De Choiseul modified these uniforms in color, making the infantry wear white, the cavalry blue, and the dragoons green. Under Louis XVI. the regiments were divided into six classes, distinguished by the color of the facings. With the French Revolution uniforms were simplified, and consisted of long blue coats, breeches, and high gaiters. Powder and queues were pro hibited, but this order was not strictly enforced. Napoleon attempted, on account of the difficulty and expense of procuring indigo dye. to restore the original white unifo•nms, but, a substitute for this dye having been found, the blue coat was re tained, though shortened. A sleeved waistcoat, trousers, and a shako helmet were added to the uniform. In 1815 the white unifo•HH was again taken up, but gave way to the blue in 1820. In 1843 the tunic became almost a waistcoat, and ft long gray cloak for protection against cold And wet was brought into use. The trousers were loose and confined by gaiters at the knee; belts were worn round the waist instead of over the shoulder.
The dress of the United States Army prescribed in orders has been marked in practice by irregu lar and unauthorized modifications. This 'has arisen partly from the American tendency to sacrifice ornament to utility, and to the want of a suitable dress for field service, in which the troops have been almost constantly engaged since the formation of the Government. During the Revolution it became necessary at times to call upon the to contribute cast-off cloth ing to cover the nakedness of the patriot army: yet efforts were made to establish sonic. degree of military uniformity. Thus in 1777 the COM Illissioners at the Court of France were "directed to use their utmost endeavors to send, without delay, 80.000 blankets. 40,000 complete suits of clothing for soldiers, of green, blue, and brown colors, with suitable facings and cloth of the same colors, with trimmings stitheient for 40,000 suits more, and 100.000 pairs of stockings fit for soldiers." In 1780 it was announced that "the different ranks should be distinguished from each other"—"major-general to wear a blue coat with bull' facings, two epaulets with two stars upon each" and "a black and white feather in the hat; brigadier-general, the same as Major-general, with one star: captains one epaulet on the right shoul der and lieutenants one on the left shoulder: statT officers to be distinguished by hat feathers of va rious colors." In 1782 it was ordered "that the uniform of the American cavalry and infantry 510111 in future be blue ground with red facings and white linings and buttons." The close of the Revolution found the troops, generally, in a condition as to uniform not unlike Falstaff's recruits.
In 1794 the green coat of the cavalry was changed front white to black facings, a leather helmet with black horse-hair plume, and leather breeches. In 1602 'Jefferson ordered the French
leather eap with a strip of bear-skin on the top; officers of artillery wore gold and of in fantry silver epaulets; the coat was a cutaway showing the waistcoat the infantry wore double and the cavalry and artillery single cross belts: the go•get worn during the Revolution was re placed by a single oval brass plate on the belt. Prior to 1801 the hair was worn tied in queues, but in that year General Wilkinson ordered the hair cut short ; the length of whiskers was limited to the bottom of the ear and beards were not allowed until 1853. In 1808 general officers were required to wear single-breasted coats, with very high collars embroidered in gold. In 1810 all coats were single-breasted without facings, and there was worn that remarkable head-dress, the civilian 'silk hat' with a pompon prescribed, which had hut a short life. In 1812 the changes were the abolition of the sash, boots for all mounted officers; in 1814 the cocked hat was succeeded by the black leather bell-crowned shako of the French Army: on social occasions. knee breeches and shoes were permitted with yellow knee-buckles.
In 1821 chapeaux bras were ordered for all but company officers, who continued to wear the bell-crowned cap; captains wore a chevron above the elbow• on each arm: subalterns, one below the elbow. In 1825 a blue cloth shako or high forage cap was prescribed, each arm of service being distinguished IT the color of the pompon; light artillery. yellow with red top: light in fantry, white with red top. In 1835 colored facings were revived; general officers had double breasted coats with lapels, with bull' facings. In 1S57 the large black felt hat, turned up at one side. with an ostrich feather curled around the crown, appeared; this was the dress hat until the close of the Civil War. Divested of the feather, it became the campaign hat of the period and the ancestor of the drab felt service hat of 1898-1903.
At the beginning of the twentieth century the question of uniform has become almost as im po•tant in its relation to military success as is the rifle or ammunition. The difficulty of cross ing the tire zone of the modern rifle demands that the troops thus engaged be uniformed as incon spienously as possible; but, in the universal ef fort to attain this result, the nations are prac tically adopting the same type of uniform, and the same color of material. The great disad vantage of this was frequently seen in the Boer British War of l899.1902, when the British troops were sometimes unable to distinguish groups of the enemy front similar bodies of their own forces. owing to the fact that both sides employed Khaki uniforms.