Light Company 1791

The flank companies (Grenadiers and Light Infantry) of the 8th Regiment were serving overseas in the 1790s. They left North America in 1785, and in 1794 were in action at Martinique and Guadeloupe. This unsophisticated image of a light infantryman was probably painted by a soldier serving in the regiment. Although the style is naïve, the details are very likely to be correct. The blue collar, lapels and cuffs have white edging and white buttonhole loops. The fact that the cuff on his right sleeve appears to have no buttons is evidence that the artist has observed correctly that the buttons and lace loops are on the front facing side only.
The white shoulder wings indicate the soldier’s flank status and would have had a stringed bugle badge. The red waistcoat is also decorated with white lace button-hole loops. The most interesting thing about the painting is the light company cap. It has a black front with the White Horse badge. The green plume on the left side was used by light infantry throughout the army. The white part of the cap on the right side is less easy to define, but looks like a plume.

Regimental Details | Uniforms