One of the things insisted upon in a well-trained army is a decent regard for appearance, and in the eyes of the French and the British officers the American army usually seemed rather unkempt.

The formalities of dress, the uniformity of pipe-clay and powdered hair, of polished steel and brass, can of course be overdone.

The British army had too much of it, but to Washington's force the danger was of having too little.

It was not easy to induce farmers and frontiersmen who at home began the day without the use of water, razor, or brush, to appear on parade clean, with hair powdered, faces shaved, and clothes neat.

In the long summer days the men were told to shave before going to bed that they might prepare the more quickly for parade in the morning, and to fill their canteens over night if an early march was imminent.