New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-06-16


life. Even in their native country, they had been
accustomed to similar clothing, for, in England at
that day. leather, dressed as buff and in other
styles, was much worn. The plainness of their
tastes would give the preference to this fashion
over the velyets, silks and laces OF England.
These homey materials continued in vogue until
after the war of independence. They were the
usual style Of the camp, aud gave the name OF
Buckskins" to the American soldiery. "But,
surely" says quaint old writer, speaking of New
Albion, in l649, " we may easily grow rich If we
will buy no clothes, for good weaver brought
hther will make us of our fake nine sorts OF
Linens, tufted Hollands, velures. velvets,
Tuitaffetaes and Pushes, and for winter good
Glover, with some Onely of our own elk skins
maketh tho best bufe coats; our own stag and
deer skins make best gentle and soldiers clothes,
fttest for our woods; doeskin breeches with
the fur inside in our short winter is better than
two broadcloths and warmer, SO We need no
English Cloths"
The cloth made in America prior to the
revolution consisted almost exclusively Of the
stout and coarser kinds of mixed fabrics into
which linen or hempen thread largely entered
as material. Cotton was imported in small
quantities chiefly from Barbados, but occasion.
ally from Smyrna and was made into fustians
and other stufs with linen thread. The linens
made at that time were usually OF very
coarse texture. The kerseys, lnsey woOlseys,
serges. and druggets, consisted of wool varously
combined with fax or tow, and formed the
outer clothing of q large part of the population
during the colder seasons. Hempen cloth and
linen of different degrees Of fneDess from the
coarsest tew cloth to the finest Holland consti.
tuted the principal wearing apparel at other
tines The material was mostly grown upon
the homestead; the breaking and hacking
were done by the men; while the carding, spin
ming, weaving, bleaching, and dyeing were per.
formed BY their wives and daughters. The
beauty and abundance Of the stores OF household
linen were the pride Of all thrifty families.
The dress of apprentices and laborers, early in
the last century, almost invariably comprised
shirts of this home manufactured 'Ozenbrig,
made of hemp or fax, and varying in price from
| one 10 one shilling and sxpence per yard, and
vests and brooches Of the same, or of coarse
tow cloth. Goats, or doublets and brooches CT
leather or enduring buckskD, and coats also OF
kersey, drugget, duroy, frieze, etc; felt hats,
coarse leather shoes, with brass buckles. and
| often wooden heels: and coarse yarn or worsted
stockings, were the common outer hablliments oil
that class and were principally OF home
! manufacture. The distinctions of rank were pretty
| clearly defined, and the dress Of the middle and
weather. classes corresponded to tho tastes and
abilities Of each"
| During the war Of the revolution, the scarcity
of clothing, especially Of wooeDs sultab," for the
| use of the army, a. is well known, was souGo
Of great embarrassment to the commissarat and
| OF Distress to the soldiers. In Nov, 1875, Con-
| gress resolved that clothing be provided for the
| army by tho continent. to be paid for by stopping
| IL dollars per month out Of the soldiers pay;
| that as much as possible of the cloth be dyed
brown, tho distinction Of the regiments to be made
| in the faoings and that man who brought
into the camp good new blanket should be al
lowed two dollars therefor, and be at liberty to
take it away after the campaign"
| In June, I776, each colony was called upon
"to furnish a suit Of clothes-of which the whist
coat and breeches might be Of deer leather, if to
be had on reasonable terms blanket, felt hat,
two shirts two pair hose, and two pair shoes for
each soldier in the army, to be paid for by Con-
gress In July the commissary was granted q
quantity of gunpowder with which to purchase
deer. skins for breeches; and the secret CON-
| mittee was directed to fall upon ways and
means of procuring further supply of deer
| skins for the like purpose from Georgia and
| South Carolina. At the same time, John Grit.
| fifth, 'an experienced artfcer in making and dress
ing fullers shears, was, on the petition Of the
inhabitants Of Chester County. Pennsylvania, re-
leased from service and ordered to return home
10 follow his trade. Toward the end of the
year, General Washington was desired to order
| agents to be sent into each State to buy up lin
ems and other clothing and tent-cloth. But not.
withstanding orders had been issucd in the be-
ginning Of the year to import considerable guam
titles of wooens and other cloth from Europe,
! and Philadelphia was twice called upon to fur
nish blankets, which were not 10 be purchased
| in the stores, and even to sell its awnings for
tents, of which there was scarcely ono in the
army, the suferings Of the troops during the win
ter were extreme A large proportion of the
clothing of the soldiers was linen, which was a
poor defense against the rigors of winter cam
paign. The deficiency Of wooden materials in the
manufactures Of the country was apparent in the
contributions for the army. The Commissioners
in France were directed, in the beginning of the
next year, to make purchases of suitable clothing
and blankets, and each State was assessed for