a colour has always been
considered a special event, glorious or the reverse, in the history of a
regiment, the importance of this being chiefly sentimental, but having
as a very real background the fact that, if its colour was lost, a
regiment was to all intents and purposes dissolved and dispersed.
Frederick the Great and Napoleon always attached the highest importance
to the maintenance at all costs of the regimental colours. Even over
young troops the influence of the colour has been extraordinary, and
many generals have steadied their men in the heat of battle by taking a
regimental colour themselves to lead the advance or to form up the
troops. Thus in the first battle of Bull Run (1861) the raw Confederate
troops were rallied under a heavy fire by General Joseph Johnston, their
commander-in-chief, who stood with a colour in his hand until the men
gathered quickly in rank and file. The archduke Charles at Aspern (1809)
led his young troops to the last assault with a colour in his hand.
Marshal Schwerin was killed at the battle of Prague while carrying a
regimental colour.

In the British army colours are carried by guards and line (except
rifle) battalions, each battalion having two colours, the king's and the
regimental. The size of the colour is 3 ft. 9 in. by 3 ft., and the
length of the stave 8 ft. 7 in. The colour has a gold fringe and gold
and crimson tassels, and bears various devices and "battle honours."
Both colours are carried by subaltern officers, and an escort of
selected non-commissioned officers forms the rest of the colour party.
The ceremony of presenting new colours is most impressive. The old
colours are "trooped" (see below) before being cased and taken to the
rear. The new colours are then placed against a pile of drums and then
uncased by the senior majors and the senior subalterns. The consecration
follows, after which the colours are presented to the senior subalterns.
The battalion gives a general salute when the colours are unfurled, and
the ceremony concludes with a march past. "Trooping the colour" is a
more elaborate ceremonial peculiar to the British service, and is said
to have been invented by the duke of Cumberland. In this, the colour is
posted near the left of the line, the right company or guard moves up to
it, and an officer receives it, after which the guard with the colour
files between the ranks of the remainder from left to right until the
right of the line is reached.