It is difficult to identify a specific uniform for the regiment in the US Army at this time period. Supply difficulties, uniform regulation changes and campaign modifications further confuse the issue. No enlisted men's' uniforms of the regular infantry for this time period have been identified or are known to have survived. So how then do you determine what was being worn?
First, there are primary sources available. While no enlisted men's coats are identified, there are many contemporary coats of militia, and regular army officers coats existing. They are different in the details, but the cut, construction and materials are similar. Also the uniform regulations for the period are well known, and give description for the prescribed uniform. These can then be compared to the existing uniforms for analysis, and a reasonable guess can be made.
Another source of information , are contemporary books on clothes and tailoring, such as the The Tailor's Instructor by James Queen and William Lapsley, printed in Philadelphia in 1809. This was the location of the quartermaster department. The coat patterns shown illustrate the typical cut of the military uniforms of the period. The most obvious features are the close fitting body, high shoulder seams and the narrow back seams.
Comparisons to military uniforms of other nations are also useful. Some enlisted men's uniforms of Britain and France have survived and these country's uniforms influenced American design. European influence came through the adoption of such things as the coatee and the shako, and the design of buttons and insignia by the European die makers. American tailors used these patterns to follow in designing uniforms.
Finally, contemporary artwork or written description, such as diaries, inspection returns, orderly books, portray the appearance of soldiers' uniforms at the time. Many officers portraits are to be found, while those of enlisted men are rare.
Using all this information, it is then possible to reconstruct what a regulation uniform would look like. The period of 1812-1813 was selected because it represents the time period of active campaigning in the Northwest and proceeds the uniform changes begun in the mid-1813. It also avoids distinctive campaign uniforms such as the famous grey jackets of Scott's brigade in the Niagara campaign of 1814.
There are three basic items of footwear: socks of stockings: shoes and gaiters( also known as half-gaiters or splatterdashes). Socks refer to those items of ankle length. Socks are worn with half-gaiters, while stockings are worn with knee high, full gaiters and breeches. Half-gaiters with shoes seem to have the most common combination. Full gaiters seem to have been used only in garrison duty or in peacetime.
Shoes for military use were of the common civilian pattern, handmade, rough outside leather., low -quarter and tied with laces. Ankle boots were not in use for the infantry, but were mentioned in connection with the riflemen. Hobnails do not appear in evident use, although heel plates may have been in use.
Gaiters are made of painted canvas( sometimes known as Russia sheeting) in four pieces; the inside half, the outside half the tongue gusset and the strap. They are of ankle height with four general service buttons spaced along the outside edge. The gusset covers the instep, and is adjusted to fit by a center seam. The leather strap passes under the arch of the shoe in front of the heel to secure the gaiter to the foot.
Socks and stockings are knit of wool or wool mixed with cotton, and extend to the base of the calf or over the knee. They are of a natural grey of white color.
Gaiters were worn over the bottom of the trousers to keep stones and dirt out of the shoes. However, some evidence indicates that they may have been worn inside of the trouser leg. The proper method is left to the discretion of the commanding officer.
The clothing of the lower body was one of three types and differed in winter and summer issue. All are of similar construction. They are high-waisted, The waistband reaching the base of the sternum in front. The front is a broad fall secured to the waist band by three general service buttons. On the outside of the waistband in front, and on the inside at the rear are four, flat 4-hole buttons for the suspenders. The suspender design is unknown. The waistband is adjustable in length by means of eyelet's and ties across a gusset on the rear of the waist band.
Summer issue clothes were made of white linen or cotton. Winter issue was wool, usually dark blue like the coatee. Winter pantaloons may have been trimmed in white cording.
Overalls and pantaloons have fitted legs. Trousers have a straight , loose fitting leg. Overalls have a gaitered bottom. This was a hold over from the 18th century, and was still being issued at the beginning of the war. It appears that during their use in the war, the bottoms were often cut off to be worn as pantaloons with separate gaiters. Trousers appear to be the most common garment.
Shirts were of the common pullover style carried over from the 18th century with a few minor changes. Sleeves were not quite as full, but were more tapered. Cuff bands were slightly wider, and closed with a button rather than using cuff links. Collars closed with one of two buttons at the neck, but still remained open at the breast.
Being hand made by various seamstresses, paid for piecework by contractors, there were some variations in quality and materials. Some of the materials used were; dowlass, Creas, Rouens, Russia brown muslin sheeting and linen stripes and checks, as listed by the Purveyor of Public Supply in an advertisement for bids.
Bosom ruffles still seem to have been in use for all ranks. The same ad lists "muslin, neat for shirts of bosom ruffles."
Worn around the neck, over the shirt collar, was the neckstock. Made of light .stiffened leather, the tight fit of the stock made it an unpopular item. Sometimes a kerchief might be substituted on campaign, but only with official permission( except for inspections).
The stock was blackened leather ( on one side) and could be embossed with a design or be plane. Diamond cross-hatching was one common pattern. Another specimen is embossed with an eagle design. There is a description of a Kentucky militiaman at Frenchtown having a neck stock depicting an eagle clawing out a lions eyes. The sight of it infuriated a British officer.
The vest, worn under the coatee, was similar in construction to the body of the coat, but sleeveless. The body is in 4 pieces, 2 front and 2 in the back. There is a short standing collar, slightly shorter that the coat collar. There are 2 horizontal pockets one on each front panel. There are no pocket flaps. The length of the front panel should run from the navel to the base of the neck. The rear panels run straight across the small of the back. The vest should not be seen below the front of the coatee.
The front is closed by a single row of 9 buttons. The buttons are of pewter with an I device similar to the coatee buttons, but are only 1/2 inch in diameter. The front panels and collar are made of white wool, but the rear panels may be either wool, linen, or cotton material. Tapes could be used across the rear panels to insure a close fir in the body, using them as ties, much as on the rear of the waistband of the trousers.
The lining of the garment is a light cotton muslin. There are inside panels along the front edge of the vest to reinforce the buttonholes and button attachment points. The pockets are very functional. Bodies of American soldiers unearthed at Ft. Erie had musket tools and a spoon located where the vest pocket should be found.
A similar garment was the fatigue jacket. It was contracted as a sleeved vest, but was made of linen for summer of grey wool for winter. The sleeves had no cuffs. This garment uses the larger general service of infantry button for closure. Although originally intended for use as a vest, the grey wool winter type was also used as an outer garment when there were shortages of coatees. Linen jackets had originally been issued only in the southern states, but were made general issue because of clothing shortages.
It is in an area of coat design that some guesses must be made. The uniform regulations and the tailoring of the coat are known, but there is no identifiable specimen to copy. Therefore, it is most correct to adhere to regulations when constructing a coat pattern. The uniform regulations for this period came from the Southern Department orderly book for Jan. 24,1813 which reported the latest uniform regulations.
The coatee represents the evolution of the 18th century regulations into a more economical, colorful, but practical garment. The traditional Revolutionary period colors, red and blue were retained. There was a system of color combinations to identify branch of service. Infantry coats were blue with red facings, with white tape trim. The only extravagances were the tape edging on portions of the coat and the button lopes on the coat front, pockets, cuffs, and collar. For a more detailed discussion of the uniform including the regulations, see Chartrand's Uniforms of the American Army in the War of 1812.
The soldiers hat was the shako, a tall, cylindrical felt cap with an attached visor. The shako body is blocked in one piece, like contemporary British stovepipe shakos. The felt visor is stiffened, possibly with shellac of a this painted leather piece. The body of the shako is straight sided, but a slightly flared Yeomanry style intended for the light artillery was issued in 1812 to the new infantry regiments.
There is a linen "bag" liner on the inside of the hat that provides some size adjustment. A thin semi-circle of leather is sewn to the front inside of the shako as a sweat band for the forehead. This is in addition to the regular sweatband lining the bottom of the cap. A leather plume socket is sewn to the front of the cap to hold the shaft of the feather plume, which extends 6 inches above the crown.
Attached to the left side of the crown is a tooled, round leather cocade 3 1/2 inches in diameter with a cast pewter eagle in the center. The cocade is attached by laces through 4 holes in the cockade. The eagle can have wires on the backside for attachment, or be pierced with small holes to be sewn onto the cockade.
Hanging by a small wire ring attached to the cockade and from another point of attachment on the right side of the crown ( often a button, hook or ring) are the cord and tassels. They are also referred to in contemporary descriptions as a cap band and tassel. This consists of a small white cotton cord that is braided in a simple plaite. The cord is worn either double-looped, hanging from the crown of both sides, or is worn diagonally from the right crown to the base of the left side.
Plumes for the felt infantry shako were of white hackle feathers wrapped and tied with linen string on a stick or wire. Plume sticks could be simple, such as a splint of hickory or more exotic material such as bamboo. Wire rod is a more practical material, since it will bend rather than break. Later wool plumes for the leather shakos were made with twisted wire and like the British plume proved their durability.
The other item of headgear in use was called either the forage of fatigue cap. Worn at times other than when the shako was required, it was not a standardized item in the period. The fatigue cap did not have an official pattern untill 1824 in the Army, although references appear in Marine Corps records at earlier dates. Post-war references indicate the use of surplus qualities of felt shakos as fatigue to save wear on the leather caps.
Caps were usually made of the same material as the other clothing by using scraps, leftover material, or used, or obsolete uniforms. The old infantry round hats, worn from 1800-11, may have been issued to be worn as fatigue hats. Since the new regiments formed by the expansion of the army in 1812 had no previous issue of clothing to cut up for caps, it is logical to assume that the quartermaster department would have to supply one. Therefore any of the new regiments should have a uniform pattern of cap, issued to them by the quartermaster. This should be either the old round hat, or a cloth cap made up from left over materials.
What would it look like? There are two possibilities for this, the bag style and the flat hat. Since there is no evidence in the post war regulations for a bag style cap, this should be discounted. But since the first regulation pattern in 1824 is a flat hat style, this seems to be more probable. The British army was already using one of this type during the Napoleonac period, and the American army was already copying other parts of the British uniform. Also there is a bit of evidence that occurs in a contenpory painting. In 1812, a visiting Russian diplomat, Pavel Petrrovich Svinin, was touring the United States and making watercolor paintings of people and scenes of everyday life. One of these paintings was of a steamboat on the Hudson river near West Point. On deck, amoung the passengers, are men in blue uniform coats with epaulets, evidently military officers. They are wearing a flat, visored cap. Because of the location of the painting, it is likely that they are army officers, probably from the military academy nearby.
Therefore the conjectural fatigue hat should be of the flat, round style similar in appearance to the British cap. The cap may or may not have a visor. It should be made of dark blue wool like the coat, and be trimmed with red, probably as a band encircling the cap body. As a distinction for the infantry, there should also be a trimming of white tape on the band. The 1824 cap uses white tape from the edge of the top to the center, giving it the nickname of the wheel hat. Whether this derived from an earlier pattern is conjectural. In any case, there may not be any regimental or company distinction on the cap, but like the rest of the equipment issued, the soldiers' name and company number should be written on the inside.
Finally, a little should be said about the shako plates. With the adoption of the stovepipe felt shako, The army also wanted to copy the European style of distinctive national cap plates. With the center of this trade in Philadelphia, close to the office of the Purveyor of Public Supply, it was informally contracted with the two leading suppliers, Crumpton and Armitage.
There were three patterns of infantry plate supplied fir the felt shako. The first was a simple rectangular tinned sheet iron plate with clipped corners, and stamped with " US INFANTRY " and the number of the regiment. Issued in late 1811 and into mid-1812, they did not prove to be durable, quickly rusting and were discontinued. The second pattern was more elaborate, being a die-struck pewter plate featuring a spread eagle, stands of arms, flags, drums, US INFANTRY at the top and the number of the regiment to be stamped on the bottom.
The third type is of a similar style to the second, having the eagle, arms, colors, drum, etc., but is reduced in size. The second pattern plate was found to be too heavy, and so the third pattern was created. The heading was abbreviated to US INFANY with the space for the regimental number retained.
Only limited quantities were available during the war, and very few were shipped to the Army of the Northwest. The 17th infantry is not found on the shipping lists for the cap plates. This is not to say that they did not have cap plates at some tine. Further research may reveal the answer to this and many other questions. But for the present, in order to present a more military and uniform appearance, either the first or third pattern of plate should be worn, The late war plate, worn on the leather shako, should not be used.