Warriors in Scarlet: The Life and Times of the Last Redcoats

by Ian Knight

Ian Knight's Warriors in Scarlet is a comprehensive and stirring history of the Victorian army between 1837 to 1860, from the Battle of Bossendon Wood to the Crimean War, a period of seismic change as the rapid expansion of the empire saw the British army fighting in small wars across the world.

An acclaimed military historian, Knight reveals the brutal reality of colonial conflict from both sides. Drawing on first-hand accounts he shows us the reality of life for the British soldier in this era – the drudgery of peacetime service for the ordinary soldier, the excitement and privations of posting overseas, the floggings and desertions, the regimental pride and comradeship.

Knight vividly recreates the action on the ground, from bloody skirmishes in Southern Africa and siege warfare in New Zealand to disasters like the 1842 retreat from Kabul and Chillianwalla in the Punjab. British soldiers trained in tactics that had beaten Napoleon were forced to adapt when faced with warriors with very different skills fighting on their home ground, and yet the army won more than four-fifths of the battles they fought in this era. Knight describes how, by 1860 with their redcoats increasingly replaced by khaki, the British army was a more professional, efficient and increasingly ruthless fighting force.

'Impressively researched and highly readable analysis' – Tony Pollard, Professor of Conflict History and Archaeology, University of Glasgow

Genres: History, Military History

633 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 24, 2023

About the author

Ian Knight, BA, FRGS is a historian, author, battlefield guide and artifacts specialist internationally regarded as a leading authority on the nineteenth-century history of the Zulu kingdom, and in particular the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879. He has a degree in Afro-Caribbean Studies from the University of Kent and has been researching and writing for more than thirty years. He has published over forty books and monographs, the majority of them on Zulu history and the rest on other nineteenth-century British colonial campaigns. He has appeared on-screen in a number of television documentaries. He is an Honorary Research Associate of the KwaZulu-Natal Museum in Pietermaritzburg.

Reviews

[Clay Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good history of British soldiers during the Victorian Age. Learned about this book from the Redcoat History Youtube channel.

[William Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great history of the red coats during the reign of Queen Victoria. It touches on many parts of the vast empire of which these men were called to fight in. Knight brings a plethora of these men’s journals and diaries from the highest class lords to the lowest of the enlisted, and always giving great context in relation to the wider political offence to each of the conflicts covered as well as the wider social and political atmosphere at the empire’s centre. Also covering the factors that led these men into the army. May the never set

[Eva Chatterji · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I did enjoy the book, some of the errors in the chapter regarding the Indian Mutiny were simply too glaringly obvious. The chapter itself felt rushed, and when it came down to it, did little to add to an otherwise very interesting book. With that said, the book is certainly well worth the read!

[Will Davis-Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The way this book was written should be the gold standard for history books. It caught my attention from the very beginning and had me fully engaged throughout. I learnt so much and I was disappointed when it ended - I would love to have heard more about the latter half of the 19th century conflicts but it was pretty much beyond the scope of the book. Highly recommend, fantastic writing.

[Abe Staples-McCall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book about some major wars and some smaller wars I had no idea about. The Victorian age isn't a period I've read into a lot and this is interesting in it's discussion of the soldiers and life in an advancing empire.

[John Tuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too much politics and not enough redcoats for me to be honest. First book in a long time that I've given up on

[Jem Wilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

The accounts by the soldiers were interesting

[Mark Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

[Gary Loewy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book. I do enjoy history books covering British empire wars. This covered conflicts in Africa and New Zealand that were new to me.

[Will Burn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A rip-roaring account of the trials and tribulations of the British Army. I was worried beforehand that like much military history it might become a dry account of battalion and regimental movements and attacks. This was not the case. The narrative beautifully brought the whole imperial adventures of the army and the redcoats together and situated it all in the political context of the time. Explanations of the motivations of individuals and the first hand accounts included really brought the battles to life. A very engaging analysis of the slow but steady transformation of the red coats from the Wellington-era through to the dawn of more modernised warfare that was taking place in the 1850s: khaki and genocidal extermination against the Xhosa; attritional trench warfare in the Crimea and the more centralised and professional Indian Army that developed in the wake of the Indian Mutiny/War of Independence.