"Uniforms of Porter’s Brigade Niagara 1814" Topic

I'm struggling to reconcile various sources on the uniforms of this unit. Some show:

Round hat, blue tunic, black belts, grey trousers
Round hat, blue tunic with red facings, black belts, grey trousers
Round hat, grey tunic, black belts, white trousers
Tombstone shako, blue (or grey) tunic, white belts, white trousers

I appreciate the brigade was comprised of state rather than federal units (5th Pennsylvania and New York Volunteers) so they weren't necessarily well supplied and they could have had a mix of the above. Can anyone help?

Can't help much, I'm afraid. I doubt anyone can. There's no specific description in The Official Records of the War on the Niagara. There are no contemporary paintings. So your sources are mostly guesswork, unless someone turns up something in state archives. The overall rule in both states was to follow federal uniform regs, but militia tended to lag, round hats (which people owned) were usually accepted in lieu of shakos someone would have to pay for, and as I recall Pennsylvania especially was willing even officially to accept gray in lieu of official and costly dark blue. My recollection is that New York had been more inclined to red facings. Belting for line units was always supposed to be white, but even the regulars often had to settle for black.

If I were painting them again, I'd put Pennsylvania in gray, New York in dark blue with red and both in round hats with a mix of white and gray trousers and white crossbelts for line and black for lights. (There was a tiny unit in New York, as I recall.) This tells everyone apart and sorts them out from regulars, but I don't think we have enough information to be dogmatic about what was actually worn.

Read somewhere that as the war progressed, NYS troops adopted many Federal uniform items. Red facings were indeed popular with NYS troops and there is an original 1812 NYS militia officer's coat (which was published in the Journal of the Company of Military Historians) from the western part of the state with red facings on a blue coat.

In the South units raised in 1813 and later received the Tombstone or Belgic Shakos. Units of 1812 wore the felt round top but not a hat with brim. Militia officers sent from military schools had the bell top shako, still felt, according to drawings. Jackson complained that Federal recruiters were emptying his manpower sources in Tennessee needed to refill his State troops ranks.
The Blue wool tunic with gray trousers was regarded as winter and worn from October to March in the South. White linen tunic with white or gray trousers were regarded as summer wear. Though Spring was late in 1813, so they were still wearing winter gear at Horseshoe Bend. The Park Rangers give a good presentation of this in their museum and the anniversary enactment.

Thanks very much for all your posts. They have been very useful especially around the uncertainty in the uniforms.