A redcoat was a British soldier during the 1700s and 1800s, named for the bright red wool uniform jackets they wore. These distinctive scarlet coats made British troops easy to spot on the battlefield, which wasn't as dangerous as it might sound at the time: in that era, armies often lined up in organized rows to fight, so camouflage wasn't the main goal. The red dye was also practical because it helped hide bloodstains and didn't show dirt as easily as lighter colors.

American colonists fought against redcoats during the Revolutionary War. When you read about the Battles of Lexington and Concord or Paul Revere's midnight ride, the soldiers marching from Boston were redcoats. From the American perspective, these British troops represented the king's authority and the laws colonists wanted to break free from.

The term became so famous that people still use redcoat to refer to British soldiers from that period, even though the British Army stopped wearing red jackets in combat long ago. You'll encounter redcoats in historical novels, museums, and Revolutionary War reenactments, where actors dress as both redcoats and colonial militiamen to help people understand what those battles looked like.