Period Specific Dress

[IndyGunworks]

Bet you guys didnt think i was serious when i said i was definatly going to look into it.  Well i have, and i have found VERY few places that sell much of anything.  and cannot really find a website that breaks down a colonial militia mans garb piece by piece.  all i hav found have been trousers, stockings, shirt, vest, overcoat, and hat.   what else is included in the uniforms of the day?  esp, some of the military equipment.   

better yet would be a link to a website that discusses all the differant uniforms.  i think it will be more cost effective and just be a militia man wearing a simple brown hunters jacket (what washington prefered to wear) but i think the blue and red of a colonial soldiers overcoat would be pretty awe inspiring.  i for one have never seen one in person and i bet that would be the same of many appleseeders. 

thanks for any info you can send my way.   Oh and after 1 weekend i am hooked.  you WILL be seeing me again.

[vernic82]

You'll need to look to reenacting  units governing organizations, sutlers & research orgs for this type of info:

http://www.nwta.com/

http://www.britishbrigade.org/

http://www.jarnaginco.com/

http://www.18cnewenglandlife.org/

[AuntieBellum]

IndyGunWorks - I am SO very much looking forward to seeing you in period dress.  This will be AWESOME!  Here are some other links for you to look into.  If you have specific questions on how to sew your own, contact kentuckyjam - she's the instructor in KY who made her own period dress to present her history.  I doubt you wanna wear a dress, but she might have some tips for ya' anyway.   

http://www.kannikskorner.com/patmen.htm

http://www.18cnewenglandlife.org/index.htm

And I definitely look forward to seeing you again.  Keep an eye out for the AAR soon.   

[yellowhousejake]

Good source for materials,
http://www.jas-townsend.com/index.php

Good books with pictures (pictures speak a thousand words after all)
http://www.srcalifornia.com/uniforms/uindex.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Sketch-book-76-American-1775-1781/dp/B0007EA9MI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1298303325&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/American-Provincial-Corps-1775-84-Men-at-Arms/dp/0850451485/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_9

http://www.amazon.com/American-Soldier-United-Uniform-Present/dp/0850459842/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_10

http://www.amazon.com/King-Georges-army-1775-1783-regiments/dp/0850451574/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_12

Finally, these guys would be a great source of information. They participated in our Patriot's Day events last year, and they are local to you, big deal there.

http://www.inssar.org/

Let me know how you get on, I would love to do the same but I simply do not have the time required for research right now.

YHJ

[sashok.privetov]

I doubt you wanna wear a dress,    

With these appleseeders, ya never know...   
although, it might be historically inaccurate...   

[IndyGunworks]

Well, here is the problem.  I am hooked.  I want a 250, and i believe i have the drive to do it, possibly the luck.  I am not sold on joining the AS staff for a few reasons.  First, and the most important is time.  i will work 2 out of 3 weekends all year, so i wouldnt be able to make the time commitment.  second, i dont think i could go a whole weekend watching everybody else shoot.  that said, i do like to teach, and i do like to shoot, and if i do a couple of appleseeds a year that 70 bucks will add up fast.  the uniform would allow me to educate, and would over the course of a couple of years pay for itself.  and hell, who wouldnt want the attention.  plus when i get that 250 accidently it would be nice to give the recognition to those who truely understood what it was to be a rifleman.  

from what research i have done it should be fairly easy and if you dont go for a continental army uniform can probably be done for under 500 bucks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120678911220   this is a link to the jacket i am looking at but its pretty pricey.


here is a cheaper alternative and would be more along the lines of a milita man or continental army soldier that has not been issues the other coat yet.  probably pretty close to what morgans men would have worn in the thickets of the south and more along the lines of what appleseed teaches  
http://compare.ebay.com/like/120480325752?var=noa&sort=BestMatch

add a 95 dollar pair of trousers, 50 dollar vest, some shoes, a hat, a white shirt and some leather trim for a ammo pouch and i think i am right along the lines of having what it would take to start getting in free and have enough to really educate on what rifleman of the time wore.  of course with anything that i do i would most certainly end up adding to it over time.

think that would be enough to fill the requirements?

PS, dont think i am doing this just to skimp on paying the appleseed some dough.  i really feel like i have something to contribute and w/ the way my schedule works this may be about the best way for me to chip in on teaching the heritage.

[yellowhousejake]

Don't skimp, talk to the re-enactors before you spend one dime. I could fill a flagon with the cash I wasted on bad accouterments when I shot Blackpowder in the 70s and 80s. It's almost as much as I have wasted on needless reloading equipment/gizmos/widgets.

A good coat will last you a lifetime wearing it to Appleseeds, a cheaper coat will be destroyed in a few weekends. Also, keep in mind the militia would have been wearing work clothes, farming clothes, and what needs they thought important enough to carry on that day. Pants, shoes, a smock, hat, and a shooting bag may be all you need to convey a man who left quickly out the door at 3am to defend his freedom.

Talk to re-enactors, really, they have already made the bad purchases and you can benefit from their mistakes.

YHJ

[IndyGunworks]

ok, yay or nay  (this is tuff because there was really no "normal" wear until WELL into the war)

pants.... 125 cotton  overalls (saves on cost of buying gators)  was a popular design for troops and militia alike.



colonial shirt..  (option 1  $65  the standard working mans shirt from the time. cotton )



(option 2  colonial shirt, cotton  46$)



Weskit (from what i know it protects the shirt.  I have not found anywhere that shows this clear as day as being a part of a militiamens uniform, but read several sources where it was a daily item so i think it would need to be added.)
63 $ linned and cotton w/ pewter buttons




Hat, tricorn  only one i could find that wasnt a damn costume.
80 bucks



now the jacket.  several ways to go on this one.
riflemans smock  which is more than likely something that would have been worn during lexington and concord, and by the begginings of washingtons army until they were issued uniforms.  not a fan of the white, but its what saw ALOT of conflict through out the revolution by militia men everywhere and is not limited to any specific geographical location during the war.

84 dollars


Next choice is a Virginia minutemans uniform.  Virginia regulated what the militiamens uniforms should be and this is a very close replica.  It also comes with the crossbelts and waistbelts.  I like this because its more like a uniform (I would have my wife sew her name to the inside)  but its from the southern portion and doesn't directly relate to the teachings of Lexington and concord.
100$


Last but not least is a washingtons army continental uniform.  I like but is the most expensive of the options.
180$ and I would still have to add the crossbelts and waistbelt.  My wife would also sew her name into the inside of this one.


Please note that no matter which "uniform" I get, the rest of the garb is period specific and would have been worn by soldiers and milita alike during the early parts of the war until standardized uniforms because more prevelant.

Shoes are the last thing which I run into problems with.  They are all very expensive running right around 200 bucks.  If anybody can think of a cheaper alternative that would be great.  My trousers that I selected will cover all but the toe of the shoe so I think I might be able to do a bit modern on this one until I can find a deal on some period specific shoes (is this allowed?)

Regardless I have already learned a lot about the dress in this timeframe and find it VERY interesting that there really was NO standard for quite sometime.  Whatever recourses your town had is what dictated how much of a uniform you would have.

[IndyGunworks]

couple thoughts...  of all the reenactments sights i visted today, i couldnt find ONE phone number of someone to call.

also, i have a hard time believing that those militia men that went out in the middle of the night were wearing all white.  i figured the riflemans smock which was probably the most commonly worn item at the begginings of the revolution would be more natral colors since it would have been used for hunting and gathering.  i only found one that wasnt white but it looked like a davey crocket costume and not the elegance that hand crafted clothing of the civilized colonies would have had.  plus it didnt come from a reputable location so i doubt its authenticity.   if i could find a way of doing this without making this garb able to double as a ghost costume on halloween i may pull the trigger on the more "rustic" type of uniform.  although there is just something sexy about the continental army coat.  however much it pains me to want that coat i have to keep telling myself that this is more about the lexington and concord events than it is what happened AFTER washington formed his army.

[yellowhousejake]

Keep in mind two things, lined is not white, it is a light buff color. Photos don't show that, they would also only be pristine for a weekend or two and then become much different as they were worn daily. Also they were shop keepers and farmers. Wearing white would not abnormal. They didn't keep a BOB by the door with their swat gear in it. They wore what they had and they didn't have much.

As far as contact with re-enactors you will likely need to email them, then find a meeting and attend. Alternately you could check schedules for events and then go there and meet them, in character. That would be my recommendation.

YHJ

[IndyGunworks]

ok, so with the wifes blessings i think i am going to pull the trigger.   i am going to be dressed as a young mid 20's minuteman would have dressed as he rushed out the door to meet the muster in lexington in the wee hours of the morning.

overall pants, shirt, rifle frock (grey), civilian tricorn hat, a hemp belt with my knife and tomahawk, a leather shoulder riflemans hunting satchel, powderhorn.'

am i missing anything else that i should have for a minutman?

i think of all the reasearch i have done, i will be able to discuss every single individual piece of clothing and the reason it was chosen, and the reason its correct.  

let me know if i am forgetting something before i pull the trigger.  PS, i talked to a historian from IUPUI and learned a ton about the various stuff that i could have selected from.

[AuntieBellum]

let me know if i am forgetting something before i pull the trigger.

Wait, wait...what was #5 again? 

SQUEEEEEEEZE the trigger.   

[IndyGunworks]

you really think i should?   doesnt seem like the normal for people to do this?  kinda feels like cheating to get around the fees.  but if i am going to pursue that unobtainable 250 aqt i am going to need to save some dime somewhere.

[AuntieBellum]

you really think i should?   doesnt seem like the normal for people to do this?  kinda feels like cheating to get around the fees.  but if i am going to pursue that unobtainable 250 aqt i am going to need to save some dime somewhere.

I was just correcting your recitation of step #5.     BUT I think it sounds like an interesting way to contribute to Appleseed.  A way to bring the history to life.  Talk to YHJ and see what he thinks, but I think there's always more room for history at Appleseed.   

[IndyGunworks]

So, YellowHouseJake,  what say ye.  does it sound like i will meet the requirements? 

if so, any one know of any diary entries or what not of a young militiaman recounting his actions at lexington or concord.  i could recite it in his own exact words... i can be quite animated in my theatrics and want to be a part of the program.

am i allowed to give any history w/out being dubbed a blue hat?  can i join the applecore but be a shooting member?  need to shoot if i want to get that 250.

oh, and i am already thinking about how i can modify some sort of tubefed into a 45 inch stock.  problem is going to be cheek weld and it wont look pretty w/ tape on a fashionable rifle like that so maybe a leather pad that can be attached once i hit the firing line?

[asminuteman]

.

[IndyGunworks]

Got any links to these pants?

[yellowhousejake]

You can absolutely be Applecore and shoot. Applecore is and can be many things beyond administration. A period outfit for the benefit of history would be a welcome addition to any Appleseed. If you do well, expect begging from other states to make appearances.

Get the clothes, get the story, we will put you in front of the crowd every Sunday at lunch at any Appleseed you can attend. Get a PM to Niecie with your plans and she will get you on the path to a Blue Hat. She is your Indiana Applecore liaison. She is also very knowledgeable about clothing, textiles, history, and me. She is my wife.

YHJ

[asminuteman]

.

[IndyGunworks]

You can absolutely be Applecore and shoot. Applecore is and can be many things beyond administration. A period outfit for the benefit of history would be a welcome addition to any Appleseed. If you do well, expect begging from other states to make appearances.

Get the clothes, get the story, we will put you in front of the crowd every Sunday at lunch at any Appleseed you can attend. Get a PM to Niecie with your plans and she will get you on the path to a Blue Hat. She is your Indiana Applecore liaison. She is also very knowledgeable about clothing, textiles, history, and me. She is my wife.

YHJ

i sent both of you a PM with my number.  cant wait to talk to you and discuss it.

[9mm4545]

These are some neighbors of mine who do 18th century clothing for re-enactors, museums, fife and drum corps, etc. I have seen their work and it is impressive. Both of them have been to at least one Appleseed. I have no financial interest here but just wanted to give another source for thems that are interested.
http://www.just2tailors.com/

[asminuteman]

.

[IndyGunworks]

AND, the trigger has been pulled for about 3/4 of the kit.  still need a waistcoat, possibles bag, hatchet, belt, and shoes.  plus whatever other little goodies i come accross.

[IndyGunworks]

my checklist if anyone wants to critique

brown low brim tricorn
homespun loose fitting workshirt
white necksock
need a waistcoat any color
offwhite fall front knee britches
red and black striped socks
leather riflemans possibles bag
wood canteen
hemp belt
navy blue riflemans frock
knife
hatchet
powder horn
period correct playing cards (just for fun) even has a tax stamp
tobacco pouch w/ clay pipe
going to buy a cheap pair of oxfor leather shoes and add a time correct buckle
duck cloth leggings w/ leather strips to tie them on.... they will be mid thigh, uncomforitable but would have been worn to the muster

[Sentinel]

My father-in-law and I are Rev War/French Trading period blacksmithing reenactors.  Your outfit seems to be coming together quite nicely.  As others have been saying check out any reenactment/trade shows.  There aren't any good outdoor shows currently but there are some around the state that are indoor you could check out too.  Rochester has a show this weekend. 

[POC]

I found some diagrams on these pages you might like.

About halfway down.
http://www.britishbattles.com/concord-lexington.htm

[IndyGunworks]

whats funny is all the illistrations show the militia wearing coats, NOT rifle frocks.  every historian i talked to said that would be akin to us wearing our sunday best into battle.   i know i am doing it right though. 

half my order came in, all i need is a possibles bag that i will stock IGW style (youll have to see it to understand)  a vest, and some shoes.

[POC]

Found this site, you might already be aware of it.
http://www.inssar.org/