Bringing an Eyewitness Sketch of the Continental Army to Life

A rare, never-before-documented eyewitness pen-and-ink sketch — recently added to the Museum’s collection — depicts soldiers and camp followers of the Continental Army’s North Carolina Brigade marching through Philadelphia on Aug. 25, 1777, en route to join the rest of General George Washington’s army stationed south of the city. After detailed research and analysis, Museum curator Matthew Skic identified the sketch’s creator to be Swiss artist and collector Pierre Eugène du Simitière (1737-1784), who settled in Philadelphia in about 1774. Du Simitière is known for documenting the rising American Revolution as it happened. An ink inscription below the vignette, written by du Simitière, reads, in part, “an exact representation of a waggon belonging to the north carolina brigade of continental troops which passed thro Philadelphia."

While the sketch provides new information for understanding everyday life in the Continental Army during the war, there are questions whose answers we still do not — and may never — know. What is the exact location of the scene in the sketch? Why did du Simitière sketch this scene? Was it in preparation for a larger drawing or painting?

To imagine what Pierre Eugène du Simitière may have seen that day in August 1777 in full color, we fitted four costumed living historians for figure studies of the mounted officer, soldier wearing a hunting shirt, female camp follower, and wagoner.

Riding a horse, this figure is likely an officer from one of the nine regiments of the North Carolina Brigade. The officer is wearing a cocked hat, coat, and a shoulder belt (visible on his right shoulder) that probably suspends his sword at his left hip. Brigadier General Francis Nash commanded the North Carolina Brigade as it passed through Philadelphia that day. Nash was mortally wounded at the Battle of Germantown on Oct. 4, 1777. 

Many of the North Carolina soldiers wore fringed linen hunting shirts as they marched through Philadelphia. This soldier is wearing a hunting shirt that appears to be secured with a belt around his waist. The cap he is wearing may be made of leather, a type of headgear frequently worn by members of the Continental Army. Marching with bare feet, this soldier has lost his shoes, or his shoes might have worn out. This soldier is either carrying a rifle or a musket. 

The women with the North Carolina Brigade in 1777 were the wives and daughters of soldiers. As part of the army, these women often worked as laundresses and sutlers (selling food to soldiers). On Aug. 23, 1777 (two days before the brigade’s march through Philadelphia), the North Carolina Brigade commander ordered that “No woman will be suffered to ride in waggons … All the wagons Except those used for the Baggage of the Brigade to be Imployed as Hospital waggons.” But this sketch suggests that soldiers and followers of the army did not strictly adhere to these orders. Earlier that month, General George Washington brought up issues about how women and children with the army were slowing down troop movements: “In the Present Marching state of the Army every incumbrance Proves very prejudicial to the service, Especially those women who are pregnant or have children, are a Clog upon every movement.” Many officers felt that while women provided essential services to the army, their presence made the army look less professional. 

Wagoners, also known as wagon drivers, moved the army’s supplies and rations from place to place. They also moved personnel who struggled to march on foot, such as pregnant women and sick and wounded soldiers. The Continental Army’s wagoners included white men and men of African descent. The wagoner in the sketch is wearing a jacket and a hat with a broad brim, a practical choice to keep the summer sun out of his eyes.

The sketch of the North Carolina Brigade was donated to the Museum by Judith F. Hernstadt and was conserved with support from the North Carolina Society of the Cincinnati, which is comprised of descendants of officers of the North Carolina Continental Line. The sketch is currently on view at the Museum outside of the second-floor Alan B. Miller Theater.