Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles Junior Officer Coatee Believed to have Belonged to Donald McDougald- 1795-1830

Description

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This item is a part of the 1812 History digitization project. This project was made possible with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canadian Culture Online Strategy.

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Object

Description

This is a wool and velvet coatee that is believed to be designed for a Glengarry Militia Officer, but the date of origin is unknown. It is a single breasted green coat with a velvet trimmed stand up collar and cuffs. There are also three rows of buttons down the front. Decorative lace on the face and cuffs has been removed and the wings are missing from the shoulder.

Theory states that this jacket belonged to Ensign Donald McDougald who served in the militia unit on the Niagara frontier during the War of 1812 (987.5.464). He was also in the 2nd Regiment of the Glengarry Militia as a Lieutenant as of September 1st 1839. This might mean that the tunic was his during the later stages of his service to the Militia. The coat could possibly be from 1812, however the buttons put it at a later date. The curved “heart shaped” pattern of the buttons on each side of the breast is different from the 1812-1815 straight pattern. Little is known of Glengarry Militia Coatees and Glengarry Light Infantry (GLIF) Uniforms. At first, this coat was documented as a GLIF uniform, but current research dispells that, however, continued research is required on this uncommon artefact. It is possible that components of the uniform are from the War of 1812 as well, as many Militia coats were used well after the War of 1812 by soldiers as the continued in their Militia service, being changed and modified to reflect the changes to new uniforms.

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