The first uniform instruction for the United States Navy was issued by Secretary of War, James McHenry, on 24 August 1797 in order to provide a distinctive dress for the officers who would command the first ships of the Federal Navy. When the Federal Government was organized in 1789, there were no warships of the Revolution still in service. The immediate problems were internal, and the protection of the western frontiers. When the War Department was created in August 1789, the Secretary was…