This gallery highlights three garments worn during the American Revolution– but not all are uniforms! One belonged to a woman, two are connected with particular incidents, and all three have fascinating histories associated with their owners.

Tory Officer's Coat, 1770s click to enlarge click for close-ups Monson Hoyt, a native of Norwalk, Connecticut, wore this "redcoat" during the American Revolution. A Tory and Crown officer, he was a lieutenant in the Prince of Wales's American Volunteers from 1777 to 1783. Tory uniforms like this are extremely rare because many loyalists fled to Canada after the war, and often their possessions were confiscated. (Hoyt went to New Brunswick, but is believed to have been a resident of New York State at the time of his death, about 1805.) Unlike today's military garb, which camouflages the wearer, 18th century officers' uniforms were eye-catching: richly colored textiles, ornamented with gleaming metal embroidery and buttons denoted status and rank. Made of high quality wool broadcloth, so tightly woven that the hem was simply cut rather than turned under and stitched, this coat sustained moth damage years ago. However, some of the resulting fabric loss allows us to study the construction techniques. For example, the metal thread embroidery was worked with small pieces of linen sandwiched between the layers of wool to give it firm support. CHS also owns an embroidered red wool waistcoat that belonged to Monson Hoyt.

Hooded Cloak, ca. 1760-1775 click to enlarge click for close-ups Twenty-two-year-old Deborah Champion wore this scarlet cloak in September of 1775 when her father sent her to Boston on a mission to deliver papers to General Washington. She was accompanied by the family's slave, Aristarchus, on the horseback journey from New London, Connecticut, crossing enemy lines in Massachusetts. Deborah wrote of the episode to a friend, including in her letter descriptions of the clothing she wore. She hid the papers under the bodice of her linsey-woolsey dress, and fastened her neckerchief over the bodice. She described the wool fabric of this cloak as "camlet," and said that her mother insisted on her also wearing a "close" (snugly-fitting) silk hood, and that she take with her a calash. Deborah was not keen on taking the calash, an over-sized, collapsible bonnet designed to cover the head without crushing the wearer's cap or coiffure, but she conceded that her mother's advice was wise. When approached by a soldier wearing a redcoat she pulled the calash up, and with her face thus well-hidden, the British soldier let her pass, remarking that she was "only an old woman." Red wool cloaks were popular for both men and women in the latter half of the 18th century, and because they were treasured items and could fit a variety of figures, many were passed down from one generation to the next. The wool used to make this cloak is much coarser than that of the Tory officer's redcoat, and was probably made in Connecticut, not imported from Europe. Whether imported or made at home, textiles were valuable, so nothing was wasted in making a garment; you can see lines across the front of the cloak where the fabric was pieced, and like the redcoat, the hem is simply cut, not turned under and stitched. The fur-like trim is a shag-faced fabric. CHS also owns a dressing table, aa cup and saucer that had belonged to Deborah, and a portrait, correspondence, and other items from her father, General Henry Champion.

Waistcoat, ca. 1781 click to enlarge click for close-ups Colonel William Ledyard was wearing this linen waistcoat on September 6, 1781, when he was killed with his own sword by a British officer after his surrender at the storming of Fort Griswold, Connecticut. This incident and the massacre of soldiers that followed was noted as one of the most outrageous events of the American Revolution. Although Benedict Arnold was not present at Fort Griswold, his name is associated with the incident since it was he who dispatched an officer from the just-captured neighboring town of New London to take the fort. The fabric of Ledyard's waistcoat is a finely woven, alternately plain- and satin-striped linen; the natural variation in coloring of the flax seen throughout the fabric. The holes caused by the sword are evident; one shoulder was cut to remove the garment from the body. Ledyard's shirt and other items from the family are also in the CHS Collections, and several of his letters are in the CHS Library's manuscript collection.