British American Revolutionary War Era Leather Tarleton Cap Helmet with Bearskin Crest

New Made Item. This pattern of helmet was named after Lieutenant-Colonel Sir Banastre Tarleton who commanded the British Legion during the American War of Independence (1775-1783). With its bearskin crest the tarleton was regarded as 'the handsomest' of helmets and was reportedly much admired by foreign forces at the time. The Tarleton cap remained the most popular form of cavalry headdress in the post-war United States, worn by the cavalry (and later artillery) of the U.S. Army during the 1790s and by the majority of the volunteer troops of horse raised and still in service at the beginning of the War of 1812. Such caps were usually trimmed with a turban of soft leather, cloth, silk or velvet (as in this case), which originally was intended to be let-down in bad weather to cover the shoulders, but soon was relegated to a more decorative role. The turbans were usually made in the color of the unit's facing color, or sometimes the body color of the uniform. This leather Tarleton cap hel