In Uniform: Fitting In


Portland Rifle Corps uniform, 1854

Portland Rifle Corps uniform, 1854
Item 7659   info
Maine Historical Society

The Portland Rifle Corps, a unit of the Maine Militia, began in June 1811, and was reorganized with new bylaws in 1854.

Andrew P. Morgan, a wholesale and retail grocer and provisioner, later a clothing manufacturer, wore the Portland Rifle Corps uniform that is dated “1854” inside the jacket. In that year, the group held a muster in Portland that coincided with a large Maine Charitable Mechanic Association Fair.

A newspaper account noted, "The parade ground was alive with soldiers and spectators … The military appeared finely. … In the afternoon the companies left the parade ground, and marched through the principal streets of the city to the music of the Norway and Portland Bands, alternating with fifes and drums of the regiment."

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