Charles Hamilton Smith facts for kids
Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Hamilton Smith (born December 26, 1776 – died September 21, 1859) was an amazing English person who did many things! He was an English artist, naturalist (someone who studies nature), antiquary (someone who studies old things), illustrator, soldier, and even a spy. He was born in what is now Belgium and later lived in Plymouth, England.
Contents
A Soldier's Life
Charles Hamilton Smith started his military journey in 1787. He studied at special schools in Belgium to learn about artillery (big guns) and engineering. He served in the military until 1820, even during the big Napoleonic Wars. His work took him to many places, including the West Indies, Canada, and the United States.
One interesting thing he did was an experiment in 1800. He wanted to find out the best color for military uniforms. At the time, many soldiers wore bright red uniforms. But guns were getting better and more accurate. Smith thought that less bright colors would help soldiers hide better. He tested how well riflemen could hit targets that were grey, green, and red. His tests showed that grey uniforms were the best for hiding, and green was also much better than red. He suggested that soldiers who used rifles or were light infantry (fast-moving soldiers) should wear grey. The British Army didn't fully follow his advice, but green did become a popular color for light infantry later on.
Artist, Nature Lover, and Historian
Charles Hamilton Smith was a very talented artist, even though he taught himself. He is famous in military history for his book Costume of the Army of the British Empire. This book showed exactly what British soldiers wore during the Napoleonic Wars.
As an antiquarian, he also created books about old costumes and history. He worked with another person, Samuel Rush Meyrick, on books like Costume of the Original Inhabitants of the British Islands (1815) and The Ancient Costume of England. These books had historical drawings of medieval knights, ladies, ships, and battles.
Smith made a huge number of drawings, estimating over 38,000! Most of these drawings were not about the military. He also kept notebooks filled with his observations as a naturalist, studying animals and plants. He even wrote about the history of the Seven Years' War and the natural history of dogs.
Later Life and Lost Works
After he retired, Charles Hamilton Smith lived in Plymouth. He joined a local group called the Plymouth Institution. He gave many talks there, and he also stored many of his notes, letters, and papers (about 20 large books worth!) at the institution. Sadly, his entire collection was destroyed when the Plymouth Athenaeum building was bombed during the Blitz in 1941.
See also
- Category:Taxa named by Charles Hamilton Smith
Images for kids
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"Privates of the Greek Light Infantry Regiment" from Costumes of the Army of the British Empire.
