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East Haddam Revolutionary Heroes
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Uniforms of Connecticut Soldiers
Many regiments in Connecticut during the Revolution did not have uniform regulations for their soldiers. These are a few uniforms I found for Connecticut soldiers.
This image shows a variety of uniforms from the Revolutionary War.
General Joseph Spencer's Second Regiment, 1775
Connecticut had a large and well-organized militia in the period immediately preceding the American Revolution. These troops consisted of both foot and horse and were normally clad in red coats. Colonel Israel Putnam was one of the leaders to first join the forces besieging the British in Boston. Connecticut raised a force of 6,000 men and appointed David Wooster as Major-General to command them. Putnam and Joseph Spencer were appointed to be Brigadier-Generals. Brown was the color adopted as their service dress. Regimental distinctions were made by varying the color of the collar and cuffs of the coats. The foot figure in this illustration represents a corporal in this Regiment. The rank of corporal was shown by the green cloth on the right shoulder.
Captain James Green's Troops of the Second Light Horse
This troop wore felt hats with an iron crown piece inside as protection from saber cuts. Their uniforms were brown faced with buff, waistcoats and breeches of coarse white linen, white wool stockings, short gaiters or spatterdashes of black leather and steel spurs. Their arms consisted of saber, pistols and a long carbine slung on the right side, from a shoulder belt of white buff-leather. The cartridge box was carried in the waistbelt on the right side. When not in use, the carbine was carried muzzle forward in a leather bucket attached to the right side of the saddle.
The Commander-In-Chief's Guard, 1777
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In the spring of 1777, correspondence refers to the “Washington's Life Guards" being dressed in blue and buff uniforms with leather helmets adorned with medium blue cloth binding and a white plume tipped in blue placed on the left side of the helmet. They also decided to forgo the standard designated regimental number on the uniform buttons and instead opted for “USA," the first known record of the cipher being employed.
Connecticut Continental Line, 1779
Today, the Color Guard of the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution portrays a “Connecticut Continental Line” unit, wearing the blue regimental coat with white facings as ordered in 1779 for New England troops. Prior to this regulation, the only Connecticut Continental Line unit to wear a blue coat faced white was the 6th Regiment. The other regiments wore as follows:
1st Regiment, Red Coat faced white.
2nd Regiment, dark brown faced white.
3rd Regiment, light brown faced red.
4th Regiment, brown faced red.
5th Regiment, blue turned up with scarlet.
7th Regiment, scarlet faced white.
8th Regiment, blue faced scarlet and scarlet and white.
Uniformity in regiments was more of an exception than a rule particularly in the early years of the war, and it was common to see hunting shirts and civilian clothing in the ranks. This diversity of clothing is evident in the Color Guard today.
Not much is known about these next uniforms, but Patriots from East Haddam served in these regiments
Sixth Regiment, “Connecticut Line”, Formation of 1777-1781
Colonel Elisha Sheldon's Light Dragoons, 1777-1783
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This last uniform is an artistic depiction of a regular Connecticut Militia soldier during the Revolutionary War.