Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1898-06-30
THE AMERICAN UNIFORM.
Changes Made Since the War of the
Revolution.

TIE AMEnIONN UNIT 0hMs
Changes Made Since the War of the
Revolution.
Any person with an artistic eye will
say unhesitatingly that the uniform of
the first American soldiers was much
more attractive from the standpoint of
art than the uniform of the soldier Of
1898. Away back in 1776 the uniform
of the men who fought so gallantly for
their country's independence was char
aoterized, first, by the large three
cornered hat, with cockade Of various
hues. Then there was the wig, with
pigtail, whitened with pipe-clay, to the
end Of which there was tied a small
piece OF wire or cord if the preferred
piece of ribbon was not Obtainable.
The tunic was long affair, cut away
gradually from about the soldiers
breast until it had tapered down to two
fine tails behind There was long
row of buttons to every tunic, indeed,
but the tunic could never be buttoned
below the second or third button of
this row. A pair OF long boots were
pulled on until they reached to the
knees in case of an officer while the
rank and file wore their long boots
only just above the calves. There was
little or no difference between the gem
eral makeup of the outfit of the off,
Ger and Il private except in the quality
of the cloth used. but the common
soldier could always be distinguished
by his very wide double cross-belt of
white leather on his breast, by the
presence in his hands of a gun and the
absence of a sword The official uni
form is described in this article. but
in a great number of cases the poverty
o. the army reduced the soldiers TO
wearing anything they could lay their
hands on.
ne next time the army was conspi2-
uous III American history was in 1872.
BY this time the three-cornered hat
had been replaced in the officers uni
form by the cooked hat or wedged hat
that could be hattened and held under
Inc oHlcer arm. The rank and file
were wearing a high beaver hat shaped
like the tall silk hats so common among
civilians in American cities to-day.
The ridiculous wig had been discarded
and, although the tunic was still long.
1t was shaped so that at the waist il
could be kept buttoned together, from
whence it still tapered to two fine tails
behind. The long overboots were still
being clung to, but had been so short
ened that they reached only to the calf
OF the soldier.
1t was in lS4S when the outbreaking
OF the war with Mexico brought the
United States army into historical i'm
portance for the third time. Then the
high hat of the regular army of 1872
mad evolved into high round cylinder
with no other rim than the long peak
IN front. The cockade which, from be-
ing feature of the uniform of 1776 had
completely disappeared by 1912. was
resurrected in the uniform of the rank
and file of the army in 1913. The tunIc
was very sensibly abbreviated. and in
stead of the swallow tail it had hitherto
borne the skirts were squared so as to
be uniform length behind The long
boot had entirely disappeared by this
time, and the trousers reached to the |
heels. The men had massive epaulets |
and the officers the small shoulder. |
straps which continue to the present |
day.
The uniform worn by the United |
States army when the civil war broke
out is too well known to need descrfp- |
tion. 1t marked the beginning OF a
general shortening of every necessity
about the army uniform and a total
dlscarding of the purely ornamental
which has continued to the present day
when the plainness of the army uni
form is anything but admira Bile in the |,
eyes of those who would substitute
beauty for mere utility.