Osprey, Men-at-Arms #170 American Civil War Armies (1) Confederate Troops (1986) 91Ed OCR

l!mm MILITARY

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

170

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ARMIES 1 CONFEDERATE TROOPS

355.31 ~t

HIIJP K.\TCHER RO:\" YOLST.\D

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/ EDITORc MARTIN WINDROW

Emm I'IIUTAAY

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

170

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ARMIES 1 CONFEDERATE TROOPS Text by PHILIP KATCHER Colour plates by RONVOLSTAD

I'ubli"hed in 1986 b} O"prey Publishing Ltd. 59 Grosvenor Street, London, \\' I X 90A ("" Copyright 1986 O~prq Publishil1~ Ltd Reprinted 1987 three times. 1q88. 1989, 1990. 1991

.\11 rights r~rved. Apart from any fairdealing for the pu~ ofpri\:lte stud}, r~arch, criticism or re,"iew, as lXrmitted under the Copyril;ht Designs and Patents •\ct, 1988. no part of this publication may be reproduced. Stor«l in a retriC\al sr,>tem, or transmitted in an) form or by any means. eltttronic, electrical, chemical. mechanical, optical, photocopy ing, rccordingorothcf\\isc, \\ithout the prior permission of the copyright owner. Enquiriesshould be addressed to the Publishers.

IInti.Jh library

(.alalo,(u/ll~ /II

l'ub/i(QllOn Data

Kalcher. Philip .\rlll'rir.1Il Civil \\.If .Irmit.... .\It'll-at-arm~; 170 I; Conft'derate artillery, c:l\alq and infantry I. Confederale Statt-jj of .\m('rica .1"'9' l;',quipment ~, Conft"(leratc States of .\m('rica !lm!,~Uniforms :5, L1 nilcd State;; lIi"lOr) Civil War 1861 1865 FA:juiprnent and supplies I. Till(- II. Series UC86 355,8'°973

Filmsci ill Creat Britain Printed in Iion/o{ Kon/o{

Artist's Note

Readers Illay care to nou' that the ori~Il:11 p:lintings from \\ hich the colour plat~ in this book \\ere prepared are a\ailable for private sale.. \11 reproduction copyright \\halSOC\cr is retained b} the publi"hcr.. \11 enquiries should be addr~ to: ~Iodel Emporium 700 XorthJohnson Suite X. E1 Cajon California 9'1020 US.\ Thc publishcrs regrt't that the} can enter into no corrcspolldence upon this mallt'r. Aul.hor's Note This titlc CO\crs the uniform. arms and personal cquipmelll issued b} the national Confeder:tte government to ia :trtillcry, ca\alq, and infantry. These uniLS, for the mmt part, borc state designations, c.g., the loth Virginia \'oluntt"('r Infantr), Regiment \\hieh \\a5. despite the title, supplied b) the Confederatc gO\ClllllH'1l1. At the same lime some states, such as :\orth C:lrolina and Florida, outfitted many of tlll·ir troops themselves.
American Civil IMrArm-ies (I) ]lItrodllaioll When the Southern states se<:cdcd from the Cnited StalCS to Conn thcirO\\ n govcrnment in 1861, one of their fin" mo\'(~ \\ as to organise an army for their defence. II was made up initially of \'OhIlHccrs, many of \\ hom had already serHd in prc·war ,'oluntcer companies. Conscription ta\\s were introduced in 1862, although wilh Illany loopholes (including all exemption lor newspaper editors! 1\105t of the South"s 500,000 fighting lllcn were young, from rural, farming backgrounds. They o;cn.-cd from the time of their cnlistmelll until the end of the \\ar, recci\"ing $11 a month for a p';\,ate in inflated currency, poor rations, and (',"en worse clothing and this despite the fact that one of the first steps taken by the new army was to design a uniform and establish standards for accoutrements and weapons. As most of the high-ranking officers callle from the US Ann). it is nOl surprising that the basic influence on Confederate Arm) practices was the 'old' arm) of lhe .\Iexican American War of 18.16-48. In the field lhe enlisted men \\orc short jackets with standing collars and a single row of buttons, plain trouscrs, and a peaked forage cap. 1"01' 'dress' the) wore frock coalS and shakos. Officers wore frock coaLS, although many Illounted officers also wore short jackets. The systelll of notlcommissionL'd rank insignia, lhe grades themselves. and branch-of-service colours were also adopled from the most r('Celll US Army regulations. There were also a number offoreign influences on the adopted Confederate dress. From the army of Th.. COn.fMl..... t.. Wantry......t &!II he app"'ared in the field. His cap il a ~ ·cha.......ur' pattern; hi" wool "rurt, trou ........ and j .. cket are al50 dark grey. Hi. b ..... button" are markMi 'r; hi .. nnleen i" a captured US Army n,ode.! covered in grey wOQlj hi. blanket is tan with a black str;pe near t.he ..nd; hill weapon is a Richmond-made riOed musket; a"d hill caSt 'CS' rectangular brltplate is th.. type worn by WClIt..rn COnfMle... t.......th..r t.h.an men or the Anny or Nortbern ViTnia. (Smithsonian Institution)

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numbers lor all its men. III part it \\ as a Iso dll(' 10 Ihe nalurally indqX"nd{'l1t ~piril ofSouthenl men, \~ho would ral hn \\l'ar whal t hcy fancied Ihan \\ ha t \\as ordered. Imperial FrallC(', 11l{'1l (:onsidned the besl in Ihe This is not to ~ay that the Conft:deralt' soldier Wa!> \\orld by many o\ersca~ obS<.'r\crs impresS<..-d by always ragg('d or badly equipped. In facl, the Louis J\apoleon\ campaigns in Africa, the Crimea a\erage ollicer or ('nlisted man appears generally to and Italy, came III{' cap styks, and the officers' ha\'e bcell iSMH'd \'irtually c\('fytlling he needed. In insIgnia worn 011 Ihe caps and slce\es the early 1865 Confederatt' Quartermaster i\1OldieI' the Soulh 's lack of manufacturing facilities al home. would ren"in' two jackets in his first year of S{T\;ce and of financial n.'<;()lIrccs to buy uniforms, and one a year th{·reaft{·r. lie \\ould also rC'("ei\-e aCCOUIf('lIlt'nh and \q'al>Olh abroad ill . . ufficirnl three paiN oftrou'>Cf'S til(' fiNI \ear and IWO a year

Thitl d ... ~ do by. Co.. red........ ~·..l.. ran .nd ..ntided "On th.. Cnal"ed..... t .. I nrb.ttl.. "w;th rIO'" .P"'SI th..m"· ~"etl. 8nod "'dicatiOD Dr tb.. "'880'11, nn... WIoirnnn .p,.....ra.nr:e and 1_1...t;cal rorm.tio... orth.. eorJed..... t .. i..ranlry in .e:t;on. (&ullu 61 IAa.''1.f Ik CII"l Wa.)

thereafter. Quartnma~ll'l" Cem'lid ,\. R. l.awton reported on "27 January IA65 lhat, 'This Dcpannl('nt has nc\er aimed to limit its issues to tbis ~tandard, ('slX'ciall) in r('Rard to jackets and pants, but has endea\orcd to pro\-idl' a suit of clothing e\-er) ~ix months fOl' (:aeh man.' FigurM tend to confirm these statements. .\!though the .\rm) of :\orthnn \'irginia is generall) de..cribed a.s I'a~g-('d and this agrees with phot~raphs tal.en of dead or thi" arm) bet\\een 1 October 186_1 and "21 January 1865 Ih(' Arm)'s troops \\ere issued 101,199 jackets, '10,,578 tfOlI'R'"rs. 167,86"2 paiN of shoes, 14.851 blankets, 27,011 hau and caps, "21.063 flanncl shirl';, 157.727 COllon shirts. 17°.138 paiN of dra\\ers. 1{6.136 j><"1irs of~ks. anhirts, a jacket, underclothing, a pair of tromcr..,. ~\cral paiN of socks, and a pair of ,>h()('s. A British oh\erH'r aho noted thai it was a common practice in the .\rm) ofi\'orthcrn \'irginia to stick a tooth bru,>h ill a buttonhole on the jacket fronl.) Thl' jaekct and trOll'>ers were supposed to ha\'e been mack of \\001, regardless of the season. This was ft'grelled by 50nll' \Ttl'l'anS, who \\ould ha\'(' liked 10 have had summer-weight ('ollon uniforms issucd, Illdeed, in I H65 the Quartermastl'l" Department's ~laj, ero,;,> \\rotl': 'By using cotton dOlhing during lh{' ,>ummer and spring, and rcsef\cing the \\oollel1 g()(xl<; for Ih]] and \\inter, it is hoped and hdie\(·d that enough may be had to pre\Tlll sum'ring l1('xt willter: This suggests that some ("otton uniforms \\erl' indced issued. It is cCflain that man) of the uniforms \\cre mad(' of a \\001 ("otton mi"tur(' Ihat \\:L'; lighter in wei~ht than all-wool uniform,;. Thc infantryman's accoutrem('lJlS included a \\aist belt;'1 small kat her pouch worl1 on his right front hip. eOlltaininl{ copp~'r IXrl'u,-,ion caps: a

Aa oil_doth rain W"er iJI worn 00

me (oralie (:lOp o(lhi" .... Idier

fro ... ~h.. me, North C.rolin.a. Th.. Ia"ll" boW-lie would "01 t... lIl lo~ in the field. Jfj. II"'Y frod< COlli h..... a>lou....d tape

lri......inll arou.nd Ihe "la"di"l1 collar and Oft each cWr. (Ln,

Joyner)

larger leathn pOlich fi.)r cartridges, worn either on its 0\\ n sling: li'OIn left should{'r 10 ri,l{ht hip or on his \\aist belt; a kat her ~;\bbard for tht' iron and sted bayonet, \\orn on hi\ len hip; a Catl\-~L<; ha\Tn;ack for provisions, WOl'l1 from his ri/o{ht shoulcler 10 his left hip; and a \\att'r-bottle 0\('1' lhat. Several men in a company mi/o{hl '11<;0 carry <;omc cooking gear such as frying pans or pots slunK from their shoulders. A blankel roll worn slung from left shoulder to right hip completed the a('('outl'l'mCllts. His \\capon was a 0.577 01' 0.58 in. c;llilm: rifled musket. Fourth Texas Infantry Pte.J. B. Poll(') reckoned that this load 'was ne\er le,;s than thirt)-si, pounds, and often \\ent a little lx-yond fOl·t)·, Ther(' \\('I'l', ofeour"'>e, e"tr{'mel> at both ends of ,ht scale.. \ L' nion <;Qklier d('S('ribed finding a dead Confederate infantryman armed with an Enfield and carr) ing a Briti,h-madc c;utridge box: 'Ragged troll~('f">, iI jacket. a shirt of\\hat u<;ed to be

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CapL Jam" Tudt"r, 9th .loricb Infantry, wu ... a r~lation infantry offic"r'. coal with ~ky_blu" collar and cuIrs. H" holu 10;5 broad-brimmed slouch kal. Hili bullons appalr 10 be ofth" Iilat" pl"u"rD, which bore the deli;!n of a 1ii.I-pointed Iillar within a wr".. th o""r th" word n,oRIDA. (F"; ... Kirlilchl

cartridge-box, and threc days' ralions.' The anillcryman's uniform was generally the samc, but his accoutrements comprised only the havcrsack and water-boltlc with, sometimes, a waist belt with a holster for a revolver on his left hip, a cap pouch, and a pistol cartridge box which was, in size, bet\\ecn the cap pouch and muskCI cartridge box. He generally discarded his issue sabre. The cavalryman had the samc waist belt \\ith leather pouches, holstcr, and a scabbarded sabre hung from slings on his left hip. Hc also worc a wider leal her sling from left shoulder to right hip with a large iron spring-hook to which his carbine was clipped, Officers wore the samc s\\ord belts, holsters with pistols and ammunition, and cap pouches. Foot officers also usually carried haversacks and canteens. with a small knapsack or blankct roll in the field. Wrote one of them: '1 ha\"(' my s\\ord, a blankcl, haversack, cameen, and a change of under-clothing in a light knapsack, and )e( cverything elsc go; for our ,\agons arc always far off you ncvcrcan find what )OU put in them-and as we arc continually moving about, I find my load sufficiently heavy without adding to it. When orden..-d to march, I am at the head of Ill)' company, heavily laden as any; the bo) makes a fire when the halt is soun(k-d, and throw ing myl>e1f down on m), blanket, I share my rations with some "mess" or othcr, and am ready to move 01" fight at a moment's notice. As to thinking of loilet and appearancc, a full supply of pots and pans for cooking, it is all nonsense. Our wagons arc scarcely sufficient (Q carry tents, ammunition and flour.' So equipped, the fighting Confederate was ready for action,

"tow cloth", a straw hat which had lost a large portion of bolll crown and brim, completed his auil"C. . A havcrsack hung f!"Om his shoulder. It.s cont.ents were ajaek knife, a plug oftwislcd tobacco, a tin cup, and about two quans ofcoal"Scly cracked corn with, perhaps, an ouncc ofsalt , tied in a rag.. This was a complete inventory of the belongings of one Confederatc soldier." The Confederate War Departlllcnt ordcred on '9 On the other hand, a soldier named Tennessee Aprilt86t that forage caps (no colour given) would Thompson in the 1St TellncsS{'c Infantr)' Rcgiment be issued to members of its regular army. On 6 was said to carry marc 'than an)' other five men in June 1861 this \\as elaborated, and the caps werc the army', a fello'\ ,·ca'ran recalled: 'For example, described as being similar to French kepis, \\ ilh he carried IwO quilts, three blankcts, one gum oil brandl-of-scf\'ice coloured pompons worn in doth. one o\{'rCo.·H, one axe. one hatchcl, one front red for artillery, light blue for infantry, and camp-kettle. aile OHn and lid, one cofft.."e pot. ycllow for cavalry. On 24- January 1862 this was besides his knap<;ack. hal cT'Sack. canteen. !o{un. re,·ised: the pompons disappeared, and hencefor-

Her{(lger{r

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ward the caps were to have dark blue bands, with sides and crowns in branch-of-service colours. ?+.Ioreover, the caps were to have markings that would indicate commissioned ranks: three gold stripes on the frolll, back, and sides for field oflicers, two for captains, and one for lieutenants. The same number of gold braids \\erc to form a quatrefoil knot on the crown oftbe cap. Enlisted men were to \\ear their regimental numbers on the cap front. White duck or linen 'ha\Clocks'--sun CO\'crs like those popularly associated \\ ith thc French Foreign Legion were to be \\orn in summer, and oil-cloth covers in bad weather, according to an order issued 24January 186:2. :\Icither ofthcsc t\\O items seem to have been \\ orn in any grcat numbers after the vcr)' early months of the \\ ar. Such caps as \\crc worn appear to ha\-e differed from the regulations. i\l:lny had peaks made of cardboard covered with black-painted cloth. and black-paimcd cloth sweatbands. One such cap. wom by an enlisted mall in the Richmond Howitzers, had dark bluc·grey \\001 sides and a red cotton wool mixed band and cro\\ n. Grey caps with

branch-of-service coloured bands appear to have been faidy common; cven morc so were plain grey caps. A 4th Texas Infantry Regimelll pri\'ate even recalled making his own cap out of a woollen shirt, \\ ith a peak made from a 'generous slice of stirrup leather'. According to Army of~orthern Virginia \'Cteran Frank H. Foote, 'Our hats and caps were taken from "our friends, the enemy", and you could sec all styles, shapes and makcs, gcnerally ornamented with leiters denoting the command of the owner. The "alpine hat" or "Excelsior" of :'\e\\ York was the most common, and was preferred to all others. Caps were not sought after, as they neither turned sun nor rain. Slouch hats arc peculiar to the South. and \\erc affccted a great deal. We also had palmctto, pine 5tra\\ and quilted cloth hats." Indeed, most vcterans agreed that caps were not the preferred field ncar. .\ study of photographs of Th., officiaJ tailor's plat.. (roon th.. eoo.red.,rat.. Anny's drKS ~latio_ as published in ,16o::t. II .. ho_m.. difT.. ~t piecfli orwoou.,o clom ..Hd in onakio! th., (rock coat. 1n..jaclto:t..-a1i alt the Aon., way, with tbe .kirt. omitted.

TAILOR'S PLATE

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Conrederate enlisted men in the field taken aner 1862 indicated that out or '225 men who could be seen dearly cnough to reveal the type orhat being worn, only 26 per cent worc peaked caps. The n."St wore the preferred slouch hats. or those in slouch hats, 59 percent wore light-colourcrl hats, either tan or grey. \\hilc the rcst were dark, either black or dark brown. Surviving soldiers' hats have brims between '2~ ins. and 4 ins. \\ ide, with a narrow silk ribbon running around the bane!' A typical one in the Stark.,'. BripdOll or LoWJiiana lroops, oul of :o.rnnu...litio.., ho1cU offF.... OlI'llllroops with .10",":0.1 ~nd J\.1.aIlllSlIaA, .862.. NOlOl u.., doOrl joockel WOrll by Ihe offiCOlr on IhOll bonorn FiSh!. (&ottlu til l..-Jn••/ 1M ernl W.,l

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~ luscutll Or the Confederacy has a 41 ill.-tall crown. Straw hats, old 01' copied US Army ~11839 rorage caps, captured Union Army hats, and all manner or civilian hats \\ere also \\Ol"ll. ~Iost hats \\cre apparcllIly worn without badges or cords, though two officers' hats in the Conr<.'derate ~Iuscum have US ArmY-IYpe hat cords. Orders called ror a regimental number to be worn, however, and it docs appear that man) men did wear some sort or regimental cap badge. One soldier was photographed in '\Ia) 1864 \\earing a slouch hat tUfll(..'d up with a \\ hite badge marked 'AI ...', suggesting the 4th Alabama 1nrantr) Regiment, which did servc in the arca where the photograph was made. Other sources noted seeing soldiers

\\earing the insignia of the 18th and 'liSt Georgia Infantr) Regiments and the I nh i"orth Carolina Infantr) Regiment, apparcntly in somc form of hat badges. At least onc offiecr \\as photographed \\earing a cap badge of the !cllers 'CSA' within a laurel \\ reath. Other officcr photographs show US Arm) officers' branch-of-service cap badges being worn; this praClice, however, \\as not common. Another fashion of 1861 was the wcaring ofbille 'secession cockades' on hats. In 1862 a soldier in Kentucky 'saw what I had long forgoltcn~a "cockade". The Kentucky girls madc cockades for us. and almost enry soldier had one pinned on Ius hat.' These cockades \\cre alsooflen \\om on the left breast of the coat.

Coats Officers' Coats On 6June 1861 General Order Number Four was issued. By its terms all olTlcers wcre ordered to wear cadet grey double-breasted tunics, 'the skirt to extend halfwa) between the hip and the knt.;e'. l'herc were to be four buttons on the back and skin ofthe tunic, the hip buttons on a line with the 10\\ est brcast buttons. Cufrs were to be fastened with three small bUlIons, and there were to be seven buttons in cach rowan the frOlH, The collar was to be standinR, with embroidered rank insi~lia one. t\\O or three 1 in. gold bars, the top one 3 ins.lon~, for a second lieutenant, firstlieutcnant and captain I'cspcclively; and one, two or thrce t-! in, gold stars for a major, licutcnant-colonel and colonci respectively. There was also to be an Austrian knot in gold braid onc braid for lieutenants, two lor captains, and three for field officers above the pointed cuffon each slee\(·. Cuffs and collars \\erc to be in branch-of-service colours, Because these insignia made the officers stand out as good targets, on 3June 1862 orders \\ere issued allowing officers to dispense \\ith collar insignia when \\caring fatigue dress in the ficld, A 1st Tellncsscc Infantf} Regimcnt veteran recalled that this was a common practice in his regiment in late 1861, even before this order was issued. Al first man) ofTiet....s abo \\01'(' CS :\rm) officers'

NOI" Ih" 1";"""";_5, probably y"llow, and th" ''''0 bUlloos placed •• d""'oratloo 00 th" .... llar o(lhi. od."....,;se plaia jack", worn by PriV1l1" Bentley WesIOn, 71h South CaroB.... Cavalry R"sin."ol, (Lib...ry o( CoOS"".)

shoulckr Straps, and a'> late a'> :21 ~larch 186:1 the Richmond Daily Dupalth ne\"papcr warned oOker'S against this practice. As officers bought their O\\n uniforms, most conformed to regulations; but there were a number of variations. ~lallY simply wart' a single row 01" buttons as the Union naval blockade grew tighter, brass buttons became quitc expensive, Other officers had their coalS made entil'cl) of grey, without the facings in branch-of-service colours. Some had collars made lay-dO\\n st)le, in the fashion of contemporar) ci\ilian rrock co.'lts, \\ ith rank insignia embroidc'l'ed on the top of them, And mounted officers ofien wore waist-length jackelS, called 'roundabouts', Thcse appeared either with or \\ ithout branch·of·scl"vice colours, with one or two rows of buttons, and with or \\ithout Austrian knots, Anotlll'r \'ariation of officer's tUllic was thl' 'sack

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Enlisted Men's Coats On [9 April t86t the War Department authorised the issue of dark blue smocks 'worn as a blouse' as its issue enlisted men's dress, This was changed on 6 June 1861, when enlisted mcn were given a regulation coat resembling that worn by officers save that it lacked the Austrian knots; had only two small buttons on each cull; lacked buttons on the rear of the coati and had no insignia on the collar. Collars and culls \\ere to be in branch-of-service colours. :"Ion-commissioned grade was to be markt.-d by branch-of-service colour che\fons worn points dO'\ n. These includ<.-d two chevrons for corporal; threc for serKcalH: three \\ ith a diamond in the angle for first or order!) sergeant; three chevron~ and thr<."(: straight bars for quartcrmaster sergeant; three chevrons and a star for ordnance sergeant; and thrcc chevrons and three arcs for sergeant major. Some time in 1863 US AmlY company quartennaster sergcalllS startt.-d \\earing three che\fons and a single bar, and this insignia also appears to have lx-en adopted b) some Confederate company quartennaster sergeants, ,A number of unexpla.iru.-d chevrons or slce\e badges also appear in original photographs; one cil\alr) man was even photographed, intriguingl), with an apparentl) ycllO'\ prancing horse decorating each sleeve \\ here chevrons would lIsually appear.) A stud) made of photographs showing Confederates in the field suggests thai not all tho~e authorised to \\Cill' chevrons did so--only two corporals out of hundreds of photographed men wear chevrons, while a similar sample of US soldiers generally includes a much larger proportion of non·commissionecl officers wearing chevrons. One A ~c(>nd row of button.. "pP""r8 to have lJec,n lidded by an vcteran of the 1st Tennessec Infantry Regimcnt artisl to .hi" soldier'. !l;nlll.,..b",uted COlli. The "object i .. Private Andrew J100:"800 Rodgers ofCOm .... ny A, "7th Georgia wrote that non-commissioned olTicers III his Infantry R"llinu,nt. Th" 27th, pari of Maj.Cen. D. H. Hill'" regiment removed their chevrons in late 1861 so Divi"i.)O, lo,n ' ..... officera and men defending their poli;tion along It turnpike during the Balli.. of Anlida."" '7 s.,pl"mber, that they would not stand out as targets. i\loreover, ,8&:z. (Lee: Joyner) those surviving original coats that do have chevrons coal' based on the civilian businessman's day coal oflcn ha\e them in black, rather than branch-ofand made wilh a lay-down collar and a single row of service colour, suggesting thal regulation-coloured four or five buttons; of a length half-way between stripes wcre not that commonly available. the frock and the 'roundabout', these coatS had Such chevrons as were worn appear lO have been sc\"cral outside slash pockets. These railler plain madc b) taking narro\\ strips of malcrial and coats do nOl appear to have been made with either sewing them dircct!) to the Co<"lt, rather lhan to a Austrian knots or bmnch·of·SCTVicc coloured separate piece of material \\ hich was thcn sewn lO facings. lhe CO<"ll the u'iual L'S Arm~ practice.

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A doublc-brc;:tSted light grey blouse with a turnover collar was also made regulation fOl' fatigue dress. Such a garment does not actuall) seem to have been is..-,uoo. howc\er. at least in an) quantit). Because of the high cost of cloth and buttons, thc typical Confederate soldier did not wear the regulation coat or blouse. except in fairly static posts. The study of photographs ofConfederatcs in the field taken after 1862 shows thaI 71 per cellt wear shon-waisted, single-breasll.:d 'roundabouts' wilh low standing collars. Union soldiers nickllamed their Confederate opponents 'grey jackets' because of this typical dress. Frock coats, both ~inglc· and doublc·brcastcd, arc \\orn by 18 per celll of the sample, \\ hile the remainder \\ car coalS like officers' sack coats. ~Iany of these s.ack coals were made by taking captured Union Arm) fatigue blouses, bleaching and re-dying them, and adding three buttons so that the) had seven buttons down

the front. Sometime,>.1 standing collar \\ as added to replace the original falling style. These 'roundabou~' became the standard dress from the \ cry bc!,rjnnin~; on 3June 1861 the .\cting Quartermastcr General ordered 6.86.;jackets to be issuC'd, and from then on jackeLS were tbe norm though this does not impl) tbat tbt') were unifonn. The number of but IOns down the front \aricd from fi\l;,to ten; one school of thought holds that sc\-en or nine butlons were mOSt common onjackets issued in the Army of Northern Virginia, eight in the Army of the 'l'ennessee, and six in the Trans·J\·lississippi Command-though this is difficult to verify. In the study of photographs, 34 per celll of the men had epaulcw:s i.e., cloth shoulder straps on North <:'roliaa Pri~"'le Willia... A. B ch'. bro_ homnc...... ...ool .. h~lljack~1 iii liDoHI with dark bro ·a polishoHl conoa witlo an inside brea.st pockel 0.. ncb sOd-e. llte b .. no.... ~ here, US Army I~aeral toe.rnce P'"n~..... (North <:'roliaa 1'01..- of Hislory)

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.·our v;"'WIl of It.",

1I1l.~ .... y

u"ifor".

jack." worn by Pri,...., Jo~"ph ", Lyle, 6:Jrd T",nn",~s~ 1"(11,,1..,. R"sim .. nl (d""pi •., lh", OIrdll.,..,. bollon,,). Arn.y o( Nor1h.,rn Vi
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the whitish brown of ordinary dust'. A \\'ar Department clerk in Richmond reponed seeing South C:uolini::lI1S 'dressed in home-spun, dyed yellow from the bark of the butternut-tree', And a captured Union soldier reported seeing the 1st :\Iaryland Infantry, the only troops he saw ;:tfter the Battle of Antietam 'that \\ore the regulation Confederate gra), all the other troops having assumed a SOrt of revised regulation of homespun buttcrnut~a~ignir.calH witness, we thought, to the efficacy of the blockade', There is some reason to belie\"c that by 1864 the Confederates had managed to organise a regular supply of dye, producing only grey uniforms from thai point on. Jacket linings were usuall) colton. in \\ hite, bmwn, or black ·polished' finish. ~Iountcd men were also authorised to rceci\·c a 'stable frock' during their enliSlment. In thc US Ann) this was a single-breasted garment made of plain \\ hite cOltOI1 drill or duck, to the same length as the sack co."\t, and worn \\ hen working in dirty stables or with horses. There is no evidence that these frocks wcre ever actually issued in the Confederate Army, ho\\e\-er.

TIl" pri.,.u, "'._..... common varUl.ion of the ,;1o halO .D epaulecte ..n each shoulde... l-Lill pin il' ....hite, probab)' tloe m_1 commo.. Iihin colour. (Author'.. collection)

their jackclS, while ani) six per cent displa)ed any branch-or-service coloured trim. ~IOSI jackets had

Otller Utliftrm Items

slit-type pockets, sometimes closed with a bone bUlton, inside the left breast, while some also had Waistcoats slash-type pockets all the outside. Some had loops of \Vaistcoats, called by f\mericans 'vCSI5', were not cloth about a 1 in. wide on each side of the body, to keep the waist belt in place over lIle shon-waisted jacket. These bell loops were sometimes sewn top and boltom, sometimes sewn at one end and buttoned at the other. The largest variation was the colour. Greys ran from a very dark shade mosl common in jackets issued in the Army of Northern Virginia-to a brownish grey. There is some indication, however, that bro\vn was an even more common colour than grey, at least before 186.1. This brown was produced by dying wool with a mixture of the oily nut of the white walnut or 'butternut" tree, and copperas. The exact colours thus produced \-aried, one Union soldier reporting seeing dead after the Battle of South i\lountain wearing uniforms of 'a color runninK all the way from a deep coffee brown up to

'4

part of regulation uniforms. They were, however, pan of the typical contemporary American's wardrobe, and werc therefore worn with his uniform, especially during the wintel'. Generally they were made of light-weight grey or brown wool or wool/call on blend. Backs wel·e gcnerally of brown 01' black polished cotton, wilh a belt for sizc adjustment a couple ofinchcs above and parallel to the bottom. Linings were usually whitc COUOIl. They usually had nine small buttons, often of civilian pattern, in a row down the front; and thrce or lour slash pockets, two on the lower part and one or two on the chest. i\ lost had standing collars------onc original has a I t in. tall collar but many also had lay-down collars. Civilian \\aislcoats \\ere also worn, although thcir lise in the field appears to ha\·e been. at best, vcf) limited.

Buttons General Order Number Four called for brass buttons in IWO sizes. I in. and ~ in. in diamclcr, wilh (he Roman letten 'A' for artillery. T for infalllry. 'C' for cavalr)' and 'R' for rille officers. Enlisled artillerymen werc 10 wcar -A' buttons, but men of other branches \\crc to wear their rcgimemal numbers. On 24 ~Iay 1861 it was ordered -for the present let the buttons be made for inCantry and a fl.'\\ for cavalry with I and C instead of numbers' for enlisted men; and no numbered buttons were apparcnliy issued. Buttons, both Southern-made and imported, with these letters in Old English script \\ere also widely issued. In addition to these, some general service buttons bearing Ihe Roman !cHers 'CSA' \\erc also made and issued. Some of these have been found at Getl)'sburg, so the)' must have been in common usc by mid-I863. Anothergeneral sen.·icc button used a fi\'('-pointed star as a mal if, one variety with the leucrs 'CS' within the star and another \\ith the words 'SOUTHERN cosn;DERACY' around it. Buttons \\ith a flag resting on crossed sabrt."S, hilts down, also sccm to have been issued to some cavalrymen. Captured US Army buttons, L"Spccially officers' buttons \\'ith a branch·of·scrvice leiter, were also widely used. I\lthough buttons \\ere to have becn brass. copper and pc\\ ter bUlIons bearing the regulation letters were also issued. Even Ihe brass butlons were more copper than brass, often being simply stamped out with a copper wire shank attached to their backs. I mportcd brass buttons, on the other hand, were usually well made in threc pieces. In facl, due to the South's poveny and lack of manufacturing industry, Ihe most common buttons among enlisted men were probably those made of wood or bone. One veteran later recalled, 'Our buttons were made of wood, and soon paned company with our \\ relched garments.' The term 'brass buttons' was often used to mean an officer, \\hich strongly suggests their raril)' in the ranks.

,

Th.. top and front of.hi. soldi....'.ja.,k..1 .,olla.. ar.. trimmed with a ra.,ing"""olo lape, which al..., ili .. lied to edg.. th.. jacl<... fronl. photog ph __ lak..o in V;'5inilo. (Aul.hor'. coU ...,.if>"j

n..

fashion, \\ith onc button al the collar and one at each cufr. :\IO!>t had no pockets, although a few did havc breast pockets. Eventually' cotton became more popular than nanncl: it was easier to wash. and vcrmin did nOI pl'Opagatc as rapidly in cotton as in wool. It appears that 13ritish Army shins wcre also imported. One, WOI'll by a 1St Virginia Artillery lieulenant, was made of blue and white siriped Callan, with a I in.-widc neck band (inslead of a collar) with onc i in. bonc button on it, and another of the same type half-way dm\ n the placket. The It in.-wide cuffs each h""c one button. The shin, now in thc :o.luscum of the Confederac), is marked on the right frolll shin tail in black ink wilh a British broad arro\\ and Icttcrs '\\'D' over Ihe markings Shirts Confederate Army regulat..ionscallcd for Ihe issue of F..ARi..., &. SMITH'C,UI/18:'9. One ca\alry sergeanl tlm'C flannel shirts to each man every year. On 19 \\l'OtC home in :o.larch 186:'lhat hc had three linen April 1861 Ihese wcre described as whitc or red. collars to be worn \\ilh a detached collar shirt, Such appear to have been the mOSI common which must have been oflhis kind. Separate collars colours. 'rhey w('re gcnerally mack pull-over must have been rarc luxuries in til(' fidd, howcver.

'5

and pocket openings, and down the placket in front. BraSll buttons, rather than wood or bone, also appear to have bccn common on these shirts. A variation of this was the 'fircman's' or 'bib front' shirt, with a large chest plastron buttoned around the edges. These shirts were wom as uniform jackets b) the Virginia Sussex Light Dra~oons in 1861. AnOlhcr St)le \\orn as an outer garment, especially in the West, was the 'guerrilla shirt'. This was gennally long-tailed, \\ith two pockels on the chest and twO lower down in \\ hich game and or ammunition could be stored. It \\ as made orhea\"y material, \\ ith a 10\\ scooped rrom ending jusl aboye thc Ixlt. This \\ as ed~ed in tape or contrasting colour, \\ hich \\ as also med to decorate the pockets and sometimes the tail~. The tails were sometimes worn OUI.<;ide the trousers, hunting shirt fashion. Beads or fancy needlework were often seen on the front. All colours, from scarlet to duJ! butternut, \\ere used both for the basic material and for the trimmings.

Prh..l.. Fra.nd_Jon.,., 811. Vir"K1n'" Con'JIlry, w .." .... a plain A""'Y ruililary_lilyl.. wa;lil<:oal w;lh a Inand;nS col..... und.... hill plain ,,",y coal.. Th.. 811. .... n·M dilinlounlM ali inCanlry in W..lil VirVnia in .. a.. ly.8&.L (Library DC Con!",,,,,)

Civilian shirts, brought from homc, \\ere also very popular. The Louisiana cavalry scrgeant ckscrihcd, ill a s(:fits of leltcrll sent throughout the war, how he wore lltriped, blue linen, yellow checked, and bird's-eye calico shirts. Plaid and polka-dotted shins al~o appear in original photographs of enlisted and commissioned Confederates. Shirts w(.ore also WOI'll as unirorm jackets, especially carl) in the \\al·. Generall) thescsecm to ha\c been made or wool flannel. buttoning all the way do\\n the frollt, or at leaSI to the waist. They ha\'e 011(' or two slash pockets on the chest. Sleevcs were quitt: full, with tight wristbands: and most of these shirts had collaJ"i. ~Iost appear to have been made in plain colours, with lape of a contrasting colour such as lij.{ht bhl(' or red around the collar

,6

Cravats Confederate regulations called ror black lcather stocks to be issued. but this docs not seem c\'er to ha\'e been done. Black or plaid ci\'iliaJHYpe cra\'ats \\ere \\orn rrom time to lime; but not, apparently, in the ficld, 5<.1\·C perhaps by some officers. One Alabama soldier \\fote home thanking his brolher for clothing he had sent, 'exceptthe cravat ir I was to put it on the boys \\ould laugh at me'.

Vests Vests. or 'undershins' as Americans call them, werc not issued but were sent from home. Louisiana cavalry Sgl. E.dwin 1-1. Fay wrote in September 1862 that he wanted 'an undershirt or Lowells irno net ones can be had'. In February 1863 his 'knilled one' was 'all coming to piect'S'; and in Novcmbcr 1863 his 'net undershirt is a very handy thing and is much admired. I don't like lhecolor though and the )arTl is not twisted hard enough ror service.' Trousers On 19 April 1861 the Confederate Army announced that it was going to issue 'steel gray pants' to its regular soldieJ"i. On '2:; ~Ia) 1861 the Nc\\ Orleans P/CO)'UI/t s.,id n:gulation trou'>CI''i \\ere to he or'sk~-

blue cloth, mack full in the kg'. This turned out 10 agree \\ ith General Ol'der N umber Foul', which added that regimenlal officers and noncommissioned offin'rs \\ere also 10 haH' a l~ in. branch·of.~l'viee colour stripe on each leg. Apparentl} rdati\el} few such trousers \\ere made b} Confederate clothing plants, ho\\e\cr. although somc soldiers \\ere abk to obtain captured CS Army sk}-blu(' trousers. ,,'allr~ Texas Legion did rectiw an i~sue of 'good bluc cloth pants' in :\"o\'cmbcr 1862. Even so, \\ hen Sgt. Fay asked for <;orne trousers from home he sUl;gCSt(.'(1 that, for Southerners, 'blue i... a bad color unless it i~ a \ery lil:;"ht blue. I shoot at blue clothe-. my'){"IC Indeed. ;"laj.Gen. Patrick Clcbunlc reponed in October 1863 that a number of his men \\ere killed by C'.onfed(.'rate anillery: '1 can onl) account for thi~ blunder from the faet that most of ollr men had on blue Federal pants,' Instead, the lllOSt common trousers appear to ha\e been made in the same colours as the jackets grey and brown. ,\nd the) \\ere usually wt:ll worn. One \etcran later rl'Callcd:·1t \\as a common sight to sec all SOrt~ ofre-enforccments to the men's seats. On a pair of brown or buttcrnut·eolored trousers you \\ould ~ce a hug(.' II(.';ut, S(luare or star-shaped patch, according to the \\ him of the 0\\ ner.' ..-\ 21St Virginia Infantry pri\at(.' bt(.'r recalled that these patches were lIsually made of 'an} material they could get. One man had the ~eat of his pants patched \\ itb lwight red, and his knees patched with black. Another had used a piL'Ce of gray or brO\\11 blanket. There wel'C, ho\\evel', so fcw patches and so many holes lhat, \\ hen a Pennsylvania girl onlhe side of the road saw us pass and ask(.'d her mother hO\\ the officers wcre distinguished from the privatcs, I he mother replied that it was easy enough: the officers' pallls were patched, and lhe privates' panlS were not.' Typically, the IrOllS('l'S were made or wool, although the usc of 'gray jeans' material was also widespread, especially in the West. ..-\ Iieutcnant from the 21St Alabama Innullry wrote to his wife in April 1862 thai a brothcr officer had a pair of 'blanket panlS and the} do vcry \\ell for e\'ery day sen.·ice and reall} look well, though th<') are rough ...' He, too, \\allted a pair oftrouscrs made from blanket matCl'ial. Thc usual pair of trousers had on I) two front

pockets and som(,time~ a walch pocket, and ('ither a Ix,lt or holes for laces OHT a \'('nt al the b.."1ck to adjust for size. Therc \\ ere 110 belt loops, and many had bUIIOllS of bone, wood or cnn metal for braces. ;"Iost had a small slit at the bottom ofeach leg- scam. 1'lu.') \\('n' madt, without tllm-ups. Drawers The one item the Confl'derau' .\rmy d~ appt'ar to ha\c !>upplicd its men in abundancc was white cotton dra\\cl"t. SKI. Fay \\I'ot(· in September 1862 that h.... drc\\ 'a pair ofdra\\ t'1"t drilling good stuff'. .\n original pair, \\orn b) a licutenant of the 1St Virginia .\rtillcr}, is made of \\ hite cotlon. sewn with \\hit(., thread. Th(') ha\·c one·piccc legs that would r(.'aeh abOllt t\\Q-thirds of the length of the wcarcr's leg, \\ ith slib on thc ~ams inside and ties to fasten them around the Ie~. I·here is a 3 in. s(jt dm\ n the back \\ith t\\O c\rlet" for a fastrnin~ thon~ for I""u~ Coaf~"'I~ hutto or., 'HIl. wltal.ry-S d."'ra-.....""'. as CUI be told from Lh~ir lali,·~ly c:ruck maa acn.rr,.iMk ' - ' .rtill~ry .....d a ..,.try; HI,.. ,_, rifI.~m",.. a.ad S ....... _roo; n~ .rt.iI1~ryma..'s, rift"'m...'• • nd Il~"""" roo;.... buUon Bril;"h_m.d~. (Aulhor'. c:Cltlec:ltoa)

,7

•

•

Two tn,"-mH'" of the lM..h Virw:;nia C.>...lry wdr .... riat....... of the 'ballJ.. "hirts' .fl"'.. ~ .. La .86•• NOIOl the US Arnty iss..e c .... ~ ... b~.,.p -<>ned.. ha.· 11 boona clOH-r 10 Ma susJuDctioa thaD a.ay other eo..Cede t .. cawalry ....WL (L.ib ry of CoJl!re5s)

.-u.s

<;ize adjustments. There is onc bOIl(' button on the waistband and anmher half·\\3\ dm\n Ill(' A).

,8

"

•

«

,

t

Issue dra\\('rs were noled for their poor fil. Fa) reponed onc pair that 'would not fit an) bod) in the \\orld': \\ hi Ie a :\Iississippi soldier in the Army ofthe Tennessee \\fOle home: 'Dr Tankersley had a pair ofOrd\\Crs that \\crl' loosmall and J had a pajr that w("re too larg-c. So \\c cut a piece Qut of minc and

spliced his.'

Gaiters GaitCI"S \\ cn' not lisled in reRulalions, Ilor were they apparently mack' for th" Quartermaster Corps. They were, how('\('r, \\orn by a numlXT ofin/antry units, especially early in the war. Lt.Gcn. Richard Taylor dcscrill('d his bl'i~ad" ofthe 6th, 7th, 81h and 9th Louisiana Infantry Re1{imellts in carly 1862 as \\caring 'fresh dothin~ of gray \\ith white gaiters'. White gaiters are al"O worn in a photOKrdph of a colour sergeant of, it is bclieH'
Boo.. Boots, or 'shoes' as Americans (·alled boots with !an's, WCrt' described as 'ankle 01' JellCrson' for oflicers, and 'Jefferson' for cnlisted men; they were both made in the Soulh and imported from England. They were ankle-high, with two or three holes in front for !cather laces. 'fh(·y were officially to be black, alt hough I"('ddish·brown ones were also made, and had squa!'e tocs. One veteran recalled that th(' English-made shoes \\erc 'lin('(1 and filkd \\ith still' paper. and after fording a few tin1(.'S they usually came to pieces'. Southern-made shoes \\eren 't much bellCr. The same \eleran wrote: 'Cenerally made of green or at best half-cured kathcr, they soon took to rO<1.ming; after a week's wear the heel \\ould be on the <;ide, at an angle to the foot, and the \'amp, in Him. would tr) to do dun a~ a sole. . . . They

ThomaJi I, o..vall, I"n, and William It. O".... tl, both ohh., vel Mill_uri tnranlry Retim".", w.,.r •." ....>0.." of th" 'battl.... or '~"rrilla' shin """'"'.,. ou,"-id....·.,.r. Th":Jrd, paM orth.. "n Mis....uri Bripd", w ....e inilially .. ucc.,qfuJ La th.. bald.. of EJ"orn T.......rn, March cao.pt .. rinS ",-.. nol aMillery p;""'" and many ... ppli.... Th.. HCOnd day'.. "Shtu.,; .. w th..... o.·.,....·h...t.mnt .nd th.. ir colon.. lloilled, forcins" re.lr,.,.1 and a Un,o" ...;ctory lhat sa..... th. . .'nt.. ralll control or oortb.. rn

I'"

Arlt.a.asa..... (Dr Thomas Sweeney)

conformed to the wcalhn, too. "hile hot and dl) they \\ould ~hrink like parchment, and \\hen \\et they JUSt "sloPIX'd" all on'r yOllr f(TI.' In January 1861 Cell. Rolx'l't E. Lee wrote that he had recci\ed two pairs ofsampic shoes, one made in Richmond, Virginia, and the other in Columbus, Georgia. He didn't like the Richmond shoes because 't he facc of t he leat her \\ as t LImed out. Tha t is, the side of the skin next lhe animal was tumed OUI, which is contrary to the practice of the best makers.' The Columbus leather 'was not half tanned and the shoe \\lon to have shoemakers in the ArlllY ofl\'orlhcl"Il \ 'irginia make :.hoes for the troops. Tht') \\('T"C certainl) needed, for there were almost alway~ numbers of barefooled men in Conf('(lerate anni('S. Stra~~lin!';" durin!';" the

'9

Arm) of Northern \'ir~inia\ march into :\Iaryland due in large part to soldiers gOlllg: barefoot--Gtust-od Lee to ha\'t_' 13,000 Ies:. men than the 53,000 he should ha\(' had a\ailablc for the Battle of .\ntietam. A .ph Texas pri\-ate reported that in that Army manyofthe men were barefoot in latl' 186;i; while a 1St TennCSS("e prh-ate recalled that in thl' wintl'r of 1864 65 Illany of the soldiers of the .\rm~ of Tl'nncssce ·"ere elllirl'ly barefooted·. "·hen there were shorta~cs. improvisations were also made. The .~th Texas soldier recalled that in the winter of 1862 an order \\as issued calling for ·barefooted mcn 10 go to the slaughter pens, secure the hick'S that came orr the bec\'{'s killed for the army, then make moccasins for thcil· fcct b) taking the hrrCC'11 hide, cutting a piece largc cllough to cover Col. Thoma. Ruffin, 'SI North Carolina Cavalry Re~rnenl, wore th",,,,,,, ",ky.blue trou_r•. They have 'mule ear' pocl
;iO

lhe fc'c·t, thc·n turning the hairy side in. The order ..aid to '·wan~ the moccasins on with rawhide thongs", Itot them dry. and by that IHeans secure a comfortable fit.' .\nolher veteran rccalkd that some soldiers made similar moccasins o\er their issued shoes for" inter wear, cutting them orr again in the spring, and then'b) preserving their shoes in gO
Socks Each soldier was 10 recein" four pairs of.s of issue was nOI becausc of any unwillingness on the part of the Army: indet.'d, in OClObcr [863 Ihe Quanermastcr Gcneral said Ihal O\'ercoat material was one of the Ihree Ihings he needed most. Some of this matcrial was obtained from England. A ':\e\\ J('rscy chaplain sa\\ prisoners in Ihe fall of ,863, 'some wcarillg overcoats of English frieze, whose materials had run the blockade, and others in the common. homespun Xegrocloth, dyed with the juice of the butternUI or other vegetable tincture'. The blue English material wasofa 'much darker huc' than the sky-blue lJS Arm) o\crcoats, another Union soldier later wrote. A Soulhern-made overcoat worn b) Col. Ellison Capers, 141h South Carolina Infant!), and nO\\ in the Confederale ~Iuscum, is tan in colour, \\ ith four large stale buttons in a single row down the front and sc\en small ones on the cape. \\ hich reaches to jusl below the elbows. The collar could be worn slanding or lying down. Another Southern-made

overcoat was painled by a n-teran as bcing dark grey \\ilh a black stripe.' aboul an inch wide sollle 6 ins. from its boltom edge. It has long, rolled·up cutrs, and a cape worn around lhe head for warmth. Other contemporary paintings also 5ho\\ gre}' O\{'rco."u ... I>t'inl!: \\orn. A Richmond 1-l00\itz(T~ pri\ale later rt.'Called that most soldiers discarded their issued owrcoats, since Ihe)' could caplUre 'one about the time it "ould bc ne<.--cled. Near!) c\ery overcoat in Ihe army in the later ye.lrs of the war was one of UnciI' Sam's captured from his bop>,' he wrote. :-\1 times these were dyed to change the sky·blue colour. Thc captured overcoats of thc [04th Illinois, for example, \\(~re dyed black and issued to :\Iorgan's Raiders for Iheir 186:2 Kentucky raid. For the mOSI part, howevcr, the sotdicr,ssecm 10 havc teft them in Ilu:ir original colour. The sergeanl major of the lSI Col. Thon'lls R ..ffin'. over<:oal. NOI., lhe fold~... p <:.. rr.... and the <:oUar lab 10 f••leD the coUar I~ether in cold woralher. The dela<:bable <:spe is rni...iRfl. (North C.roliDa M u _ of ffi.tory)

CON.'EDERATE INFANTRY REGIMENT

HQ Adj. Lt.: Q:\! LI.: Sur!{.. ,\<;$t.Sllr,~ .. lIo"p.St\\d.: ~g't.~laj.; RQ~I Sgl.: R.O:mllnissar) Sgt.: Band

Cd.: 1.1. Col.;

~Iaj.:

I

CO",pal~"

Company

I

Compan)'

(;ompa,,-)'

Compall)'

Callt.: 1St Lt.: .md L1.; '-1- S.~I.S.: 8 Cpls.: 82 P\IS.: 2 ~llI<;icians

1'1..: resulation .lI·ensth of j ..Jit on:r ' ' - all rail............ almost wokaown ... p .... et.ic:-e<.n c:ampai&.. W u·"....S'" rqim_lal .u""'asth wa....m"w.... re btl ",,", 400 and 7QO. Apar1 from lliklua.t:,... &Ad ca.. ~h;""" d.roaic d .......rtioo &1........,..........cl bod. V.. ion ...... CO.. fiNH I'" ~ E~''''' patricKk ~·ol""I..-en compl"t"ly ladaed d." ~ r ...ld"'r'."uiu.d" to ...rvi.,,,,. '"'..,. ..." .... mo likdy to .........r1 baul"" lloaD d"riaS th"m. f..-elial!l UoatlMybad ' r bit' "od Uoat ...y Rn.ibl" .,...(d DOW f_1 ",.. tided to n:t..... to c:are for bi. family farm. CO..lKript trod ...,.... in April .86:1, ta.,.... th" ,...rli"r, ..o_tid.etory .y.t"m of twe.h·e-moath ~·ol t.ary volillitnl".. ua with fOreM ..erv;ee for th" d ...,.tio" of Lb" war for ...y ....u,.1"'" btlw""" th" "5" of.8 ...d 35- It ....... n ...eb res..ated, and did titd", to l"'IIi...... d"...rUoa. h Iiho..ld b.. DOted, how~·"r.lbat the. eoD.fede.nl" . .Idi"r St:At:ra1IY dilipta)"ed 1...,..llo,..hy. "nd eeaad d"t"rm tio" ... c:ounpaisa: il i•• mi.t.ak" 10 _ I.... d~r1io.. ",I" throur;b 2CMJI...,.... I.. ry t:')'es, ee it .p -'"tI: from .Itil..d fon::is- 10 W modu....I..d"nl of m..ilitary lif". Resim"nt .. we. Imo,n in riably bripded....;th oLber"";u from th" _m" ..tat". &Ad th" bris.d....--.med .ft"r iUl comtnaad"r-wa th" foao. ofafT,'.rt.. ,",e. eoD.fM".... I'" Anny ..... &1 bly ...o e_fuJ lba.. th., US Army in mai.. t.i .. inS th" ..t ...."l!lth ...d coh~io., .,fth" n::z:iJ:n"nt. Repm"n"" ~ "pI in Ix S, ",''''' wh"n ftV"re.ly .."nrd, hy d ...ft. of ""Pla.,""'''''1 . Ihi" "n".. .....t Ih" Srowth of. ",&im"..t.1 t dition, d .D "fJ~ti.·" mix of .·"'1" Dd r~ruils i .. a .. y 0"'" ..nit at a ..y &i~''''' tim",. Th" mbeu of ~im"'.. t" in ...ch bripde, ....d of bripd... in ",,"ch di~'i"ion, , .... rird cO"Jiide.rahly accordin& 10 ..nil $1"""Slh. I...",.. C."s in April .86; pro.·id.". a Iypical ""o"Sh ""ampl" of Ih" lal" "'ar period:

""'no-"""

,s,

.,>

Pu:l.d", 1)"",,_: SI""ar1'. Bd".: 9th, '1th, :JIlh, 531'd, ;71h Villlinia Co"""',, Bd".: '5th. '71h, 29th, 3O'h, :J=d ViTnia nunloo'. Bd".: 8cb, .8Ih, '9th, 28th, 56th Villllnia T .... ry'. Bde.: '8t., 31'd, 7th••• Ih, :LJth Villlinia l,ltU', I)",u...: P".. ry'" Bd~.: 4th, .;Ih, +4"h.17th, 181h Alabama And~I"'lW"·. Bd".: 7th. 81.h, 91h, • 11h, 59th Georgia B..nninS·. Bd".: and, '5th. '7th, 20th G.... llIla B.... lton'" Bd~.: ."t, 51h. 61h So"lh Carolina. and SC

Paltn"no Sha.rpshool"'" (SC) G.-eU. Bd".1 3re1 Ar......lOa.. ''''. 41h, ;th T..xall Kns""...'. D'''SI.a: Du Bd".: 161h, .8th, It4tl> Ceory.., 3re1 B.... GA Sharpshoot"r., Cobh·. and Phillips'. GA L..l!liOD" H .. mph....y·. Bd".: 131h, '71h, 18ch. allit MillOSilll'ippi Sin...."'. Bd".: loth. 501h, 5'l't,.s:Jrd Geolllla

BoH·.

Rifl~....

South Carolina I nfantry Regiment was lrapped by a sudden atlack in 1\larch 1865. 'Wearing a blue o\'crcoat', a regimcnlal member laler recalled, 'he has becn mistaken by the enemy in the dim liglll for one of their own men, cven lalking with him.' Capes \\ en: SOTll{'times worn by themselves in place of full-length o\ercoats. Sashes Infantr) and artillery offieet'S were to wear red silk nel sashes \\ ith <;ilk bullion fringe ends, the ends to hang no more than 18 ins. below Ihc waist when the sash was worn beneath the sword belt. The actual shade \aricd from searlel through crimson to

A".lfe,y; lIa51o,,1I'. Bn. (fo.. r b.H~ri".) Hug.,r'll Bn. (";,, halt", ..i ...)

magenta. Cavalry ofTicers were 10 wear the same type of sash in yellow silk. Sergcallls were to weal' similar sashes in red and )'cllow worsted respectively. At least one colout' scrgeant. of what is believed to be a Virginia infantry regimellt, was photographt.:d some lime after September 186l wearing such a sash round his waist under his belt; but it sccms that sashes were rare in the field. Field Signs In early 1861, \\hen men of both sides wore blue and grey fairly indi.scriminalely, various field signs were used. At the battle of Fit'St ~lanassas the Washin~ton Artillery. \\ ho were uniformed in blue.

worc rcd f1alllll'1 bands round their kft anns. Some other blue-clad Confederatcs appcar to have done the S<"l.me; but a plan to extend this sign to the emire arm) was dropped when it was disco\'Ct"ed that the Xorthern forces wcre doing the same thing. White hat bands \\ere worn by soldiers under ).laj.Gen.John ~Iagrudcr in mid-I86I, \\hile his scouts had \\ hite sashcs worn 'from shoulder to hip'. White hat badges, 'about an inch wide and six long', were also \\orn b) soldiers under Generals Loring andJackson in the Valle) of Virginia as late as Deccmber 1861, and possibl) c\'en carly in 1862.

I

I

ZOllave allrl ChassellI' Ulliforms In 1860 a fad for wearing copies of French Zoua\'C and Chasseur dress s\\ept lhe Nonh. This had some influence in the South too; and a number of socalled Zoua\"e units \\ere formed in lhe states from Texas to "irgillia. Because of difficulties in obtaining e\'en anything like regulation uniforms, let alone copies of the elaborate and ornate Zouave dress, few of lhese uniforms lasted more than a few months unless kept packed a\\a) in trunks. A private in lhe 63rd Pennsylvania Infantry wrotc home on 26 J ulle 1862 that his unit had recently been 'opposed by the Fourth Georgians. The Georgians were dressed in a fancy French zouave uniform, which callSt,.-d our men to hesitate'----so some Zouavc uniforms must havc lasted at least that late. The mOSt r.1I1101lS such unit were the Louisiana Zouaves, who wore short blue jackets (which appear to have been replaced with brown in late 1861) trimmed wilh red; r('d shirts; red fezzes; blue and white striped trousers; and white gaiters. A uniform thought to have becn worn by an officer of the Richmond Zouaves (Co. E, 44th Virginia Infantry Regiment) has a dark bluejacket fastened bya tab at the tl1l"Oat and l-dged in gold. Each curris decorated \\ith a white 'clover leaf edged in gold. There are five Virginia State buttons on each curr and two large oncs at the neck, The ll"OliSCrs arc ba~J;n, made ofscarlet \\ 001 with a gold stripe down each leg. The uniform also includes a blue \\001 sash with scarlel fringe, and a scarlet French·slyle kepi trimmed in gold according to Army rl"gulations.

To keep up the completc Zouave ilillsion, Southern ullits, like th(' French regiments they copied, appear to have rcrruitc-d vlt'OlIdilm female slltlers \\ 110 accompanied the units. These women usually \\ore short wool jackets of thl' S<"lm(' colour and trim as those worn b) the mcn; wide-brimmed, plumed hats; and trousers which were woollen from a point just abo\'(' where they would appear under Ihe skirt, and cation abovc thaI. The) were sometimes armed \\ilh re\olvers; and often carried wooden casks filled with \)3t{'r, or stronger stufl: for the men. A Southern societ) lady in Richmond noted in her diary on 13July 1861: 'Today in the drawing room I ..aw a l'Il'Ondih't, in the flesh. She was in the uniform of her regiment. but wore Turkish panlaloons. She fri~kcd abolll ill her hat and feathers. did not uncon:r her head as a man would have done, pla)oo lhe piano, sang war songs. She had no drum but shl' gaH' us a rataplan!' Coarcdenole ca......n_no haul. ,,..pdr, bronu 'Napoleoa' pn up. I'C_p lUll Noce IhaC noany or II.,.,........ "'-riaI oll.ly Lh,.,ir "biru in .Clio,,- (S.lIlu flI l-tu"s .f till Ci ..l w..)

'3

AczVIIIreIllCIIIs Beltplates The 1863 Confederate Ol'dnancc ,\lanual called for the foot soldier's bchplalC to be 'brass, oval, 3-5 inches long by 2.25 inches wide, siamped with the letters "es·'. two studs and one hook, brass.' A similar plate was to be placed on the cartridge box flap. although these arc quite rare and apparently were flot produced ancr 1862. From camp sites where the bchplau.'s have been recovered it appears that such plaIt'S first appeared in carly ,86'2. The stud} of pholOgraphcd enlisted men indicatcs that ninc per celli of them \\Ofl' this style of pia Ie. \'arialions include a cast brass piau' with II stars around the edge, \\hieh "as apparently worn by a Wcslern brigade; and a stamped brass, lead-backed plate bearing the (cHers 'eSA', \\ hich was found al the site of the Battle of Antietam_ This plate was a COP) of Ihe US Arm} infant!) bchplate and, in facl, Ihe L:S plau~ was more common limn the CS one, with 18 per cent of photographed soldiers wearing the CS issue. Finds also indicatc that sometimcs the front of the US plates "ere removed and the hooks worn by themselvcs. The SLUd} of photographs al~ n::vcalcd that six per cent of enlisted mcn \\ore rectangular cast brass plates marked 'CSA'. This type may ha,"e been designcd in response 10 1861 regulations which called for a gilt rectangular sword bell platc, 'IWO inches wide. with a raised bright rim; a silver wreath of laurel cncircling the "arms of the Confederate Stalcs·". No beltplatcs exactly fitting Ihis de· scription have cver becn found. The plainer 'CSA' rectangular plates appear to have been made first in the Atlanta Arsenal, and their widesl distribution was among troops of the Army of Tennessee. It appears lhat troops of lhe Stonewall Brigade, among other Army of Northern Virginia soldiers, were also issued this typc of plale. Francis ~Iinchelller, of Griffin, Georgia, was eontraeled to produ(:e 4,000 of them, lIsing scrap brass from the Atlanta Arsenal. Tht} were about '2~ ins. by '2 ins.; and, as with all Southern-made brass objccLS, the heavy conccntration of copper in the alloy gave the mClal a strong red shade. These plalcs seem to have been issued for the first time in 1862. Some "'CSlern Conft.'deratN also wore cast brass

reclangular bcltplates made with slightly curved edgcs and be;Jring the IClIers ·CS'. The most common Confedenltc soldier's waist belt buckle was a plain frame t}pe, usually brass. Fully 50 per cent oflhe plates seen in photograp~ are of lhis type a percentage confirmed b) excavations at c.amp and bailie sites. The) appeared in S(,:\'eral styles. Onc was lhe 'Ceorgia' buckle. which had two pron~ cast as part of the Th.. tn_I COtntnO.lypeto ofCO.fed..... u, i_u.. lxhplate5. 11Ie r-..-p;e<:e tnOu.led m •••• buckl.. (""l i. aonte ...·h;o.t ...... t'ual u. I.lt.at tn_I ........pln .re nude with the Ixtl loop" "tanelitofi: fllrt.h..r .way from Lh.. w~lh lh•• i • .....,. in thi. ~mpl",. Th.. Nil•• caample i. of .UOntped copper wiLh " lead bacl
I: Private, Infantry. 1861 2: l·ri~·llle. 4 th Texaslnf.ltegl.. 1861 3: 181 Sgl., Louisianll Infantry. 1861

2

A

I: Lt.C(lI.. Artillery, 1862 2: Private, Arliller'}·, 1862 3; Private, Artillery, 1862

B

I: Captain. Cavalry. 1862 2: l.t Lt•• AlabamaC.vaJry. 1862 3: Sgt.Maj.• C.valry. 1862

c

I: Private. 2nd Maryland Inr.Regl.. 1863 2: Bandsman. 1863 3: Cpl.. Vre"ident'l Guard. 1863

D

I: Pri~..te.ln(anlr)·. 1863 2: Ord.Sgt.. 28l.hNC Inf.Regl.. 1863 3: Drummer, Infantry. 1863

3

2

E

I: M.vor. Artillery. 1864 2: Q~1 Sgt.• Artillery. 1864 3: 2nd Lt.• Artillery. 1864

F

I: Prh-.le.lnrantry. 1864 2: Sgt.. 41h Kenlllcky I.nI.Regt.. 1864 3: 151 Lt.. 2nd Reg!. SC Rine.. 1864

2

-

........ . , ,

G

r I: Private, Infantry. 1865 2: Col.• 44th Georgia TAt.Regt.• 186ti 3: Private. Infantry, 1865

H

frame; SOlllC of these were marked '!\IcElroy & Ilunt, !\Iacon, Georgia'. Another had a separate prong offOl"kcd shalX', \\ ith a single prong dividing into t\\ospikts; Ibis type \\ as usually 4 ins. b) 2§ ins., although sollletimes sligllll) smaller. A third common I)pe had t\\'o separate prongs allached to the centre ~l. It would appear that the frame buckle \\ as morc common in the Army of ;'\orthern Virginia, \\ hilt' Western Confederates made more usc of belt plates. Quite a numlx... of pI.Olin cast br~ and sheel iron bchplalcs, bOlh 0\"011 and n.'Ctangular, ha\'c been found al caml> sil('S Ihroughout the Soulhern stalO. Thl'"S(" camC" in a \\ide \'ari{,l\ ()f~iz('S. The typical (:onfoocrale moulllt.'
Belts Infantry belt, \\ ere plain black or brown leather. Known alternatiws adopll"<.j h('cau'i(" of leather shortages included hca\) cotton cloth, sometimes in sen'ral layers stitch{'d together and painted black; and natural \\ hile wd>bing. Sword belts had 'k('('ps'. or half the two-piece beltplate permanently attached to one end and an adjustable part on the other. A hook and two slings for Ihe sabre \\ ere attached to the left of the belt, the rear sling being \\om at about the cemreoflhe back and dropping longer than the front sling. Some had 'Sam Bro\\ne'-tYIx- should('r bellS passing from the left rear, 0\ er the right ~houlder and do" 11 to hook on at the left front; these "ere, ho\\e\"<'r. uncommon. Cap Boxes The typical SOUlhern-madt, cap box was of brO\\ 11 or black leather, Ihe pOlich 2t ins. deep and J-j- ins. thick. It had a lamb\\\oollining. and an inner flap separale from the Ollter flap \\hich eo\-ered the entire frOIlt. Iron nipple picks \\ere oflen inserted into a loop inside the polich on the right. The mosl common flap ~hape \\as a 'shield' with a separau' Two nllilH:t brown South.,rn-tnad., cap box.,... Th., on" on th., I.,rt MS the typical South.,m bc:1t loopaDel a pc:wt.,r lItud. (Author'lI coUetti.on)

.'n!!:'.,

_..- .... -

33

bUllOIWd on to a brass stud. A second piece of leather passed from side 10 side to form the from under the nap. There was an inner flap, Iambswool lining, and a single belt loop. The dimensions were 2i ins. by I in. by 2 inches. Issue British Army cap pouches were also imported, and US Army cap boxes wcre used when capturtxL One n'teran anilleryman reported that many soldiers thre\\ awa) their cap boxes and carried caps in their pockets. Another \cteran infantryntan also recalled carrying his caps in a \\ aisteoat pocket.

The back and fmnt of a South",rn_mad", rUJOlIiel bmwn cartrid~.. box; il could be am"" ",;lher 00" shoulder bell or a _iSI bell. (Author's collection)

ccntral fasteningstrap. Fasteningstuds, mOunted to engage slits in these straps, wcrc of brass, lead, or c\-cn wood. The box had a sinl;"h~ belt loop on thc back. just o\cr an inch wide, or t\\O narro\\ oncs instead. ~Iany werc markt-d on the front nap with the maker's namc, e.g., ·c.s. ARSENAI./BATON ROUGE, LA,'; or, morc rarely, with the !cw:rs 'CS·. A major variation of lhc cap box originated in England, although some of this type \\cre also made in the South. One piece ofleather, edged \\ ith two tooled ro\\~, ran from the bottom, up to form the back, and O\'er to bccOIlW the co\er, which

34

Bayonets and Scabbards 'The infantr} found out that bayonets wcre not of mueh uSC', and did not hesitate to thro\\ them, with the scabbard, away: recalled a Richmond Howitzers \cteran. This appears to ha\e been generally truC'-allhough, after one hand-to-hand combat, mcn of the Ith Texas Infantr) who had previously discarded their bayoncts made every effort 10 replace them. The Southern-made riRed musket bayonet was a triallgular*SC'Ction socket t)pe with an 18 in. blade and a 3 in. socket, made of iron with a steel tip. It \\ as carried in a bro\\ n or black leather scabbard. orten with an iron or tin ehape, with the frog se\\ n to the scabbard. The imported Enfield bayonet was similar, but the black leather scabbard had a 3 in.long brass chape and t! in.*long throat. It was slipped into a black leather frog, a hook on the face of the brass throat engaging with a slit in the frog. Riflcs took sabre bayonets. Typically, these had 22 in. blades and.) in. cast brass handles. Scabbards \\ ere of black leather with brass chapes and throats and buckled into separate frogs. Because lhe sabre bayonet required so much material-and was not much used, in any c
CONFEDERATE CAVALRY R£GIM£NT

HQ Col.; LI.Col.; Maj.; Adj./Lt.; SKt..\laj.; Q~I Sgl.

Compa/~)'

I

Company

' Company

Company

I

,

Com/Jany

Company

m·

.Squadron'

I Campa/I)'

Compan)' Capt.: 1St Lt.; 1. x :2nd Lt.; 5 SgLS.; 4 Cpls.: Farrier; Smith: 60 to 80 Pri,"atcs

Compa'I)'

COn/pan)

II ill .....elllul.owa thai in ,86. 6:J eo..f~nl1" a1valry oulcla........ their Uato.. oppo~t... Rec:ruited .mo..s . rural. popu.la'too .cc:.o!Homed 10 ridinS fro.... ch.ildhood, and led by. hOrH-Ccuuao..1l eo....lry 'aqlli""",rcby'. the SO.. the.... repmealll ...ere ..1_ ......dled better in helD&: CODcealrated fro.... the 6 ....1 LaIO. eorptll-...d «lmmiued ia"trea&ib,.1 a IUne ...·be.. U...........;ts "'ere weakeDed bydispentoa. (Uatoa refonn" from '86:J 0'" coupled with the U.......' m ..do S""",ler re_ree.. reverlled thi" "itwn;"a in the SOMlOnd balf of the war.) ReJime"ls were pth...red ;"10 bnpd...-aylhia5 £rom two to "is ""'1lUneo.., depeadiaol ..poo stre,,&th; ...... bnpd...-pia, lip to sis of thern-i.ato divisions. .... April '86s Ihe Ca... lry Corpll of the Army of Nomera Virsitl.. had fo..r div;l';on" totallitll lea bripdes, pili" two artilJ.,ry banal;OII" totallinS battenell. ,.".(b~' I.A~·' IlIfts,•• may be lakea a.\l repres_tati,"~ M ....ford·" Bde., .... -el, ,rei, 4th Viq;:iaia Parae'" Bde.: Sib, 6tb, 8110 Virpnia, J6th VA 8n. Gary'" Bde.: 7110 Gears", 7th So.. th Carolina, Ha.mpton·ll Lq;:ion (SC), ""tth Virp..n.ia It u. inle .....lltiaS that Confederale cavalry, for aU their rep.. tatio.. amaas th.,;r enemi.,.. enjoyed 110 .....t POPlilarity .mon5 their .... mo.. nted compalriot... L.i..ke infa.atry the ...orld o"er. Ihe fool _Idien ...ere inclined loward co.. tempt for the orten illv;.\Iible cavalry; Gea. D. H. ffill;.\I lIaid 10 have offered a reward to ..."o..e ...ho rou.ld find him a dead ca...lryma... killed in .ction 'with his sp.. n 0..•• The Co..fedente lroope............er leaden Il ..ch .11 StUlOri .nd Mo'"8"ft, Vlcelled.l lon5-n"'5e raid... and ..eo .. 1.¥, cuttin5 "p Vllioa liaell of comm"llialtion and ... pply. They "'ere Ie"" impre""i"e ...ben .....orlo.itl.l io closer ha ....ell" wilh the reIIl of the a ...... y, .nd 'Jeb' St.... rI'" fail .. re to keep Gen. Lee informed of Vnlaa nlOvemelltll at GeUyllburs: ill ....toriOUIl. The dismi""ive rem .. rk.. offorei... ob_rvel"lllike Col. Frorm.. ntle, whoj..d5ed Confedenue ca...lry hal"llhly loy Ihe .landardl'otilorM GUlOrdli. m ... t be Wlde .....lood itl .,o.. te>lt. ''),e r...... po...erofi..falltry rifled n ...sketll m.de ... y kind of clalllii., chars:e a5aim>t infantry fo ......ed .. p on tb., b ..ulefi.,ld a "wc;dal affair, and Civil W.r ca...lry ."oided llllcl1 fooli"h"ellll. They .kirn.ished vigoro,,"ly with pilltols, carbinell, shol...alil and "abre,,; Ihey often f.....Khl on foot. tho.. gh h .. mpt!red by their I"ck of modern carhin.,..; and they .....ere both "erntile .. nd end.. rin8' Their main handicap I.. y i .. Ihe diffic.. lty of mo..nti .." them. COnfede.... te lrooperll h..d to provide their own hor• .,., If the ho ....e .....s killed, .nd the rider wa ....... ble to fwd hh.....,lf another, then he became "n inf.nlryman. Thi" ...... no ....y to keep .. p lh.. slrength of the c:a.,..l.-,-nd no ..... y to enco...... g.. a ..dadly in b.llle.

6,..,

A second basic Iypc was a copy of Ihe percussion rifle box intnxluecd in 1850. This was made to be carried on a waist bell; it had a single large tin container for all 40 canridgcs, and bmh outer and inner f1apsl bUI lacked the separate implement pouch. The finalt) pc was a copy of the US 1855 model. This was made for either a waisl or shoulder belt, with two tin containers and an implement pouch. All three boxes had brass faslening studs, all hough, because ofshortagcs, Southern makers also used tin, \,ood and lead as welL ~lany Southern-made boxes used components of all Ihn.·e models. e.g., a single

lin inside, bUI also an implemenl pOlich; many also appeared in brown as well as regulation black leather, The US boxes had oval brass box plates, like waisl bell plates; Ihese were extremely rare on Southern-made boxes, although a few Confederate examples havc Ihe Ollier flap impressed with the lettcrs ·CS'. A \·cry large number of British Army cartridge boxes \\cre also imported. Shouldcr belts wcre gCllerally of black or bro\\ n leal her, ahhough numbcrs \\cre also made from sc\'crallayers of cotton c10lh stitched togelhcr and painted black. No carlridgc box shoulder Strap bchplates \\ere issued b) thc Confederatc Army. 35

Holsters Confederute·made holsters were copied from US Army patterns. They completely covered the pistol, with a Oap that fastened do\\ n on the frOTH of the holster. Supply shorlag(.'S ine"itably caused minor variaLions. Fe\\ holsters had the small piece of leath('r USl.-d to stop the end, or bottom, which was found on the US models. Instcad of buttoning to brass studs, many flaps wcre shut by slipping a strap into a slot made by sc\\ ing another strap across the front of thc holster. Bro\\n. rather than black, leather \\ as commonly used. The major difference, ho\\ever, \\as that many of these holsters were so made that the pistol butt pointed to the wcarer's rear, instead of to the front, as in US holsters. Haversacks The ha\'crsack was onc thing that the Confederacy could prO\ide easily, and it seems to haw done so in abundancc. In fact, onc recruit recalled being issued no accoutremcnts other than t\\O haversacks, 'miserably weak and sleazy, made of thin cotton doth,' upon his enlistment in 1863. White cotton doth haversacks \\ere regulation, and were to be marked in black on the flap with the regimental number and name, the company Ie lieI', and the soldier's number. This appears to have been done only rarely, The typical haversack was made of white COtlon or drilling about I I ins. square. It had a pointed flap fastened with a single tin, pewter, wood or Ixmc button, The buttonhole and the button attachment point were often rcinfOl'ced witb addiLional material. A second bag, of the same size as the ouler bag, was sometimes butloned inside the haversack in order to keep food separate from other contents, The relalively waterproof US Army issue haversack was greatly pretcl'Ted; indeed, according to a veteran of the 1St South Carolina Infantry Regiment, it was rare to sec Southern-made haversacks in the Army of Northern Virginia after the spring of 1862, Water-bottles The most comlllon Southern·made water·bottle or 'canteen', as Americans called it was of tin, made drum-style, \\ ith nat faccs, a single strip forming the sides, three loops to take a leather or Cotton sling, and a round spout \\ith a wood or cork Stopper.

36

They wert' sollle 5 to 7 ins. in diameter and t to 2~ ins. thick, Leather slings usually had a buckle for size adjustl1l('nt. Cantcens similal' to this, but made of C('dar or somctimes cherry, with three iron sling: loops and spouts of dtller tin or turned wood, wcn' also issued; and Ilumocrs of British Army wooden canteens were imported, Southern firms also produced some tin copit.'S of the round, woolcovered US Army canteen, made of two shaIlO\\domed 'dishcs' welded edge to edge; Confederate examples dinhed from the US model in that the spout was tin rather than pewter, As w'ith the haversack, \eterans agreed thal the L'S Army cantecn was the most favoured type aInong Confederat('S, One of them wrote that 'in the middle of the \\ ar and later, to see equipment of Southern make was somcwhat of a curiosity', Another said that it \\ as the mark ofa new n..'Cruit to eaITya Confederate cameen, since picking up a US one on any battlefield \\ as an easy task, Be that as it may, the most common Confederate anefaet found on camp and battle ~ites is the 100\ly lin 'drum' canteen, Knapsacks According to regulations, Confederate troops were lO oc issut.x:I black-painted knaps."lcks, which were to be marked with I! in. regimental numbers-in while for the infantry and in yellow for the artillery. A SOulb......._m.de lin 'drum'_lilyte conU,...... The"'" an: the liiDgle mo"t COnl.mon SOuthe....-n••de item. found today .1 batd....nd CSlmp (Aulbor'lI1 «\lIe"t;on)

"it"".

The company Ie ncr and soldier's number were to be marked inside the knapsack. in spite of these

to obtain US Army models. TelliS were, how('ver, generally discouraged. On 6 February 186+ the detailed specifications, however, knapsacks were Army of Tennessee ordered that each corps rardy issued in practice. The photographic study of headquarters was allowed only three tents; each enlisted men indicatcs that 18 per ceTl( wore brigade and regimental headquarters, tWO; and "as knapsacks, \\hilc the rc.'St wore blanket rolls, mostly many flies for the sick of the regiments as corps from the left shoulder to the right hip, commanders may designate'. Only one wagon per Such knapsacks as there were came in three main division was allowed to carry tents. categories: captured US Army ones. mostly still Waterproofs and captured shelter-halves were marked \\ith the original owner's reb.-imelllal wrapped around the blanket rolls \\ hen carried by dDignatiolls; imported British-made copies of the individual soldier. British Army models; and Southern-made types. The laller were usually limp. black-pahlled canvas bags some 15 ins. by 16 ins. by 3 ins, \\hen full) packed. The shoulder straps, about I in. wide, passed through loops on the tOp surface and cOlllinued across the rear or visible face of the bag, Infantry Looganns forming an 'X'-shape, and fastening with buckles It was not until late 1862 that the Confederates and or hooks under the bottom surface. There was were able to replace obsolete flintlock muskets \\ ith no prO\;sion for a blanket to be altached to the percu.ssion muskets many of these stiLi being outside of the ba~, smoothbore-amon~ its frontline troops. This was accomplished \\ilh \\eapons from three sources: Blankets the CS Arm), foreign countries, and local makers. Blankets, too, came in three kinds: caplured US The US Army. mostly armed with :\1186t Army blankets, civilian blankets from home, and Springfield rifled muskets and PI853 Enfields, was .\rmy-issued blankets. One of the latter, in a private possibly the major supplier. The Confederate collection, is light bro\\ n, about 5 ft, square, with a Ordnance Depanmcnt reported all 30 September 5 in.-wide dark brown stripe around its sides. The 186+ that 45,000 small arms had been captured, wool is homespull "ith a herringbone weave. compared to only 3°,000 imported and zo,ooo produced in the South during that year. The Shelter-halves and Waterproofs Ordnance Depanmcllt also reponed that after the US Army issue waterproofs ('gum blankets,> were Battle of Chancellorsvillc in ~Iay 1863 they of COtlon coated with black rubber, like oilcloth. reco\"l?"red z6,ooo rifles and rifled muskets from the The South was not able to manufacture such items, so whenever possible Confederales tried to obtain Lockplat" oflh" fir.. tty.... of Richmond Armory rill«l musket, captured ant'S. According to Lt.Col,J, W. Mallet, The h,t"r n"xIrl had a lower 'hum I" to Ihe lockpt"'e and wali lilamped 'cs' o"er the 'RICIl.\lONl), VA' (Ruu Pritchard) Superintendent of Confederate Ordnance Laboratories, 'extensive uSt.' was made of heavy cation cloth, for some purposes in double or quadruple thicknesses heavily stitched together, trealed with one or morc coats of drying oil. Sheets of such cloth were issued to the men, .. for slecping on damp ground.... Linseed oil answered best for making this cloth, and much was imported through the blockade, but it \\ as eked out to somc cxtellt by fIsh oiL. , .Sheher-hahcs, two ofwhich bullonc.'d togetherto form a tw(}-man tent, were not made by the ConfcderatN. ahhouRh many <;Dldiers did mana~e

flfapolls

37

Richmond Armory riflrd muskets, the earliflil Iype on lOp and the blo:r modo:! belo_ ;1. (Russ Pri(chardfMih.... u.kee Puhlic

Museum)

field: of these, 10,000 were thought to have been discarded by Confederate soldiers who traded them for be\1er weapons found on the field. Imports played a large role in arming the infantry. Of these, 75 per cent were English made, mostly copies of the P1853 Enfield; 20 per cent were from Austria, mostly the ~1185-J rifled musket, of \\hich 100,000 were imported; and the remaining lhe pcr cent were from France, Belgium and various Cerman stalcs. The major English supplier was the London ArmOUr) \\ hich. by Februar)' 1863, had shipp(:d 70,gSo rifled muskets, 9.715 rifles and 354 carbincs 10 Southern ports. Thereafter this compan) shipped 1,300 rifled muskets a month until the end of the war. Captured rifle- and musket-making machinery from the Harper's Ferry Armory was also sent South. ~Iachinery for making rifl<"'d muskets weill to the Richmond Armory, which produced some 11,762 \\eapons. These rifled 1ll1l~k(,L~ were close copics of the US Springfield, except that the lockplate had the 'hump' designed for a ~hynard primcr, and brass nose caps and butt plates were used. Rifle machinery went to Fayetteville, North Carolina, where some 20,000 rifles were produced before that cit} 's capture in 1865. The rifles were copies of the US ~11855, 49! ins. long. They had locks like those of the Springfield, and brass barrel bands, nose caps, butt platcs and trigger guards. Copies of the Enfield rifle were produced b} Cook & Brother, a private concern which manufactured some 20,000 "t\\o-band' riflcs and a much smallel'" number of 'three·band' rifled muskets. Ilool'" copies of the Enfield were also

produc<..od in the T}ler, Texas, Armory. Other Southt'm private makers copied the ),,118.1-2 rifle, albeit in relatively small numbers. A handful of British-made sharpshooter'S' rifles were also impol"ll.."d. These were or the Enfield type, which resembled the Pl85S short rifle; the Whitworth rifle; and the Kerr, which was similar to the PI858 Enfield. All of these models were 0.45 in. calibre. Each longarm was fiw..'d to takt' a sling, yet not all weapons were actually issued with slings: indct..d . the Richmond Arsenal issued onl} 115,087 musket and Carbine slings in three and a half years, although it issued 323,23' lon~arms. t.:ntil 1864 the average issue sling \\ as made of cotton cloth. \\ ith a lcather·rcinrorced section puncht-od to take the adjustment hool.. After 1864 leather ~Iings were issued.

Cavalry Longanns In ~larch 1862 an ordnance officer wrOtc that Col. Nathan Bedford Forrcst had said "that the doublebarrel shotgun is the best gUll with which the eavalrycan be armed'. However, a more traditional weapon in thc shape of a single-shot, muzzlcloading copy of the Enfield carbine was adopted as the rcgulation Confederate cavalry longann in October 1863. A factory was set up to make these at TallaSS(.:c, Alabama; but it was not until Apl;1 1865 that their first 900 carbines were shipped too late to be of much use. Such carbines \\ere also made by Cook & Brother, and imported from England; and the Richmond Armory made some 2,800 shOT! carbine \-ersionsoftheir rifled muskets. A number of Southern makers also product-xl copics of the Inltule·loading, single-shot :\1185-1- US carbine. Brtloch-Ioading carbincs. as used b} mosl l'S

-

...

n.. Lhrft ...od",lll o( F.)·",uevme Annory ri.O~ Lh", _rlies'.1 Lh", lOp • ...tIa'KI .1 Ihe bollam. UJr.e che Rich.onoad "'''''''palUl, Lhese were ....de with dies capl.. red (rom che Harper's Ferry ""'--l. (R.. n PrildoardfMih....-.kee P.. buc M _ ) Do:lail o( tbe lodoplate o( Ihe (uaaI Fay,",ue.-ille rifl"" "hawu.!I Lhe disti..nin s-'haped hammer. These "'ere a>n0"!l Lh", fin"",. Sa.. Lhe.... "'upanll ....d"'. (R"JlJl Pritchard)

cavalry regiments, \\ere more efficient and faster shooting, and were therefore prized as war boOly. The S.C. Robinson Arms :\Ianufactory was set up in Richmond to make copies of the brcech·loading Sharps carbine in 1862. The factory produced some 1,882 of them before it was taken O\'er by the governmelll on 1 ~larch ,863: eventually iLS production totalled 5,200 carbin(.'S. The 'Richmond Sharps' quickly got a bad reputation for bursting on firing, however. Even though the rumour was unfounded, it persisted, and the 'Richmond Sharps' remained unpopular with the cavalry throughout the war. Olher brccch.loading carbines werc made by George Morse (aboul 1,000 weapons, using brass celli refire cartridges), andJ. H. Tarpley (this type having a rising breech to takc a paper'\Happed cartridge), Other brccch·loaders which used a paper·\\rapped cartridge wcre the .Perry' or ':\Iaynard' carbine; and the 'rising block' carbines, whose manufacturers arc unknown today. Weapons which took a brass cartridge, such as the .\Iorsc carbine and captured Northern models like the Burnside and Spencer, prcsclllt.."d the Confederate Ordnance Ot..'partmelll with a prob-

!em. The) had \·irtuall) no facilities to make such ammunition; it was not ullIil far on in the war that they finally set lip suitable plants, and by then it was tOO late 10 do them much good. This meant that many ofthl' best captun'd US Army carbines could not be used by the Confederates, except on an individual basis with chance·found pouchfuls of cartridges.

Handguns According to the Confederate Ordnance Departmelli'S Field ,\!rwual of 1862, ·Colt·s pistol is used in our scrvice, and is constructed on the re\'oh'ing principle, with a cylinder containing six chambers and a rifled barrel.' Copies of these revokers, usually in 0.36 in. calibre, were made by Griswold & Gunnison production: 3,600 rc\-olvers , L..ccrh & Rigdon 350, Rigdon & Ansley 2,330, The Columbus Fire .\nllS :\Ianufacturing Co. 7..')00.

39

\\ere cruddy cast, or cvcn beaten out ofsheet brass: heav) copper concentrations ga\-e them a red appearance. ~Ietal scabbards often had brass rings. and Schneider & Glassick 14-. Some of these, chapt'S and throats, \\ hile leather scabbards were notably the Gris\\old & Gunnison models, used often sewn along the edge of the blade rather than brass frames rather than steel because of suppl) up the centre of the back as on CS scabbards. Imported British sabrcs \\ere used to some shortages. Spiller & Burr and the ~lacon Arsenal produced degree, especially the PI853 ca\alr) sabre; and W. some 1,400 brass·framed copies of the i'i'orthern Walsoll(·id of Solingel1, GlTmany, also made some Whitney 0.36 in. calibre re\-oher. Quantities of Conf<.'deratc swords. Finall), as with enTy other import<.'d Deane·Adams, Beaumont-Adams, Kerr Conft.'derate necessity, captured US swords were Army and William Tranter re\ohers came from widely us<."(1. In addition, many soldiers brought knivcs from England; and Lcfaucheu pinfire, Deviscm, TheS(: knives, with blades ranging from 6 ins. home. Raphael, Perrin, and Houllier et Blanchard to 18 ins. long, were sometimes abandont'd later as re\-ohers came from France, impractical; but many Southerners, used to carrying knives in civilian life, kept them to the end. Edged Weapons Lances wcre issued to a number of cavalry units Except for special swords for musicians, which wcre not made in the South, the Confederates copicd including at \cast one company of the 5\h Virginia every regulation US model sword. Officially, these Cavalry, several companies of the 4th and 5th wcre copiL'S of the US ~11840 cavalry sabre, the Texas }.'!Ollllted Volunteers, and the 21st, 24th and 1\11860 light cavalry sabrc, the 1\11833 dragoon 25th Texas Cavalry Regiments in carly 1862; Col. sabre, the l\1 1840 light artillery sabre, the 1\11833 Joseph O. Shelb)·s cavalry brigade in south-wcst foot artillery sword, the 1\118.10 non·commissioncd 1\lissouri also appear to ha\e had lances in 1862. In officer's sword, and the 1\11850 foot officer's sword. February 1861 Cen.Joseph E.Johnston requested Generally, Southern-made swords are marked by lancers armed \\ ith lOft. ash shafts with a 7 or 8 in. their crudeness. Blades rarely had the StOpped head. The lances he had in his arm), he wrote, were double fullers of i'i'orthern swords. Grips were poor, 'man) of them of hea\-) wood and too short, usuall) wrapped in oilcloth or bro\\ n leather the heads too thin and unnccessaril) broad·. The typical Conf<.'derate lance appears to ha\'e secured b) a single, or at best double, strand of had an 8 ft. ash ~tarrwith a 10 in. flat spear point Ii copper. bra'" or iron wire, often untwisted. Hilts T ..-o rnu.n1e-loacliD« Rkhmoowl Annory cavalry carbines.. They ..... tinl., tuo than eul-do..... Ulf.nlry riAt:d rnuskfOtS. (R...... Prilcha.rdjMil P.blic M .........)

ins, wide, A pennon of the design of the first Confederatc national flag" as auachcd to thc stafi~ and a leather \\rist loop was tacked half·way up it; an iron fcrru!t' shod th(' foot. Lances were largely abandoned by the end of r86:.t, except by some state defence troops,

Ti,e Plates . 1,.' PrilVl/~, b!fant':,)'. JfKj, This man ,\ears Ihe popular ovcrshin as a jackel. He has a hea,'} &\\i(, kniw, typically made with a '0' 1{uard: such kni\('" '\('1'(' commonl} brought from home, but many werc 10M or abandoned as useless wcil;"ht afteronl} a shon time. His musket is a C'S ~1183.) Aillllock OUI of sheer necessity Rimlocks remained common UllIil laiC 1862, even though lon~ obsolete. A,;.>: Pril"QI~, .ph T~\as bifantry R~glmml, ,!XiI

B.'lsed on an original photograph of a privatc III Company H, tth Texas I nfantr} Regiment taken in 1861, Ihis man ,\ears a lypieal 'sack coat'. His waisl belt and carlricl~c box sling arc of painled canvas doth, and he carries a Southern-made tin canlccn. His havcrsack is of thc type issu('d to the US Arm} during the I\lexican Amcrican War of 1846 48. His weapon is a US 1\118.12 smoothbore percllssion mmkcl.

.43: !'i'Ht Sa,~f(//II, !..ollisia1l(J bif(/1I1("f,

1m,

Varimions of th(' regulation frock coat were common ill 18G I, He also wcars a while cotton 'havelock' OWl' his cap generall} these \\ere soon abandoned, and usccl for coff('(' filters and gun patches. Ilis sword is a Southern-made "ersion of the CS .\rm} non-eonHni ....~ion('d officer's patlent, and his bcltplale is
B,: ! ,ulJtmanl·Cofan,f.. Irlill":)'. 1!Xi::! Officers ~en('l'all} wore costumes closer to regulation dr~ than did enliSled men, and caps \\ere also IN;~ unmual alllonl;" commissioned ranks. :\ole gold trouscr \\ elt: and <;('C Piau: FifoI' jackel cu(f bulton layout. This offic{'r's sabre is a Southernmade copy oflhe L'S lighl artillcry officer's model although ca,'alry-type sabres were l"quall)', if nOi more popular Ihan thC' o\Cr-curved light artillel'} model. The regulation sash worn here ,\ould not last lon~ in Ihe field. The cannon in Ihe backs;round is the 3 in., 10pelr. 'I>arrolt rifle', of\\ hieh numbers were captured from Ihe Union armies: this iron muzzle-loader was til(' most common rifled pit'ce in Southern SCl'\iCt,.

T.p.

H''''_,

a Cook &. Brol-her arlillery m">ikeIGOnj II Cook 6; Brothu cavalry CIIrbme. Close cop;e. or lhe British Army'.. iss ..e weapoD, l-he carbine WIUi c:b05f:n •• th.. eonf'.,.t.. rale ClIIv.Iry'. offici.llong.rm in 186;). (R..... PritchardfMil...·....._ Public MUSf'um)

"

Tb~ So.. d>~ra·nutd~ ! in. blorn.l,.ad is 0(0.52 in. c:al.ib....,. It was probably mad~ by N. T. Rn.d of Dan..rn~, VirpAia. (Russ Pnte:.... rdj

Tbu. 'risinll bloclr;' .,.rbine i!t 401 i... loDII with a 2' in. barrel Mad~ w;th all.i ...... mmmtin,!tll,;1 ill in o.so i ... aoJib....,. h. maker is uaknown. Thill .,.rbin.e, l.ik~ th~ 11010..... aJKI P~rry, i. JOh...... with .h~ breech ope'" (R.... Pritchard)

The most popular of all Confederate ordnance was the bronze, smoothbore 12·pdr. ':'\apoleon' ~118S7 gun-howitzer,. Despile Ihe rifle's greater range and accuracy, the smoothbore fired fasler having fully fixed .ammunition ; and al normal battle ranges, especially in wooded country, it was at leasl as eff«Live as the rifle. The 'i\apolcon' was made in many Soulhern foundries. PrilVlt~. ArrilltT),. J/Xi2 For some reason, more pholographs show artillery enlisted men in regulation double-breasted frock coats Ihan men from any other branch of scn-ice. This man. laken from a pholograph of a corporal in the HanO'cr, \'irgillia, Artiller) \aries from thc regulations onl) in that his trousers arc grt') wilh a red stripe down each leg. Ilc wears a bell and primer pouch, in which arc kept Ihe friction primers used to fire Ihe cannon. His kepi is taken from one worn by a member of the Richmond Howitzers and now in the Museum of the Confederacy.

82:

JJj.' Private, Artillery, 1862 The jadel shown here is taken from one worn in 1864 by a pr'ivale of the Washington Artillery of New Orleans; note Ihe belt loops on the side, as well as the red Irim. He has a US Army gunner's haversack slung over his shoulder. This was used to CMry ammunition from Ihe limber chests-which were positioned well behind the cannon in actionso that loose ammunition \\ould nOI have 10 be carried exposed.

CI: Captain, Comity, 1/Xi2

:\loulllcd officers preferred short 'roundaboul' jackeLS 10 regulation frock CIXI.LS. Thc regulation

4'

Tb~

bra!>... rramed, o.SO in. calibre .,.rbine m.ad~ by Gro~~ It uHd a rnelaU;~ .,.r1I'id&e, lIOm~thinll rare in th~ Co.fed~MlCY, which rou.d it
Austrian knot of rank al:>o\c Ihe cufrs was often not worn. This captain is equipped with an Enghshmade snake buckle; a cap box from the Selma, Alabama, Arsenal and a SOUlhern-made holsler, with thl' piSIOI butt to till' l"ear, arc hidden on his right hip; and a cavalry officer's sabre made by Thomas Griswold & Co., New Orleans. The plumed slouch hat was a COlllmon aflcctation of Confederale cavalrymen. Since most Soulherners were used 10 riding In civilian life, using English saddles, Ihe adopted regulation military saddle was Ihe 'Jenifer' pattern, seen here. 11 used an English scat wilh a military pommel and cantle from which equipmenl could be sllspended, and a surcingle passing Ihrough sloLS in the naps. It \\ as an cas) riding saddle, bUI il was found to wear on a horse's backbone and withers when Ihe horse gre\\ thinner. It was therefore replaced in Ihe fall of 1863 by Ihe US Arm)'s :\IcClcllan saddle. The official saddle blankel was 'dark gra) color. \\ ilh a rcd border 3 inches wide. 3

inches from the edge. The letters C.S., 6 inches high, of orange color. in the centre of the blanket.' In actual praCliee. virtually an) type of blanket was u~. Other horse furniture, such as bridk and bit, \\as US Army styk. G':!: Fint Lielltmanl, Alabama CQt'ldry. //Xi:! It was common e\Cn until mid-1862 for Confederate officers to use US Arm) instead of Confederatc rank insignia, as worn by this figure based on a photograph of an Alabama ca\'alr) officer. Ilis belt plate is an Alabama issue model, \\ hile his sabre was made by L. Ilaiman & Bro., a SOllthern company. His cap pOlich is Englishmade, alld his holster is similar to the US Anny issue type.

G'.1: Sngeant J/ajor. Carol')'.

/lYi2

Because of their fl.'ding of being an Clite force. it appears that cavalr) men tried to obtain yellow material for their facings even though it was uncommon for many other branches of service LO \\ear facing colours. Thissergeant major's carbine is a copy of the Enfield t) pc made b) Cook & Brother. and his Southern-made copy of the US cavalr) sabre \\ as made b) C. Hammond. /)1:

Primlf, 2nd ,\laD'land hifantry Rfgimmt, /863

Pre-war Zouave-style uniforms worll by the i\laryland Guard were apparently saved for dress occasions, such as this preparation for a parade in Richmond. The Guard itself served first in a Virginia OUlfit; then, when :\Iaryland units were raised, they transferrccl to the 1st i\taryland Battalion, most of \\ hose members joined the .:md i\laryland Infalltr) Regiment when the 1St Battalion was disbanded In 1862. The 2nd i\laryland successfully assaulted the Union works on Culp's Hill, ncar Gettysburg, Oil '2Jul) 1863, but \\ere unsuccessful in an attack mounted on the 3rd in conjunclion with Pid:eu's Charge, The regiment lost hea\;ly at Getty~burg, but went on to be commended for its stand at Cold Harbor in [864-. Two jackets of this style, worn by ~larylalld Confederates, survived the war and are today in the i\luseum of the Confederac). The uniform is a good example of the Southern version of the French Zouan:' dress. His beltplatc is the ~Iaryland \ersion ofthr st;llnl:k~1 bras.<; plate. broul;"ht South Ii-om its

1'J".,

Spill~r

.... Burr ......·ol"'~r, with ;1.. brs"l1

cylind~r, baonmer

...,jlh •

del.chabl~

rrson~

.Dd iroa

and bar....L This .......oh·~r IiOm~lim~. liho.. ld~r litock.. (Run Pritchard)

oun~

Northern maker. Other Confederate Zouave uniforms were similar in design, although details \'aried from unit to unit. /)2: Bandsma". /f¥j3 This soldier"s hat is taken from one in the ~llIseum of the Confederacy, \\ hile his waistcoat is in a ~tississippi collection. [t has small US general service bultons dowll the woollen front, which has a Co."l.TSe bro\\ n cloth backing; leather wear-strips on the bottom inside edge; and muslin lining. Its back is bro\\ n polished cotton. and it has a small beh on the back for size adjusllnenL The shirt sho\\ n here was an imported British Arm) item dated [859; the original on(' was worn by an officer in the 1st Virginia Artillery. This soldier's trousers, taken from a pair \\orn b)' a Washington Artillery enlisted man in 1864-. arc mcdiunH\'cight charcoal gre) wool; Ihe exterior stitchin~ used black thread. \\ hile the interior stitching was in \\ hitI..'. His band instrument is an o\cr·the·shoulder B flat tenor saxhorn. the most popular type of brass instrument of the period.

/)3: CorptJrai. Prtsidf1l(s Guard, d¥i3 The President's Guard was made up of soldiers no longer capable of the physical endea\'ours needed in the field. II \\a5 neatly uniformed. This man's cap and cartrid~e boxes were apparcntly made by the same maker, \\ ho embossed the letteTS 'es' into the outer flaps. Ilis waist bell plate is regul:11ion oval 'es' model. £1; Primlt. Itifantry, /!Xj3 The typic.al Confederate infantryman in the field. I lis jacket is taken from an ori~nal made in Xorth

43

still being worn b) Confederatc prisoners as laiC as 1864. His h;l\'(.'l'sack is captured US Army issue.

A copy orthIE Colt 0.]6 iD.. N.,.,y re~·oh~r producm by Griswold ... G.-nisoa.. The pililol has. b ...,.. r... me _it.h '" 7t u... barrel "Th.iII par1iaalar __ po" i. • ta,,,r mod"" .nth '" partly OCUlSO..... ~I hoWJltl!'""'"'l'arliu pililOl1i had rQundNi bousi..al:L (RuB PriIC.... rd)

Carolina and i<;$uc.'d to a ~tar>land soldier; it is lim..-d in \\ hi Ie COlton drill. and has IWO pockels inside the fronlS. He is armed with a Richmond .\rmOT) v('r<;ion or tht' ~11861 SprillKfield, and his frame buckle is the 'w'ishbollc' type. His carlridgc box is also Richmond-made: its O\al copper 'CS' Rap plate is hidden here.

£2: Ordnonu Srrgtonl. :..'Oth •'"orth CArolma !rifant')' Rtglmml. ilX)] Photographs indicat(· Ihat ~orth Carolina ordnance sergeants. \\ hoscjob was normally 10 pass Qui ammunition and to secure abandoned weapons from the battlefield, also carried regimental colours al times. Usually an ordinal') S(.'rgeant carried the colour. On 17 February 186+ the Confederate Congress created the rank of 'ensign', \\ ho was to wear the insignia of a first lieutenant, and whose duty was to '1)(',11' the colors of the regiment'. Each Confederate regimellt carried only one colour. This NCO carries a version oft he Arm) ofNortbern Virginia battldlag, adopted in September 1861 as being easier to diflcrCllliate from the US national colour on the battlefield. Diflt.Tent sizes were authorised lor the d iflCrenl branches ofservice: 4- ft.square lor infantry, 3 ft.-square for artillery, and 21 fl.-squarc for' cavalry. (Not all infantry colours werc made s
£3.' Dru",,,,", "ifantry, IlKJ3 No special insignia was ordered to be worn b) Confederate musicians, nor \\ as there any regulation design for drums. N"c\ertheless, drums were important both for keeping thc beat on the march and for passing on orders in the field and in camp. The white cotton web drum sling was apparently the most common type i~uoo.

F,: '\(alor, .Irtilln:.r. JIll/ \-P(1t ~tlll

.... l.llldlll~ 1U','1 .1 .!

III ,I ... it·~I' !J.IlIe'!\_

thi.. ultl\l" rq;ul.tllun frock coat. His insignia is worn on the lay-dO\\ n collar. cut in ci\'ilian style; nOte roo trouser stripe. He is holding a Southern-made foot arliller, sword, lhe only \\eapon issut.'(!to foot artillerymen for their defence, 1Il.IJIIl \\1·.11 .....Ilumlllull \ ,II l,tlloll

F2: Q.uartnmastn &rgmnt, .Jrtilln:.)', 1$-/ This quartermaster s('rgealll holds the 'guide flag' of the Palmetto Bauer, from South Caroljna. His Southern-made sabre, producoo b) Hayden & Whildcn, is a good cOP) of Ihc CS Army's light artillery sabre, Ilis bchplatc is an interesting \'anation on the standard t)PC, lacking the laurel wreath on the fcmak piccc.

1'3.' Second LUll/manl, Artill")', 11Xi., This officer w'cars another common version of the moumoo officer's jackct; it is single-breasted, and has the regulation Austrian knot on the sleevcs. Hc also wears the regulation sash, lighl artillery olTicer's sabre, and 'chassellt"'-paltcl'll kepi. (,'/.' Primte, hif(l1/try, 186, This view shows how Ihe infantryman's accoutrements hang from the rear. Ilis cartridge box was produced by the IIOliston, Texas. Ordnance Department in 186_~, \\ hile his canteen is taken from a wooden one carried by an Alabama soldier. His weapon is the Fayetteville Armor) rifle, and his hav(Tsack is a Southern-made white COllon model. G2: S"geant, 4th A'mtl/cAy lrifantry Regimmt, /fK5-/ The Western Confederate armies did nO! generall) ll~ thc St .\l1dre\\·s Cl'0'l..<; battlefla~ ofthl' Army of

CONt'E'.DERATE ARTILLERY Th., boIsie unil was Ih., baUery, initially of Sill

~ns

bUllal.,r uliually offou..-h., sboruoll" ofbor-Hli ....... chronic,

.nd •• .,.001)'.5 mid_.86
.86.

Th., bau"ry ....." conunanded by. ClIpl.in, ....d oft.,n kDow.. by hUi ....me (e'IIl' Carpntl.,r'. Ban.,ry, Snowdcn Aadrews's Bauery, Woolfolk'. Bauery). Baueri"" fo......ed;. often lOOk, aad kcpl for M""e y.,. ..... locallyebQOiC" lid.,. (e.s. the L)'IIlchbu"lll Artillery. Alexa..dria Artillery, Ge...... a.n Artill.,ry• .,Ie.); or ....... ca ref.,rri"lllo a famous fi!"rc (e.ll. Da,ili Artill.,ry. Pulaski ArtiU.,ry, dC.)' Two S...... uadu .1""",le""I. fo .....ed. HCIto.;and 0_ p.a., ilslimbC':-raad it. ~ _ formed. platooa, ....d.,r. liC':r'll.,...1 ('dUd of pi"",,'). ,...., crew ~ al fullsl~bUI ;. ....... "'hcn ,....ootl:obore .nilltry ofIta we..1 ;'to .ctio ith.........11., of rifte ~ cn:w ClIS..... ~ fro... inC...lry and cou.. t.,~nery fire ... e~ ofte.. murdcrowo., a.ny pusin& lroops nUllhl be pCKHd inlo service 10 help. Th., CSA had. motlC':)' collectio. ofSOUthe....rnad... capc...-ed US and imported p ~ and il _ .........._ 10 fiad th.-: dill'ercal calibru wilhia 0_ balt.,~ Iop.tic .iptmare. The riBed piccctIo-c th., populac J in. hrcou rifl_.,~ more .ccu.... t., and lons.,......... ~ tha.a th., .,Id.,rly ...._hborulikc Ib., ubiquilou.s l2-pdC. N.pol_a, b ..l had .........ed Icndcacy to b ....,. their sh.,Us in the srollAd befo~ ~lodi.rlS' lA bro"e. CO.... I..,., pIIrticuJ.rly, IhC':)' wc.rc ofI.,.. I.,... cfTec:t.i",e tha.a the smoothbo..... whicb h.rdly n'u buried illl spherical .m......... lio.... An.........tio.. iach,ded solid "hot, ~I....i,·., .h.,ll, lipberical case ("b .... p ..d), S .... pc 'bot .nd """;lilec. U .. lll .86] Lbe CSA dispcrt'Cd il.. anillery, o"e ballerypcr i..fanlry brilll.d.,. Thi" robbed Lbem ..fth.,CO.. cc.. I.... lion offirepo....u achie",ed by Ih" Union'_ ma..Hd ballrriC':5, ".IIl. at M.I"'"..... Hill. In winl.,r '86#6]lh., Arm)' ofNorth"rn Vi"(;';a Mp;an co..e"nl....linll han"ri.,. ;'10 balt:aliOns (e.s. I.o..S '1.-:1'. Corptl ia April '86s includlNl H...k.,I1'_ .nd Ilu!.,r'. 0..... Ih., latlrr mad., up ofMoody'_, Ficklinlll'... P.c"rr'.., 8..,ilh'.., T.ylor'•• nd Woolfol"'. Ball.,rie.. ~ E",.,n so, it .... 11 S.,...,....lIy conCC':ded th.1 Ih" COnfed.,.... I., .rI.iJI.,ry n.,,,er IIchie",ed Ihe lev.,1 of.,fTecli".,n.,as r.,.cbed by Ib., US Army. Th., diagram iUustral". Ihc.... ,n"g"" ofth" usual g.... drill, which w .... common 10 both sid.,..; C chiefofp'ece. G gunner:

J.,rr

sua

OR III.

<~""'''Rti'

.u- ....

lAdti':

(I) llponS"" Ihe b .. rrcl;(II) cak"". round from (5), who hall brought il front lh" limber;' biOI have ...... c.., and put.. il inlo Ih" mu",z.Ir. (I) C"Y"C""" hill .... mn.ing "I.ff, and ........".1 hom" whil" (3) co",.,,.,. ".,111 wiLb thumb 10 pre",enl .i...lrc.am i...ilinll Un.,,,linliluished spar (J) Ih.,n 1Il0l!'5 10 I.... il.nd I.... inll piece accordiDlillo orders of(G)., usinS bandllpik.,. (s), .h.,...... li..ll wilh (,), r"lu 10 limber for .Dolh.,r cound;.t Ii... hcc, (6) is C1:Iuing fUM_h.,., flcinS fused a.mn,urnlin.. (S)sho"'1NI ful'C 10 (G) befoce handinlll it to(a), 10 .,nIiUrc. correel inlerval C1:II. Aft"r IaY;"1l Lbe pi«" (G) SI.,plI 10 On" sid." wb.,.... he ca.n obsc.n''' faU of shol. and Ill;"'" Ih" onl.,r

'R.d.]' (,).nd (a)_lrp c1rar of recoil; (3) pric'" ~r1ridlil" ball: throulilb ".,IIt; (4) hook. I.... yard 10 frielinll_pull primer, and inKriS prim..... ;' '-""1. (3) Ih.,.. co....e... n,DI wilh hand 10 p,,,,,,,-.,Dt pr.,....lure discba"'!le. whil., ({) ""0"'" 10 .ide and ..... r. kcepiallianyard "lack..

,"'(3)IF".Ic:ps dC':llr 10 liide. and ({) punsla.yard.. (G) ord.,.... IIlWl ru.a fo ......rd .pia, ...d Hoq""'I1"" Ui rq>Cll1ed. A practised Crcw could 6re two to th.-: roundll • m;'UI.,. (Qlrh"la 1100")

£;~

~i ~~y(. 'load'

'Ready'

!\onhern Virginia; ill their ranks a \ariety or styles was obscncd. In Hardee's Division, later Cleburne's Division, the mOSt common colour carried was a variation or this blue and white 'Hardee' flag, \\ hich \\ as adopted in mid- .861. The colour was usually smOlIkI' than those of til{' Army of !\orthern Virginia: that of the 1St Arkansas Infantry was 3' ins. by 38 inches. Baltic honours \\(."re usually placoo on the edge of the flag. This dark blue nag is edged top, bottom and down the 'fly' in \\ hite. The battle honours arc

top

SIllLOII'VICKSBlR(; 186'2,

J[r

BATO~ ROl'GE,

bottom Mt'Rt'REESBOIU)-(: Ill( KA~IAt·GA. The ("Clllral "hite disc bears '4. K.· all letlering is black. Someofthe regiments of Polk's Corps had dark blue colours \"ith a red Greek cross and 1 1 \\ hite stars; and some regiments in the .\fIlly of Kemucky appt:ar to han' carrit'(l <."olouf""; likt, thaI of the 30th Arkansas (nfam!). \\hieh "as 40 ins. by 46 ins.. with a blue field bearing: a "hite St Andre" 's cross. That particular colour dOC!> not ha\e Slars now, but may han." had them originally. This sergeant's lloncommis:.ioned officer's s\\ord \\as made by Boyk, Gamble & :\lacFce, one of the largcst Southern s.....ord makers. His belt plate is the cast 'CS' type found mostly at \\'estel'll sites. His regiment is noted for having taken one of the greatest numbers of losscsofany Southern unit. The placc" as the Balllc of Shiloh, in which the 4th Kentucky lost 300 killed and 138 \\oundt'(l. Th.. id..nli.y d;,.c worn by D. W. Snyd.. r, a.il;;ilOt,..n. q .... rt..nn..sVirginia tnfanlry R"sirn.. nl. n .. di"c (not an is " ..m_o ....ch d;"n w.. re "v"r illSu.... by Ih., Coof .,r;II1....) wa .. mad .. fron. a .. i1.·.. r coin potisb.... ,.moolb 00 bolh sid.,,,. (Aulhor'. coll...,lion)

",r of lh., 561h

G3: Fi.rstl,i.eulnlGlIl, ,!lid Regilllml SOIlIIi Ctlrolina Riflej,

,1164 Allhough Confedcl'ate I'egulations do pr<..'SCribe a bullon for riflemen, no other indication of regulation riflc dn.'·ss is 10 be found. Nevertheless, rifle bUtlOIlS were madt" and rifle regiments such as this one \\ere organised. Green not as dark as British rifle green was the braneh·of·scrvice colour in the US Army and militia rifle units, and appears 10 ha\'e becn worn by Confederate riflemen as well. Lt.Joscph ~1. Adams, \\ hose photograph forms the basis for this figure, \\ore a ~ingle·breasted frock with green facings but without the Austrian knots. He is shown hert' with a Boy Ie & Gamble Southernmade copy of the CS foot officer's sword, and a rare two-piecc bdtplall: with fancy letters and the female piece lacking the usual \\ rcath. Adams was wounded and captured in an unusual night attack made by his regiment against Union forces attempting to relic\(' Chattanooga on 29 October 1863; he spent the rest of the war as a prisoner. HI: /)n'l'Ote, !lifa"try'. IlXij Some Southern-made o\ercoats were issued, but the)' were rare. This figure is taken from a painting by a Confederate \cteran, The fur cap and boots were probably obtained from home, as sllch items do not appe;:lr to h,we been issued 10 infantrymen, The soldier's buck It' is the 'Ceorwa' frame type. and hc has recciHd a Brili~h ArlllY cap pouch and cartridge box \\ ith his Enfield rifled musket.

/-12: Colonel. +Jth Georgia !lifalltry Regiment, d£5 Col. Raben A. Smilh of lhe 441h Georgia was photographed in a plain grey frock coal, wilh his rank insignia on his standing collar; yet lhis was not neccssarily the regimental norm since other photographs of omens from tbe same unit show a "ariet y or uniforms. mosl of 1hem doublc·breasted. Regardless of dress, however, the 44th were one of the South's loughest regiments; they led the assault al Chanccllorsvillc, driving the Union troops back over twO miles and capturing scveral cannon in the process. They paid a price of 121 officers and men killed, wounded and mjssing in this action. The cap badge shO\\ n here \\ as taken from the US Army infantry officer's cap badge. Such badges \\erc occasionally \\orn by Confederate officers, but on the whole \\'ere rarer than not. I':ote ~ky-blue

trouser stripes. His foot officer's sabre was made by Thomas Griswold & Co" :\'e\\ Orleans, one of the l>C!lt Southern s\\ord makers.

1/3: Pn"cau, InJanlr)" 1£65 This soldier illustrates to what extent captured lJS Arm) uniforms, accoutrements, and \\capons \\ere used. Ifhiscomradcsdid not kno\\ him, they might \\cll mistake him for a 'blue belly', His grey cap gin.,;; him away, as dOt's the heltplatc made by

hcating a US bchplate until the front fell off and only lhe frame was left. Otherwise, his cartridge box. cap box, waist belt, haversack, canteen, and ~11861 Colt cOlllract rine musket are alleS .\rlll) issue itcms captured and widely used b) the Confederates. Privall! Ja ....,.; J. Dodd, Company C, 41h South Carol...... C.valry Rf:5:irn.,nl, hold. an ;nu., Iighl ....\..Jry . .b,..,. Hi 1t buckl., app"ani ,0 .... Ih., Rlo'" .... mmon framl! typl', and h., hall

.. 'Slim Brownl!'_,llyl., .word bell. (Lib.....,. of Congr.,,,,,)

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47

Select Bibliography W. A. Albaugh, and E. N, Simmons. Co,ifrdrralt .Inns Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1957 \\'. B. Ed\\ards, Ginllrar GUIU i\e\\ York, 196;.! W. G. Gavin, Accoulmnml Plales. XOI'/h & Soulil;' ,I.KiS Philadelphia, 1963 F. A. Lord. Cil.11 iraI' Collellors E"O"'lloptdia Harrisbur~. )J('llIlS)hania. 19(3)

,$,

C. ~1(Carth), Dr/ailtll ,\/imllille qf Soldi" l.iji 1111 A"'!)1 of SorlhL11l I'irginia (Richmond, 188:.! Official, Regulations jor tlu .1m!)' oj tM ConJtdtr Statts Richmond, 1863 S. \\'. Syl~ia, and ~1. J. O'Donnell, 711t /l(us/Mld HlSto~)' OjC'llil Il'ar IUJies Oran~e, \'irl:;lnia. l!li8 F. P. Todd, el aL .Imtriean .\liJila~)' t:quippa~, 1851 dIp, I'o/lime /I (Providence, Rhode Island. 1977'

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