American Continental Army Uniform

Title: Infantry: Continental Army, 1779-1783
Artist: Henry Alexander Ogden
Date: 1897

In January 1779 Washington submitted a proposal to the Continental Congress for the standardization of uniforms, suggesting each state adopt a different color uniform, with facing colors distinguishing different units. He also suggested pants be replaced with woolen overalls for winter and linen for summer wear. Congress passed along the proposal to the Board of War, which responded in May 1779 with a revised plan adopting dark blue as the standard uniform color and dividing the states into four groups, each with a different facing color. The proposed facing colors were white (New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut), buff (New York and New Jersey), red (Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia), and blue with white lace buttonholes (North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia).

Source :

Book "Continental versus Redcoat: American Revolutionary War" by David Bonk