I bet if you tolld Henry Harmon he was wearing" town pants" he'd smack you.

Gabriel Bray

If leather breeches are the blue jeans of the 18^th century then that makes trousers  the cargo pants. I’ve been an advocate of trousers for quite some time. They are a common working class garment from the 18^th century that shows up all over the place. Of course that means I have to revisit the idea as for some this working class garment is simply “town pants” (grumble) so here we go again….

So Rather then reinvent the wheel on this one I’m going to just gloss over some info that has been overlooked by many folks. For example in his often quoted description of the clothing of the backcountry (less fce it hunting shirts get all the press) J F Smythe the mention of non “native” clothing has been overlooked:

Leather breeches, made of indian dressed elk or deerskins, but more frequently thin trousers

Charles woodmason also had a similar observation on the use of “thin” trousers as he traveled the Carolina back country on the eve of the Revolution commenting that the men wear:

“frocks or shirts and long trousers”  

He is also greatly surprised that these people show up for church wearing:

      “The men with only a thin shirt and pair of breeches or trousers on”

Trousers are often worn over breeches to act as a type of coverall. This practice is shown in a number of runaway ads. And can be seen in details in some images of sailors. For example a runaway from Virginia in the 1770’s sports clothing that could be common on either side of the mountains:

                Twenty DOLLARS Reward. RUN away the 20th of October last, from the subscriber in Pittsylvania county, a mulatto man slave named James, about twenty years of age….; had on when he went away a felt hat almost new, a hunting shirt, leather breeches, and linen trousers over them, besides other old clothing.

                Interesting that in the first Vriginia runaway ad I have been able to find listing a “hunting shirt” as a common descriptive term. You also find a pair of trousers:

                Williamsburg, June 16, 1768.

RUN away from the subscribers, in Augusta county, in the forks of James river, two convict servant men, one named Israel Cowen, aged about 27 years, about 5 feet 7 inches high, of a dark complexion, his head bald and blind of his left eye. He had on when he went away, a new felt hat, an old thickset coat, with tortoise-shell buttons, a blue broadcloth jacket, trowsers, and old shoes. The other named George Wilkinson, aged about 20 years, about 5 feet 6 inches high, of a sandy complexion, and red hair. Had on when he went away, a new felt hat, hunting shirt and callico waistcoat, with old buckskin breeches, blue leggings, and old shoes

                And just because I think the mention of a “powder gourd” is killer and for my farrier friends out there one more runaway ad:

  Nanjemoy, Charles County, October 22, 1771. RAN away from the Subscriber, on Sunday the 6th Instant at Night, Two Negro Men, about 5 Feet and a Half high: Had on each an old Cotton Jacket, a Pair of new Rolls Trousers, Roll Shirt, and an old Felt Hat; took with them Two small Guns, One Shot-bag, a Powder-gourd with some Powder in it, and in the Shot bag were Two Books, one of Fisher's Arithmetick, the other a Farrier's Book.

                The use of trousers is not limited to those in the English world. George Morgan makes a number of mentions on the use of trousers by the French at Kaskaskia in the Illinois Country:

“A handkerchief round his head- one round his neck, a third round the waste & a fourth in his hand or under his arm- a pair of gay striped trowsers, buckled into their shoes- a calico jacket- a blanket coat” (note he said calico jacket not SHIRT)

                Morgan even mentions this when sending notes back to his partners on just what IS selling at the store.:

The cotton stripe you sent, is of the right kinds but is not wide enough for many the French want it for—particularly trowsers which they wear remarkably long & to buckle in their shoes—this they wear summer and winter

…The officers and soldiers as well as some of the French inhabitants here have constantly wore our common cotton Hollands in jackets and trousers for want of better. Without that kind of dress the summers here would be unsupportable…whereas the muslins are wore winter and summer by men and women.

                This type of dress matches up to images of the French inhabitants of the Caribbean nations. The Light weight cotton jackets and Trousers are a way of dealing with the heat. Is this also why Woodmason’s Carolinians prefer “light” trousers?

                Ok I can hear the thought process now “I don’t portray a runaway” or “I don’t portray a farmer” yadda yadda…insert rugged individual comment here. So let’s get to the Hunters.  Oznabrigs are a common purchase by Morgan’s hunters.

Robert Smith A hunter (1767)

July 29th to 1 ell Russia sheeting 9/ Ashton’s Acct for cutting out Pr of trousers & thread to make them .3.9

Alexander Ferguson a hunter (1768)

June 4th 1 knife 5”  1 frock 12”10

1 comb 2” 1 handkf 5”

June 5th 1 pr trousers 15”

Summer hunting kit Trousers and unlined calico jacket.

                So here we have Alexander Ferguson purchasing a pair of trousers in the same year and month that two men are running away in Wiliamsburg, Virginia are wearing what sounds like outfits you could find on Morgan’s men. Common?

                Ok, Ok I can hear the one lone voice in the wilderness now. Morgan’s men weren’t “LONG HUNTERS” they were Market hunters….all the real Long hunters were outfitted in Bethabera by the moravians you know guys like the Harmons.. Well then just sit back and relax and get ready to sport long pants

. In the Moravian Records  purchases on a march day in the 1760’s (the date is smudged) Henry Harmon  purchases along with duffels, bearskin(the wool type), Oznabrigs, Horn Buttons, Camblet….

Oznabrig Towsers 4/-

Linnen Jacket

Crazy….Even the Harmons wore trousers and a jacket. Working class people in common working class clothes. Did that just blow your mind? I'm not even going to start talking about "rifle trousers"...

Jason Melius kitted out as a longhunter based on actual purchases of Harmons

                To make my trousers I simply tweeked the JP Ryan breeches pattern by extending the pattern from mid thigh down. I opted to keep the pockets on them as I plan to wear them by themselves and not over my leather breeches. But it would be a simple tweek to the pattern to remove the pockets and go for the side slash opening as shown in the sailor images.

  I purchased the Oznabrigs from Willaim Booth Draper. The stuff is awesome to sew as the threads allow you to count your stitches easily (not a joke it really does)  Burnley and trowbridge carries the cloth as well  and I cant recommend either of these vendors enough.

                Having worn trousers for a number of years at events/scouts they are great in the summer and more comfortable then even a breechclout. Make a pair out of a light woolen cloth or linsey Woolsey for cold weather. So I hope I showed you another option for your backcountry hunter kit that was sper common and super practical. The one thing I’m going to fix on my pair is I’m adding horn buttons so my trouser can match Mr. Harmons.

Map Cartouche image..hunting shirt and trousers

Gabriel Bray Image. You can see the side slash for getting into your breeches pockets