When the United States declared war on Britain in June 1812, most units of its regular army wore dark blue uniforms with red “facings” (having red collar and cuffs). The tremendous expansion of the army prior to the commencement of hostilities put pressure on the Quartermaster’s Department to provide proper clothing. There was an immediate shortage blue cloth so many newly raised infantry regiments were forced to wear brown, drab (a mixture of grey and black) or black uniforms. Others had to be content with light linen summer uniforms, as was the case with the 11th and 14th Infantry, stationed near Buffalo. They were forced to mount guard during the winter of 1812-1813 in such linen uniforms and only received warmer clothing in January 1813.

Throughout the war, the American Army experienced a perpetual shortage of uniforms and their design became increasingly simplified to increase production. By the last year of the war, American artillery and infantry were wearing a plain dark blue coatee (a coat with short tails), unadorned with red facings or white lace, with grey or white trousers. By 1814, however, the British blockade had cut off supplies of indigo from the West Indies, necessary to produce the blue cloth dye. As a result, the War Department issued grey cloth uniforms to some infantry units and to the cadets of the military academy at West Point (who have been wearing grey uniforms ever since).

One formation that received grey uniforms in the spring of 1814 was Brigadier General Winfield Scott's brigade stationed at Flint Hill near Buffalo. Instead of blue coatees, Scott issued a single-breasted grey woolen jacket, normally worn as a fatigue dress or an under garment in winter, to the three units under his command—the 9th, 11th and 25th Infantry—and put them through an intense, 10-week course of instruction from daybreak until dusk. 

The brigade was therefore well-trained and ready for action when it moved into Canada on July 3, 1814, as part of Major-General Jacob Brown's army. Two days later, at a farm field near Chippawa, three miles south of the falls of Niagara, they defeated regular British troops in open battle, leaving the ground "strewn," in Scott's words, "with red coated gentry." The brigade's victory at Chippewa marked the coming of age of the regular American Army.

For non-commissioned officers, rank was denoted by white (or yellow, for artillery) woolen epaulets, one on the left shoulder for a corporal, a pair for a sergeant, who also wore a sash and sword. Cartridge box and bayonet were often held by black leather belts, which were just as common in the American service as the white buff leather variety. A pricker and brush were attached to the belt and used to clear the vent of his flintlock musket from clogged powder residue. The weapon itself was one of the many variants of the 1795 Springfield musket.

Officers had a greater choice of uniform than enlisted men, having dress and undress styles of private purchase versus the government-issued clothing of the rank and file. General and staff officers wore the chapeau-bras, literally "arm-hat," a bicorne that folded flat and could be carried under the arm. Company-grade officers typically wore shakos similar to their men, except in the artillery, where most officers wore chapeau-bras until late in the war. Dress uniforms usually retained the red facings until late in the war, and were frequently worn with the lapels fully buttoned back, while undress uniforms were usually solid blue and single-breasted. Rank was denoted by shoulder epaulets of gold for artillery and silver for infantry.  Lieutenants wore a single epaulet on the left shoulder, captains and single one on the right.  Field officers (majors and above) wore a pair in the branch color.  The young aides-de-camp (who called themselves "stafflings") often added embellishments to the standard uniform. Riding trousers called "cherivallies" were adopted by more fashionable officers from the European armies, and often worn over ordinary pants. The outer seams were buttoned for ease of fastening and the inner seams and cuffs were "strapped," or lined with leather to protect the cloth from wear when riding. They were often fastened beneath the boots by chains or a leather strap. The result was a fairly dashing, yet utilitarian garment that would appeal to a young "staffling," who probably regarded war as a great adventure.

Aide-de-Camp, 1813. This lieutenant serving as an aide-de-camp wears a chapeau-bras and dark blue officer's undress coat. He has somewhat swashbuckling cherivallies, or riding trousers, strapped with leather on the inseam, buttoning down the outseams and fastened under his boots by chains. Based on the memoir of William Jenkins Worth, who fought in the Niagara campaigns of 1813 and 1813.

Turning to non-regular troops, the New York State militia had an authorized uniform, the familiar blue faced red. In the western part of the state, which was in the pioneer stage, few acquired this uniform because of the expense. Instead they wore their civilian clothing when called out on active service. Illustrated here are a militiaman from a rural unit and one from a town unit. Both are armed with 1795 Springfield musket, or later variant, and the man from the town has black leather equipment, which was very common in both regular and non-regular units. As the New York militia were sometimes engaged against their similarly dressed Canadian counterparts, it was common to tie a white cloth strip around the arm as a means of identification.

Militia officers, having more permanent and prominent appointments, often purchased the regulation uniform. It is shown here in an illustration based on a period portrait and conforms to the usual blue coat faced with red. During the last stages of the war, many militia officers simply wore regular officer uniforms which were less costly.

Contingents of Native warrior from Western New York participated in both the 1813 and 1814 Niagara campaigns. They did not wear uniforms but practical clothing ideal for bush fighting, which was their specialty. The warrior illustrated here wears a cotton shirt with buckskin pants and moccasins. He is armed with a war club shoved in his belt and carries a fowling piece, which most warriors preferred to the military musket because it was lighter and more accurate. The war paint and feathers varied from warrior to warrior according to individual taste. In a similar fashion to the state militia, warriors often identified themselves by cloth strips tied around their arms.

One of the most unusual units to serve in the Niagara area during the war were the Canadian Volunteers. Composed of Canadians and Americans resident in Canada who disliked British authority, the Volunteers were raised in June 1813 by Joseph Willcocks, a member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada (the modern province of Ontario). The Volunteers proved useful to the U.S. forces occupying the Canadian side of the Niagara. They provided guides and information but acquired a notorious reputation as looters. It was the Volunteers who carried out the burning of Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario). Dr. Cyrenius Chapin of Buffalo, who witnessed the destruction, wrote in the Buffalo Gazette, that a "banditti" led by Willcocks forced women and children "out of doors in a cold and snowy night; the cries of the infants, the decrepitude of age, the debility of sickness had no impression" on Joseph Willcocks, a "monster in human form." The Volunteers shortly withdrew to American territory but returned to Canada as part of Major-General Jacob Brown's army, which crossed the Niagara in July 1814. They fought throughout the summer campaign of 1814 but more or less disbanded when Willcocks was killed at Fort Erie in September of that year.

Just as blue was the base color for American infantry uniforms during the war, red was the base color for the British infantry. Almost all British infantry units wore red—with some exceptions. Actually, only the private soldiers wore red—officers, non-commissioned officers and musicians wore uniforms of the more expensive scarlet cloth, with officers wearing gold or silver buttons, lace and epaulets, depending on the regiment. Unlike the American army, whose uniforms differed by branch, the individual British infantry regiments were differentiated by their facings, buttons and “lace” (the cloth trim on the front of their coatees, which varied in its design and application). In addition, non-commissioned ranks used the more familiar system of sleeve chevrons (2 for corporals, 3 for sergeants), versus the system of epaulets used by the Americans. The private of the 8th Regiment of Foot (the King's Regiment) illustrated here—which fought along the Niagara during the war—can be identified by the blue facings and shape of the lace on his coatee. That he is a member of the elite grenadier company of his unit is indicated by the all-white plume on his shako and the "wings" or shoulder adornments on his coatee. 

Contrary to most Americans’ belief, not all British units wore red.  The Royal Artillery and most cavalry units wore blue instead. Illustrated is a trooper of the 19th Light Dragoons, the only regular British cavalry regiment to serve in Canada during the war. He wears the simplified "watering" or stable dress of his regiment. His jacket is dark blue and the yellow facing color of the 19th appears on the collar and cuffs, as well as his cap. His bluish-grey trousers are strapped with leather, a necessary modification for a mounted soldier. The squadron (company) of the 19th that participated in the Niagara campaigns of 1813 and 1814 almost certainly wore this style of dress for the simple reason that their more elaborate dress uniforms were captured by U.S. warships on Lake Ontario. It is interesting to note that one of the officers of the 19th who fought in the Niagara region was Lieutenant William Arnold, the son of Benedict Arnold.

Similar to the American rifle regiments, one prominent British (actually Canadian) unit wore green. This was the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles, which specialized in skirmishing. Fencible units were part of the regular British army, which were raised in Canada but liable for service only in North America. The Glengarries were recruited in Glengarry County in eastern Upper Canada, which had a predominantly Scots population. It was originally intended to dress them in highland dress complete with kilt but later decided, because of their frequent deployment as skirmishers, to clothe them in a dark green uniform with black facings edged in white. Black leather equipment was issued to the Glengarries, instead of the more normal whitened buff leather. The bugle horn badge and green tuft or plume on his shako identifies this soldier as a member of a light infantry unit. Due to their appearance, native warriors referred to them as the "black stumps."

Another Canadian unit that wore a muted style of uniform was the Canadian Voltiguers or Provincial Corps of Light Infantry. The Voltiguers were raised by the government of Lower Canada (modern Quebec) and recruited to serve for the duration of the conflict. Commanded and trained by regular British officers, they were regular soldiers in all but name. Primarily engaged along the Lower Canadian border, some Voltiguer companies fought in Upper Canada in 1813, including service in the Niagara. The Voltiguers' grey cloth uniform trimmed in black was a very practical dress and their unique bearskin cap, only worn by this unit, was apparently very popular. The figure illustrated here is a sergeant whose rank is indicated by the stripes on his sleeve, sash and sword.

Although slavery was not banned completely throughout the British empire until 1834, in the decades prior to the War of 1812 it had been progressively eliminated. By 1812, most African-Canadians in Upper Canada were free persons. Their numbers were not large but shortly after the outbreak of hostilities a "Colored Company" was raised in the Niagara area. It was engaged at the battle of Queenston Heights in 1812 and the attack on Fort George in 1813. Its members were mainly skilled craftsmen such as coopers, carpenters, wheelwrights and blacksmiths. Because of their skills, they were paid more than the average militiaman and during the latter stages of the war, were employed in the construction of fortifications and barracks. Like most of the militia units of Upper Canada, they received only arms and equipment from the government, not uniforms. The illustration shows a member of the "Colored Company" as he may have appeared during the fighting at Fort George in May 1813.