Material History Uniform Excellence: A Circa 1798 Militia Coat Preserved on Prince Edward Island by Rene Chartrand TBackground he Garden of the Gulf Museum at Montague has in its collection what is surely one of the earliest and most interesting militia artifacts in Prince Edward Island. It is said to have belonged to Captain John Mac- Donald,* though in a colony where "John" and "MacDonald" were probably the two most common names, exactly which John MacDonald poses a bit of a problem [see boxed essay]. The coat likely dates from the 1790s, a period of intense militia activity. This *As researchers will already be aware, Scottish "Mac" surnames are spelled in a bewildering number of ways in 18th and 19th century documents, even when referring to the same individual. Moreover, individuals themselves often seemed to have no preference as to spelling; such appears to have been the case with John Mac- Donald. In this article, we have used a generic spelling, "MacDonald", for the owner of the uniform. was the era of the Wars of the Revolution with France, and rumours of French fleets lurking about the Maritimes had a good many people worried. In those days, every able-bodied man from 16 to 60 years of age was liable for militia service. There were yearly musters, but these usually just showed how few men had weapons. On the other hand, it was a great occasion to have a few "pours" with one's friends, and the would-be warriors might be seen at day's end looking very jolly. "Volunteers", for their part, took military matters more seriously and were sometimes made "independent" from militia regiments, or else, were the elite unit of the regiment. They drilled regularly, usually uniformed themselves, and sometimes even procured weapons, although the government would usually supply these. All this was done without pay or compensation except if called on active service. Volunteers seem to have been quite popular during the wars with France: The Garden of the Gulf Museum, Montague, home of the MacDonald military coat. 1793-1802 and 1803-15 (to which we must add the War of 1812-14 with the United States). John Stewart's Account of Prince Edward Island, published in London in 1806, claimed that "three troops of volunteer horse, and a light i n f a n t r y company...handsomely cloathed and mounted at their own expense" existed in the 1790s. And there were others. By February, 1814, the various volunteer corps were grouped into a "Prince Edward Island Legion" by J. F. Holland, the Adjutant General of Militia. A year later, peace came at last and volunteer units slowly disappeared until their revival in the late 1850s. The C o a t Having glanced at the context, let us now examine the artifact. Here I must relate personal experience. Some time ago, Eva Burnham of the Canadian Conservation Institute asked me to look at slides of a somewhat curious coat from Prince Edward Island. It looked rather strange because of the way it hung and the many unusual details. I expressed reservations about its authenticity, until one day, Eva walked in with a big box containing... the coat! A team of experts, including Patricia Young, Pamela Blackstock, Ruth Mills, Gail Cariou (all of our Costume and Textiles Resource Group), Eva, and myself, gave the coat an examination. It probably took two minutes flat to conclude blessedly that it was genuine. The coat was of red or scarlet cloth with green facings at the cuffs, collar, and lapels. Piping edged the facings and the pocket flaps. The turnbacks were white. The gilded buttons were inscribed with the words "VOLUN- TEERS ISLAND ST. JOHN" and may have been some of those advertised in the Royal Gazette and Miscellany in 19
THE MAN INSIDE THE COAT by Elton MacDonald The coat described in this article was worn by "Ian Mor" (Gaelic for "Big John'*) MacDonald of West River during his period of service as Captain/Quartermaster of the St. John's Volunteers, a local militia unit raised on St. John's Island (Prince Edward Island) by Governor Walter Patterson during the latter part of the American Revolution. Overshadowed by his more illustrious brother-in-law and namesake, Captain John MacDonald of Glenaladale, "Ian Mor" is virtually forgotten today. But in the early years of British settlement on this Island, he was a leading member of the local Catholic aristocracy. Ian Mor was half-brother to Andrew MacDonald, a Scottish merchant and shipbuilder who purchased Panmure Island in 1805. (Andrew, in turn, is perhaps best remembered as the paternal grandfather of Father of Confederation Andrew A. Macdonald.) They were descendants of one of the cadet families of Clan Ranald, and were themselves related to Captain John MacDonald of Glenaladale. When Ian Mor first came to the Island in 1771, he was probably with the advance party of the Glenaladale migration led by Captain John' s brother, Donald. Family tradition would later aver that Ian Mor had been sent out to size up the new country for his brother, who was contemplating emigration. In any event, he returned to Scotland in time to come out a g a i n with the m a i n p a r t y in 1772. During the American Revolution, Ian Mor served with the second battalion of the 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) in Captain John MacDonald's Company (#7). He was gazetted Ensign on October 7, 1776, and Lieutenant on September 20,1779. The second battalion was raised chiefly through the efforts of two half pay officers, John Small (21st Regiment of Foot) and Alexander McDonald (77th Regiment of Foot). They recruited ex-officers and gentlemen among the Highlanders and offered Captains' commissions to those who could raise enough enough men to form a company. John Small was made Major, commanding, in 1775 and raised to Lieutenant Colonel in 1780, while Alexander McDonald took care of most of the organizing, training, and daily 20 operation of the Halifax headquarters with the rank of Captain-Lieutenant in the early years. He was later raised to Captain and then to Major. Both of these men were very highly regarded by their wartime companions, and Ian Mor showed the extent of this esteem when he named his son John Small Macdonald in honor of his late commander. While most of the second battalion's service was in Nova Scotia, it did at various times supply units for service elsewhere, and the final muster held prior to disbanding in October/ November 1783 shows Ian Mor not present, but on duty in Newfoundland. Thereon hangs a tale. I quote the special muster roll prepared in April 1784 for he and his detachment: Muster Roll (Previous to the Disbanding) of a Detachment belonging to the 2nd Battalion of His Majesty's 84th Regiment of Foot whereof Lieut Colonel John Small is Commandant, that recently arrived here after being Stationed on the Island of Newfoundland, since April 1776. The said Detachment having been ordered by Admiral Campbell, Governor of that Country, to embark at St John's Harbour in said Island in October last 1783 and on the passage to New York to which place the Content Transport that carried them was destined being blown off the coast, with much fatigue and danger reach d the Island of Antigua, where the Detachment was landed the 24th December following & did duty with the other troops in Garrison there until the 17th Feb 1784 when the Vessel being sufficiently repaired, they reembarked & proceeded to this Port Halifax Nova Scotia 9th April 1784. First on the list is " John MacDonald Lieut, in Captn John McDonalds' Company" and following are the 3 sergeants, 2 corporals, 2 drummers, and 20 privates of his ad hoc detachment. Upon reduction, Ian Mor went on half pay and returned to the Island, where he was made a Captain/Quartermaster in the St. John's Volun- Reconstruction of the appearance of an officer of the 49th Regiment of Foot, circa 1802. The officers wore scarlet coats faced green with gold buttons, embroidery and epaulets. Bicorn hats were black with a black cockade, gold loop, and tassels. The plume was white over red. A crimson sash was worn around the waist. White breeches and black boots were also common. Allowing for Captain MacDonald's portly proportions and his particular coat (and possibly a shoulder swordbelt rather than a waisbelt), this is something like the appearance of volunteer officers. In the background are enlisted men of the regiment. teers in 1794. It appears that he was advanced to the rank of Major in a later militia unit. In March, 1786, MacDonald obtained 500 acres in Lot 31 (West River) from Andrew Todd through Todd's local agent, Thomas Wright, under the "act to transfer and convey to his Majestys [sic] Disbanded Troops and Loyal Refugees". He thus became one of the lucky few to actually receive legal title from the Island govern-
ment, which was notoriously loath to deed land to either veterans or Loyalists, regardless of valid claims or Royal decree. Ian Mor married Captain John's sister, Margaret, and by the time the Island's first British census was taken in 1797, there were ten people residing on his estate at West River. In 1813, he became the centre of controversy when he and the only other Roman Catholic Justice of the Peace in the colony were summarily dismissed on religious grounds by the new Lieutenant Governor, the hotheaded C. D. Smith. Ian Mor passed away in 1821. He had been, in the opinion of his friend, Father Angus Bernard MacEachern, "one of the most respectable and unexceptionable characters on this Island". His coat was handed down through his son, merchant and politician, John Small Macdonald, thence to granddaughter Mary Elizabeth (Mrs. Austin C. Macdonald), thence to great-granddaughter Josephine (Mrs. Dr. Roderick MacDonald),* thence to great-great-grandchildren Colin and Jean MacDonald, who have generously donated it for display in the collection of the Garden of the Gulf Museum in Montague. Sources Ian Mor MacDonald's career has been pieced together from varied sources. Most of the period letters relating to the family, and all relevant newspapers, can be found at the Public Archives of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown. Muster Rolls for the military units in question are stored at the Public Record Office in London. The various Commissions, Deeds, and family records are part of the author's private collection. Also useful is Captain Alexander McDonald's Record Book, which has been preserved at the New York Historical Society, New York City. Finally, additional information derived from Regimental History of Second Battalion York and Lancaster Regiment, Formerly the 84th Regiment, available at the Public Archives of Nova Scotia. *See Frank J. LedwelFs "Dr. Roddie", in Number 9 (Spring-Summer, 1981). t h Three quarter view giving a good idea of the wearer's portly frame. Coat from the Garden of the Gulf Musuem, Montague. 21
1793 as "Regimental Militia Buttons, solid gilt". They were made in London by Firmin, a company established in 1677 and still a leading manufacturer today. In itself, the coat was a remarkable discovery, since nothing was known previously about Prince Edward Island militia uniforms of so early a period. The slides had been misleading because of the way the coat was hung and the non-standard way in which the details were applied. This found its explanation when the actual artifact was examined. Interpreting the Artifact Front view of Captain MacDonald's coat from the Garden of the Gulf Museum in Montague. The lapels are buttoned up as he appears to have worn them. 22 By closely examining the MacDonald coat, and the way in which it was adapted, we can make some educated guesses about both its origin and its owner. First of all, Captain MacDonald had a waist of about 44", a stomach of about 46", a chest of about 46", and a neck of up to 20". Judging from the coat, he was probably 5'8" to 5'10" at the most. He was a portly man, then, probably in his 50s when he wore this uniform coat. I had occasionally seen pictures of such heavy officers but this was the first time I had seen one's actual coat. Coats of the period were usually for small, thin people, and would hardly fit a 12 year old lad of today. The curious ways in which the coat is trimmed is, we believe, a local tailor's brave attempt to cope with military uniforms without having much in the way of patterns. The construction is quite good, and what one would expect on any civilian coat of the period. The cuffs are well done with 3" twist cord, but these are applied on the collar as well, with two buttons instead of the usual single button. As a result, the collar buttons are forward to accommodate the 3" cord instead of lining up with the lobe of the ear, as was standard practice. MacDonald's large neck is also to blame. The tendency to adapt standard patterns extends to other details as well. The outside turnbacks are longer and wider than the inside turnbacks, but this was surely an attempt to line them up to the very wide waist. That the pockets open at the top is also unusual; normally they opened from a slit inside. There is a red cloth loop to tie an epaulet on the right shoulder as well as a small button. Captains wore an epaulet on the right shoulder only and so, this is quite correct. The green lapels have no hooks or eyes. This suggests that they were meant to be buttoned across instead of being buttoned back to expose the green facings, except perhaps at the top. Since buttoned-back lapels would have further exaggerated MacDonald's large waistline, this was probably a deliberate choice on his part.
and remained standard until the introduction of short tailed coats by General Orders of December 24,1811. Allowing This particular style of officer's coat was first introduced in the British Army by a circular dated February 1, 1796, Gilded button made by Firmin of London at the end of the 18th century, marked "Volunteers Island St. John", from Captain MacDonald's coat. <. I ' * *...» ' - ;_*: - _. \ * s _ L ' : ^ < ' A - : **%-\ /Kiirr----" p.'<?'. $?\A 38H f-'r-«i *rc<i^'» L'.''"* s. Br****/ fra^''"'' ajtv^'. K^S^ Wv'^ *' V : p fe^ Mi l?ac& u/em; o/ Captain MacDonald's coat from the Garden of the Gulf Museum. Note the wider outside turnback, an attempt to compensate tailoring of the day with the wearer's generous waistline. time for fashion news to travel, the MacDonald coat could have been made (it does not seem to be an earlier coat that has been altered) about 1798 and worn until 1814 or so. Although the Island of St. John changed names in 1799, the handsome buttons certainly continued to be used for a while, as is proven by their very existence on the coat. From the material historian's perspective, Captain MacDonald's coat is an extremely interesting garment. It tells us much about its wearer's appearance and even hints at his personality. The coat was almost certainly made on the Island, probably by a Charlottetown tailor. It is assuredly the earliest known uniform of the Prince Edward Island militia volunteers, and it just might be the oldest datable article of clothing to survive in the province. Afterword Besides the colleagues mentioned in this article, I would like to extend my gratitude to Barry Rich, Parks Canada's Chief Curator in the Atlantic Region, photographer Claude Lefebvre at Parks Canada headquarters in Ottawa, Reginald Porter of the Prince Edward Island Museum & Heritage Foundation, and Edward MacDonald of The Island Magazine. The coat will undergo conservation treatment at the Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa so that it may safely be displayed once more at the Garden of the Gulf Museum in Montague. iai 23