What is the bounty coat?

Answer 1

"On the 5th of July, 1775, a resolve was passed to provide each of the non-commissioned officers and soldiers of the army authorized to be raised under resolve of April 23, 1775, with a coat, and 13,000 were ordered to be provided by the towns and districts, in accordance with a regular apportionment. This gift of a coat was considered in the nature of a bounty, and later, at the time of their distribution, the men in service were permitted to choose between acceptance of the coat or a sum of money in lieu thereof." [Source: Massachusetts Soldiers and Sailors of the Revolutionary War (Boston: Wright and Potter, 1896) 1:xvi].