same year Henry Cressman and Abraham P. Foering, 

 both of whom supphed dragoon hehnets to the Army 

 in 1814, were issued 50 and 33 pounds respectively 

 of horsehair." No other type of enhstcd man's head- 

 gear required any sort of horsehair crest in 1814, so 

 it must be assumed that this hair was for the crests 

 on the type of helmet illustrated (figs. 9-11). These 

 specimens came to the National Museum from the 

 Quartermaster Clothing Museum at Schuylkill Arse- 

 nal — which was never a repository for militia material 

 in bulk — and are of a durable material not subject to 

 insect or casual damage. While other forms of head- 

 gear could have been and were issued to the Army 

 after the end of the war, the dragoons were disbanded 

 in 1815 and not reconstituted until 1833." An inven- 

 tory of stores on hand in February 1815 showed 88 

 dragoon caps still in stock, and in May 1815 Cressman, 

 apparently completing an earlier contract, deii\ered 

 an additional 122.^' 



The crested helmet, whether of leather or metal, 

 initially designed for horse units to protect the head 

 against saber strokes, was known in both Europe and 

 America well before the opening of the 19th century 

 and became traditional for dress wear in many mounted 

 organizations after 1800."' This cap, strongly made of 

 jacked leather,^' is of basic two-piece construction with 

 each half running up to form one side of the comb, and 

 not of the so-called "jockey cap" style which had the 

 comb added. ^** The comb rises 3 inches above the 

 cap proper at its highest point and tapers to the rear, 

 the overall height of the helmet being 9 inches at the 

 peak. The comb is bound with white metal strips 

 riveted together through the leather with a white horse- 

 hair crest rising from the center. This crest, which falls 

 to the side, measures 18 inches at its greatest length. 

 The horizontal and vertical metal strips binding the 

 sides of the cap are wired on. The convex visor, of the 

 same material as the cap, is 3 inches at its widest 

 point and measures 10 inches from side to side. The 

 side band is of thin leather tapering from 2^ inches 

 at the rear to 1 inch in front. A patent leather sweat- 

 band is welted to the outside of the cap and turned 

 under, with canvas fitted with a drawstring attached 

 above. The chin scales, attached to the sides of the 

 cap with pewter buttons, are of hand-cut white metal 

 wired to welted leather straps, meeting in the renter 

 of the visor and held in place there by another pewter 

 button. The placement of the straps and their length 

 indicate that thcv would not meet under the chin of 



the wearer and were only decorative The cap plate, 

 of medium thickness pewter, carries the "mounted 

 dragoon in the act of charging" as prescribed in the 

 1800 regulations and is attached with waxed linen 

 thread. On the underside of the visor is stamped the 

 maker's name, "H. Cressman,"' and the inspector's 

 initials, "G'F," in a cloverleaf form. 

 NOTES 



-» G.O. U.S. Army, RG 94, NA. 



-^ There were only two troops of dragoons during this 

 period. In 1798 sL\ additional troops were authorized 

 but never raised. 



" Callan, op. cit., jjp. 200-201. 



-^ Notice signed by Sec. of War Henry Dearborn dated 

 21 May 1808, reproduced in James E. Hicks, United 

 States Ordnance, vol. 2, Ordnance Correspondence (Mt. 

 Vernon, N.Y., 1940), p. 21. The terms helmet and cap 

 were used interchangeably at this time. While regulations 

 normally used helmet, official correspondence tended to 

 prefer cap. In this section helmet will be used to desig- 

 nate the style more clearly. 



-* Tench Coxe, Purveyor of Public Supplies, to Jona- 

 than Lukens (a contractor), 1 July 1808, Purveyor's 

 Office, LS, RG 92, NA; J. Duncan Campbell and Edgar 

 M. Howell, American Military Insignia, 1800-1851, 

 U.S. National Museum Bulletin 235 (Washington, 1963) , 

 p. 11. The bear skin was substituted for originally pre- 

 scribed leopard skin. 



-■' Col. James Burn, CO. 2d Regiment of Dragoons 

 (authorized 11 Jan. 1812) to Sec. of War William Eustis, 



8 July 1812, LR, Sec. of War, RG 107, NA; B. Mifflin, 

 Dep. Comm. Gen. of Purchases at Boston, to Sec. of War, 



9 July 1812, LR, RG 107, NA; Campbelland Howell, op. 

 cit., p. 11. 



■-'■' Campbell and Howell, op. cit., p. 1 1 ; Geo. Ingels. 

 Militaiy Storekeeper (hereinafter cited as MSK), Phila- 

 delphia, to Irvine, 10 Mar. 1813, Letter Book, CG of P, 

 RG 92, NA: Irvine to Amasa Stetson, Deputy Quarter- 

 master, 31 Mar. 1813, LS, CG of P, RG 92; Contract 

 with Mathew Lyons, Philadelphia, 16 Oct. 1812, Con- 

 solidated Correspondence File (hereinafter cited as CCF) 

 under Mathew Lyons, RG 92, N.A.. 



-■ Irvine to Amasa Stetson, 31 Mar. 1813, LS. CG of 

 P, RG 92, NA; MSK "Blotter," entries for 30 Mar. and 

 31 Mar. 1813, 9 Mar. and 30 Mar. 1814, RG 92, NA. 

 AiTnitage was a prime supplier of these plates. He is 

 listed in the Philadelphia directories as a "silverplater" 

 and "militaiy ornament maker,'" and produced many of 

 the finely designed and struck insignia and buttons worn 

 by the Army from 1802 to ca. 1825. See Campbell and 

 Howell, op. cit., pp. 12-23. 



-'CO., 24 Jan. 1813, op. cit.; Military Laws, and 

 Rules and Regulations for the Army of the United States 

 (Washington City: Roger Chew Weightman, Dec. 1814), 

 pp. 105-110. 



-"^MSK "Blotter" and "Journal" for 1812-1814. RG 

 92, NA; M. J. Litdeboys was one of the contractors that 



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