Militiamen This 1784 German illustration shows a uniform worn by a sharpshooter (left) and a Pennsylvania regular infantryman (right). Patriot soldiers often dressed in the uniforms of their local militia, which gave the Continental Army a very diverse appearance. Many Germans (Hessians) who fought as mercenaries for the British would have seen these uniforms. Brown University Library, Providence, Rhode Island, USA/Bridgeman Images