British infantry doctrine in the Revolutionary War leaned heavily on the bayonet. Where American forces tended to fight from cover and trust their marksmanship, British regulars were trained to close quickly, hold formation, and finish the engagement with the bayonet — a tactical preference rooted in the better-trained, larger, and more cohesive force the British had at the start of the war. The 43rd Regiment of Foot, like the rest of the line, drilled the manual of arms and the bayonet charge until both were automatic. By the southern campaign of 1780-81, when the 43rd was serving under Cornwallis, the regiment had seen enough action that the bayonet drill was muscle memory. This figure depicts the defensive variant of that drill — the posture a regular would take when the situation reversed and the enemy was closing on him: bayonet down, weapon held horizontally across the body, weight set to receive a charge rather than to deliver one.

This figure shows a 43rd Regiment infantryman in the defensive position — body squared toward the threat, musket held horizontally across his front with the bayonet pointing forward, weight settled to absorb whatever was coming. He wears the standard British line infantry dress of the late 1770s: scarlet coat with white facings on cuffs and lapels, white waistcoat, white breeches, black knee gaiters, white cross-belts with cartridge box and bayonet sheath, tricorne with white binding. The pose was used when British infantry expected to receive an attack — by Continental bayonet charge or close-range fire — and the figure captures the moment of preparation rather than action. He pairs with [the British 43rd Regiment of Foot Ensign with King's Colours (his fellow 43rd Foot), [a Continental Line soldier charging with bayonet (the kind of attack this defensive posture was meant to receive), and the broader American Revolution & Federal Era collection.

1/30 scale (60mm), matte-painted, single figure boxed. Catalog number 16202. As with the rest of the W. Britain modern range, the painting is photographic-quality detail intended to read well in dioramas and display cases.