RyanAK
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Once scalped…
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Post by RyanAK on Jul 13, 2023 7:23:25 GMT -7
Ryan, Along with studying the uniform of Hartley's Additional Regiment as a guide to sew your Regimental, have you chosen a time period for it yet? Here's why that could be important. You may have already thought of this, but if not, I would ask the Artificer Tailor at Ticonderoga if there were any general or known slight changes in the way Regimentals were sewn during the length of the War on top of the natural differences one would have seen because they were hand made and often in different locations. This latter sometimes to often true even in different Coy's (Companies) in American Regiments. Gus Hey, Gus. Yes… looking at issue dates between Valley Forge and June ‘79, which was the start of the Iroquois campaign. I recognize the importance of dating because there were some SIGNIFICANT changes in cut and function of the regimentals. Sizing too, was an issue as early on many coats were cut too small in an overly zealous effort to conserve cloth. (Either by direction from the Clothier General or through corruption by skimping.) My alternate choice of coat to make would be 1st Pennsylvania Battalion. Fort Ti has good information on these regimentals and they seem to have been prevalent in different regiments, militias and Ranger companies well into ‘78 as discharged soldiers re-enlisted in different outfits. Logistics being what it was, soldiers often chose to wear a legacy regimental in Line units until provided new cloathing. Militia and Ranger companies were responsible for providing for themselves, and many again chose to wear a legacy regimental. But my first choice is Hartley’s. They were the predominant, uniformed, regular army regiment on the frontier during the war. I daily drive by the sites of the forts and blockhouses that Hartley’s Regiment garrisoned and ranged from. When I hunt the hills and fish the streams I’m walking in their footprints.
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Post by artificer on Jul 13, 2023 14:57:41 GMT -7
This isn't directed related to the topic, but I thought you and some others may enjoy it.
In the 18th century British Army, new clothing was sent to each Regiment annually and some time before the King's birthday. This was to give time to have the basic uniforms altered to fit each soldier and be ready for parade on the King's birthday.
Interestingly, British Uniform Factors (contractors) learned to save money by merely tack sewing the uniform pieces/parts together, because they knew the uniforms would be taken apart by each Regiment during the tailoring process and then fully sewn.
Surprisingly, there was never a shortage of British Soldiers who were tailors when they were recruited. Matter of fact, tailoring was one of the most common pre-military trades in the British Army. This because it was one of the cheapest trades to learn as one basically only needed scissors, one or two thimbles, some needles and maybe a cloth measuring tape. Being a Tailor Artificer was also GOOD duty as they were usually excused from more mundane and physical tasks, often being excused from Sentry Duty as well.
When the annual clothing allotment was received, other soldiers who could do or learned to hand sew, were also brought in to work under the supervision of the regular Artificer Tailors. They were given pieces already cut by the Tailors and just hand sewed them up according to directions of the Tailors. This was also good duty for the same reasons mentioned before, though it may have only lasted a few weeks for them.
After tailoring new uniforms for everyone in the Regiment, their old uniforms were turned in, but not wasted. Any cloth that was not worn, stained or damaged too much was saved to make extra uniforms for issue as needed for replacements or for new/Awkward Soldiers (Recruits). Fatigue caps were made from used Regimentals' cloth when the cloth was damaged or stained too much to assemble more coats. They even made haversacks out of linen waist coats and breeches when their cloth was worn too much for other use.
Gus
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RyanAK
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Once scalped…
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Post by RyanAK on Jul 13, 2023 16:23:18 GMT -7
Great write up, Gus. I’ll save everyone the long version of how the Continental army went about this, so the short version is thus:
* Eventually the taylors of the regiments we put to similar tasks fitting uniforms. There are some amazing quotes and letters out there that describe this in some detail. But it took Washington fighting the system for quite some time to make it so. It’s enlightening to read Washington’s correspondance regarding cloathing the army. Shows just how involved he was at all levels of administering to the needs of the army. Fella got in the weeds. * There was much confusion and ineptness regarding supply. Yearly was hoped for… at least as far as regimentals… but it never quite worked out that way. Campaign life and the chaos of the Continental supply system didn’t always, or even usually, provide cloathing at the time it was most needed. * No one cared about the King’s birthday. Ha.
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Post by spence on Jul 13, 2023 18:28:08 GMT -7
I'm struck by the disconnect between the history of clothing the military being discussed in this thread and some reports from the day, on the ground. As reported in _Rebels and Redcoats: The American Revolution Through the Eyes of Those That Fought and Lived It_, George F Scheer, Hugh F Rankin, a statement by Lieutenant Colonel Ebenezer Huntington for example, sometime after 1778: “The rascally stupidity which now prevails in the country at large is beyond all descriptions. They patiently see our illustrious Commander at the head of twenty-five hundred or three thousand ragged, though virtuous and good, men and be obliged to put up with what no troops ever did before. "Why don’t you reinforce your army, feed them, clothe and pay them? Why do you suffer the enemy to have a foothold on the continent? You can prevent it. Send your men to the field, believe you are Americans, not suffer yourselves to be duped into the thought that the French will relieve you and fight your battles. It is your own superiorness that induced Congress to ask foreign aid. It is a reflection too much for a soldier. You don’t deserve to be free men, unless you believe it yourselves. When they arrive, they will not put up with such treatment as your army have done. They will not serve week after week without meat, without clothing, and paid in filthy rags. "I despise my countrymen. I wish I could say I was not born in America. I once gloried in it, but now am ashamed of it. If you do your duty, though late, you may finish the war this campaign. You must immediately fill your regiments and pay your troops in hard monies. They cannot exist as soldiers otherwise. The insults and neglect which the army have met with from the country beggars all description. It must go no further; they can endure it no longer. I have wrote in passion. Indeed, I am scarce ever free from it… and all this for my cowardly countrymen who flinch at the very time when their exertions are wanted and hold their purse strings as though they would damn the world rather than part with a dollar to their army.” Come on, tell us what you really think. Spence
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RyanAK
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Once scalped…
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Post by RyanAK on Jul 13, 2023 19:32:52 GMT -7
Wonderful stuff as always, Spence. And a point worth making. It is very true that for much of the war, Continental regiments were poorly supplied. Lt. Col. Huntington is expressing frustrations that many Continental officers felt but couldn’t put quite so succinctly… er, bluntly… plainly? Sure. I assume that Huntington is writing TO or ABOUT Congress… very much the target of much angst among the increasingly professional Continental Army officer corps. The financial and political realities of the Revolution often prevented the sufficient supply of cloathing, arms, ammunition, food, forage, etc. But so did corruption and ineptitude. Even well meaning men fell short. A full logistical support network to supply a combat army in continuous campaign or slapdash winter cantonnement had to be created from nothing and was slow in coming… too slow when you and your men are starving and freezing. So Huntington’s complaints are certainly with merit. ‘Rascal’ was a significant derogatory term in the 18th Century and in that word you know the sincere belief of an officer that Independence is possible, if only the damn politicians would feed, clothe and pay the army. In that word too, you may feel some of the passion and irreverence of youth. At the time Ebenezer Huntington became a Lt. Colonel, he was not quite yet 24 years old. Soldiers and politicians. So yes, the ragged Continental is based on the predominant supply situation throughout the war. However, there certainly were occasions when cloathing was abundant, and even times when a certain amount of uniformity was achieved. The ‘bounty’ coats of 1775 and the issuance of a vast supply of French contract uniforms (‘Lottery’ coats) in the late fall of 1778 come to mind. The French uniforms especially went far to make a well-uniformed Continental Army. Blue with red facings almost universally.* Except for Hartley’s Additional Regiment. *(According to my research. Still trying to figure out where all the brown coats went…)
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RyanAK
City-dweller
Once scalped…
Posts: 973
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Post by RyanAK on Jul 14, 2023 16:41:28 GMT -7
Don Troiani is currently traveling… but asked that I email him again when he returns and he’ll go through his files.
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