How do nations choose military colors?

[Marthe48]

I looked on google and there are articles about camo design and the cheapest dyes available in the 17th-19th centuries. But how is it determined that opposing armies go into battle wearing different colored uniforms? Have there ever been battles where the opposing armies wore the same color? Is there an international clearing house that helps determine which army wears what color?
As an aside, you'd think that haggling over what country gets which color would be one of those steps where cooler heads prevail, and leaders would work to prevent armed conflict.

[Aristus]

1. A little-known aspect of the Civil War was that in the early days, both Union and Confederate units

fought while wearing similar uniforms with similar colors.

Most of the units that fought in the Civil War were state or local militia units, with their own rules and traditions regarding uniforms. Union blue was a popular color for both Northern and Southern militia companies. So was cadet gray. In the battles fought before the Confederacy adopted cadet gray as their official uniform color, many units on both sides fought in all-blue or all-gray uniforms, resulting in confusion and friendly-fire incidents.

And even after gray was formalized as a color for Southern units, many companies and regiments continued to fight in their previous uniforms, without regard to army-wide uniformity of dress. And of course, as the war went on, uniforms wore out, and the Confederacy had fewer and fewer resources for replacing issue uniform items. Southern soldiers were forced to fight in what were essentially civilian clothes. On the Northern side, however, as the war progressed, the Army improved its ability to supply most of its units, whether regular army, state volunteer units, or militia companies, with standard Union-blue uniforms.

[Marthe48]

2. That's interesting, thanks

I think most of the early and early modern armies dressed in what they had. When I see Third World soldiers on tv, many of them don't have uniforms.

[Aristus]

3. The ancient Romans were among the first to have a certain degree of uniformity in the ranks.

Last edited Wed Aug 9, 2017, 02:54 PM - Edit history (1)

It was due more to necessity than any nod toward national identity, or even clear ability to recognize friend from foe on the battlefield. (After all, many of the battles Romans fought in the First Century bc were Roman-against-Roman civil wars.)

The legions of Republican Rome started out as militias armed and equipped according to the personal wealth of the individual soldier. The poorest soldiers used slings and stones, and wore what they could afford. The wealthier a legionary, the better his weapons and armor. So a 'military look' varied wildly from unit to unit and even from soldier to soldier.

Around 110bc, with the advent of Gaius Marius, the Roman soldier gradually became a professional rather than a civilian militia trooper. The state furnished his supplies, arms, and armor, which led to a great deal of standardization. Underneath his armor, a legionary wore a long, knee-length tunic, almost always red in color. The dye used in the fabric, alizarin, was very cheap and durable. And red had the added advantage of masking blood and rust stains.

[Marthe48]

4. Hollywood sure liked the pomp

All those movies with soldiers in uniform.

[Aristus]

5. The popularity of war stories is as old as war itself.

n/t

[Wounded Bear]

6. In many cases, the Rebs wore blue...

because they raided and pilfered Union supply depots. Later in the war, they wore butternut, a sort of brownish color used by their relatives who made their uniforms when the Southern supply lines broke down.

The officers wore gray, since many of them eschewed Union blue and reverted to their West Point cadet uniforms.

[Aristus]

8. Yes. Thanks.

Like so many other aspects of the Civil War, the minutiae can, and does, fill up many, many large books.

[Wounded Bear]

7. Before camo, armies wore their "dress" uniforms into battle...

so whatever the national army decided applied. It is surmised that the British wore red to "camoflage" the blood stains on the wounded.

One of the most famous cases of mistaken identity occurred at the Battle of Waterloo. The French wore blue, but so did the Prussians. When the Prussian troops approached Napoleon's flank, they were originally thought to be French units coming in to reinforce. Oops! Many people focus on the repulse of the Guard units as the cause of the French collaps, but the Prussians were a big part of the debacle.

A similar thing happened at the Battle of Antietam. As Union troops reached the crest of a ridge on the southern end of the line, they spotted a large group of blue clad troops approaching from the south. Problem was, that was AP Hill's division arriving after having captured the US arsenal at Harper's Ferry. As their uniforms were worn out, they commandeered Union uniforms before they force marched to the Antietam battle.

[Aristus]

9. Actually, the British wore red just because it was easy to see through heavy

musket smoke in the days of black powder. When smokeless powder came to prominence in the 1880's, the British and nearly everyone else, switched to appropriate earth tones pretty quickly.

[Marthe48]

10. The replies are interesting, but

still, which side gets first choice? With modern military forces, does the side with an advantage of any kind get first choice of colors? Wounded Bear mentions 2 actions where the armies were wearing the same color. So did the losing side change their uniforms? Or did cases of friendly fire happen again? And in modern times, what prevents more than one nation choosing say, blue? Thanks for all the good answers