During the American Revolution, the colonists and Founding Fathers quickly realized that their resistance would not be easily tolerated by the British. As skirmishes between the colonies’ militia and the British military increased and the monarchy continued to send thousands of troops to America to stop the rebellion, the Founding Fathers recognized that the time had come to create an army for their new nation. 

In the days before the war broke out, colonists faced off with their British enemy frequently. So, to organize their defense, cities formed civilian militia groups. Together, these volunteer soldiers donned typical colonial attire — a coat, shirt, waistcoat, and breeches — as they kept their hometowns safe from skirmishes. However, the battles grew more frequent as war approached.

With the official start of the Revolutionary War occurring at the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, it was clear that the colonists needed to be better prepared; at those battles, individual militias fought and there was no organized military effort. Colonial soldiers weren’t even wearing the same uniforms. The soldiers on the battlefields were volunteer part-time soldiers, all of whom “enlisted” with the belief that they would provide local defense only. They thought their work within local militias would continue, and the colonists weren’t ready to wage war. 

On June 14, 1775, the Second Continental Congress decided it was time for the fledging nation to have an official army instead of militias, so the group formed the Continental Army. The Continental Army was created with soldiers from each of the 13 colonies. One day later on June 15, George Washington was voted to be Commander in Chief of the new army. 

An exclusive piece in our Heritage Costumes collection of quality costume clothing, this men’s colonial civilian militia coat is authentic to the 1700s and the attire worn by the colonists fighting in the Revolutionary War. You’ll look just like the men of the Continental Army when you don this historically accurate costume coat. To capture civilians’ Revolutionary War uniforms and military attire accurately, this costume includes a single fully-lined blue coat (also known as a colonial military jacket) with braid trim and metal buttons. You’ll look the part of a man headed to the battlefields of the Revolutionary War with this costume set straight out of the 18th century.

Of course, every American Revolution wartime costume needs a few accessories, too. No colonist during the 18th century left home for the Continental Army without his black powder horn, white military leggings, white sash, black belt, sword, tricorn hat, and colonial black powder rifle. If you’d like to enhance your Revolutionary War uniform with our Heritage Costume accessories (which are not included with the purchase of this costume), you can pair this costume outfit with these options from our wide selection of added details to create your very own personalized costume.

This high-quality colonial civilian militia coat can be used for a period ball, historical reenactment, masquerade, or simply a fun day of pretending to be a colonist on the battlefield during the 18th century Revolutionary War era. Made with pride and care right in the United States, this men’s colonial coat is built to last.

Pair with our wide selection of colonial clothing parts and accessories to create your very own personalized colonial period outfit.