King James II was a man who knew something about the arts of war. He performed well as admiral at sea during the Dutch Wars and served in Europe, at one stage under the great French Marshal Turenne.
In the few short years of his reign he had a keen eye on his army's well-being. The English army was expanding rapidly and James sought to increase the firepower of his infantry regiments after the Battle of Sedgemoor, fought against Protestant rebels under the Duke of Monmouth in 1685.
At that battle James' artillery was late on the field and poorly used. His generals realized that had the English been able to bring only a handful of light guns to bear on the ill armed rabble opposing them, the battle would have been quickly over and won.
So, in 1686 the King issued the following decree to be put in force at the Army's annual training camp at Hounslow, outside London:
It is Our Royal will and pleasure that two brass pieces of ordnance be provided to each of Our Regiments at Our camp at Hounslow for the better execution of Our enemies.
According to one source, 14 new 3 pdr. guns were issued to seven regiments in August of that year. The “Queen Dowager's Regiment of Foot” received their guns soon after.
By providing just a few light guns for his infantry King James was greatly extending the attacking range of each battalion from the effective offensive range of the musket, arguably 50 75 yards at best, to as much as 400 yards, perhaps more, with the 3 pdrs.
Against a formed and steady opponent such fire would certainly be effective, and against an ill formed and rebel force such as the Duke of Monmouth's it would certainly be decisive.
King James was, of course, merely relearning the lessons of the Thirty Years War, when King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden's sound military doctrine attached light “leather made” guns to his infantry in the 1630s; indeed there were one or two instances of experienced colonels in the English Civil Wars from 1642 to 1652 using individual guns in the same way.
This was the time of England's great military expansion, creating a well-paid, strong and, above all, loyal army in the aftermath of rebellion. Naturally, this powerful army would be of some significant use in controlling the state and population in the wake of the reinstatement of the Catholic Church, which the King intended. Civil wars followed. James fled to Ireland and was replaced by King William who took the war across to Ireland after him.
The Queen Dowager's Regiment was present at the raising of the historic siege of Londonderry and in July 1690 played an active role in the decisive Battle of the Boyne. It served at the storming of the City of Athlone and at the final Battle of Aughrim. The regiment was also present at the siege of Limerick, one of Europe's most costly and vicious investments in recorded history.
William, now secure upon the throne, regarded the Queen Dowager's as one of the best regiments in the army, and it went on to serve in the Low Countries. First present at the defeat of Landen (Neerwinden) in Holland, in 1692, the regiment led the assaults on the mighty fortress of Namur three years later, returning home when a treaty was signed in 1697.
The Queen Dowager's Regiment of today is a small group of reenactors who portray the regiment as it was in 1686 87, when it had been issued with its new 3 pdr. battalion guns, between the Battle of Sedgemoor and the defeat of King James II.
The group goes beyond the basic military reenactment requirement to pursue an interest in the politics, social issues and religious and economic life of the period, as well as the food, and the rations of King James' soldiers.
As one member of the group said: “...they are all interrelated, so just concentrating on the military simply gives you one part of the whole thing.”
Though in the military sphere, attention to detail is reflected in dress, drill and the portrayal of the Regiment's camp, the general minutiae of life in the King's army and in England in the 1680s.
Above all, it is the 3 pdr. gun that makes this a very specialized reenactment unit in Britain.
The gunners who served the two 3pdrs. were dressed in the standard regimental uniform as shown in the photo. The low-crowned, narrow-brimmed black hat was edged in white and with a sea green hatband. The army's red coat was lined and faced with sea green and with pewter buttons.
Beneath the coat, a sea green, red lined waistcoat was worn. As with all James' regiments, this coat was last year's old uniform issue, turned inside out and altered by the tailor. At least in theory, a soldier received a new top coat each year in service.
The breeches were sea green and worn with white stockings. Shoes could differ, but were generally leather brogues, square-toed, secured by a buckle or with a lace. Since these were infantrymen turned gunners, equipment basically was a buff leather waist belt with a sword in its frog. Other gear and equipment on campaign was carried in a variety of bags, rolls and pouches.
The Queen Dowager's soldier shown here is equipped with flintlock, no match, because of his proximity to the battalion gun's explosive powder presumably. He has a dagger shaped plug bayonet, a short-lived innovation often referred to as a “dagger” in the manuals, and probably better used as such.
The cartouche box, issued to most regiments sometime after 1690, hangs from a shoulder strap. At times, I understand, short or half pikes were issued to the “matrosses,” or gunners' assistants, as in the Royal Artillery of the time.
The 3 pdr. Battalion Gun, surely one of the rarest period pieces of ordnance in reenactment service today, was built by the well-known British gun maker Jim Saddler, using plans provided by the Royal Artillery at Woolwich. The originals were bronze, but the modern replica, which is live proofed and used to fire black powder blanks, is steel. Shot is not used at re enactments anywhere in the United Kingdom, of course.
The gun carriage is based on the original design, and red painted, but where the original 1686 carriage will have been of oak, there's a tendency for this wood to split, and it can make for difficult maintenance (in 21st-century terms), so a more stable hardwood is used.
Overall accuracy and appearance is effectively maintained, and the tools and equipment used in firing, such as the linstock, are also accurate.
The 3 pdr.'s specifications are as follows: bore, 3 inches; barrel length, 3 feet 3 inches; axle width, 5 feet; carriage length, 7 feet; wheel diameter, 3 feet 6 inches;
And, shot diameter, 2-7/8 inches; shot weight, 3 pounds; powder weight, one-third of shot (varied from gun to gun); effective range, 300 400 yards; maximum range, 700 yards.
Some specifications have been altered slightly from the original. In Britain the gun is fired at reenactments using 1.25 ounces of black powder, which is more than acceptable.
By far the most interesting feature of this reenactment initiative is the reconstruction from contemporary manuals and accounts at the Royal Armouries Fort Nelson of a drill for using the 3 pdrs. and its translation into modern safe practice.
This was done by Nigel Walker of the Dowager's and certainly looks and feels right. However, it's true to say that the unit's Gun Drills and Duties reflects the fact that the art and science of ordnance is better known than the exact nature of the drill used in the heat of battle.
Speaking as an ordnance enthusiast, the compact Dowager's drill overall is one well worth study by any early artillery reenactor and will form the basis of a follow up article since it bears very interesting comparison with the specific and adapted 1860's period Civil War drills used by so many North American gun crews of today.
Whatever the case in terms of drills, when in 1686 the first seven Regiments of Foot were presented with their 3 pdr. battalion guns, some speedy learning curves were undoubtedly involved.
The Queen Dowager's Regiment of Foot, despite its ancient origins, is a fairly new organization and so a Web site and e mail contact don't yet exist.
About the Author: Military and maritime historian Robert Morgan is secretary of the Welsh Maritime Association and a member of the Ordnance Society who writes frequently on these and other pages about artillery and fortifications.