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1 New=Jersey 1777 Regimental Coat
Documentation & Construction Guidelines
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1 New=Jersey Impressions Committee 2/18/2015
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The 1777 1 NJ Regimental Coat
As with our regimental flag, the regimental coat for Colonel
Ogden’s 1st New Jersey’s 1777 impression is an informed
but conjectural interpretation. There is nothing definitive
that documents the specific cut or color of the uniform coats
that were issued in 1777 to the historic unit we portray. We
know from clothing returns that coats were issued in
considerable quantities on at least two occasions that yeari,
and we know something about how they were procured.
Other evidence, though, is either inconclusive or not specific
to our unit.
1st NJ 1777 Coatee Variant by Skyler Pinales
We lack the deserter clothing descriptions from 1777 that
exist for our sister regiments the 2nd and 3rd New Jersey
during this period. Nor are there specific instructions or
descriptions of coats for the 1st New Jersey in actual
procurement letters, such as those that document blue and
red coats that were purpose-made and secured for Elias
Dayton’s 3rd New Jersey regiment that Spring from
Continental supplies forwarded from Massachusetts and
collected at Peekskill, New York.
Therefore, our decisions as to coat pattern, construction and materials are informed by careful
assessment of what is known about American-made or imported coats in 1777 sourced from
New England as well as the Middle states. We also take into account the notorious parsimony of
James Mease, the Continental Clothier-General, regarding economies of design and construction,
and the strong likelihood that with at least two clothing issues in 1777 there was more than one
design variant.
We can make a good case for retaining our recreated unit’s traditional blue coat body with its red
cuffs, collar and lapels. However, the absence of New Jersey script uniform buttons from the
archeological record after 1776 (nor any marked USA before 1778) compels us to specify plain,
flat pewter buttons for our reconstruction.
These Documentation & Construction Guidelines will help members of the 1st New Jersey
Regiment acquire a regimental coat that conforms to the preferred standard established for our
1777 impression by our Impressions Committeeii. They explain the construction and features of
the uniform that are standard for our 1777 impression, along with optional variations.
As 1777 is our primary impression year, those who make the investment in coats made to these
specifications will have ample opportunity to use them. This coat is also a plausible choice for
our unit in 1776, and may have other early war applications where blue coats with red facings are
appropriate.
Documentation:
Regimental Coats for New Jersey’s Continental Battalions in 1776
During their first establishments, New Jersey’s three
Continental battalions were supplied with locally-sourced
frocks or uniform coats, often procured at the company level.
At least some companies of the 1st New Jersey started out in
late 1775 with frocks made to a Continental pattern from cloth
stockpiled at Elizabethtown, New Jerseyiii. Some researchers
have concluded that these were linen hunting frocks, but
regimental historian Larry Schmidt notes that all other New
Jersey clothing returns and references from this time clearly
describe “hunting shirts” and not “hunting frocks” or frocks
whenever that article of clothing is specifically mentioned.
Schmidt also cautions that “the word ‘cloth’ by 18th century
convention most likely indicates a woolen fabric”iv.
We know the 1st New Jersey regiment was issued other
clothing during 1776 from Northern Department stores while
it served in the Champlain Valley, but we do not have specifics about its uniform coats. We do
know that Colonel Elias Dayton’s 3rd New Jersey received drab coats that Spring from the State,
while deserter descriptions for Colonel William Maxwell’s 2nd New Jersey suggest that blue
coats with red facings were issued in that battalion.
The 1st New Jersey could have been issued coats in 1776 similar to those of the 2nd regiment, as
these two units served together for much of the Northern campaign. Though we can only
speculate, Colonel William Winds of the 1st New Jersey might even have preferred the blue and
red for his regiment, since those were the colors he wore during his service as an officer in the
New Jersey Provincial Regiment during the French & Indian War. Dayton was a veteran of the
same provincial unit and while his 3rd New Jersey had drab coats in 1776, the following year the
3rd regiment was expressly issued blue coats with red facings.
1777 Continental Coats
There are indications of an American trend during the early war
period toward uniform coats with shorter skirts and of simpler
construction than was typical of their British or Continental
counterparts. Among the evidence for coats with these design
elements are two contemporary illustrations of American soldiers,
one of which is shown at right, that were made by a Hesse-Hanau
officer while a prisoner in Burgoyne’s “Convention” army. The
originals have been lost but were reproduced in the 1850s, with
copies retained in the collections of the New York Public Library.
Von Germann depicts uniforms with different coat and facing
colors as well as different cuff patterns (the one worn by the officer
at right appears round in the British fashion while the other is
clearly pointed), but both have single turn backs lined in the same
color as their facings and skirts that are coatee length: cut short at
the base of the hip.
A letter from Congress’s Committee of Secret Correspondence to
its Commissioners in France early in 1777 lends further support to
the idea that shorter coats were preferred at this time for regiments
in Continental service:
Mid-19th Century watercolor illustration
reproduced from circa 1778 Friedrich von
Germann original: NYPL
[February 17, 1777] “Honorable Gentlemen - We have the honor to enclose you a
resolve of Congress that is of great importance to the public service, which has suffered
considerably the last fall, and during this winter, by the insufficient manner in which
our Soldiers were clothed. Having much delay heretofore in getting cloth made up hath
induced Congress to desire that forty thousand compleat (sic) suits of Soldiers cloaths
(sic) may be sent. – In giving directions for this business Gentlemen, it may be necessary
to inform that both the Coats & Waistcoats must be short skirted, according to the dress
of our Soldiery, and that they should be generally (sic) for men of stouter make then those
of France. Variety of sizes will of course be ordered. The Eastern Ports are generally
entered with so much more safety than the Southern, that we recommend the former for
these goods to be sent to…The Soldiers cloaths (sic) and the Cloth should be so contrived
as to reach North America by the month of September at furthest…40,000 compleat (sic)
Suits Cloaths (sic), green, blue & brown with suitable facings & Cloth of the same colors
with facing proper for 40,000 suits more.”
The Committee of Secret Correspondence may have had unrealistic expectations about the sheer
volume of uniforms and war materiel that France could be induced to provide, but its instructions
to the Commissioners are another indication that shorter coats are preferable for our 1777
reconstruction.
Coat Procurement for New Jersey Regiments in 1777
Unlike most of the other states, New Jersey did not appoint its own Clothier-General to supply
its regiments in 1777. The State relied instead on the Continental Army’s Clothier-General,
James Mease, who was appointed to that office on January 10th, 1777. Mease’s tenure as
Clothier-General was marked by inefficiency – George Washington came to think of him as
incompetent – and there were many accusations of corruption.
During 1777, the Clothier-General sourced much of the cloth and finished uniforms for
Washington’s main army, including the Jersey Brigade, from the Eastern States. He relied on
purchasers such as the firm of Samuel Allyne Otis & Benjamin Andrews in Boston, who were
appointed Continental Deputy-Clothiers in November 1777.
There were at least two clothing procurements for the New Jersey troops in 1777. According to
A Comparative Listing of Clothing Returns for the New Jersey Regiments of 1777 compiled by
John Rees, one of these clothing issues was made on September 15, 1777, with a larger amount
of clothing received prior to that time (possibly in May or June). Before September 15th, 1777,
the 1st NJ received 408 coats, 469 waistcoats, 240 breeches, 220 overalls, and 251 hats, among
other articles. On September 15th, it received 51 coats, 8 waistcoats, 56 breeches, 42 overalls and
66 hats. Only the second of these clothing issues conforms to the anticipated timeframe for
delivery of coats requested in the Committee of Secret Correspondence’s February, 1777 letter to
its Commissioners in France. Even with these two disbursements, as of October 15th, 1777, the
regiment was still deficient 50 coats, 64 waistcoats, 100 breeches and 56 hats. Soldiers may also
have worn articles of civilian clothing that were not issued by Mease, either their own clothes or
provided in small amounts from requisitions in their home state.
Coat Quality and Economy of Manufacture
Complaints soon mounted concerning the quality of the clothing and equipment provided by
Clothier-General Mease to the Continental Army. Washington wrote;
“There are great complaints of the size of the Shoes, which are generally too small,
the same complaint lies against most of your Cloathing, which do not do half the
service that they would, if they were larger. It may look like œconomy but it is of a
false kind, as the Clothes do not wear out fairly, but tear to pieces.”v
William Maxwell, now a Brigadier General commanding the Jersey Brigade, complained bitterly
to his Governor William Livingston on October 4th, 1777 - intriguingly on the very day of the
Battle of Germantown - about the negative consequences that this procurement arrangement had
for the New Jersey regiments under his command;
“…We have gone very early into the field, and have had no other dependence but on
the clothier-general and we got them in bits and scraps, as the miser gives his son
some part of his patrimony before death. It was dealt out with so scanty a hand, we
never knew the good of it; besides, we never got our proper quantity, and some of what
we did get was rotten. If our state would provide a complete suit at first, then the other
supply might be sufficient. We are in great need at present of shoes, stockings, breeches,
shirts, good jackets and some caps, for the want of which many valuable men are rendered
useless.”
Together these letters support a 1777 1st New Jersey coat reconstruction with certain economies
of construction, in addition to being short skirted, such as partial linings and non-functional coat
pockets, cuffs and lapels. Because coats for New Jersey’s regiments were not procured directly
by their home state in 1777, and because there is no archeological evidence for New Jersey script
buttons after 1776, our 1777 coat reconstruction specifies plain, flat pewter buttons and includes
other design elements that reflect a simpler, more economical construction. The reconstructed
coat does not have to be shoddy, however, and with two known coat disbursements in 1777 we
have the option to have at least two variants proportionally represented in the unit.
Coat Color for the 1st New Jersey in 1777
We do not know for certain the colors of the coats issued to the 1st New Jersey Regiment in
1777. We can, however, make some informed evidence-based deductions that support a
reconstructed coat made of blue wool faced with red.
We have the case of Ensign Martin Hurley of the 1st New Jersey, who was wounded and
captured at the Battle of Germantown on October 4th, 1777. It was soon revealed that he was a
deserter from the British 44th Regiment of Foot. Hurley was quickly court martialed and was
executed four days after the battle. During the court martial, Private Matthew Fitzgerald of the
40th Regiment testified that he saw Ensign Hurley during the attack with a drawn sword and
“dressed in a blue coat faced with red”vi . While officers may very well have worn uniform coats
of a different cut and color than enlisted men, this is one indication that blue coats with red
facings may have been worn in our unit at this time.
Another account of a 1st New Jersey soldier in a blue coat with red facings comes from mid1778. According to Larry Schmidt’s research, Richard Jesper of Captain John Flahaven’s
Company, was captured in June, 1778 wearing a coat of this description.
Efforts do appear to have been made, at least initially, to supply Continental units in 1777 with
their Colonel’s desired uniform colors. General Washington gave the following instructions to
Mease on March, 4,1777;
“As many of the Continental Regiments have already fixed upon a Uniform, and the
Officers have, in Consequence thereof, provided themselves with Regimental suitable
thereto, it would be proper to make yourself acquainted with the Regiments that have
fixed their Uniforms, and in your arrangement of dress, take care to continue them in
the same, otherwise the Stock of Cloathing that the Officers have provided for themselves
will be useless to them..."
Washington’s subsequent letters to Mease and officers in Peekskill during in May and June,
1777 concerning the blue and red uniform coats intended for Dayton’s 3rd NJ regiment are solid
evidence that an effort was made to provide clothing in these specific colors for that New Jersey
regiment. Even in the absence of more conclusive documentation, blue coats with red facings
remain a defendable choice for our 1st New Jersey 1777 regimental coat reconstruction.
Guidelines:
1st New Jersey 1777 Regimental Coat Reconstruction
The 1777 Continental Line Impression: Clothing &
Equipment Guidelines & Standards for Colonel
Ogden’s 1st New Jersey Regiment provide a basic
description of the preferred regimental coat design
based on the research presented above. These
Documentation & Construction Guidelines will help
members of the 1st New Jersey construct or acquire a
coat that meets the preferred standard, including
details concerning fabric, patterns, buttons and
sewing instructions.
1777 Coatee by Dan Center
The reconstructed regimental coat at left (made for
Ken Gavin by tailor Dan Center) was the first
constructed to these specifications for our unit.
Images of a second coatee made for Tim Abbott by
tailor Skyler Pinales are used to illustrate the
features and coat instructions, below. The design
features of these two coats contain most of the
optional variants. Together the Center and Pinales 1777
coatees serve as visual examples of the preferred standard.
Features common to all 1777 1st New Jersey 1777 Coats
Every 1777 1st New Jersey Regimental Coat has short skirts that are coatee length (to the base of
the hip) or just slightly longer. The body and sleeves are constructed of 100% dark blue wool
broadcloth. The coat is lined only in the skirts and behind the lapels in red serge or bay wool
cloth. The lapels, collar and cuffs are 100% red wool broadcloth. The cuffs are round in the
common British fashion but are non-functional, as is also true of the lapels. Two non-functional
pocket flaps are arranged vertically and positioned just behind the single turnback that exposes
the red coat lining. Plain, flat pewter buttons are corded without buttonholes after being pressed
through the fabric of the coat. There are 9 rows of buttons on the lapels and 2 buttons for the
side vents. Trimmings include two hooks and eyes connect the lapels between the 1st and third
row of coat buttons. The coat is entirely hand sewn and hand-finished with waxed linen thread.
Optional Features for the 1777 Coat
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The collar of the coat may be functional, with 2
functional buttonholes. The Center coatee’s collar is
sewn down, while the Pinales coatee has a functional
collar and buttonholes worked in silk twist. It is also
acceptable to leave a small unworked slit for the
buttonholes of a functional coatee collar
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The cuffs may have either of two different button
arrangements or no buttons at all. There may be 3
large, plain, flat pewter buttons arranged horizontally
along the outside of the cuff, or 3 or 4 small (5/8”)
plain, flat pewter buttons arranged vertically along
the outer seam (two inside the non-functional cuff
and one on the arm). If the second option is chosen,
the cuffs are not slashed and remain non-functional.
The Center coatee uses the large button arrangement,
while the Pinales coatee uses the latter, 4 button
variant.
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Detail of non functional pocket flap from
Skyler Pinales 1777 Coatee
The non-functional coat pocket flaps may be lined in
the facing material so that the red lining extends as much as 1/8” beyond the blue pocket
flap sides and outer edge, as seen in the image above from the Pinales coatee. This false
flap has worked buttonholes as an acceptable variant to none at all, and exposes 1/8” of
K&P Madder Red Serge used to line the flap.
Fabric Options
A coatee usually requires a minimum of 3 yards of fabric for the coat body and sleeves, and a
third as much for ½ lining. The coat should be 100% wool of an appropriate weave and without
modern fibers.
Coat Body and Sleeve Fabric: Only Dark Blue 100% Broadcloth should be used. Superfine
Broadcloth is for Officer’s coats only. Kochan & Phillips Historical Textiles (K&P) Deep
Indigo blue broadcloth (available from Roy Najecki) is both period appropriate and museum
quality: an altogether excellent but expensive option ($65/yard in 2015). The Pinales coatee is
made from this broadcloth. A less costly but suitable alternative favored by some reenactors is
100% Navy Blue wool fabric from bolts originally intended for the NYPD. Lightly marked with
chalk that brushes out, this fabric is 24 oz., 60" wide and available in 2015 from Wm. Booth,
Draper as item number WWB 750 ($26/yd.) The Center Coatee is made from this fabric.
Hainsworth Interiors in the UK also makes Navy Blue broadcloth that is 86.61” wide (220 cm).
Cuff, Lapel and Collar Fabric: As with the coat body and sleeves, 100% red wool broadcloth is
preferred for facings, but several different shades of red are acceptable. K&P Deep Madder,
Madder or Mock Scarlet broadcloth are outstanding
choices. Both the Center and the Pinales coatees use K&P
Madder Red broadcloth for the facings.
Linings: Serge (also known as “Coarse Shaloon”) is a
light, worsted twill cloth and the best choice for
Continental coat linings. Actual Shaloon cloth is too fine
for enlisted men’s coats and should not be used for our
reconstruction. Roy Najecki sells K&P Madder Red or
Mock Scarlet Serge cloth that is 8 oz/sq yd, 0.03" thick, 60"
wide ($52/yard in 2015). The Skyler Pinales coatee, shown
inside out, at right, has K&P Madder Red Serge as the coat
lining.
Bay cloth, with a worsted warp and woolen weft, is an
acceptable alternative lining, though much more common
in the British Army. K&P Madder Red or Mock Scarlet
Bay is 5 oz/sq yd and 52” wide ($44/yard in 2015) and
available from Roy Najecki. The Center coatee has a K&P
Madder Red Bay lining.
Inside out Skyler Pinales Coatee showing
rear skirt lining in K&P Madder Red Serge
Coat Construction
These Documentation & Construction Guidelines benefit from the excellent research and
descriptions provided by Matthew Keagle in his
outstanding research and construction guide; “The
Regimental Coat of the 4th Connecticut Regiment, 1777 –
1778vii.” Prepared in 2013 for a Model Company event at
Valley Forge, Keagle’s paper provides many details that
are directly applicable to our 1st New Jersey 1777
Regimental Coat reconstruction. The significant
differences between these two 1777 coats are that the 4th
Connecticut’s is brown with red facings and has pointed
cuffs without cuff buttons, while ours is blue with red
facings and has round cuffs with optional button
configurations.
- Coat Body: The skirts extend 9” below the bottom
of the lapels. They have false side vents with the front side
turned under and sewn in a single fold. The back vent is
sewn without overlapping. Two large plain, flat pewter
buttons without buttonholes are attached at the hips at the
Interior front of the Skyler Pinales Coatee
top of the side vents. The skirts are fully lined, as well as
showing lining extent in K&P Madder Red Serge
4” wide along the front edge behind the lapels, as shown
in the image at left of the inside front of the Pinales coatee. The lining goes directly over
the false side vents without pleating, and the skirts may include interior pockets. The rest
of the coat body and the sleeves are unlined.
The exterior pockets are non-functional, but the sewn
down flaps may be lined with the same red serge (or
bay) cloth with up to 1/8” extending as trim beyond the
sides and the scalloped front edge. The pocket flaps
have three large plain, flat pewter buttons, with the top
and bottom buttons set 1” down and in from the corners
of the flap and the other button in line and midway in
between. There is no need for buttonholes, though they
are an optional variant. The pocket flap is positioned
with the top in line with the bottom of the lapel and the
top of the side vent, and the bottom ½” from the edge of
the skirts. The Pinales coatee leaves 1/8” of K&P
Madder Red Serge lining exposed beneath the false
Skyler Pinales Coat left side
pocket flap and has buttonholes worked in silk twist.
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Facings: The lapels are 2 1/4" wide and are sewn down so that they are non-functional.
The edge is turned under and cast down to the body interior beneath the lining. Each
lapel has nine large flat, plain pewter buttons equally spaced ¾” from the outer edge from
the collar to within 1” of the bottom of the
lapel.
The collar is made from a single layer of cloth,
peaked at the back and the same width as the
lapels. The neck edge of the collar overlaps
that of the coat and both sides are cast over and
sewn. If the collar is made to be functional, the
top button only requires 1 1/8” unworked slit
for a buttonhole, or it may be worked in silk
twist as has been done with the Pinales coatee.
The Center coatee has a non-functional collar.
The cuffs are round and non-functional, the
outer edge cast over the sleeve opening and
both ends sewn down. The cuff may have
either of the button arrangements described in
the Optional Features section, above or no
1777 Coatee by Skyler Pinales
buttons at all. As mentioned, the Center coatee
has large plain buttons arranged horizontally on
the outside of the cuff, while the Pinales coatee has 4 small plain buttons arranged
vertically up the back of the sleeve.
Conclusion: These Documentation & Construction Guidelines provide members of Colonel
Ogden’s 1st New Jersey alike the opportunity to acquire or construct a regimental coat that meets
the highest standard for our 1777 Continental impression. Those who already have a blue and red
regimental made to an older pattern are free to keep using them as an acceptable alternative to
our preferred standard, but we hope that the information provided here will inspire more of us to
make the investment in these short skirted coats. If you chose the less expensive 100% navy
blue broadcloth option, you can get all the fabric and notions needed for one of these coatees for
less than $250. If you have a tailor hand sew it for you, expect to pay about $280 on top of that.
We hope you will agree it is an investment worth making and look forward to seeing you in line
with your new 1777 coatee!
YMHOS, 1st New Jersey Impressions Committee, Tim Abbott, chair (2/18/2015)
Ken Gavin, 1st New Jersey, demonstrating the proper position of one’s firelock, relative to
one’s new coatee, when lying on the ground as a casualty. Photographs of Ken courtesy of
Meredith Barnes
Endnotes:
i
Rees, John: A Comparative Listing of Clothing Returns For the New Jersey Regiments of 1777;
http://revwar75.com/library/rees/NJclothes.htm
ii
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1777 Continental Line Impression; Clothing & Equipment Guidelines & Standards; Colonel Ogden’s 1 New=Jersey
Regiment Impressions Committee, Tim Abbott, committee chair, 1/29/2015
iii
Rees, John; "The Great Neglect in Provideing Cloathing..."Uniform Colors and Clothing in the New Jersey Brigade
During the Monmouth Campaign of 1778: Part I, in Military Collector & Historian, vol. XLVI, no. 4 (Winter 1994),
163-170
iv
Schmidt, Lawrence; “Provided These Can Be Procured:” The Uniform and Equipment of the First New Jersey
Regiment 1775-1783 (©1995 and 2013)
v
“George Washington to James Meese”, July 18 1777: The writings of George Washington from the original
manuscript sources: Volume 8, University of Virginia.
vi
Court martial of Martin Hurley, Great Britain, Public Record Office, War Office 71/84, pp 342-345.
vii
th
Keagle, Matthew: “The Regimental Coat of the 4 Connecticut Regiment, 1777 -1778”, prepared in 2013 for The
Model Company’s March 29, 2014 “Incomparable Patience and Fidelity” encampment at Valley Forge,
Pennsylvania.
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1 NJ Impressions Committee: Tim Abbott, Marie Caron, Ken Gavin, Mike Jesberger, Talya Leodari, Jeni Scarsbrick,
Larry Schmidt, Tom Vogeley