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An Indian orator at a meeting with officers of the British Indian Department, circa 1780

Caption: An Indian orator at a meeting with officers of the British Indian Department, circa 1780

The Indian Department was a military department until the 1830s. Its mandate was to foster and maintain alliances with the Indian nations, a task in which it had much success during the American Revolution. The uniform of its officers at that time was scarlet with buff facings.