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Noble Volunteers: The British Soldiers Who Fought the American Revolution
Redcoats. For Americans, the word brings to mind the occupying army that attempted to crush the Revolutionary War. There was more to these soldiers than their red uniforms, but the individuals who formed the ranks are seldom described in any detail in historical literature, leaving unanswered questions. Who were these men? Why did they join the army? Where did they go when the war was over?
In Noble Volunteers: The British Soldiers Who Fought the American Revolution, Don N. Hagist brings life to these soldiers, describing the training, experiences, and outcomes of British soldiers who fought during the Revolution. Drawing on thousands of military records and other primary sources in British, American, and Canadian archives, and the writings of dozens of officers and soldiers, Noble Volunteers shows how a peacetime army responded to the onset of war, how professional soldiers adapted quickly and effectively to become tactically dominant, and what became of the thousands of career soldiers once the war was over.
In this historical tour de force, introduced by Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson, Hagist dispels long-held myths, revealing how remarkably diverse British soldiers were. They represented a variety of ages, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and many had joined the army as a peacetime career, only to find themselves fighting a war on another continent in often brutal conditions. Against the sweeping backdrop of the war, Hagist directs his focus on the small picture, illuminating the moments in an individual soldier’s life—those hours spent nursing a fever while standing sentry in the bitter cold, or writing a letter to a wife back home. What emerges from these vignettes is the understanding that while these were “common” soldiers, each soldier was completely unique, for, as Hagist writes, “There was no ‘typical’ British soldier.”
In Noble Volunteers: The British Soldiers Who Fought the American Revolution, Don N. Hagist brings life to these soldiers, describing the training, experiences, and outcomes of British soldiers who fought during the Revolution. Drawing on thousands of military records and other primary sources in British, American, and Canadian archives, and the writings of dozens of officers and soldiers, Noble Volunteers shows how a peacetime army responded to the onset of war, how professional soldiers adapted quickly and effectively to become tactically dominant, and what became of the thousands of career soldiers once the war was over.
In this historical tour de force, introduced by Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson, Hagist dispels long-held myths, revealing how remarkably diverse British soldiers were. They represented a variety of ages, nationalities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and many had joined the army as a peacetime career, only to find themselves fighting a war on another continent in often brutal conditions. Against the sweeping backdrop of the war, Hagist directs his focus on the small picture, illuminating the moments in an individual soldier’s life—those hours spent nursing a fever while standing sentry in the bitter cold, or writing a letter to a wife back home. What emerges from these vignettes is the understanding that while these were “common” soldiers, each soldier was completely unique, for, as Hagist writes, “There was no ‘typical’ British soldier.”
332 pages, Hardcover
First published December 3, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 18, 2025
Though Don Hagist flirts with winding up in the weeds, you will get a very different take on the nature of the British army that confronted the political upheaval in London's North American possessions.
The basic point that Hagist wants to make is that because this was a volunteer force for most of the time period in question covered, and that most of those who served left no account of their self-justifications, so you really can't point to any one motivation. At one point impressment for the army was tried by the British government, and was almost immediately recognized as a huge mistake that was not repeated.
So if Hagist is not really attempting a group portrait of the typical British ranker, and he's not giving you a blow-by-blow of the course of the war (you should know that before reading this book), what are you really left with? Call this an account of the personnel-management side of the British Army, as Hagist takes you through the recruitment, training, the day-to-day of a soldier's life, how soldiers made bank, and so on and so forth. Hagist also devotes a whole chapter to the matter of looting and pillaging, which he sees as a major cause for alienation of folks who would have otherwise been Loyalists, or at least neutral.
In the end, I found this study well-worth my time.
The basic point that Hagist wants to make is that because this was a volunteer force for most of the time period in question covered, and that most of those who served left no account of their self-justifications, so you really can't point to any one motivation. At one point impressment for the army was tried by the British government, and was almost immediately recognized as a huge mistake that was not repeated.
So if Hagist is not really attempting a group portrait of the typical British ranker, and he's not giving you a blow-by-blow of the course of the war (you should know that before reading this book), what are you really left with? Call this an account of the personnel-management side of the British Army, as Hagist takes you through the recruitment, training, the day-to-day of a soldier's life, how soldiers made bank, and so on and so forth. Hagist also devotes a whole chapter to the matter of looting and pillaging, which he sees as a major cause for alienation of folks who would have otherwise been Loyalists, or at least neutral.
In the end, I found this study well-worth my time.
December 27, 2020
If you want dry facts that reflect repeating literally the research from original source material about British soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary War, then this is the book for you. The book has no writing style whatsoever, and is quite dull to read. The author seems constrained to merely re-state his research. Very disappointing book.
March 26, 2022
Hagist does an excellent job of weaving the narratives or portions of the narratives of multiple individuals into his overview of the British soldiers who fought for their King and Country during the American Revolution. His use of primary sources is exemplary.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews