Texas Military Forces Museum, Camp Mabry, Austin, Texas

Uniforms of the Republic of Texas

LIEUTENANT COLONEL JUAN SEGUÍN
Cavalry - 1838

The uniforms of the republic were in the main influenced by American uniforms of the period, and to a lesser extent by contemporary Mexican uniforms. The Mexican uniforms, in turn, were influenced by their Spanish predecessors and to some degree by Napoleonic fashions. The most obvious difference between Texan and American uniforms was the buttons, of course, and the frequent use of lone star insignia. But as Texas matured the changes increased. Seguín’s uniform is not totally in harmony with the Texas Army regulations promulgated the following year. The 1839 regulations were probably meant to bring into uniformity existing dress, rather than create new uniforms per se. Seguín’s uniform is an example of why this conformity was desirable. For instance, it was a particularity of Texas officer sashes that they be tied on the right side, but Seguín’s sash, though not showing completely in the waistlength portrait, appears to be tied on the left. His helmet is virtually the same leather jockey cap of the dragoon model, prescribed by General Chambers, with its white plume. Seguín’s helmet has an additional small tuft of red plume, which was authorized for a colonel. The sunburst insignia has a lone star replacing the eagle of the American version of the helmet. While Seguín’s trousers don’t show in his portrait, they would be the same dark blue as his coat for winter, with a buff stripe (the cavalry color) down the seams. For summer the pants would be white linen without the stripe. Cavalry officers wore boots. Enlisted men wore bootees.

Copyright 1998 by Bruce Marshall All Rights Reserved
Text and images copyright © 1998 by Bruce Marshall. All rights reserved.

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To order Uniforms of the Republic of Texas direct from the author/artist, send inquiries to Bruce Marshall, P.O. Box 161616, Austin, Texas, 78716 or call 1-512-327-3377. You may also purchase Uniforms of the Republic of Texas online at BarnesandNoble.com by clicking on the "Click to buy the book" icon. Buy Uniforms of the Republic of Texas and the Men that Wore Them, 1836-1846
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