In the fall of 1775 Congress chose brown as the original color for the national uniform. In October 1778, however, France sent uniforms with a predominance of blue coats (although there were also brown), and so on 2 October 1779 Congress switched to blue as the official color.
Federalist
Signer of the Declaration of Independence from Maryland, senator; 1737—1832.
Lawyer, politician, writer, militia officer, signer of the Declaration of Independence; 1732—1808.
Philadelphia printer, writer, scientist, inventor, signer of the Declaration of Independence, diplomat to France; 1706—90.
Washington’s aide-de-camp, lawyer, contributor to the Federalist Papers, Secretary of the Treasury; 1755/1757—1804.
Lawyer, diplomat, Continental congressman, first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court; 1745—1829.
Patriot Battles: How the War of Independence Was Fought (2007)