The Blackwatch Plumes query
Can anyone please tell me what colour the plumes were on the Blackwatch bonnets during the Peninsular War? Green for the Light Company and red for everyone else? Thanks Steve

According to C.E. Franklin's British Napoleonic Uniforms, recently published, the 42nd's unique plume colour scheme was as follows: Light Company = Green with Red tip ('tip' = 25% of plume length) Grenadier Company = White with Red tip Battalion (e.g., 'centre') Companies = Red Drummers = Yellow with Red tip. Hope that helps. British uniform specialists on this forum may be able to provide more precise information for specific campaigns.

Thanks

After the AWI and specifically the battle of Paoli's Tavern, they were considered to have 'dipped them in blood', so the plumes have a red top half (hence the fully-red Centre Company pume and the red tip to the other two).

Hi, The Black Watch didn't adopt the red hackle until 1795; I believe it related to an action at Gildermahlsen (Geldermalsen) in The Netherlands. There is a suggestion that it was worn in America in the 1770s, but I've never seen any primary evidence for this:- http://www.theblackwatch.co.uk/index/customs_traditions#149cc46a65943f4d2b931668c547a417 http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/perth/blackwatchmuseum/index.html The units that dyed their feathers red after Paoli were the light companies of the 46th and 49th Foot, in response to an American threat to take revenge on the 2nd Light Infantry Battalion (scroll down to Regimental anecdotes and traditions):- http://www.britishbattles.com/battle-paoli.htm