Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-04-10
LIFE-LlKE FIGURES.
They Represent Soldiers OF the Revo-
lutionary War and Of Today.

lutionary War and Of Today.
AN INTERESTING HxRIBITToS IN THE WAR DE-
PARTMEST coRRIpoRs-uNIfoRMs OF THE CON.
| TrNENrAL ARMY AND THOSE OF ToDAY-How
OFFICERS AND MEN WERE AND ARE ALTERED.
The quartermaster general Of the army has
just compile ted his contribution to the en-
belishments in the corridors of the War De.
partment that are designed to show the public
something Of the work and the workings Of the
official neighborhoods through which they pass
in going through the building. This display
consists Of twenty-one life-size human figures
showing the uniforms worn by the army OF the
United States from the revolutionary period to
| the present time. They are contained In large
glass cases in the corridors on the third floor of
the department building. The figures are life
| like and are designed with especial care to
avoid the clothing store dummy look that such
things usually have. Several years ago Gen.
holabird conceived the idea Of making a col
lection Of this kind, and he has been studying
| the subject, Investigating the records Of the de-
partment and overhauling every possible
source OF Information that would throw any
! light on the matter. The Washington letters
on file in the State Department were looked
periods of the republic, with view to deter
mining the exact nature Of the original
UNIFORMS OF THE CONTINENTAL ARMY.
This has taken some time and it was only
few months ago that orders were given to
Major John V. Furey, paymaster In charge Of
the Philadelphia depot, to prepare the figures
and make the uniforms. The outfit arrived in
the city only few days ago, and its erection in
the cases was under the personal supervision
OF Major Furey. There are but two periods
! represented, because Of the fact that the gov
eminent has only supplied the uniforms of the
army from the time Of the rebellion. 1t was
before then that the gaudy trappIngs of the
| hghting men were in vogue.
In the first case are five figures, one OF gen.
eral officer who, by curious piece Of anachron-
ism, is engaged in reading the order issued by
| Gen. Washington prescribing the very uniform
which he wears. The paper which the officer
| has in his papier-mache hands is an exact fac
simile of the original, even the paper being re-
produced from the stock of junk dealer of
| philadelphia. 1t is worn and torn and dis
| colored, just as is that which is fled in the
archives Of the department.
REVOLUTIONARY OFFICER.
The officers face, which is an excellent piece
Of work, portraying good deal of the Cont
mental character about which so much has
been said in prose and in verse. wears a stern
| expression, and to the spectator who is not
| told what 1t il he is supposed to be reading
| there is strong intimation that the news he is
| receiving Is OF a most serious nature, relating
| to defeat Of the army or some such disaster
| instead Of the details of the cut of his own
coat This coat is Of the regulation buff and
blue style, with beautifully bright brass but
| tons and Immaculate facings. 1t is all Of new
cloth, it having been decided an impractical
| bility to reproduce the age Of the goods that
| would naturally be expected in an original uni
| form. The main desire was to show what new
outfit on a soldier Of the war for liberty looked
| like when he put it on for the first time. The
| legs of the officer which well rounded and
| nicely proportional, although they did not ride
| bicycles IN those days are encased in closely
! knitted stockings Of dark gray and the shoes
are finished off with bright steel buckles. A
| head and a short cue of hair hangs down from
under the rear rim, wound to within all inch Of
| the end with q black cloth.
AN ANXIOUS AID.
Behind the officer and bit to his right, with
his hat held respectfully in his hands, is
younger man. an aid on his staff, who is anx-
iously awaiting the news that may be contained
| in the dispatch which his superior is reading.
His face bears an earnest, half-alarmed express
sion that is also rather out of harmony with the
actual contents Of the letter, though it is grave
question if the prescribing of a new uniform
WAS not of more import to young officer of
the Continental army than an order for him to
go to the front and fight his way through lines
OF the enemy. The uniform on the junior off,
| other, except as to the shoulder rigging. The
general wears gold epaulettes, which hang some
inches down his shoulder while the aids coat
| is quite bare at the same points,
PRIVATE SOLDIERS.
Standing in front of the general, with his hat
on his shead and has hand on tho hilt of his
saber, is private soldier the orderly who has
just brought the letter to the officer His face
| Is as stolid and impassve that of the typical
l
mouth OF a cannon with the same ease and in
| difference as il he were advancing upon the
| dinner table. He wears helmet and is dressed
| in a buff and blue uniform, with knickerbock-
ers and buckled shoes Just behind him are
two other soldiers of the ranks one fellow
dressed in a quit of fur, his hat being of long
haired material, giving his head an enormous
bushy appearance. He is a ranger and his
hand grasps a long rifle that looks as If it might
do almost much damage as the modern
weapon. The other man il private OF infantry.
Across the corridor in another CORE
spending to this one, are five other figures, all
representative OF the revolutionary period.
They show the uniforms OF the different
branches of the service, the most conspicuous
one being that of Morgan rifeman," tall
individual dressed all i'll white buckskin with
its edges cut into strings that remind one of
the costumes described by the immortal Cooper.
wide-brimmed hat of large proportions and
of the same material the clothes sets off this
HSEcSu-IaceQ uRnleE anu RlNeb him dluOsL
look of the present descendant of the same race
Of men, the cowboy.
THE SOLDIER OF TO-DAY
is the subject OF treatment by means Of eleven
figures in three cases ranged along the west
walls Of the corridor. There is one man and
sometimes two men from each arm Of the SER
vice. In the lower case is a cadet Of the mill
tary academy at West Point, slight, trim young
man with his waist made very small under a
tight-ftting dress coat his chin up to the reg
| ulation mark. his hands down at his sides,
every line about him bespeaking the greatest
discipline and attention. His smooth face con-
trasts strongly with the beard of the sergeant
of the hospital corps on his left, and with the
private Of the signal corps on his right. The
latter is dressed In his new uniform recently
prescribed by Gen. Greedy, which looks not I'M
like that Of a Pullman car conductor. A neat
cap bearing an appropriate device makes him
look quite jaunty, and he is given military ap-
| pearance by the great red-centered signal flag
! which he holds in his hand.
In the other cases are sergeants Of artillery,
corporals Of cavalry, privates OF infantry, SER
| geants Of engineers, and on through the
| different grades OF American sodierdom. The
| collection includes only the uniforms Of the
| present period that are furnished by the quar-
| termaster's department Of the army to the pri-
| Yates and non-commissoned officers. The
| commissioned officers have to buy their own
| uniforms. A few figures showing the present
officers uniform may, however, be procured
| later.
The collaction has already attracfa n oraat