Loyalist Uniforms and Loyalist Identity in the Revolutionary Atlantic

During the American Revolutionary War thousands of Americans remained loyal to the Crown and took up arms against the revolutionaries. Military uniforms became an important site for identity formation for this diasporic population, which retained few material possessions. Although fighting for Britain, these Loyalist soldiers were not initially provided with the same red uniforms as their British counterparts. As the war continued, red uniforms were eventually secured and predominated until the end of the conflict. Loyalists developed a sophisticated understanding of military dress, identifying themselves as equals within the British military establishment. Their uniforms held significance in the postwar diaspora that settled much of Anglophone Canada in the 1780s and 1790s, where uniforms reflected and reinforced social structures. Their importance is evident through the comparatively extensive survival of Loyalist clothing and the evidence of continued alteration and use that is examined in detail for the first time in this article.