Page 210 - (DK) Smithsinian - Military History: The Definitive Visual Guide to the Objects of Warfare

208 WEAPONS, UNIFORM, AND KIT ▶ ROUND HAT

ONET 1680–1815 OF AN ORDINARY BRITISH SAILOR Origin England Brim,
Date c.1800

Material Tarred straw
The phenomenal success of British sea power in the French Revolutionary
Sailors sported a variety of
and Napoleonic Wars depended not only on the tactical genius of commanders,
headgear. Straw hats, popular
but also on the bravery of the Royal Navy’s well-drilled seamen, or “Jack Tars.”
in sunny latitudes, were often
tarred to make them waterproof.
Ordinary sailors’ onboard duties chiefly involved the upkeep and running of
The “round hat” had a tall crown
usually of
ax, cutlass, and pistols for boarding raids. A Jack Tar did not have a uniform,
but he would have been identifiable from his outfit, which typically included
Y the ship and the firing of its guns, although the men were issued with a pike, like that of a top hat. narrow width
a checked shirt, a short jacket, and a waistcoat.
AND BA Black-painted
iron grip
◀ NAVAL CUTLASS
FLINTLOCK Date 1804 1
MODEL 1804
Origin England
Weight 3lb (1.32kg)
Length 33 ⁄2in (85.5cm)
The British Model 1804 cutlass
was a utilitarian, straight-bladed,
cut-and-thrust weapon with
a double disk guard and a ribbed
iron handle, painted black to
protect against corrosion.

Straight, almost
flat steel blade

▶ WAISTCOAT
Date c.1800
Origin England
Material Wool
A colorful waistcoat
was a fairly standard piece
of clothing for seamen.
Being skilled at repairing
sails, many sailors were
accomplished needleworkers,
making and mending most
of their own clothes.

Red woolen cloth

Blade tapered to
stabbing point

▶ TROUSERS
Spike could be driven into
hull of an enemy ship to Axehead riveted Date c.1800
make a step or handhold to handle Origin England
Material Cotton
▶ BOARDING AX The boarding ax was used Seamen generally wore loose
Date c.1800 by seamen to cut stays, cables, trousers for ease of movement.
and rigging when boarding They favored “white duck,”
Origin England an enemy ship, and to hook a hard-wearing cotton weave,
Weight 4lb (1.8kg) away debris. The ax could also and the trousers could be of
1
Length 3 ⁄4ft (1m) be used as a weapon in Tough any color or pattern—many
hand-to-hand fighting. hardwood were striped.
handle