Did Continental Army officers wear wigs or keep their hair white like their British Army counterparts?
score:15
It's important to note here a key distinction between British (army) officers and Continental officers.
The former, overwhelmingly, had purchased their commissions into a specific regiment; and were required to purchase their promotions (usually within the regiment) as vacancies occurred which they were eligible for. The latter were, largely if not universally at the lower levels up to Captain, elected by their comrades-in-arms.
The consequence of this difference is that British (army) officers, with only rare exceptions, men-of-means: which is to say gentlemen. A gentlemen was expected to act and dress as one, which included wearing a powdered wig. A Continental officer on the other hand, especially at the lower ranks, was most likely to be a working farmer or small businessman well regarded and popular with his peers. He might don a powdered wig much as we would a tuxedo, for formal occasions, but certainly not every day.
However, there would be exceptions, particularly on the Continental side. The choices made by characters in your WIP are character tells. Let the characters reveal themselves to the reader by their choices.
If it comes up, note that the Royal Navy operated very differently, and relied near completely on merit-based promotion. (However those of means could arrange midshipmen post for sons at a younger age, giving them a leg up to Post Captain provided they passed the Lieutenant's exam.) This is well covered in both the Hornblower and Aubrey novel series.
Finally, to expand slightly on the above which might be unfamiliar to some, my answer to Can the assignment “Depot Battalion” in Hart's Annual Army List be linked to a specific regimental assignment? discusses in more detail the British Army promotion system. Although set a century later, when the system was just being revised to the modern (more) merit based system, it is mostly similar:
Within a specific regiment, commissions were purchased from the Colonel; who in turn had purchased from the Crown the right to be reimbursed the expenses of the regiment in exchange for raising and equipping it. Access to promotions was strictly based upon seniority (unless one was compelled by severe financial distress to decline a promotion opportunity).
Upon reaching the rank of Captain in one's regiment, plus modest service completion, an officer was eligible for secondment, or general assignment, to the army at large. This might be anything from a staff appointment to command of a brigade or larger as a general officer. This is the origin of the military term general.
Military Career of Arthur Wellesley notes that:
Wellesley rose in rank by purchasing his first four commissions, as was common practice in the British Army for wealthy officers.
Wellesley was gazetted ensign on 7 March 1787, in the 73rd (Highland) Regiment of Foot, and became an aide-de-camp in October. He purchased his commission to lieutenant on 25 December 1787, in the 76th Regiment. As a junior officer he transferred to the 41st Regiment soon after to avoid duty in the East Indies, and in June 1789 transferred again, to the 12th (Prince of Wales's) Light Dragoons. He obtained his commission as captain on 30 June 1791, in the 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment, having served the regulation minimum of three years, and again to major on 30 April 1793, in the 33rd (First Yorkshire West Riding) Regiment, having served six years. He purchased his final commission to lieutenant-colonel on 30 September 1793, at the age of 24. From there on further promotion could only be attained through seniority, per Army Regulations.
Miscellaneous References:
General Regulations and Orders For The Army - Adjutant General's Office (1822) [The oldest edition I found.]
More post
- 📝 Did the Portuguese and the Spanish have slaves on European soil working for them?
- 📝 Were there any specific laws/treaties enshrining the Principle of Distinction in the 18th century?
- 📝 Explaining differences in settler-first peoples mating
- 📝 Chronological plausibility of "liars don’t make good martyrs?"
- 📝 Were there any recorded instances of outlaws (people that were illegal out of their wanted place 100% of the time) in Nazi Germany?
- 📝 Are there any accounts of German junior enlisted soldiers surviving the siege of Stalingrad and subsequent captivity?
- 📝 Why did England consistently adopt red as their primary colour for insignia and uniform?
- 📝 Is Dalmatia often disregarded or largely overlooked when studying the history of the Roman Empire?
- 📝 What does Tuchman mean by transition to a "money economy" in the Middle Ages?
- 📝 What was the purpose of tunnel fighting in a 17th century siege?
- 📝 What do Marxists mean by "class basis of law"? As seen in linked article
- 📝 How old was the Egyptian calendar system?
- 📝 Who owns the Saudi-Iraqi neutral zone after the 1991 Gulf War?
- 📝 How and why did Charles XII get to Poltava?
- 📝 Why did water stored on premodern ships "go brackish" or "go bad" while at sea?
- 📝 Which Japanese military officers helped Ho Chi Minh?
- 📝 Did any British police force rank "Senior Superintendent"?
- 📝 Did Princess Diana ever talk about her alleged Armenian descent?
- 📝 How were little children dressed in medieval times?
- 📝 What is the oldest recorded cat name?
- 📝 How do archaeologists prove that two settlements belonged to the same civilization?
- 📝 From where does the superstition about Friday the thirteenth originate?
- 📝 What was the impetus behind the British Empire's acquisition of what is now Canada?
- 📝 Was the option of setting up a Jewish state in defeated Nazi Germany ever considered?
- 📝 What is the history of standing armies in India?
- 📝 How common was the German desire for revenge for the humiliation of 1918 armistice?
- 📝 Did Watt or another inventor have a dream about ball bearings?
- 📝 Who was the first foreigner to be naturalized as a Mexican citizen in Alta California?
- 📝 How effective were the Mongol siege equipment?
- 📝 Why has Hainan been so little fought over?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Did Continental Army officers wear wigs or keep their hair white like their British Army counterparts?
- 📝 Why did Civil War officers tell their men to "aim low"?
- 📝 How did ancient armies keep the route of supplies to their battlefield?
- 📝 Did the Muslims of Granada expect their Christian conquerors to keep their promised terms?
- 📝 Why did fighter pilots wear their hats lopsided during the World Wars?
- 📝 Why did textile mill owners during the industrial revolution keep their factory windows closed?
- 📝 Did Soviet Republics like Kazakstan and Azerbaijan have their own military units?
- 📝 Why would high-ranking officers wear a helmet exhibiting their rank near the enemy?
- 📝 Did Emperor Gaozu of Han allow people he conquered to keep their cultural identities?
- 📝 Did samurai wear hakama long enough to hide their feet?
- 📝 How did the white minority in South Africa see their situation in the apartheid times?
- 📝 Did Victorian(-era) British officers knowingly fire their revolvers at targets clearly out of range?
- 📝 Was "Mad Anthony" Wayne of the Continental Army really that cruel like shown in this video?
- 📝 Why did the other Continental European powers keep trying to fight Napoleon before 1813 despite being beaten by him so often?
- 📝 Why did the United States Army force Nez Perce to give up their own land?
- 📝 When did bombs actually look like this?
- 📝 Did ancient peoples ever hide their treasure behind puzzles?
- 📝 Where did the Romans store their cash?
- 📝 Why did Greeks and Romans dilute their wine?
- 📝 How did the ancient Romans count with their fingers?
- 📝 How did passengers keep warm on sail ships?
- 📝 Why did the Soviet Union name their strongest bomb Tsar Bomba?
- 📝 Did Chinese emperors wear a rectangular hat with suspended gems?
- 📝 When and why did having long hair become associated with women, and short hair with men?
- 📝 Why did the German army execute so few soldiers in World War I compared to most other armies?
- 📝 How did Genghis Khan's army feed so many horses?
- 📝 Did Roman unmarried men have a preferred hand and finger for wearing their seal ring?
- 📝 Did the Soviet army intentionally send troops (e.g. penal battalions) running over minefields?
- 📝 When did the U.S. Army start saying "oh-six-hundred" for "6 AM"?
- 📝 Why did Poland keep Warsaw as its capital instead of returning it to Krakow in the 20th century?