Sometimes that "esprit" was really little more than a form of group think. In the case of British regiments, this could equate to centuries of tradition unhampered by progress. Look at some of the debacles of the British Wars of Empire, up to and including WWI, for instances. More near and dear examples would be the British advance and retreat from the American colonial towns of Lexington and Concord or Braddock's defeat during the expedition to reduce Fort Duquesne (Braddock was a longtime member of the Coldstream Guards).
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