Don Hagist
Why British Men became British Soldiers
Many histories describe British soldiers during the American Revolution as facing brutal punishment, meager pay, insufficient amounts of bad food, impractical clothing, and a host of other hardships. Why would anyone join such an army? This talk draws on the writings of men who enlisted in the British Army during the era of the American Revolution to reveal their reasons for entering the ranks to become professional, career soldiers.
Don N. Hagist, (dhagist@mail.com) is managing editor of Journal of the American Revolution (allthingsliberty.com), is an independent researcher specializing in the demographics and material culture of the British Army in the American Revolution. He maintains a blog about British common soldiers (redcoat76.blogspot.com) and has published a number of articles in academic journals. His books include The Revolution’s Last Men: the Soldiers Behind the Photographs (Westholme Publishing, 2015), British Soldiers, American War (Westholme Publishing, 2012), A British Soldier’s Story: Roger Lamb’s Narrative of the American Revolution (Ballindalloch Press, 2004), General Orders: Rhode Island (Heritage Books, 2001) and Wives, Slaves and Servant Girls (Westholme, 2016). Don works as an engineering consultant in Rhode Island, and also writes for several well-known syndicated and freelance cartoonists..