"THE UNIFORM OF THE U.S.ARMY"
(By Col*Laurence A.Curtis,U#3*A*, in the "Infantry Journal”).
2.
"At the close of the Revolution we find the regiment of
infantry and two companies of artillery retained in the service,clothed
in the accepted continental costume of dark blue coats,white small
clothes, and cocked hate. The Infantry facings were white,-the artillery w*
scarlet.Two years later the infantry wore scarlet facings#
In 1800 President Adams put the cavalry into green coats
with white facings# Musicians had scarlet coats,which they continued to
wear as late as 1857* The Marine Band turned out in red coats until 1917,
and Marine field musicians .wore red dress coats until the dress coat
was discontinued a few years ago# Probably scarlet was associated with
the blare of trumpets*
In 1900 a uniforn order carrying sweeping changes met
with much the sane reception that uniform orders have received ever
since,and was never carried out* An aarly example of reluctance to de
part from the old order of things is shown in the accomplishment of the
change from the queue to the cropped hair* It was urged that all men be
turned out for Parad9 with hair well greased and neatly braidedf§md t^o
this end a given quantity of tallow and flour was issued for each hun
dred men, for dressing the hair. It was urged, also, that all men be clean
ly shaven. One aggressive commander ordered that soldiers appearing un
shaven should be dry—shaved on parade* In 1800 orders issued from the
War Department to the effect that long hair was unsightly and unsanitary,
and tnat all hair would henceforth be cropped* a?his order was carried
out with great unwillingness, and generally characterized as a French fad*
One Lieutenant Colonel refused to cut his hair. rie was finally brought
before a General Court-martial, and sentenced to reprimand* H0 still con
tinued to wear hi3 queue, and a year later -vas to be court -mart ialed again,
but was gathered to his fathers, and buried in his queue.
Xn 13X0 the continental garb gave way to the single
breafeted swallow—tailed coat and long trousers* Hie head dress was at
first the bell-crowned plug hat of the tine,replaced in 1312 by the tar
bucket still worm for full dress by the Corps of cadets* Hie West Point
full dress,with its white cross belts and white trousers,is practically
the uniform of this period.. High collars were now in vogue, the collar
reaching the tip of the ear.
Dark blue was the prescribed color except for the rifle
regiments, which ware in gr ey. As a matter of fact, wring to the embargo
of 1807,the commercial non-intsrcourse Act of 18*6,and the subsequent block*
ade, dark blue cloth was very scarce, and the Army was mostly in grey. In
honor of Lundy s Lane and ether victories won by regiments in grey the
Corps of Cadets was put into grey in 1819* Hie voltiguer regiments'in the
Mexican War wore grey* At the outbreak of the Civil War, several northern
states sent out their troop? in grey. After the Civil War gfcey was quite
generally worn by National Guard orgari nations until the state troops
went into the Army uniform in the eighties.".
(To be continued next week).