The Continental Soldier
Breeches
The Continental Soldiers (minutemen, militia, or a random assortment of able-bodied men) were average men with nothing more than a gun in hand and a will to beat the British. These men were simply men, meaning they didn't have the time to hire a tailor to make a uniform when they were called into action, and, besides, who needed more than 2 or 3 sets of clothes? These men didn't bathe more than 2 or 3 times yearly either, so clothes really weren't a problem. If their clothes smelled, why shouldn't they? Therefore, these minutemen, men who went to war at a moment's notice, just went out simply in breeches, a waistcoat, and a coat! At the time, the 1700s, many varieties of colors had become very popular. Bright reds, blues, yellows, and greens were all a new sensation. Everybody tried to be as colorful as possible around this time in all sorts of varieties, thus making the battleground all sorts of colorful combinations. Almost all men who fought didn't have the time or resources for a uniform, meaning no man had the same uniform.
Also, to the astonishment of many, none of the men were supplied any sort of weapon or comfort. According to the rules of the enlistment, every single man had to have enough ammunition, food, water, and other items like comfort (blankets, clothes, pillows, shoes) and a weapon for at least one day. Because of the variety of weapons, the accuracy of a large group of men was accurate enough, but had varying results.
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