Maryland Museum of Military History Acquires New Old Threads
By Alexandra Reed
The musician’s coatee in storage at the Maryland Center for Military History.
ANNAPOLIS, Md.—The Maryland Center for Military History received the donation of a uniform during a visit to St. John’s College in Annapolis, Maryland, on January 15, 2025. The uniform likely dates back to the War of 1812.
Alex Reed prepares the coatee for storage at the Maryland Center for Military History.
In November 2024, Alexandra Reed, objects curator, office of Maryland Museum of Military History, Maryland Military Department, received an email from Catherine Hines, library director of St. John’s College’s Greenfield Library, inquiring about a military jacket (coatee) that they had recently rediscovered in their storage after they originally acquired it sometime in the 20th century. Based on photographs sent to the museum by Hines and MMMH’s observations, it was clear that the coatee was deteriorated.
This coatee created a great history mystery for the museum staff because the object did not match other known early uniforms. To narrow down the time period and type of coatee, we reached out to other military subject matter experts and it was determined that the tailoring pattern was in use from the 1760s to about 1820. Although research is ongoing, it has been determined the coatee was made or at least altered between 1810 to 1815. The buttons decorated with an American eagle on the front are known to be rare and were created by military supplier Giles Richards (1792-1876), a prominent businessman. Most notable was his button and saddlery ornament business, which Giles Richards ran with his brother, Amos Adams Richards (1794-1872), during the War of 1812. These buttons appear to be used sparingly, possibly as replacements, as they only appear on the right sleeve and tail of the coatee.
Alex Reed prepares the coatee for storage at the Maryland Center for Military History.
It was determined that the coatee most closely resembled a musician’s uniform, which would typically be a red coatee with blue trim. The anomaly of this coatee’s color matching the trim could be due to material shortages during the War of 1812. These features help date the coatee to the War of 1812 era, which makes it a rare and important acquisition for the state and the Maryland Center for Military History’s collection. Due to its age and delicate condition, for preservation purposes, the coatee was placed in the museum’s new collection storage area on the lower level of the Fifth Regiment Armory in Baltimore, on Jan. 16, 2025, where it will allow for easy access to research or display for significant anniversaries.