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1813 Pattern Leather Infantry Cap On January 12, 1813, the new Secretary of War, John Armstrong, approved the new design leather cap, and outside contractors were invited to examine a prototype cap and bid on contracts for manufacture. Thru March and April 1813 sixteen makers signed contracts for the manufacture of 13,500 new leather caps for the Infantry. A typical description of the new cap in the contracts reads: One thousand Infantry Caps, equal in goodness and workmanship to the pattern Cap exhibited, the edge of the front piece to be white, and are to have one ring affixed on each side . . . to place band & tassels . . . A cap of the period fitting the description exactly has survived. Pictured here we see the original contracted 1813 caps were constructed to copy the British, with a separate raised front piece, and most notably, a brass ring on each side of the upper crown to hold the cords. This is the type 1. In this example the left upper cord has been cut from its ring and allowed to drop from its original position. More about this later.
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