Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-04-05
AMERICAN SOLDIERS UNIFORMS.
The RegImentals of the Old Continentals
Considered the Best.

The Regimentals OF the Old ContinenCals
Considered the Best.
It is fact worth noting that, in the
opinion of q regular army officer who
is quoted by the New York Evening
Post, The uniform which is best suited
to the campaign purposes of the Amer
ican soldier is the first one he ever
wore-the one which Washington him
self urged on Continental soldiers who
were otherwise unprovided. This con-
sisted of hunting shirt, with long
breeches made of the same material,
the lower part drawn tight upon the
leg, gaiter fashion.
Apart from its convenience, Wash
ington foresaw that this style of cloth
ing would have no small terrors tor
the enemy. The British had come to
associate with it notion of the skilled
hunter and marksman as found in our
frontier settlements, and they dreaded
nothing more than coming upon large
body of rebels thus clad.
In the Santiago campaign, our SOL
diers got as near to the essential prin-
ciples of this early uniform as they
could. Blouses were discarded, and
VIII: the strong, woolen shirt was not
worn outside the trousers, after the
fashion of the old hunting-shirt, it
undoubtedly would have been if it had
been adapted to this manner of wear.
Canvas leggings fitted tightly to
the leg by lacingsS were invariably
worn; and as the compression of the
trousers underneath the necessary leg
gings made the leg hot and uncom-
Portable, the soldiers often cut away
the portion of the trousers which
came below the top of the Logging.
This made the combined garment,
trousers and lsggings, very much like
the Continental trousers drawn tight
below the knee.
If the woolen shirt worn by the
troops had been made to wear outside
the trousers, and provided with pock-
cts, thus combining shirt and jacket
like an old hunting-shirt, it. would
have added greatly to the comfort and
convenience of t Q soldiers in Cuba.
The felt campaign hat, especially
when turned up in front, as was often
done, probably approximated more
closely to the Continental hat than
any head-dress that has been worn by
American soldiers since. However, it
must be said that when the early Amer
lean soldiers wore the hunting-shirt,
they commonly wore, not the Cont
mental hat, but cap of coon OF mus1-
rat-skin.
In one respect there has been a
great change from the Continental SOL
dier's appearance; that is i'll the mat
ter of dressing the hair. In the days
of the revolution, the men wore their
hair in queue and powdered, and
their faces cleanly shaven. One of
Washington's general orders was that
at general inspections and reviews
"two pounds of -four and one half
pound of rendered tallow per one
hundred men should be used in dress
ing the hair.
Another order reminded the men
that they would "not be allowed to
appear with their hair down their
backs, and over their foreheads, and
down their chins at the side, which
makes them appear more like wild
beasts than soldiers" and that "any
soldier who comes on the parade with
beard OF hair uncombed shall be dry
shaved Immediately, and his hair
dressed on parade. "
In 1901 it was ordered that soldiers
hair should be cropped, and as ''whisk-
ers and short hair lily accord, they
will not be permitted to extend below
the bottom of the ear. The less hair
about the soldiers head the neater
and cleaner will he be-" For fifty
years no American soldier was per-
mitted to wear beard.