Specialist Soldiers: The Royal Regiment of Artillery

Specialist Soldiers: The Royal Regiment of Artillery. . , Those British soldiers who manned artillery pieces belonged to the Royal Regiment of Artillery. At Michilimackinac, their duties included guarding, maintaining, and repairing the post’s heavy weapons, firing salutes, drilling with the cannons and mortar, and managing the powder magazine., Members of the Royal Artillery were easily distinguished from regular infantrymen by their royal blue regimental coats with red facings. The artillerymen also enjoyed increased pay and better housing, reflecting the theoretical and practical skills needed to operate artillery. At Michilimackinac, artillerymen lived in rented homes rather than the barracks. Only two or three members of the regiment’s 4th Battalion served at Michilimackinac at any one time during the 1770s. , “The King’s birth day a Matross lost , Two of his fingers by not Spunging the Guns Properly.” , Captain George Turnbull , Michilimackinac , 12 June 1771. , In 1777, artillerymen serving in Canada were ordered to modify their uniforms to include gaitered trousers, shortened regimental coats, and small caps with red hair plumes.