence. The main changed feature would have been a standing collar (rather than a fall collar). The hat was also more of a bicorn than in the 1780s. Lowensteen's were light troops and the Tobago Blacks seem to have been used as pioneer/engineer troops. I have information on Lowentsteen's (grey uniforms) but nothing detailled on the Tobago unit. Hope this helps! Cheers, RC Mr. Rene Chartrand is the author of many Osprey Military History books and an authority in uniforms of this period. René Chartrand was born in Montreal and educated in Canada, the United States and the Bahamas. A senior curator with Canada's National Historic Sites for nearly three decades, he is now a freelance writer and historical consultant. He has written numerous articles and books including over 30 Osprey titles. He lives in Gatineau, Quebec, with his wife and two sons. |  |