Edward Hutton

A Brief History of the King's Royal Rifle Corps 1755-1915 Edward Hutton

Riflemen in green

Popular historical fiction has brought focus to Wellington's Green jacketed riflemen. The hero of those novels is, as most readers know, a member of the 95th regiment. The subject of this book concerns the history of that regiment's brother, and indeed senior, Rifle corps, the 60th. The two regiments can be differentiated by the red collar and cuffs of the 60th. This regiment had its origins in the Seven Years War as it was fought in the New World-the French and Indian War-when those in the regiment were principally hardy backwoodsmen well suited to fighting in the terrain of the eastern woodlands. Styled the 'Royal Americans' it recruited among American colonists who were, of course, fighting to preserve their homelands. The regiment, which now forms part of 'The Rifles' in the modern day British army, fought with distinction throughout the Napoleonic Wars particularly under Wellington in the Iberian peninsula. The many small wars of the 19th century during Queen Victoria's long reign provided ample opportunity for the 60th's particular style of skirmishing warfare. This short, historical overview enables students of British rifle regiments to gain an appreciation of the services of the King's Royal Rifle Corps (as it was styled at the time of first publication of this book) up to 1915.
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