Dressed to Kill, Dressed to Till
A handsome American militia uniform coat constructed of glazed, scarlet serge trimmed with false buttonholes of 3/8 inch-wide, silk tape. The coat is single-breasted with three rows of ¾ inch-diameter gilt-brass buttons on the breast. Each side of the “standing cape” or collar is trimmed with two smaller buttons and corresponding false holes, while the “dragoon” sleeves terminate in with three chevron-shaped loopings of white silk tape, one placed on the cuff and two above, each with a button at the center of the chevron. The skirts have cross pockets set near the hips, with buttons set below the flaps. The 36 large and 10 small buttons are of the “Excelsior Eagle” form, featuring the eagle over globe motif that was part of the state coat-of-arms. This pattern button was adopted for New York militia troops as early as the War of 1812 and worn well into the 1830s, although also popular among volunteers units from other states. The uniform coat could be a drummer or fifer from some now-unknown volunteer unit. Aping the US Army of that period, many volunteer units adopted an all-blue uniform, but dressed their field music in scarlet. However, many dragoon units also favored red uniforms and the “dragoon” sleeves could indicate that this was possibly that of a cavalryman. The use of a glazed serge–a breathable, lightweight, worsted fabric–rather than the more usual woolen broadcloth for the coat body suggests that this uniform, was either intended primarily for warm weather service or worn by a member of a Southern militia unit. Some sections of the silk binding are missing and there is some light edge wear to the coat body, otherwise very good.
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