The British Red Coats were the enemy of the Revolutionary War, the invading force arriving to stomp out the colonists’ rebellion and to keep the colonies for King George. The Red Coats had roamed the streets of cities in each of the 13 colonies for years, imposing British laws and taxes while also sparring with colonists during the tense American Revolution period. Ever since the years of the Revolutionary War, the term “Red Coats” has remained associated with those British soldiers who fought against the colonists, and the British still wear that bright red of the revolution.
Instead of referring to the British military by its formal name, colonists called the men Red Coats because of their uniforms. From the 1600s to the 1900s, the British Army dressed its soldiers in in a red coat or coatee. Every man, no matter his rank, wore the incredibly bright shade of red. Although the color certainly stood out on the battlefield, it wasn’t as foolhardy a choice as some may have thought. During the years of the American Revolution, the weapon of choice was the musket filled with black powder. With every shot fired, the battlefield was enveloped in black smoke—making it impossible to see your fellow soldiers or the red coats of the British.
