The First Foot Guards
We are a Revolutionary War
reenactment group based in Boston MA,
accurately portraying the royal household regiment that is now known as
The Grenadier Guards
{
General Staff
On the left is Lieutenant
Colonel Richard Amsterdam,
wearing the uniform of an aide-de-camp.
Don Beale on the right is wearing the uniform of a Brigadier General.
General staff wear
no regimental distinction, because they are 'general staff'
rather than 'regimental officers'.
However they may be colonels of a regiment, which can be an honorary position, rather than a command position. HM Queen Elizabeth II is colonel of our regiment (now called The Grenadier Guards). Her position is honorary. Some Colonels actually fought, as did the Colonel of the First Foot Guards, HRH The Duke of Cumberland.
See
list of First Foot Guards Colonels
Click
Mr Amsterdam, above
is also Adjutant of the 10th Foot,
and Mr Beale is the commander (Lieutenant Colonel) of the 16th Dragoons.
This can indeed be confusing. Suffice it to say that in the 18th century, officers recognized other officers (or made sure that they soon did!) For the common soldier, anything above a Captain was a lofty position indeed. A Private Soldier would hope to spend his whole career without talking to the Lt-Col or Colonel. If he were at a court-martial he could expect to be addressed by the regimental commander... and that, of course was something very much to be avoided!
Go to "Companies"
main page
Click
Spy
Letters of the American Revolution
Great reading from the Clements Library of UMichigan (home of many of the Guards
Orderly Books)
Offsite link