A soldier's leg wear changed more between 1770 and 1870 than at any time before or since, in a single century moving from the knee breech to the long trouser.
Quick answer. Historical military lower garments split into three eras: breeches (1700 to 1800), transitional overalls (1800 to 1830), and long trousers (1830 to now). Each had regimental colour and fabric codes: white kerseymere breeches for Napoleonic infantry officers, grey wool overalls for Peninsular troops, blue trousers with red stripes for 19th century line regiments.
The breech era, 1700 to 1800
Breeches were knee length tight fitting leg wear, buttoned at the knee, worn with long woollen stockings and buckled shoes or gaitered boots. The dominant fabric was kerseymere, a fine twilled wool at around 300 grams per metre, dyed white for most European infantry and black or buff for cavalry and officers.
For officers, breeches were a mark of gentility and fit mattered more than for enlisted men. A pair of 1770s British officer breeches cost around 1 pound 10 shillings, roughly a month's pay for a private soldier. They were worn with silk stockings for full dress and worsted stockings for undress. See our 18th century British vs French uniforms piece for the regimental context.
Gaiters and stockings
Below the breech, the enlisted man wore long linen or wool gaiters that covered the leg from knee to shoe top, fastened with 10 to 20 small buttons. In Britain and France these were white in full dress and black in field dress. Officers wore riding boots or Hessian half boots instead.
Stockings sat under the gaiters. White worsted wool for most ranks, silk for officers in full dress. A pair of regulation worsted stockings was issued twice a year to British soldiers until 1800. For a fuller look at the enlisted kit, our British 18th century military uniforms piece lays it out.
The transition: 1800 to 1830
Between 1800 and 1830, European armies abandoned the breech for the long trouser or overall, driven by three factors: the cold weather campaigns of 1807 (Eylau) and 1812 (Russia), the growth of civilian long trousers after the French Revolution, and the obsolescence of the full dress buckled shoe.
The transitional garment was the overall: a long trouser cut tight at the ankle, with a leather strap under the instep, worn over or in place of the gaiter. The British adopted overalls for all ranks in 1812. The French adopted long trousers for the Line Infantry in 1812 (though officers kept white breeches for full dress). Cavalry overalls had a leather reinforcement on the inside leg where it met the saddle.
The long trouser era, 1830 to now
From 1830 the long trouser dominated. The classic Victorian pattern was dark blue wool with a red seam stripe for the line infantry, cornflower blue with a yellow stripe for the Royal Horse Artillery, scarlet for the 11th Hussars (hence the Cherrypicker nickname), and dark green with yellow for the Rifles.
The seam stripe was a Napoleonic cavalry survival that migrated to all services in the 19th century. The width and colour signalled rank and regiment: for the Household Division today, Guardsmen wear plain blue trousers, officers and warrant officers wear a 7 mm red seam stripe, generals a double stripe. For the modern system, see our British Victorian military uniforms piece.
Trews, kilts and the Highland alternative
Scottish regiments split into Highland and Lowland. Highland regiments wore the kilt (feileadh beag from 1800) with hose and brogues. Lowland regiments wore trews, a pattern of fitted tartan trousers cut on the bias, dating from the 17th century. The 71st Highland Light Infantry wore trews after 1810 to simplify stable duties.
Hose and brogues completed the Highland leg wear, with a sgian dubh in the right sock. Officers wore diced hose; privates wore plain tartan. For a fuller look at the Highland pattern, see our Scottish Highland uniforms piece.
Fabric, fit and reproduction today
Modern reproduction trousers are made from the same kerseymere, broadcloth and doeskin used in the originals: 300 to 400 grams per metre for breeches, 450 to 550 for Victorian trousers. The construction is high waist (nipped at the natural waist, not the hip), with brace buttons front and back, and no belt loops before 1900.
Fit should be close at the knee and ankle for a breech, close at the knee and loose at the ankle for an overall, and straight through for a Victorian trouser. The seam stripe is applied as a sewn in strip, not a printed stripe. Our custom made uniform process piece covers the measuring and construction detail.
Common questions
What is the difference between breeches and overalls?
Breeches end at the knee, buckled, worn with stockings and gaiters. Overalls are long trousers worn over or in place of the gaiter, with a leather strap under the instep.
When did long trousers replace breeches?
Between 1800 and 1830 in European armies. The French and British adopted overalls for enlisted men by 1812; officers kept breeches for full dress until 1830.
What is a seam stripe for?
To mark regiment or rank. A Napoleonic cavalry survival, extended to all services in the 19th century. The Household Division warrant officer wears a red stripe; a general wears a double stripe.
What fabric are military breeches made of?
Kerseymere, a fine twilled wool at 300 grams per metre, dyed white for most European infantry, buff or black for cavalry and officers.
Did Highland regiments wear trousers?
No, Highland regiments wore the kilt from 1739 with the Black Watch. Lowland Scottish regiments wore trews, a bias cut tartan trouser.