The Washington herald., 1906-10-26
FOUGHT IN HIGH HATS
Before the Adoption Of Uni
forms in the Navy.
ONE EPAULET IN OLD TIMES
"Reminiscences of Changes Ia the
officiaI Clothing Of Naval Officers
Colonial Costume that was
Observation-Disclosures stories of
TrIbuIations over Naval Dress.

From the New Orleans Pieayune.
II was one Of those evenings IN the
wardroom when the conversation was
general. Nobody had a long yarn TO spin
TO deep subject Of naval import was
discussed. but around various phases Ct
naval life the talk would dip and skiS
! like swallows round a lake.
I sec" remarked the navigating officer
that there is some talk OF further
changes in tho uniform. ] wonder Just
how many times the naval uniform has
/ been changed since the first enc was or
ldained Every now and then some man
ImiIliner, or group of man nlilliners, as
/ sault Washington with the assertion that
/ they have a heaveu-sent mission 20 re-
form the uniform OF our navy, and our
troubles begin How 1 hate tho man who.
instead of devoting his thoughts 10 The
real things OF the service. lies awake
nights inventing uniforms. The Junior
lieutenant. who had secretly been working
4 over set of drawings designed to con-
! vince the department Of the desirabi!ity
lof reenng the bottoms Of the sailors
trousers and brailing up their shirt collars
! always Il fayCritc plan Of reformation Of
( the uniform with the tailor-fticer) blushed
/ behind his cigar. but consoied himself
with the thought that the navigator was
au 'old togy."
Well spoke up the executive. cat
/ any rate. the uniform. for officers at
/ least has been improved with the re-
Ivoiving years. Why. zap t. a period subse-
quont 10 the war OF lsl2 the regulations
provided that only officers who had reach
Cd the grade OF q full lieutenant should
wear two epaulets-thc others guly one.
Think OF d man in full dress going about
with enc cpauict. The vcricst dandy
the service must have locked iopsided in
such "a coat.
Revolutionary Costume.
1T was IN the carly part Of the last
. century that some inspired tailor officer
'cinvinced the department that u would
be- O. good thing TO approximate the
naval uniform 10 the style OF dress al
! fected by George Washington. Therefore,
when IN fuIl dress, officers went about
clad in broad-fap. double-breasted coats,
with skirts turned up at the points white
4 knee breochcs. silk stockings. and bucklcd
shoes. This. with d cooked hat and dress
l0niai gentlemen going TO sea in The nine
irentu century. out If consideration Tor
/ the -Xigencics Of tho service. the pow
dered hair worn IN a queue, OF wig sub
sututed tor IL, was not insisted upon
which must have broken the heart OF tie
/ brilliant deviser Of this uniform.
There arc probably two or three men
on the retired lisa to-day. who. as mid
shipmen. wore this masquerade uniform.
4 The life Of this uniform was short Cor
the entire navy list rose I'D as one man
against II and the author OF the sartorial
innovation when he saw what Dc had
done, must have wepi
1T was = question uf calves. and hardly
a ship aiOat could boast of q decent pair
in the whole outfit Men who follow The
/ sea have their muscular development
mostly above the Waistlinc. 10 was espe-
Cialiy 50 iu those days. when there was
little or no drill IN landing parties. and
The naval brigade was practically un-
known. In knee brooches aud silk stock
ings- an officers legs had the pleasing
/ symmetry Of Capstau bars. and human
nature could not stand it,
Had no Uniforms.
''Oh. WELL said the paymastcr. "it
was not so very long ago-culy "a little
prior 10 the Revolutionary war-that
there was no such thing as "a naval uni
form. The officers wore civilians clothes.
CT some sort Of an adaptation of an army
Uniform, as suited their fancies, and the
men dressed anyhow, though they gener-
ally agreed ia wearing their hair long
and done up in queue. or pigtail and
with love-lock or two struggling down
on either side OF tie face.
been given 10 wide trousers. experience
having taught him thar his neither gar
ments must be 50 constructed that they
/ could be easily rolled above the knees
when washing down decks
I Sometimes the old-tine sailor did not
wear any trousers at all. bat sort of
kilt like q Highlauder's. Look al anv
! old print showing a man-of-war's crew
as late as ISIS, and sec what motley
iot OF garments arc shown on the crew.
/ Why, some Of them even wear battered
/ ole StcVepipe hats on their heads
Before uniforms became so universal
and imperative as they are now-when
they were being first introduced into the
+ maya captain sometimes would prepare
! himself for battle by shaving and putting
on his best suit of civilian clothes. Then
lie would don his tail hat and take the
! deck. Many a hard fight has been won
/ in stovepipc hat. Officers Of aristo-
/ cratic tendencies at first looked rather
/ Gskance at uniforms. regarding them as
a sort Of livery
Fighting Like n Gentleman.
/ always fight like % gentleman. and
I intend TO be dressed like one while I am
doing IT, said one old fellow, when re
monstrated with for going into battle
attiTed as if &c were going TO an after
noon tea.
1 believe, spoke up one Of the Junior
ieuteuantS, in strictly obeying the regu-
iations IN regard To uniforms. rs well rs
/ anything else 7 am something Of the
mind Of old Commodore Creighton. Who.
+ having settled in his mind what tho
word short meant in the passage of
1 the regulations declaring that the full
( dress coats of midshipmen should have
/ short tails. mustered the young gentle
men of his ship on deck in full dress
and sent the ships tailor along behind
( them to snip of the tails Of every coat
whose length exceeded his ideas of
official propriety without regard 10
whether the MILDLY was tall or short fat
or lean"
Good boy cried the first lieutenant
/ obey orders if YOU break owners In
the navy you get into trouble if you don't
obey orders. and sometimes into worse
trouble if you do Which reminds me
of the loss of the Huron In how short
a period that disaster has been forgotten
/ by the general public. along with the
tragic evidence it bore in the navys dc
-. zion 70 frsrr7 a.~