When we imagine the British Army in the late 18th Century, say during the American War of Independence, one of the most common images drawn to mind is that of the mighty British Grenadier with his tall, black bearskin cap. These bearskins added to the perceived height of the soldier, making the man seem stronger and more ferocious than a simple cocked hat did, and they remain as iconic a symbol in the British Army as the traditional red coat.
But I had always heard stories, and I am sure many of us have through different games, paintings, and regimental myths, of another kind of bearskin cap...one made not of a black bear pelt, but of white. So, when we look at the sources, did these white bearskins really exist? And if they did, how often were they used? And what were they made out of?
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19 мар 2018