The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-09-21
STYLES IN THE ARMY
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
IMPORTATION BUREAU
By Frederic j. Haskin, Director.
Washington, ID. @.

many changes have been suggested in
the army uniform. Gen. Hugh L.
Scott, chief of staff of the army, is in
favor of changing the present upstand-
ing collar to the rolled type worn by
French and British soldiers. From
France comes the recommendation
that the army overcoat be shortened
from ankle to knee length in order
to facilitate the movements of men in
the trenches; while in this country
there is much objection to the leather
puttees.
Puttees are very nice to look at, and
for field duty there is nothing better.
but officers not on field duty find
them exceedingly uncomforta ble-
They are clumsy and stiff when worn
indoors, and SO heating that they pro-
duce skin eruptions. A shorter over
coat, also, presents no difficulties, for
it, too, means less material, but the
rolled collar is different matter. 1t
cannot be substituted quite so easily.
Indeed, at first, the collar sugges-
ton was dismissed as absolutely i'm
practicable. Already thousands of men
had bought uniforms with outstanding
collars, and it was unreasonable, the
war department said, to expect those
men to turn right around and buy new
uniforms merely for the sake of rolled
collars. Yet if one man wore one,
every other man must wear one The
other day, however, a new light was
shed on the collar situation when a
New York merchant appeared in the
secretary of wars office with typical
American combination device which,
when attached to the army uniform,
provided it with both an outstanding
and rolled collar. When one is in
use, the other is folded back out of
sight.
These are not the only changes that
have been suggested in the uniform.
There have been hundreds For awhile
they came so thick and fast, and there
was so much quarreling and discus
sion over them that Secretary Baker
was compelled to remind the officers
that the duty of the army was to win
| the war and not to complain about its
clothes. And, to settle the matter, he
announced that there would be no
| changes in the uniform during the
period of the war.
1t Is Up to Pershing.
| Since then, the secretary appears to
| have modified this order to read, I'm
less any important recommendations
are received from General Pershing.'
| SO it is now up to Pershing. If he
| decides in favor of the rolled collar,
the short coat and the elimination of
puttees, the army will get them-not
| before.
Every time the subject of a change
of uniform comes up at the war de-
partment, a couple of ancient and val
liable volumes are dragged out of a
|
consulted. These volumes contain the
history of the American army uni
form from the days of ats infancy
when it was but a pink or green cock
ade worn in the hat to the time of the
| SpaniSh-American war when the dig
nified splendor of its dark blue coat
| with black silk frogs was changed to
khaki.
1t is a Notifying and at the same
| time a precious fact that the sons OF
% 81, -.
| forms. 1t was all they could dc to OBJ
tain ordinary clothes, and sometimes
even these were painfully lacking, as
| everyone who has ever heard of Val
ley Forge knows. Before IT'S, the
| various states provided uniforms fol-
their few soldiers, which were usually
i the red coats and hats of the British
army, but naturally at the outbreak
| of the Revolution these were immedi-
| ately discarded. In the volumes at the
war department one finds the follow
| ing interesting provision dated 1875:
In the Old Days.
LAS the Continental Army have. un.
fortunately, no uniforms, and conse.
quently many inconvenience arise
from not being able to distinguish the
commissioned officers from the non
commissioned. and the non-commis-
stoned from the privates, it is desired
that some badges of distinction may
that the field officer may have red OF
pink colored cockades in their hats
the captains yellow or buff, and the
subalterns green. The sergeants may
be distinguished by an epaulette OF
stripe of red cloth sewed upon theil
shoulders the corporals by one Of
green"
In one place one finds that THE
GeneraP'-meaning Washington, O.
course-recommends that IndiaI
soldiers, instead of stockings; and il
still another place it is mentioned
that 1.-The General has hopes of pre-
lvailing with the Continental Congress
to give each man a hunting shirt"
AS usual the Continental Congress
was inspired by good intentions, bu
lacked the money to carry them out
They passed a resolution to provid,
clothing for the soldiers out of thei
own wages, and to dye that clothin,
brown. but apparently the resolution
fell thru. Doubtless the soldiers pre-
ferred to buy their own clothes. Sool
after this the Continental Congress
, evidently got hold of some none,
somewhere, because it's clothes pro
visions became much more generou
J and effective. 1t dealt not with de
, tails such as hunting shirts and leg
gins, but provided whole outfits at
time, consisting of two linen shirts
two pairs of oVerallS, a leathern o
wooden waistcoat with sleeves, on
. pair of breaches, a hat or leathern car
two shirts. two pairs of hose and tw
: pairs of shoes.
When British Surrendered
Later. in 1777, there is mention O
= an artillery uniform of dark blue
trimmed and buttonholed with yelloN
silk, but apparently this belonged t
only a fortunate few who were abb
!. to afford it out of their own pocket:
, When the gaily- clad British surrender
ed at Yorktown they marched betwee
lines of Americans tattered and I'm
: kempt, clothed largely in rags an
| enthusiasm.
a The war won, congress decided t
retain one regiment of infantry and tw
companies of artillery in case of a
= emergency, and these were clothed a