Osprey, Men-at-Arms #177 American Civil War Armies (2) Union Troops (1986) 95Ed OCR 8.12

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MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ARMIES 2 UNION TROOPS

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EDITOR: MARTIN WINDROW [llIDD I'1IUT....RY

MEN-AT-ARMS SERIES

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR ARMIES 2 UNION TROOPS Text by PHILIP KATCHER Colour plates by RONVOLSTAD

177

FiN publi~hed in (;1'<';[1 Brit.,in ill IqB6 h\ O'prn. ,Ill imprinl ofR,','d (:on,lImer Boob I.ld. .\Iidwlill lIome. 81 Fulh,ulI RO,ld. London S\\J hRB and. \udd,t1,d. .\klhOUflIt·. Sin~aporl' .Iml loronto t Cop~ r;~ht Iq8b Rl'ed IUIl'm.l\ion.11 Boob Ltd. Reprinted 19Hi. uAA:l 1\\ in' . HllkJ. I~)q(l. 1991. 19£).')

Artist's note Readers may care to nOte that the original paintings from which the colour plates in this book wcre prepared are available ror private sale. All reproduction copyright whatsoever is rctained by the puhri~h('r. ,\11 cnquirit:s should be addressed to: :'I.lodcl EmlXlrium 700 ~orthJohnson Suitc:--; . EI Cajon Californi'l 9~O:1O

•\11 ri~hb rC'o{"l"\'ro.. \p.lrt rrom 'Ill\ filiI' dealin~ fi)r the purpose or pn\,I\(" '(uch. n""'-'iul.'h. {T;tit:blll or Tt'\-ie\,. penn;Hed und.'r tl1l' COP\ ri~ht nt',i~'1I' and P,ltl'nl' .\0. CS,\ 1988. nil PJrt Oflhl' publit ,uion nM\ lX'repnxhKl'd. ,torr<1 in ,1 retrie\'011 '~'l("m. or tr,lll,mined in am filnll or The publishers TI.:gret that thc} can enter into no h~ all~ lJll'iln,. dt"uronit. d("uricl!. flll'mit'al. mcchanit'.ll. ('orropondcncc upon this matter. optical. phot()('OI" in~. I"(,fon:lin({ or mhl"" i...,,·. \\idIOUI the prior pt'nlll"i()ll of the ('(IP\'rir:ht 0\\ ner, 1.llquiri~ 'hould be addl"l"",-.("(I w tilt' I'ubli,h('r.. Author's Dote: This book is designed to give the reader a brief but rdalinl} comprelu:nsin: guide to the unifonns, accoutrements, insignia, and .... capons of the US Bnttill. Lihrary Calalogumg m PuhllCatlon Dola t\rmy's three basic combat anns be.ween 1861 and Katcher, Philip 1865. US Ci\'il War annics. ~Ien-at·arms series; 177 A good deal of emphasis will be found here on 2: Union artillery, ca\'alry, and infantry numbers and percentages. The reason is that these I. Confederate States of America. A"'!l'figures do more 10 demonstrate what was actually Equipment 2. Confederate States of America. used or worn than do generalities. If we know that Anny----Uniforms 3. United States. Amyo-twice as many caps were made as hats; and if \\c Equipmcnt History 4, Uniled Slatcs. A~ know that 75 per cent of lhe men in a particular Uniforms Hislory 5. Uniled Statcs-History sample wore caps; then we know that any modern Civil War, 1861 1865 F'
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AI11ericolZ CivillfflrA/771ies (2) iII/roOIlC/ioll The US Army during the Civil \\'ar \\ as the largest the country had raised in its brief hislOry; and it would remain the largest eycr raised until World War One. In all, 2,772,408 men served in some branch of the S Army during the Ci,;) \\'ar; of these, 93,44' were blacks who served in combat units of US Colored Troops. Xot all returned: 19~},045 descried man} to fe-enlist under a different name for the bounty: 183.287 died of disease; 61,362 wcrc killed in action, and 34,773 died later of wounds; 6.749 were posted as missing in action; 306 died of accidents, e.g. falling from trains; and '267 wcre executed for crimes such as desertion or murder. The basic combat arms were the artillery, cavalry, and infantry. In all, 57 artillery regiments, '22 heavy artillery companies and '232 light artillery batteries were organised. There were 258 cavalry regiments, and another 170 independent cavalry companies. A total of I ,666 infantry regiments were raised, as were another 306 independent infantry companies. The composition of each of these types of units was described in orders issued on I ivlay 1861. A volunteer infantry regimelH was to include ten companies, each with anc captain; one first lieutenant, one second lieutenant, one first sergeant, four sergeanlS, eight corporals, twO musicians, one wagoner, and between 64 and 82 privates. The regimental staff \\'ould comprise a colonel, a lieutenant-colonel, a m:.~or, a lieutenant to serve as adjutant, a chaplain, another lieutenant serving as a quartermaster, an assistant surgeon rated as a first lieutenant, a sergeant-major, a regimental quartermaster sergeant, a hospital steward, two principal musicians and 24 band members. \A regular army regiment differed in that it had IWO battalions, each with eight companies.

Drfipiu, the painted studio backdrop, thill ~.lly i5 _hat Lb" Union _ldi".. looked like ... th" fj"ld. H" .............. Lhill ca.-,. plaia ro... lte ClIP; Lbe 'Alck' coal with lbe colbr turned ..p; and dark bl.." .86. ~It....tio.. tro.. lOe..... Hi....." .. po.. i. th" Mlap .6g-...... moot.......... mu.k"t. (David Scb"inmaDJI)

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A volunteer cavalry regiment was to have four, (Bands were not mandatory; however, a survey five, or six squadrons (while a regular cavalry made in October 1861 showed that 143 oul of 200 regiment was to have three battalions, each with rcgimcllls did have their own bands. The cost of a two squadrons). Two companies made up a band was considerable, and in July 1862 it was squadron; each company had a captain, a first ordered that all regimental bandsmen be dislieutenant, a second lieutenanl, a first sergeant, a charged within 30 days. Thereafter, bands were company quanermaster-sergeant, four sergeants, confined to brigade or higher levels, or were made eight corporals, two buglers, two farriers and up of regular privates who did double duty as band blacksmiths, a saddler, a wagoner, and 56 privates. members.) The regimental staff comprised a colonel, a According to orders of 16 April 1861, each lieutenant-colonel, a major, a lieutenant serving as brigade was to consist or rour or more regiments, an adjutant, a quartennaster, an assistant surgeon, and each division, of two or more brigades. a chaplain, a sergeant-major, a regimental quanerThe basic unit was, however, the indi\;dual in master sergeant, a regimental commissary sergeant, the ranks the private. Although a larger pera hospital steward, two principal musicians, and 16 centage came from urban centres than was the case band members. in the Southern ann)', he \\as usually a fannboy. In An artiller) regiment had 12 batteries, each the great majorily of cases, this was his first and consisting of a caplain, one or twO first lieutenants, indeed onl) major trip from the small town area one or two second lieutenants, a first sergeant, a from which he came. He considered himselr, by the company quancnnasler sergeant, four to six standards or the period, fairly \\ell fed, paid, and sergeants, eight to 12 corporals, two musicians, IWO equipped. His pay was S 13 a month; although this to six artificers, a \\agoner, and between 58 and 122 was raised on I ~Ia) 1864 to SI6amonth,it was still privalcs. The regimental staff comprised a colonel, considerably less than lhe S20 a month made by lhe a lieutenant-coloncl, three majors, an adjutant, a average unskilled labourer in Connecticut JUSI regimental quartennaster and commissar)' a before lhe war. He received sufficient, albeit boring lieutenant', a chaplain, a quartermaster scrgealll, a rations, based on issucs of sailed meat and or the commissar)' sergeant, two principal musicians, a hard bread known as hardlack, bUI also including hospital steward, and 24 bandsmen. some attempts at providing more balanced nutrition. These included such items as desiccated Hat and <:ap badgn;: lOp. kji ,., rig"" artm"ry " ..li"l..d m"n; vegetables a compressed form of dried vegetablcs, sid"badg" for bal of all b ...... d."t!; <:a .....lry "nli.illl..d rn"n; boltom, infantry " ..listed rn"n. (Author'. c:olloection) largely lurnips and pease, which expanded in water

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to make an almost edible soup. His issued equipmclll was superior to that of his Confederate counterpart. It included a dress uniform consisting ofa dress hat and dark blue frock coat or uniform jackct, and a fatigue blouse and cap. Both were wom Wilh the same trousers. Initially, many of the issue uniform items were made of processed malerial called 'shoddy'. Gilbert Hays, 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, recalled: 'Our first clothing was mostly miserable shoddy foisted on the government by rascally contractors. The trousers, as soon as they got wel, went to pieces, and nearly every soldier could be seen going around with his knees seeking the fresh air.' Beller wool clothes were issued after the first rush for uniforms of any description, although shoddy was a profitable product in wool miJis and was used in making some clothing throughout the war. Black shoes known as 'brogans' and sufficient underwear were included in the issue. The soldier slung a cartridge box which held 60 rounds over his left shoulder and under his waistbelt, on which was hung his bayonet in its fragged scabbard, and a percussion cap box. From

Officers o(tI..,:md IHcla.......re tnf...alry di.playill! variation.... tbe u_of corps bad!". '.1 LI. Tbom. . Wenie, I.,fl, wea .... hi. [J Corps 1I..,foil on Ih .. lOp .urface of hi. McClellan-styl'" (orall" cap; th", lie.tena"l. n""1 10 him, and al ri!hl, wear !.heir bad!... oudinK! in m ..tallic b id Oil the .id... ofth.,ir doucb hats. Tb", lind, or 'C....zy O"la •• were Ih .. last unit 10 lea"'" lb.. field al Gaine.' Mill, and !.h'" firsl 10 c:balll:e al bo!.h frK!",ridu.bu'll: and G..lly bur!. (Aulbo.... colleaion)

his right shoulder he slung his waterproofed haversack for rations, and a wool-covered tin waterbottle over thal. His overcoat or blanket was carried in a waterproofed knapsack, or rolled with all oilcloth or shelter·llillfto make up a blanket roll slung from left shoulder to right hip. His weapon was, ifhe were an infantryman, a single-shol rifled percussion lock musket, or a carbine, pistol, and sabre if he were a cavalryman. Artillerymen were also issued swords for personal defence. General orders of 3 June 1862 in the Army of Ohio specified that each man should carry only one blanket. IWO shirts. two pairs of drawers, IWO pairs of socks. one jacket or blouse, one pair of pallts (lrousers), one pair ofshocs. and one hat or cap. In November this was amended to allow each man a greatcoat, two flannel shirts, and a tin cup, plate. knife, fork, Spooll. and lowel.

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Officcrs drcSSl'(l generally as their men, with sabres hanging from their left hips and pistols carried on their right. In the field there was often little to differentiate them from the mcn they commandl'd. It was not a dressy army. It did nOI appear to advantage on parade. But the men from whom it was drawn were down-t(rearth types who came to do ajob save their country rather than to stamp about parade grounds: and that, indeed, is what they did.

HCflrlgeor Both officers and mcn had t\\O types of hats issued: a dress hat, and a fatigue cap. Between ~Iay 1861 and October 186,; the Army bought 2,347S14 dress hats from contractors. These hats were officially made of black felt with a 6!·in.-tall cra\\ n and a 3i-in. brim, bound in black first li_l",nanl of Ih", 6110 N",w J",r,.,.,. lnC. Wtars a ribbed silk half an inch dlocp for officers, and made This co......"'rcia1Iy mad", m",'al '\'",n;oo of 110", III Corps diamond ....~th a double 1'0\" ofstitching instead ofthis binding bad~", ..u§p"'.......... lilt", a m .......1 on his b~alil_ .,.........00 praetic"" 6f>""clally amoo! office..... It", also ..·",an a black, forenlistro men. 1n actual practice these hats, made tnililary-styl", "-"';SI<»al, and a 1"'1'" walda chain.. (Aulhor's by greedy contractors, were often considerably ""Uo:diOD) smaller than regulation, \\ ith crowns as short as 51 ins and brims as narrow as ~:d ins wide. (Many same basic insignia in gold embroidcl), with a silver officers in fact preferrl'd these smaller hats.) The regimental number (but no company letter) above brims were (officially) hooked up, on the left side the cannon or sabres or within the loop of the (officially) for dismounted men and on the right for infantry's horn. Generally, dress hats were unpopular. The 63rd mounted, the hook concealed by a brass or embroidered cagle badge. Ostrich feathers-three Pennsylvania's Pte. Hays wrote: 'The hats caused for field grade officers, two for com pany grade, and considerable grumbling among the boys. They one for enlisted men were worn on the side of the were high, sliffaffairs, and had enough brass fixings about them to make a copper kettle. We only wore hat opjX>site the hooked-up brim. Besides the side badge, the hats were further them once, and were glad that they never asked us decorated with hat cords in mixed black and gold to wear them again.' Pte. Theodore Upson, loath Indiana Infantry, wrOte home in August 1861 that for officers and in branch-of-servicc~coloured the men liked their uniforms 'all except the hals. worsted for enlistcd men ending in two 2-in.-long tassels worn on the side of the hat opposite the They are redieulous [sic] things, and make me think fealher. A gold lace band was worn around the base of the pictures of lhe Pigrim Fathers.' Pte. Henry of the dress hats of the 2nd US Cavalry Regiment in Little, 7th New Hampshire Infantry, recalled that 1861, apparently as a rcgimelllal distinction, which 'the stiffening fairly got out of those old "keg hats" was unusual in the Army. On the front of the until they lopped "evcry \\hith-way".' r-.lost men enlisted man's hat was a brass Jagtr horn (bugle would have sympathist'd with the I 11th Pennhorn for the infalllry, crossed sabres, or crossed sylvania Infantl)' \\lho, as they passed across the cannon, with a brass :-in. regimental number and a Shenandoah River in late 1.a61, tossed their dress I-in. company letter above it. Officers wore the hats into lhe flowing waters bela.... the bridge.

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Despite this, somc Western regiments, including those of the Iron Brigade of thc Army of thc POlomac, wore their drcss hats in the llcld, though often without any insignia or furniturc. Indeed, a slUdy of Western troops photographed in the field shows 12 percent of them wearing their drcss hats as issued, although usually without any, or, at best, with very little in the way of insignia, feathers, or cords. For dress occasions light artillery officers and men were to \\car peaked shakos of the 1851-58 pattcrn, with red horsehair plumes, crossed cannon and eagle badgcs on the front, and worsted cords which passed around the shako and then down and across the soldicr's back and chcst. These werc \'ery rarely seen during thc war, although I iO of them were senl to the 23rd New York Artillcry in New Bern, North Carolina, in September 1863, and thereafter were stocked as a regular item by the Arm). A slight variation of the light artillery shako appeared in 186+, but, again, was little used during the war. The Anny purchased 15,738 of these shakos, in one form or another, made between ~Iay 1861 and October t865.lnJunc 1865, l.)4ofthcse wcrc in New York, 1,500 in Boston, 744 in Philadelphia, and 1,000 werc at Fort ~Ionroe, Virginia. The most popular cap was the issue forage, or fatigue cap. Besides making some 41,663 in their own depots, the US Army purchased 4,766,100 forage caps between May 186l and October 1865. In a study ofenlisted men photographed in the field with the Army of the POlomac between 186'2 and 1865,77.5 per cent of infantrymen wore these caps, and 85 per cent of the cavalrymen. A similar study of \Vestern troops, notably less dressy than those [rom the East, showed that only 7.5 percent of them wore forage caps, and none of them had any sort of insignia on their caps at all. These caps were made of dark blue wool with a stiff, circular sheet of pasteboard forming the top surface, and were taller at the rear than the front, so that the crown indincd forward, french kepi-style. The lining was of black or brown polished COllon, with a paper maker's label usually pasted to the inside of the tOp. The peak was of black glazed leather. Some peaks were horizontal, while others sloped down sharply over the wearer's eyes. Two small brass buttons securl.'d a black glazl.-d leather

Col. Tbc"n:t.lI CallS, 91h M.uachu""lIl1 Inf., w...,., • lypic:a.l fie1d~d.. offic..r'1I camp.;!o drUII. II .. h.... a I_fini~ plain btu.. 'rroc.k' wid. a lI;nsl......w or bullo and whic.. bre iJO ia • can''''11 •. nd brown luth.. r 'aportinS "h-.'. II;,. .....rat, radt ..r thaD • 1 lb.. r-co,<.. n>d scabbard. CaSII _ s 0_ or 3"" offic"r>;; and or lb .. 91b M.uachu_Iu· wbo W"N> killed.1 C.;nCll' Mill; aooth ..r '47 w ...... wounded, and :r.z .......... po,ned rni.niaS. (Aulhor'a COllc:et;OD)

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chinstrap, with a non-functioning brass sliding buckle usually worn in fronl. The chinstrap was adjustable so that it could be worn tight over the peak or under the chin. In addition, each soldier was to receive once every four years a cap covcr to be worn in foul weather. These were of black oil·clOlh, and fiued over the top and sides of the forage cap, held in place by the chinstrap buttons. Between i\lay 1861 and October 1865 the Army bought 674,586 cap covers from private suppliers. Obviously, not every cap had a matching cover; indeed, Pte. Edward Harlan, Thi. New Yor'" offie...r w .... n d." full d officer, ..... lh its .i..&le row ofbuuo epauleue friDS.... (Author'. collect )

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124th Pennsylvania Infantry, wrote in January 1863 that he and a friend made cap covers Olll of their rubber blankets. White linen or cotton havelocks, designed to prevent sunstroke, were also popular in 1861. These fitted over the cap like the oilcloth cover, secured by thc buttons, with a rear Aap which covered the neck. One original example has a 12-in.•long nap extending between the two side buttons. According to John D. Billings, lOth i\lassachusctts Light Artillery: 'if one of Ihese arucles survived active service three months 1 have yel 10 hear of it.' While not particularly auracuve, the gO\'ernment issue caps were usually well made. Billings wrote that many soldiers of the Army of the POlomac in 1862 did not wear issue caps: 'They bought the "McClellan cap", so called, at the hatten' instead, which in mOSt cases faded out in a month. This the government caps did not do, with all their awkward appearance. They may have been coarse and unfashionable to the eye, but the colors would sland. Nearly every man embe.llished his cap with the number and letter of his company and regiment and the appropriate emblem (for his branch of service and/or corps).' Many men did, indeed, so decorate their caps. It was regulation for company letters to be worn on the caps of enlisted men, and 'the distinctive ornament of the corps and regiment in front' of those of officers. In addition, after March 1863 a system of coloured cloth badges, usually worn on the hat or cap and indicating the wearer's corps and division, became official in many units. (These badges arc covered in detail below.) The infantrymen who did wear such badges appear, however, to have been largely thosc mcn serving in static posts. A study of pholographs of infantrymen of the Anny ofthc Potomac in the field indicates that 63-4 pCI' cent wore their caps with absolutely no decoration of
badge below a company letter and alxwc the regimental number. Two weeks later, orders repeated that corps badges were to be worn on cap tops and 'when soiled or lost they will be at once replaced'. Apparently this did not happen, as similar orders appeared with some frequency, as in February 1865, when orders staled that the corps badge should be worn along with 'the leners. figurcs, and bugle'. And on 26 March 1864 the following was noted in the orders of the 2nd Division, V Corps: 'That in addition to the division badge, every man will be required to have on his cap the number of his regiment.' l\ilounted men. who showed a bit more pride in their branch, not surprisingly tended to wear cap badges. A study of enlisted cavalrymen oflhe Army of the Potomac photographed in the field between 1862 and 1865 indicates that 60 per cent of them wore the crossed sabres insignia, often with company leltcrs and regimental numbers. Judging from photographs as well as from the quoted memoir of Pte. Billings it appears that few men wore '~IcClellan' caps after 1862; but the same cannot be said for officers. Indeed, a study of period photographs shows about three McClellan caps being worn by officers for every two issue·slylc caps. The major difference between the two was that McClellan caps were cut with lower sidcs more like the true French kipi of the period. Peaks were

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always Aat, and usually had green undersides, with a thin leather binding the patcnt leather tops and the green undersides together. These caps, also often known as 'chasseur caps', were often worn by Zouaves (whose dress is covered in detail below). For example. the pnd Pennsylvania Infantry wore sky blue chasseur caps with red piping around the outside of the crown and up all four sides. The 95th Pennsylvania Infantry wore the same cap but of dark blue. Officers of the 5th New York Infantry had these caps with dark blue bands and scarlet tops and sides, trimmed with gold braid. More commonly, however, Zouave enlisted men wore copies of the Algerian fez, wilh different coloured tassels. In much the same way. some non-Zouave officers also wore gold·t1;mmed caps. l\laj. Henry O'Neill of the 118th Pennsylvanja Infantry was described by the regiment's historian with a cap which 'on the top and around the brim, was braided with rows of gold tinsel'. This braid usually followed French Army style, with one line lip the' front, back and each side for lieutenants, IWO for captains, and three for field officers. The lOp sUlface usually bore a quatrefoil knOI in the same number of braids. Broad-brimmed, natural
nis N,.... Vork fi...-I li,..u"aaal ...... rs • eu~IODl.-Ia.ilored .....nioo or m,. r.lis"" sack wal, wilh pock,.t..; m,. ~Irl,. or ra~I"rUnl!: ooJ)' Ih,. lOp bUIlOo or • coal Or jack,.t ....." r."hio.... ble. Office...- oRea _0", waulik,. thi" "'''Iead ormar rrock coat _beo;o doe field. (Aulhor's collection)

were issued to the officers and men of the 16th New York Infantry in early 1862. Due to a fear that these made them st;:lnd out as targets, most of the Slraw hats were discarded during the Peninsular Campaign. A 22nd Massachuselts Infantry soldier recalled during that same campaign that in his unit, 'Some wore straw hats of every shape and color, others a black or white slouch, while many sported a vizorless cap of that unique paltern so well remembered by all old soldiers, almost impossible to describe, which had increased the brown in their faces 10 a rich mahogany.' It is quite possible these latter were some type of pillbox cap. Col. Elisha Kellogg, 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery, was described as wearing such a cap during an attack on Cold Harbor in 186+. Such caps, apparently 3 10 31 ins-tall, appear in two photographs of officers of the 4th US Colored Infamry. A field grade officer wears a gold chin strap pushed up o\'cr the lOp of the cTOwn, wilh an embroideTl-d Jag" horn badge in front. A company grade officcr has no chin strap, and wears a company letter on the frOnl of his cap. Often, in the field, enlisted men also wore non+ regulation headdress. Chaplain 1-1. P. ~Ioyer, 17th Pennsylvania Cavalry, s..'lw the men of his unil in a 'great diversity of hats, straw hats, high shiny silk hats, old fashioned bell crowned hats, sun bonnets, and "kiss me quicks", the broad-brimmed plantation hats being largely in the majority'. And Pte. John Faller, 7th Pennsylvania Reserve Infantry, wrote home in December 1861 that Union artillerymen in Virginia were 'running around with seccsh [Confederate I hats'. The broad-brimmc..x1 slouch hat was 1101 typical in the East, but it was the most popular hat Style among Western troops. Pte. Rice Bull, 1231"d New York Infantry, wrole thaI Western troops 'looked quite unlike our (Eastern) men... They all WOI'e large hats instead of caps.' Photographic evidence lends to bear this out, showing 82.7 percent ofsuch troops in plain broadbrimmed felt hats, 13 per cent of which were obviously civilian types sent from home. Others were cut-down dress hats: a l0ol-th Illinois Infantry private spent one day, according to his diary, in which he 'lowered the regulation felt hat, to a onestory affair' for members of his company.

Corps Badges Eventually a system of coloured cloth badges became official wear, representing the wearer's corps and worn on the cap lOp, hat side, or len breast. These started with the 'Kearny patch" adopted by .t\faj.Gcn. Philip Kearny on 27 June 186'2 to dist.inguish officers of his diYlsion from those ofother divisions. i'\ospecifie size, shape or material was ordered for thc original Kearny patch: onc 99th Pcnnsylvania Infamry soldier \Hote in October that he wanted 'a small star out of red flannel or any shape as you like best so I can sew it on my cap in memory of our late General Kearny'. Howcver, a 63rd Pennsylvania Infantry soldier r<.'Callcd that 'we werc all allowed to wear the old Kearny badge, which is a square I in. x 1 in. of deep red merino cloth'. In ~Iarch 1863 this systcm of cloth badge idcmification became official in the Army of the Potomac. Each corps had its own shape of badge, and these came in red (for Ihe corps' Ilrsl division), white (for the second division), or blue (for the third di\'ision . Both dark and light blue were used for the third di\lsion badges: Ptc. Isaac Snivel), 126th

Officer.. of Lbe 271h NY Lighl Art;)lery we..riDll the n.ounlN officer'.. short j ..ck.,1 wiLb .he 'Runian' "houlder knols pN:5cribc:d for horse art;)lery officers. In the original photo a red b id q .... trefoil knOI c..n be made o..t on .he lOp of Ih., McCI Uan cap h.,ld by Ih... R.an Iipcoad from lh... righl. (US Army Mil.HiJ;l.lnl;l.)

Pcnnsyh'ania Infantry, wrote in April 1863 that he wanted two dark bluc and two light bluc badges, and blue silk with which to sew them on. The badges \\crc: I Corps, a circle, adopted 21 ~larch 1863; II Corps, a trefoil (shaped like a stalked shamrock), adopted 21 March 1863; III Corps, a diamond or lozenge (Ihc artillery dividing the diamond into four small diamonds and using the division colour in the top and botlom diamond, adopted 21 i\larch 1863; /I' Corps, an equilateral triangle, adopted 26 April 1864; I' Corps, a i\laltese cross, adopted 21 ~Iarch 1863; n Corps, a Greek cross with the SI. Andrc\\ 's cross worn in the 1St and 2nd Divisions after 19 April 1864-, and green badges worn in the Light Division), adoptcd 21 ~Iarch 186]; VII Corps, a crcscent encircling a star, adopted 1June 1865: VIII Corps, a six-pointed star, nncr officially adoptl.-d but in use by 16July 1864; IX Corps, a shield wilh a fi~ur(' nine in. the centre,

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Corps, a four-pointed star, adopted '7 November 186+; XX Corps, a Slar green worn by the 4th Division), adopted 26 April 1864; XXI Corps, no badge; XX/I Corps, a cinquefoil, adopted 25 September 186+; XXIII Corps, a heraldic shield, adopted 25 Septcmber 186-1; XXIV Corps, a hean, adopted 18 ~Iarch 1865; and XXTeorps, a square, adopted 20 February 1865.

CoafS

Two infanlrymen in res .. lalion froo::k 0::..... 111. Allefl, the enli"l~ m .....'. d~1I11 hat worn ;n !he ~p1aljon manner, ahhough Ihe~ ..hould he • rqimenlal numher ;n rhe loop of Ihe h ..SId>o....... (Au!hor'1I ~Uefl.io.)

crossed with a fouled anchor and cannon (green worn in the 4th Division), adopted 10 April 1864; X Corps, a 'rour·bastioncd fort' shape, adopted 25July 186+; XI Corps, a crescent, adopted 21 i\larch 1863; XII Corps, a star, adopted 21 ~Iarch 1863; X/Il Corps, no badge; XIr' Corps, an acorn, adopted 26 ApriJ 1864; XV Corps, a cartridge box set transversely on a square with the mottO '40 Rounds' (yellow being worn in the ,ph Division), adopted 14 February 1865; XI'1 Corps, a circle with rour ~Iinie balls, thc points toward the cut.aut centre, not officiall) adopted; XI'/1 Corps, an arrow, adopted 26 February 1865; XVIII Corps, a cross with foliate sides (yellow worn by unattached cavalry), to be worn on the lert breast, adopted 7June 1864; .-\'IX 12

Officers' Coats Officers wore dark blue frock coats reaching down about two-thirds of the way between waist and knee, with a standing collar, three small bullons on each cun~ and pockets inlhe skirt folds. Field officers had two rows ofscven buttons each, while company grade officers had one row of nine buttons. Fordress occasions they wore gilt epaulettes, with the branch-of-scrvice indicau..'d by a coloured disc (red for artillery, yellow for cavalry, and sky blue for infantry) set on the cresccnl, with the regimental number embroiderl-d. on the disc in gold. The rank badges were worn on the epaulcttc strap, and included a sih'er eagle for a colonel; a silver leaffor a liclltenant·colonel; twosilvcr bars for a captain, and a single bar for a first lieutenant. Ficld officers had ~.in. thick bullion epaulette fringes, \vhile company grade officers had only i-in. thick fringes (hencc the lack of nced for a major's or a second lieutenant's insignia, these ranks wearing plain cpaulettes with the appropriate fringes . In the field, officers wore transvcrse shoulder straps of the same branch-of-service colour, 4 ins long by I~ ins widc, \vith a i-in. gold embroidery round the edges, and the rank insignia sct on each end. A colonel's eagle filled the entire strap; and a major was marked by a gold leaf at each end. In the Trans·i\lississippi area officers were allowed to wear their rank insignia 011 the left breast instead of shoulder straps, embroidered on an approximately 2·in. diameter disc of branch-of-scrvice colour, edged with gold. In the field, generally, officers often simply pinned metal rank badges directly on to lheir shoulders or collars. {vlounted officers were also allowed to wear single~ or double-breasted waist-length jackets,

Thi. Mali.achu"etn Ii~rg~ant w~arli a Common variat.ion of thc fr<>ek coat, with cuff piping pa .... Ud to th.. cuff edg.. inlit~ad of riliing to a poim_ variation oft~n li.. ~n among lroop" from thilililat~. Not .. thc fo.... gc cap badgc-.h.. con.pany lell~r 'I' and th~ huglchorn of th~ infantry with a doubl ..-digit r~l!im~ntal nu.rnbcr in th .. loop. (Author'. Collf:f:lion)

those of light artillery officers being marked by 'Russian' shoulder knots with the rank insi&rnia in sih'cr on the outcr. trefoil cnd, All officers not on dUly could wear plain dark blue coats with ~Iation buttons. In fact, this became a common field dress, as officers bought and wore copies of the enlisted man's fatigue "sack' coat.

Enlisted Men's Coats The enlisted foot soldier's dress coat was a frock coat

Th~

ono"t con.mon

dr~li"

coal ..... riation of.1I ill worn by lhis plain dark blu~ coat with no trim of any kind. (Author'. coll..ction) Conn~cticut corpo....' -

like that worn by orTicers, but pipcd with branch-of· service colour around lhe collar and on the cuffs. There was on(' row of nine buttons down the front, and two small buttons on each cuff. Brass shoulder scales made with rivets for regimental staff noncommissioned orTicers, slightly simpler for sergeants. and simpler )('t for corf.X)rals and pn\'ates were fixed to the dress coat. Thc governmcnt bought 1,881,727 foot dress coats betwcen ~Iay 1861 and June 1865. ~Iany men had company tailors lower their collars.

'3

J\loumcd mcn worc a jacket which reached worn with thisjackct. The government also made below the waistline, with a standing collar jackets of rather skimpier design for economy decorated with twO false bultonholes. There were reasons. These had only I I bultons down the fronl, 12 small buttons down the front, two on each side of with cuffs that could not be unbuttoned, and a the collar, and two on each curt II was trimmed single row of lace making up each false bultonhole with branch·of·scrvice colour around all edges of on the collar. Other dress jackets had shorter collars the collar, the tops of the cuffs, do\\n the front join, with only one false buttonhole. All told, the down back scams, and round the belt support govemment bought 1,104,161 dress jackets bepillars or rolls on the back. Shoulder scales were also tween ~Iay 1861 and June ,865. The fatigue drcssjackct was a 'sack coat' made of M..,.icia.a Andy Kuher of Co. D, '5O'Ih Pnan§yl nia Vol.lnf., dark blue flannel which reached half-way down the w.,.. dreu coat Willi bnn ahoulder scales, d Ihe fnomed ba or sky blue bnid 0" Ihe c:hq;l wh.ic:b marked .... lnr.... lry thigh, with an itbide pocket on the left breast, and mw;;icia.n. His c.......1i 'xii Iiuppons., oul .. f siKh.. a mu"icia..'s sword. The '50th PA WlIS o"e of the r.mous 'Pen..syh..... ia fastened with four coat buttons down the front. Buclr.lail' wUlS, UMI Kuher. alp hajj the "'II;me..laI dini...ction The~ came in four sizes: :\0. I, 36·in. breast, 30i ins or. buck's laiI.nacbed 10;1" lIid_ole d.allh.i" iJla ~ d-.l biUer lha.a ;1 is orte.. bo"....... reco ...lruClio..,.. A!ldy Kuh.,r long: No.2, 38-in. breast, 311 ins long; N"o. 3, 4o-in. ndi,ned ... Aupsi .86]" aDd died or ill.nq;s ... Decem'xr thc same y.,..r. (Rona Palm) breast, 3:l! ins long; and :\0. 4, 42-in. breast, 33t ins long. The government bought 3,685,755 lined sack coats, which \\crc, by regulation, for recruits only. and only I,Bog,270 unlined sack coats, indicating that more men wore lined than unlined. The lining was usually a coarse, thin gray flannel in the coat body, with muslin ~leeves. The go\ernmcllt also bought another 530,14<1 'knit' sack coalS. These coats were sometimes worn with the collars turned straight up, e\'en fastened together with hooks and e)-es sewn on them for that purpose. In practice, in some units the drcss coats were stored before taking the ficld, while in others the soldier had a ehoice of which coat to take. Photographs of groups of infantrymen of the Army of the Potomac in the field show that about 46 per cent wore frock coats, while another 46 per cent wore fatigue coats, with the rcst wearing some form of waist-length jade I. Plain dark bluejackets with standing collars and ninc brass buttons down the front appear to have bccn a commonly issued item by 1864, a large number of veterans being photographed in such jackets. or cavalrymen, however, only 43 per Cent wore their drcssjackets in the field. Non-commissioned grades wcre indicated by chevrons worn points down on both sleeves above the coal elbows. The grades were: sergeant major, three bars and arcs; quartermaster sergeant, threc bars and straight 'tics' three bars and one tie seems to mark a company quartermaster sergeant after 1863. although not officially until 1866; first sergeant, thrcc bars and a lozenge; sergeant, three bars; corporal, t\\O ba.....: and a pioneer. crossed

Cpl. WindllOr B. Sm.ith ofth... lil Main.. Caw "au .. common variatioo on th.. mo "ed _ _'. jaC....I, ilh o ..ly on" fal"" butto""ol.. loop Ih.. 10....... collar. Th.. jaC....1 b.eartl r"§ulatioD y..llo b id (rUn, but ail 11'0 of..... i .. Ihill p"'riod, il hall pholog " black. Smith _ s CIIpU.red by do" COafed..n" .,. .. th" W.. ldon Railroad in Mp,,,mb.,r '16.f; be _>I "",changed in April .8650 but bill h .....tth _>I b ........... aood h" n",..,r ....I..rned 10 a<:ti,-" duly_ (Aud.o"'. coJl..clion)

Buttons

Unu¥ually c\"ar porlrail, of a "'''''pany quar."rn,asl"r s .. rg.... nl .....aring I.h" regula lion mounled ",an's sho... jack..l. A pron,in"nl s"am up Ih" insid.. of Lh .. l"ss ¥hows Ih" doubled .... inforcem.. nl added 10 (h" l ..ouS...." of mounted p".."onn"l. (Rick Carlil.. )

halchets with 4i·in. long handles and 2·in. long bladcs. Cavalry saddlers appcar to have worn yellow cloth saddlc knivcs as unofficial slecve badges. Veterans were marked by branch-of-service colour half·chevrons i.e. diagonal bars' t in. wide, worn below the elbow, starting a tin. abo\-e the cuff trim, and extending from seam to scam, low at the front and high at the back. Scrvicc in war was marked by red edges I:sky blue in the artillery!. These service Stripes were ani) to be worn on dress coots.

Buttons on shirts and trousers were tinned iron, madc with four holcs for attachmCIll to the garmcnt. The officers' coat and waistcoat buttons, howc\'er, were, according to 18;; orders, 'gilt, convex, device a spread cagle wilh the leHer A, for Artillery, I, for Infantry, R, for Rifkmen, C, for Cavalry, 0, fol' Oragoons, otllhe shield; large size, ~ in. external diameter; small size, -! in. 'For all en lisled men yellow, t he same as used by the Artillery, &c.; omitting the letter in the shield. ' Waistcoats

Officers wcre allowed lO wear buff, \\ hite, or blue waistcoats, or 'vcsts' as the) \\ere knov.. n in America. In fact. these were worn by both officers and men, cspecially in cooler weather or while stationed in fixed locations. Tilt:)' actually came in both dark and sky blue--\\ hite or buff were rarely seen made with a slanding collar, and three or

'5

Ot/ler Ulliform Items

This r"simelua.! qu.rterm.ster ~rgeaDt _e.... the plain bl.." j.ckelliO O(leD..en> .... onr; ""!!,,rana;.; not" th" ""r",c", slnpe OD hi.. (on:arrnll. He holds .. non-eommi".. ionM offi"",r',, ",word. (Autbor'a .,..Uection)

Shirts Between May 1861 and OClOber 1865 the Army purch3S(.-d l I ,ogl ,639 shirts. They also bought 5,532,729 yards of Canton flannel (colton) and 8,3'4,692 of grey cloth, apparently mostly for making shirts. The Quartermaster described the shirts as being 'Zouave, gray,' knil, and flannel. The nanncl shirts were mostly grey. Ceneral orders in Ihe Army of Tenncssee in April 1862 poillled out thaI 'lhe regiments today went out in gray flannel shirts, which at a distance of 100 yards resembles the S(."Ccession uniform. Commanders ofregimems must never leave their camps for action unless the men wear the blue coat, jacket or blouse.' An original issue shirt in a private collection is made of heavy unbleached muslin. It has a twopiece collar with a tin bunon on one sidc and a button-hole on the other. ~Iade in pullover stylc, it has no other bunons down the frOIll. The cuffs were made by simply turning back lhesleevcs and 5Cwing them do\\ n, with onc tin bulton fastening each cuff. Thcre are no pockets. It has an inspector's mark and dalc on the rear shirt lail about an inch from the hem. A 22nd ~Iassachusctts privatc in :\Iovember 1862 drew 'a shirt (white cotton and wool shoddy, no shape or make)'; and Pte. Upson of the looth I ndiana wrote that issue shirts were 'rather coarse and scratchy'. Civilian shirts werc also worn. PIC. William Margraff, 6th Pennsylvania Reserves, wrote home in June ,86l for 'a couple of striped shirts and a line shirt'; and onc officer noted that sutlers did well after the Battle of Antietam because the men 'were willing to pay any price demanded for shirts.'

four slash pockets in front. One original sky blue vcst is madc ofa cotton-wool mixture cloth sim..ilar to, but much lighter than, the uniform trousers. ~Iost vests werc probably made of this lightcr cloth. The backs were of dark brown or black polished Callan, with a belt and buckle across the rear orthe waist for size adjustment. The small brass buttons bore the cagle and, in the case of officers, branch-ofservice initial letters. The Army purchased around Cravats 10,000 of them, apparently to he sold to officers or The Army boughl 745,814 leather stocks between men. May 186l and October 1865. Few were actually Most vcsts came from home. Sgu\laj. Lucius issuc...-d, and even fewer, apparcntly, were worn. Shattuck, 24th ~lichigan Infantry, wrOte home in They were of black lealher, 2 ins wide, curved to dip January 1863 that he wanted a 'military vcst of under the chin, '3~ ins long, with a 4t-in. long thin black cloth, single·breastcd, butloning to the chin'. leather strap l'o·in. wide mOUTHed at one end From photographs of Army of the Potomac enlisted fastened by a I·in. waistco..'lt buckle at the other. men, laken betwccn 1862 and 1864, it appears some There was a tooled line around the outer edge ofthe 22 per celli wore waistcoats, moslly in the colder stock. Officers wcre permitled 10 wear tics, but these mOlllhs. were not allowed to sho\\ at the collar opening.

Vests Pte. Leo Faller of the 7th Penns)kania Reserves \Hote home in October 186'2 that he had drawn 'brown knit undershirlS'. From photographs these appear to ha\"{~ no collar or cuffs, to be made of tan material, wllh onc bullon on the ncckband. and two more down a placket that stops about I ins above the navel. The) wcrc made in pullover·stylc. Trousers According to 1861 regulations, trousers were dark blue with, for regimental officers, ;a \."elt let in the oUler scam, oIH:-eighth of an inch in diameter, of colours corresponding to the facings.. .'. Enlisted men had dark blue lrousers, with branch-of-serviee Thill ""ddl.,r w.,....... Ib., falisu" .....,k coal wilh mounlord man'" lrou~...... His UDoffiea-.1 saddl.,r'" bad• ., ;ll ..-0.... On both sl~~·.,. jusl abo~·., Ih., .,Ibn..·". His spurrfll ridinS boot" ...., "-0.... illsid., Ih., I......H ..... (Ri.,k Coorlile)

Thill pri_t." idenlifiord as John B. Nick of 11•., 2nd Dislrie1 of Columbia lnI.Re&I... weau a CUSlom....... d., ~·.,...,.ioll ofth., sack ..... t: Ih...on.,.. ",",-n amon. ".,I.,nnS, IIOm.,ti....,s almOli1 10 lh., 1.,lIlth of a froe" ..... 1. H., weau • dark blu., mililary"'lyl., .......stc...u, and hill 10_, fairly llmall-brimmord black ..Iouch haT ill...,.,n On th., tabl.,. Th., ",s-im.,nl _ .. part of th., V Corps ofth., Army oflh., POlOma.,. (Aulhor'>! Coll",,"ion)

w.,...,

colour stripes d ins wide for sergeams and tin. wide for corporals. Photographs suggest that over balf the non-commissioned officers in the field did not bother to put stripes on their trouscrs these were not issued already made up \\~th stripes. The trouser colour was officiall) changed from dark to sky bluc 16 December t86l. with dark blue stripes for infamry non--commissioned officers. These trouscrs were d)ed sk) blue, a colour which acquired a somewhat greenish casl aftcr sc\'eral washings. i\lounted men also had a sN:ond layer of wool sewn as a reinforccment inside Ihe legs and under the crOlch. The Anny bought 6,068,049 pairs

,7

-.

Drawers Between ~lay 186. and October 1865 the Army purchased 10,738.365 pairs of drawers. Upson of the looth Indiana recalled drawing his first issue in 186[: 'Tbe drawers arc made of Canton flannel. Most of the boys had never worn drawers and they did not know what they were for and some ofthe old soldiers who are ht·re told tht'lll they \\ ere for an extra uniform to be \\om 011 parade and the) half bc:licn-d it: The dra\\ers, of a tan colour, \\ere made two-thirds of the kg length, with se\-eral bullons on the waistband and down the fly. Gaiters Gaiters \\ere not a regulation pari of the uniform, although the Quartermaster General wislH.:-d them to be regulation for the infantry as carly as .860. A ooe<:ond .ieul".... nl ....~rin~ th" offieer'1I o'-"reoal, ..';th ;ll. wrist.I"D~th cal"' and four black r~", and 10gl"l1 rallt"nin5 across Ihe che..-I. Th.i.. pa.r1icular rank ill indical~ by Ihe lack of "Ier"e .... nk insignia. (Author. collection)

"

"

'V \

•

•

Thi.§ ill apparaody" m",mher of thr US Sharpshoot., ( ..d~5 ....iII be co,'"ro:d in mor", derail i .. a (..lure ,"or lid",); lor hold.. " br-.:h.loading Sharp" ri8r. No,.. hi.. is"..., undershin_ .nd long can..... rilers. (Rick Carlile)

'·A,.,..,

of foot soldiers' trousers and 1,688,746 pairs for mounted men between 1\lay 1861 and October 1865.

Trousers came with five lin n) buttons and four buttons around the waisl for braces which were nOI issued '. Sometimes ,here was a beh lei illlo Ihe rear for size adjustment; but most had simply a slit illlhe rear, with two holes through which a pi(.."Cc oflwinc or rawhide was lied for size adjustment. Pockets \\cre cilhercul straight or made with Aaps. A watch pocket olllhc right waistband was usually included . .\ private in the l0-lth Illinois \\TOle lhal he had comcrt<.-d. "the old style pams pockets to square styles' for friends in his company.

,8

:\Ian) units appear to ha\'c drawn and \\orn them, howcycr, and nOl onl) the ZOU3ye units which received them as a standard part of their unifonn. PhOlographs of the I 10th Pennsylvania Infantry in spring 1863 show gaiters to havc been worn, even though the regiment's uniforms wcre unremarkable in all other respects, Pte, u.'Q Faller, 7th Pennsylvania Rcscrn~s, wrote that he dre\\ a 'pair of\\hite leggins' on 24 :\Iay 1862. And Confederate General John Gordon described a Union aHack at Antietam: ;Th(' cntire force, I conclud<.:d, was composed of fresh troops from Washington or some camp of instruClion. So far as 1 could sec, e\·ery soldier wore white gaiters around his ankles.· The troops in this attack the 5th :\Ia!")land, 1st Delaware. and 4th i'\cw York Infantr) Regiments had, indeed, been stationed around Washington before the baltic. An original pair, worn by a member of I h<.' I '4th Penns)lvania Infant!")'. arc made of heav)' white linen, lOi ins high, with six tin buttons down the outside. A Ii-in. black leathcr Strap is fixt:d with copper rivets inside, and passes under the instep to fastCll 10 the outside bottom bUllon.

Boots The infant!")"man's issue boot. or 'shoe' as it is known in Amcrica. \\ as an ankle·ltigh lact.'d boot, often made with the rougher flesh side of the black leather on the outside. Solcs came both pegged and sewn. In all, the Army bought 1,4,68,548 pairs of sewl).Sole shoes and 1,0/3,066 pairs with pegged soles. Each man \\as supposed to reccive four pairs of shoes a year, although mounted men could get two pairs of boots instead of shoes. These I:K>ots reached mid-calf; some 70 per cent of photographed cavalrymen wear them under their trousers, inSlead of tucking the trouscrs into the boots. Pte. William :\largraff, 6th Pennsylvania Rescrvcs, wrote home in November 1861: 'A pair of good I:K>ots is something that we can't get along without. .. Uncle Sam doesn't furnish us anything but shoes to wear in the winter. The shoes are very good oncs to wear in thc Slimmer, as they arc made wilh the best ofleather, and are made by the best of shoemakers.' The 7th Pennsylvania's Pte, FaUcI' agreed about the value of the boots over shoes, as the former, he wrote in November 186t, 'will be a great deal warmer'. But a number of soldiers

Col. J, Barr.,u S..-....in, 'uh NY c.v., ..-_n • 8~"'lrimmft! rroSgft! jack.,1 in.sl_d or an ov.,rcoal; Ihi" Europt:1ln'~lyle sarn,en' _ I I popular among mounH;d offic.,r~, Swaio wall appa ....nllya poor officer, hi§ .b"cnce 'in quarlen, ill' often Ming oOIft! wh.,n Ih., unil w.,nl intoaclion. He _a di"m;n...J in February .864. (Benft!ic, R. Maryniak)

disagreed with ~Iargraff about the qualit) of the issue shoe. Gen. Samuel CurLis \\ rote in February 1862: 'I find the men's shoes so miserable, the) havc worn them entirely out in six days' marching.' Ll. Moses Osmay, 104th Illinois Infantry, went further, writing: 'The shoes found by the gO\Trnmellt are often miserable frauds': and a nnd :\Iassachuscus infant!")'man wrote that he had been issued 'Aimsc) paper-soled contract brogans'. :\ilany officers and men preferred, at least Il1

'9

summer, to buy lighl-\\{~ight, combination white canvas and brown le.Hhcr 'sporting shoes': these had leather tocs, tics, beels, and soles. At times these were even i~utd ~Iargran' of the 6th Pennsylvania recalled recei\"ing 'a pair of nice white shocs' inJuly ,86, hut moreoflen they came from sutlers or from home.

Socks The Army bought 20.3'9.896 P<"lirs of grey or tan woollen socks during Ihe Civil War. Billings recalled: 'There was little attempt 10 repair the socks drawn from go\-ernment supplies. for they were generally of the shoddiest descriplion. and nOI worth it. In symmetry, Ihey were like an elbow of This ;"(''''''ry pri.... t., ..._ .... a dark bl"", .-.,....io.. of the (001 _)cli.,r's O""~I, _ell issu...d i... 86.; and th", liid., bad!., (rom th", drtli. bat is pi_~ 10 Ihe (ro... o( hi. fora«", cap. (D:.....d s......ia...an.. )

stove-pipe; nor did the likeness end there, for while the slove-pipe is open at both ends, so wcre the socks within fony-eight hours after putling them on.' Socks were often us<.od for gaiters. Pte. Robert Strong, J05th Illinois Regimelll, recalkod: 'Fordays we would march with our pants stuck in our stockings and the stockings held up by strings, with mud coming over tht· top ofour shoes at cvery step.' Overcoats

Commissioned officers \\ore dark blue overcoats with four black silk frogs across the chest, a detachable c."lPC which reached down to Ihe coal cuffs, and black silk braid on each cun· indicating rank. The numlX'r of braids ran from five for a colonel to one for a firs) liculenall(; second Iieulenants wore no braid. The fOOl enlisted man had a sky blue wool coal wilh a slanding collar, a single ro\\ of five bUllons, A cbshi..,. 6rre. ..-ilh dashi.« whi~"'rrs, adOplli a da... hin~ po!ir! I _ th., ~ul.tio.. n10Unlrd maa'ii d .....blr-brea.... tnl oped 0.-., , aad _ dre~~ hac "'om brim-dowa a ..d ""chout ia... i«ala.. (Ri<:k Carlile)

•

20

and all dbow-length (:ape thai fastened with six but tons. The moun\(:d soldier's coa I dilTcred only ill that it had a laydowll collar, twO rows ofbultons 011 the fronl, and a cape that reached the culTs. Between ~lay tB61 and October IB6S the Army bought '2,803>519 foot soldiers' O\'crcoats, 1,0'23,531 moun- In Septcmber 1861 the Army Ordered tO,OOO sets of ted soldiers' overcoats, and 3,1,710 'talmas'. A talma complete uniforms and accoutrements for French was a rublXT- or gutta 1>I:rcha-coated coat with Army cha.$jfurs a pi,d dr la lignr to be shipped the skevcs that reach<..'d to thc knee, which was following month, The shipmcnt included tellls and supposed to be issued 10 the cavalry; it lacked a knapsacks, but no officers' equipment. The dUJSsnJr cape, and was worn over the on:rcoaL Talmas \\ere coal \\ as a short dark blue frock \\ ith slits in the skirt not issued afta 186:2, \\ hen cavalrymen rccei\·OO sides, piped yello\\, and with fringed worsted epauleltcs. The trousc..... were blue-grey, and the ponchos in lI11'ir place. Because of the desperate rush to ~CI mcn clad, in Ahbou~b ~ulalio..~ called fo .. ehev....... 10 be wo", abo~·'" the October 1861 the Army issut.:d dark blue, black, elbow, the o~·e.-coal cape would h.,·e bidd"", them, ~ most l"CO~ "·Ore Ihem abou, Ih", o,""",re_1 "",fJ_,. does thi,. 6",t and even among Ohio Iroops brown on:-reoats as ""'~"'''I of N",w "or" ca~..lry, NOle, too, hi. M:arlet NCO'.. well as sk) blue ones. From laiC 1861 officers were psi.; : 1 Ihe 'ery Ia~", ..i"", of Ib", daamood abo~'''' Ih", in his ran" inl'ipia. Neilher the 510"'" .. Dr th", hilllh eh"',·o,o allo\\OO 10 \\ear enlisted mt.'l1'S O\'ercoats 'in lime of boou we..., i,. ue it",m.., (Ric" Carlil",) actualficld ser\ice' to make themselvcs less \·isible. Overcoats \\ere not al\\a)s popular.:-\ cannoneer with Lilly's Indiana It."ltter) wrote home in 186+ that he did not usc an on'reoal since 'it is more trouble than it is worth in rain) wealher.:-\ rubber poncho will keep me dr') and does not tire me to death to carry il and in cold weather the) do not do such a powerful sight of good in k<.."Cping one warm for they are split so far lip the back that they let the cold in on the rear, and do but little good. on the shoulder.' Anothcr aniller')'man solved this problem by lining his coat cape with rubber blanket material, 'so that on unbuttoning it ofl' the collar and turnin~ it wrong side out it became water proor.

LOllflveflllrI CllfI.Hfllr UtlifOnllS

Sashes Regimental officers were to wear crimson silk net sashes wilh silk bullion fringed ellds, passed twice around the waist and tied behind the left hip, the pendant part hanging no more than tB ins below the tic, First sergeants and above had rcd worsted sashes with worsled bullion fringe ends, worn in exactly the same manner. The Army purchased 25,717 sergeants' sashes between :"Iay IB61 and October 1865, Sashes were supposed to be worn on all occasions except for stable and fati&'Uc dutics, but were actually rarely worn in the ficld. In addition, the 'officer oft he day' was marked by wearing a sash across his body from right shoulder to left hip instead of around his waist.

ZOUAVE REGIMENTS

The following regimelllS were. at some point in their existencc, completely c
Unit

Cal)

Jacket

11th Indiana lil,,>t unifonn

(;rn kt·pi. rt'd UO"!l

Gr<'\

"'-'nmd uniform

liJ Ill' fl,r ,\I~t'

Black

Dark b[ul.'". fal:;e

jjrd ~r" Jt'r"ol'\

B1ul.'" kepi, rNI mill

D.lrk bluc

D.lrk Muc

111m" k". \cll(>\\ I.l.>-'>Cl

Darl. blul'

":K.lrlcl II~", blu.... las>c1

D,lrk hl\l('

":Karlet fez, hlul'. ,dlm\ l,h.,d, S(;,rkt Ii.,z, blu(' t""r1 [{nl It'z

331h ....l·" JeN."~ Ird :'\\'\\ York jIlt '\('\\

York

'jth Z\l'\\ York loth

~C\\

York

, J Ih

-"r",

York

Vesl

Shirt

Trim

Lil;lll blU(·. Rnl. ,,;r'e~

7 rou.rers Gr,·,

blu~

Ski hlul'

I.h;:lu blur Rcd.li~hl

blue Dark blul.'"

Sash

~k\

Ih'd, [i((hl

Dark, lil!;hl D.trk blue hlue bindinl!;

bhw

I),lrk, li'lhl D.lrk hlur hl,,(' bindin'l

D.trk blue

.\ la'l(·"I.1

I Uf(IUoi:;e

D,uk hlue

D,lfk hluc

.\Iediulll blur

.\Il."diurn blue

Red, lig:Ju blue ed~n.l!;

":K.lrI"1

O,lrk blul'

Dark bluc

.\!agellt,l

Turquoi~e

D,lfk hill!'

D"rk hrn\\ n

&arlel

[{"d

Sb blut.. red :-Ok} hlue. red ,tript_os e
Rl'd kz

D.•rk blue

Dark blut·

R,d

mue

Dad, blue

';Ih ....e" York

St.-.rkl fe-I. blu(' I,h\("l

Dark hlu,'

Dark bltw

.\ !."(elll.1

I urquoix-

D,lrl blu.'

I ph ....e\\ York

muc lor-u(e

DMl h[m-

R~I

D,lrl bluc

uniform included gaiters. These uniforms were opening of the jackets; some simply altered issue issued as a reward for proficiency in drill 10 the 18th jackelS with Zouave·likc trim, but otherwise wore i\lassachusellS Infantry, 6znd and 83rd I>enn- issue dress. In some unilS only onc company was sylvania Infantry, and 49th and 7~.!Ild New York turned out in Zouave dress-somcthing which Infantry Regiments, among Olhers, rarely lasted long, Still, there werc units dressed in i\lany other units also chose todrcss themselves in some version of the Zouavc uniform throughout the eopics of French Zouave uniform, made fashionable \\ar, and present at virtually evcry major battle. by the exploilS ofsueh regiments in the 18500 in the The tim"diire, a female sutlcrcss tricked out in a Crimea and Italy. Thcsc originally included dark form of military dress who accompanied thc troops, blue short jaekelS trimmed \\ ith rt:d tape, a dark was another French innovation popular with many blue vcst trimmed rl-d, very baggy red trousers. Zouave and Chasseur units, One soldier of the 99th leather-bound gaiters, and a red fez with a dark Pennsylvania Infantry \Hote home that john blue tassel, partly covered by a separate turban, \\'itherson's wife' was 'dressed in thc same manner Very few American units wore accurate copies of that the boys of the 23rd Pa. Regimcnt [sic). At a the authentic Zouave dress, ~Iost made the trousers distance you could hardly tell them from boys. narrower than the lI'ue Arab seroual; many had false They had just thc same as men do own Icy lsic] I did vCSt fronts permancntly attaclu..-xl 10 the front not Sec their revolvers.' An'otlwr vizl(Jlldihe was

Unil

Ca!1

Jaekel

J'est

Trim

Sash

'i'jnl :'\n\ Y"lk

Knl f,v, Idlo\\ t''',:.d

Dark hltH"

Dark blue

Y"llIm

~k\

!I.md :'1:1'\\ York

K,'d him'

D,lrk hluc

Dark hlul'

I'K,<'P rnl

Blu,'

K,'d k/, D.Jrk hlue hIm' la~ .....1 Ktd flo I: ,'(h:ed D.• rk hlut \\'110\\, dMk blu,' t.I!>:>':1 RI'(I f(-/. ..,h bluc rt:d t,lbCl

Dark blue

)cllo"

l.i~IJl

Dark blue

K.'d

D,uk hlu," hound 1'...:1

..,'" 1.1111'

~h

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Knl

<.,h blu,'

i-1th .\ell \/lrk I

I'Hh ,\"\\ )\lrk

qUlh .\tll Yurk Ibph ".\\ \01'1.: J b:'Jth

.\\"\\ York

f"I,

TrQusers him'

~h

bill('

~h

blue

I,,~,d

blue

hili,'

Ked

D'lrl. hluf' I.q)i

Dark hhw

D.lrk bluc

D.lrl. r..d

I Ul(lllOi'>l"

Dark hhl("

~,.rkllo.

O.lrk bluc

.\Iedium blue

Rtd ,'(I\{t-d li\{lu blu{"

Stilrlet

D.•r" hlue

Dill''' blue

.\1t'(liulII hlut R,'(I

hlut 1,1 ...,1 R..d

:Hth Ohin

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fl'/

R
S'"

bllle. rro ~,ripe" Dark blu\" pipt.-d rnl ~

11rd

I'cnrh~ h

i1ni,I

n!u(' li'fa\{(, ,I Jl

Dilrk hl\l('

Ilark blue

RNt

J!lld I'nuh\h,lni"

~h blu,' kq)l ,rimnu'(! rnI

Ilark bluc

Xon("

R,'(l

'Oil("

..,'" blue. rt'
Iblh Pt'llIbl 1\ ,1ni.1

n.lrk hlul' k/. n.,rk blue d.lrk h[u.· ta-w:-I I{("it kJ Dark hili\"

Gre\

\1,11.;,'nl.l

Rt'd

.\h-diuIII blue

Blu,' "qli trimmed red

:'\Oll\"

~


.mi,.

lI,jlh 1"'lIIh\ h .Wi,l , J

Ith

I>enn~\

1\ ;llli" R..d 1l:£.

)dlo\\ 1,lt"..1 I.j")lh P"nn,\ h .mi,l I{,'(I k/. hlue t....",,1

D"rk blue

Dark blue

D"rk hlue. D
Whitt'

\dlo\\ Him' RNI trimmed red I{t'(!

Sh hlu\" ~h l.i~hl

hlu\"

blue

Red

';.k~

Ydl,,\\

I{..d

...:I~ed

\1'110\\

D.lrk h1ue piped red

described by a 27th Pennsylvania infantryman: "She wore a blue zouave jacket, a shon skin trimmed with red braid, which reached to just below her knees, and trousers over a pair of boots, Beltplates She wore a men's sailor hat turned down.' E.liza The infantryman's oval brass lcad-backed waist Wilson the SIb Wisconsin Regiment was belt plate was 3.5 ins long by 2.225 ins wide, bearing described in 1862: 'She dresses in clothes of such the letters 'US' within a raised oval border on the pattern as the military board have ordered for front. There were two studs and a hook of brass nurses in the army, which is the Turkish costume. embedded in the lead on the back. &·tween 1 The color is bright brown; no crinoline; dress January 1861 and 30 J line 1866 the Army bought reaches halfway between the knee and ankle; upper 143,348 of these plates. sleeve loose, gathered at the wrist; pantalcttes same The infantryman's shoulder belt plate was also of color, wide but gathered tight around the ankle, stamped brass, lead-backed; it was circular, 21 ins black hat with plum(.'S, feet dressed in i\lorocco in diameter, with two iron wire loops all the back !:xxIts.' whieh slid through slits in the shoulder belt and were fastened b) inserting a strip of ra\\ hide. The design sho\\c
Accoutrelllellts

or

.!3

of laurel and a bundle of arrows. The same plate was worn on the NCO's sword belL J n fact, at least three soldiers were photographed wearing the shoulder belt pia Ie on their waisl belts. The Arm} bought '51,573 of these plates, and, despite their uselessness. 70 per cent of the infantrymen of the Arm} of the Potomac photographed in the field Ix-t\\cen 1862 and 1865 arc wearinR theln. The plate worn by officers. non-commissioned officers. and all mounted men was rcctangular, 1t

ins long: and 2.2 ins wide. Of cast brass, it borc the design of an eagle surroundL'd by a wreath, the wreath being made ofCennan ~il\'cr: it had a slot at one end through \\ hich the belt was passed. The Army bought 44.275 of thest· plates; man} more were prhatel} madc and sold directly to officers.

Belts The issuc infantT) \\ aist belt was of black leather, I.g ins wide and 38.5 ins long. with a leather loop or A. Rrse.nl-nl.jor ...-e.riDI the F......ch Cu.)#'.... unifDrm i""uM 10 a DUmber of r"'1!Uneol.. in Ihe Army of Ihe POlomac, and hotdinl an NCO'.. ..word. NOle !be britkl for .Uachinl epau1euu.1 the poinl ofthe shouJder, •.nd Ihe .-rench bo"N'! tk fHma-, eoonplele wilh 1.......1, Won> here asloe_ ...·i'h Ihe 'fron!' above the ouler cOrDer of hi .. 1.,f1 ey", (Michael J. McAf_) Officer" in Z"uu,'(' uoits I.,n.,rally "'or., r"lu"uion dr.,,,,, _ilh only "lighl diff.,renc.,,,; for in"lane", Ihey oflen wore red lrou"en of convendon.1 cuI if th.,ir on.,n were in red Zouul'e IrouSer,.. Cal'" wer" u",ually deco .... l.,d in Ihe French mann.,r, ali in Ihi" I'holOg .... ph of;ll <:a1'1.in: _ilh braid I'il'ing around Ih., band, "erlieaUy up Ihe four sid.,,,, around Ihe crown, and in a qualr",foi! 101001 on Ih" 101' surface. NOI" allio Ih" buuoned tab" on Ih., coat 10 secur., th., ""'ord bell in plac". (David Scbeinmann)

I: Colonel.. Infanl!"}', 1861 2: Sergeant major, Infanlry, 1861 3: I.l Ll., fnfantr).., 1861

3

2

A

I: Lt. Col.• C....alry. 1863 2: Serge.nl, Caval!")', 1863 3: CapUlin, Cavalry, 1863

1

B

2

I: Captain, Light Artillel'); 1864 2: Corporal. Light Artillery, 1864 3: Regt. Q:\tS, Heavy Artillel')', 1864

c

I: Pri".tf', Infantry. 1M3 2: 2nd Lt.. Infantry, 1863 3: 1.1 Sgt., Inr_try. 1863

3

2

o

MS, C.,'.lry. 1864 C I: o. O 1864 2: Private, Inran~r"}" 1864 3: !\Iuaician,..Ca,alry,

E

·n~. Infantry. 1862 1: Pri 3/Hb NJ VoL Inf•• 1864 2' Pri,'.te.. , ""'" . Ilth l\i'Y Vol. In , 3:'Pn\·.le,~

BRIGADE Ok SUTLER

2

F

I: Private, l55th PAVoL Inr.,I864 2: Captain, l55th PA Vol. Int., 18&t 3: Private, 3rd Div., XIII Corp.. 1864

G

r I: MUlici8..ll, 3ni Di,·., II Corp.. 186b 2: Priv.te, Light Artiller)', 186~ 3: Mitior, Artillery 186:;

H

a sU'ip of sheet brass bclll around to form loops at thc cnd. Belts wcre made of both bridlc and buff lcathcr. Between I January 1861 and 30Junc 1866 the Army bought or made 44.275 ofthcsc belts, in addition to 2,065,875 sets of complete infamry accoutrements. Thc sergeant's and musician's waist belt was 36 to 'lo ins long and I.g ins wide, with at onc cnd a brass hook fastened with three brass wirc rivcts, and at the other a brass loop which connectcd to the beltplatc. The Army bought or made 9,5gB clcarly insufficient for evcry NCO: not surprisingly, many wcrc photographed in thc private's bell. Thc non-commissioned officer's sword bclt was worn over the righl shouldcr 10 the left hip. It was of black buffleathcr, 2.3 ins wide; theshorl scction (i.e. that worn between the plate and the len hip frog) was 17 ins long, and the long section thai passed. up the back and over the shoulder, 40 ins long. It had a leather loop in front; and a frog with IWO sections, for the bayonet scabbard and the sword. The Anny made or bought 20,957 of these belts. The sabre belt was of black buff leather (sometimes bridlc lcathcr) between 36 and 40 ins long. It was 1.9 ins wide, with a squarc loop for attaching the slings and the shoulder strap. A brass

Photographed in abandoned Conf",d"ral" work .. n",ar c"nlr...

"ill", Virginia in March ,862, these diInly-fl""'"1l0Idierl appear

from their lilhou"n"" to indud" lorn" ZOU/l'..5, qU;I" po.."ibly from Ih" 23m P"nnsylvania Voluntee.... Th", fi!U~1 at ";ghl w""r baMY dark blu" Irou""..,., brown <2n,.... ga;l"r., ..bort dark blue jacket. with a row of button.. up each ..id., of d •., froot, an.d ordi..nary fo ....ge ClIps. Note IIO-Clllled 'Q...aker c:annon'-propped-.. p 1"lIl" ..!led by th" COnfed".... I"" d ..riog thei .. occupalioo of th...... poll;t;on. 10 fool the _nny into o .........".ti... uio~ thfir artillery .t.......gth. (US Army MiLHi.I.lJ>sl.)

hook was riveted on one end by three brass wire rivets, and a cast brass loop was sewn on the other end to connect with thc plate. The 4o-in. shouldcr strap was 1.125 ins wide, and had two brass hooks to allach to the bell. Therc were two sabrc slings, the front onc 17 ins long and thc fcar one 34 ins long. There was a brass sabre hook, from which the sabre was hung when dismounted, next to the frOllt sling on the lcft hip. The Army made or bought 304,365 of these belts for ca\'alrymen and another 73,139 for horse artillerymen, plus 196,351 completc SCts of ca\'alry accoutrements. The foot artiIJeryman's buff leather sword belt was made in thrce pieces, all I.g ins wide, connected togethcr by two brass loops. There was a frog on the left suspended to the loops by two slings, and a cast brass loop sewn on onc cnd to conncct to the bcltplatc. Thcse belts werc vcry little worn (only

33

1,500 were made or bought, most hea\') artillerymen recei\;ng the infanu)man's waist belt and accoutrements. Cap Boxes The box which held the copper percuSSIon caps was ofblack leather, 3 ins long and deep'and 11- ins wide, with an inner cover with end pieces. A hole on the bottom of the outer flap fastened onto a brass stud. There were two loops riveted to the back through

which the waistbeh was slipped. J nside a natural sheepskin strip It ins wide was glued and scwn to the back surface to keep the caps from falling out in action. On the left side was a steel wire cone·piek, 1.5 lOS long, with a t-in. diameter ring handle, carried in a loop. This was used to dcan out the musket cone, or nipple, if necessary. Between I January 1861 and 30June 1866 the Anny made or bought 376.305 cap boxes, in addition to complete equipment SCts. Co. A, 23m M,...".cbuu'IU InC. wore thi .. modified

7.(11,",."

uniCorm w;lh ralh",r narrow ,rouser",. relulalion Corag.. cal'> a ..d a jack"" .. Iai .... r 'han usual among 'h.." .. unit,,; l.h.. trim and ....sh are sky blue. (Rick Carlile)

wa"

A ....'"!.... nt oC ,h.. 95th P .. nnllyl ..... nia VoUnC. w ....... bill ZD-.... jack..- w;tb ordiaary inue trou.......... nd a tnililary...tyl.. .....aUt.,..t; ..ot.., 0" Lh.. leCt breast oC ebe .....isec_t, ebe VI Corps' Greek eros" badll", .ppa...... L1y iD a r.....cy (onn. (AuLhor'1l collectioll)

31

I

Bayonets and Scabbards The steel socket bayonets used with the Springfield and Enfield rine-muskCL~ wercsimilar. BOlh had 18in. long triangular-section blades and 3·in. sockets. Both moumed to the sight base stud on the tOP of the musket barrel. The US bayonet blade was ~ in. wide, the British-made blade was {l in. widc; the US shank was I! ins long, and the Enfield type was 1 in. long. The black bridle·leather Springfield bayonet scabbard was 19t ins long, with a brass chape, and a black buff-leather frog sewn and riveted together and to the scabbard at an angle. The Army acquired 416,290 bayonet scabbards additional to complete equipment sets purchased. Cartridge Boxes The cartridge box for the 0'58-in. calibre rifled musket was of heavy black leather, with a light upper-Ieathcr inner cover with end pieces sewn to it. One or the other nap was often marked with a maker's name and an Army inspector's mark. A strap sewn and riveted to the flap held the box closed by means ofa brass slUd. Under the flap, on

Top, Ih", brass bell pIal'" with an applied silv",r wr",ath, as worn by offic",rs and non-cornrnissioned offic",rs, and aU ",nlislm rn",n Ofrn(>unlNl. branch"",. &lfom left, Ih., circular brass plat., worn, wilh ditT.,r.,nl r.,ar flllingl!, On Ih", ",nlislm man's carlridg'" box crosS bell and th., NeO'l! sword beh. &,wm r;Kht, Ih", stamped brass pial", backNl. with I.,ad, worn on th., waist bdt by infantry .,nlislm rn.,n. (Author'" coll",ction)

the box front, was an implement JX'Cket for musket tools and patches. On the back were two vertical loops so it could be carriLxI on a waist belt, and two horizontal loops for the shoulder belt. An oval stamped brass plate, 31- ins by 2.2 ins and bearing the letters 'US', was centred on the outside of the nap. In late 1864 the Army began having the letters 'US' within an oval border stamped into the leather to save metal costs. I nside the box were two tins, each with a lowcr division, open in from, which held a bundle often cartridges; and two upper divisions, one containing six and the other four cartridges. Records show that an additional 190,684 of these boxes were made or bought between I January 1861 and 30 June 1866. The carlridge box could be carried on the waist belt (most Zouaves carried lhem this way), but only 5.3 per cent of regular Army of thc POlomac

35

The i.... ~ cap box had th~ belt loops both ...e......... d ri"~lftl on. Note i •• peclor's m.r" 00. th" Rap; th~.~00 m05t US Army Inth~r .cxo.. t ....m"nUl p .. rchased (rom pri..... ~ coo.t .... ctor&, and nch sub--inspeclor bad h.i. owe. Stainp. This oo.~ .....lb 'FA SNIfFEN/SUB-INSPECTOR' in two u n .ro.. nd 'U.s-/ORD.DEYT". (Au'.hor's collectioo.)

infantrymen photographed in the field carry the box on the waist belt. Indeed, II Corps orders said the box was not to 'be attached to the waist bell, but must besuspendcd from the cross belt, resting on the hip'. The carbine cartridge box for most carbines, such as the Sharps, was like the inr:"lntry cartridge box except that it had only two vertical belt loops on the back, and was smaller in depth. The Army acquired an additional 238,S200fthcse boxes during the war, and 171,264 of the similar but smaller pistol cartridge OOx.

1\1.ass

The fiUI mod~1 canridl{e box for the and .. bMqu~o.t rifted ..... sk~U1 had. ftparat"bl"lUspla""oo. the .... l~r Rap; as ... ecoo.omy ...__.. r~, the ~o~·~ro.rn~o.t " ..ned to r'q)lac~ th.is with th" "'me motif 5imply stamP"d into the Inlther (roD> t8l64. (A .. thor's coUecLioo.)

revolver butt. The tab that fastened to the stud was attached to the flap by a copper rivet and a semicircle of stitching. The Army bought or made an additional 32S.452 holsters between 1January 1861 and 30 June 1866.

Haversacks The basic issue haversack was made of black painted cotton. It was 12t ins by 3t ins by 13 ins, Waterbottles with a s-in. !lap buckled closed by a single leather The watcrboltle, or 'canteen' in American usage, strap. A Lin cup was often slung by the handle on was a tin oblate spheroid (i.e. looking rather like a this strap. Inside there was a white cotton bag for squashed cannonball!) with a pewter mouthpiece, carrying food, held in place by three tin bUllons. and three tin loops through which the white cotton Officially, the flaps were to be marked in white carrying strap passed. It was 7.8 ins in diameter, 2t pailll with the number and name of the regiment, ins thick in the centre, and held almost three pints. the company letter, and the soldier's number. These It had a cork stopper with a tin cap on top, held by markings wcre rarely seen in actual field use. an iron pin passing through the cork and turned According to regulations, the haversack was to be into a ring all lOp, the ring being attached by a worn on the left side, with the canteen worn over it. chain to one tin carrying strap loop to prcwnt loss. The Army bought or made 4,564,608 haversacks Some had concentric raised rings stamped into the front and back faces for added strength. The between 1January 1861 and 30Junc 1866. canteen was covered with grey, tan, sky blue, or dark bluc wool. Soldiers often wrote their names Holsters Holsters were made of black leather, shaped to be and unit designations on these covers. The Army worn on the right but with the bult to the front, with bought or made 5,200,614 canteens between 1 a !lap that buttoned to a brass stud co\·ering the Januaf)' 1861 and 30 June 1866.

Black-painted canvas haverliack, fa,nened whh a leather strap and buckle; the soldier used it to carry rations, in a separate cotton inner bag, and somenlnes ammunition. Tbe tag tied to the buckle here is a museun> identification. (N. Carolina MUlieum of History)

Knapsacks The most common issue knapsacks were of black painted canvas, with two bags atlached at the top and strapped together at the bOllom. The 'front' bag was J 3'l ins wide and [4 ins high; the 'rear' bag (that was worn against the body) was I I ins high and [4 ins wide. Three naTTOW leather straps on the bottom surface buckled tight to close the knapsack. Two leather loops on the lOp surface were used to hold leather straps for fastening a blanket roll to the top. Two 2-in. wide shoulder straps were sewn to the rear bag; these passed forward over the shoulders, ending in a brass stud which connected to two narrow straps roughly at the front of the shoulder. Onc of thesc narrow straps from each shoulder stud passed down, undcr the arm, and hooked to the rear bag, while the other was designed to hook to the front of the Nt [855 riReman's belt. As these belts wcre very rare, the user usually hooked the narrow straps aCross the chest into the opposite shoulder strap, or under the waist belt. Knapsacks were officially to be marked on the back with the regimental number It ins high, in yellow for artillery and white for infantry; inside, the company letter and soldier's number were to be marked, too. These markings were rarely seen after the knapsack's first issue. The Army bought or made 3,583,324 knapsacks between [J anuary [86 [ and go June 1866. Knapsacks were often not worn on campaign.

This iSliue _aterboule is covered with dirty tao doh, on _hich the original owner marked hi.. name and company letter on both sides. (Autho ....s collection)

Cpl. George Fowle, 39th Massachusetts Infantry, recalled in July [863 that his unit left their knapsacks behind, and he 'carried my overcoat with the cape cut off until Thursday when I left it besides the road. All I carry is a piece or shelter tent, rubber blanket, and the elothes I have on.' Such behaviour was typical ofa unit on the march. Even when the men werc not ordered to leave their knapsacks behind, many abandoned thcm anyway. A I 18th Pennsylvania infantryman recalled: 'The combrous [sic] knapsack had been abandoned for its less military substitute, and the roll of blanket, gum-blanket, and shelter half found ils place.. .' The 100lh Indiana's Pte. Upson recalled that 'all a good many carry is their blankct made into a roll wilh lheir rubber "poncho" whieh is doubled around and lied at the ends and hung over the left shoulder' .

Blankets, Shelter-halves and Ponchos The Army boughl or made 5,910,059 grey-brown wool and 1,893,007 rubber blankets and 1,596,559 ponchos between !january 1861 and 30June 1866. The wool blankets had the black letters 'US' stitched in the cell1re in outline form in letters 4 ins high, with 2t-in. black stripes at each narrow end. The blankets measured 7ft by 5tft, and so were large enough to roll up in. The rubber blankels and ponchos were made of rubber-coated or black-painted cotton. The differ· ence in the two appears to be that ponchos had a slil

37

3 ins wide and 16 ins long in the centre, and so could be worn over the head as a rain cape, while rubber blankets \,ere plain. Soldiers used both terms for the rubber or 'gum' blanket and the poncho in~ terchangeably, and it is not known now if infhntrymen received truc ponchos or just rubber blankets. Both were 60 ins wide by 7' ins long (a variation is 45 ins by 70 ins), with brass eyelets on the outer edge so that they could be tied over a tent for additional waterproofing. Soldiers orten painted the w ltite inner side with checkerboards or 'chucka-luck' boards. The shelter-half, which Billings said was ne"cr made of'anything heavier than COlton drilling', was srt 2 ins long by 4rt 8 ins wide originally, srt 6 ins by Sf! S ins from ,864; with nim' tin or zinc buttons on the top cdge and seven on the end. There were 23 buttonholes on the upper edge and sidc; thrcc loops wcre attach(.'CIto each end, and it came with a 6f! 10 in. manila line of six threads. According to Billings, 'two muskets with bayonets fixed were stuck creet into the ground the \\;dth of a half shelter apart. A guy rope which went with e\'cl)' half shelter was stretched between the trigger-guards of the muskets, and over this ridge pole thc ICnt was pitched in a twinkling.' Strong, a soldier of the losth Illinois, recalled: 'Two oflhe halves buttoned together and stretched over a pole made a shelter from the dew, but not much shelter from the rain. Six of them, the length of two with one at each end, would hold six men by a little crowding: Two "1;J;htJy dirreriD5 '·US;OD" of ,he P,8s3 Eafield rifted m ......et, wlt.ich _ . ,·ery.inlllar 10 Ihe US-m.ade rifted mu....et and _I' !he second mo"t widely "lied infantry lonJl:arm of !he .... r; aDd (detaiJ)thelockplateofa P,853 made in 8irmi"!ham under Nor!hern <:on' .... <:1-o' d ..... nOl have the in,er.,hanJl:e-

-

l!tojJol/.\' Infantry Longanns In a scramble to furnish infantry longarms for all the men who volunteered for service in ,86" the Army obtaint'CI weapons from anywhere and everywhere. The elite Iron Brigade of the Army of the POlOmac was described in January 1862 as having a mixture of Austrian rilled muskels Belgian rifled muskets, o.6g-in. caJibre Sprinv" smoothbore muskets that had been con" flint to percussion, and ::\11861 Springfield o.s8·in. c.tlibre rilled muskets. In the same year the 6gth Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment had PI8S3 Enfields, M 186, Springfields, and M 1842 Springfields. In 1863 the regiment received a hunch of Austrian, Prussian and Saxon rifled muskets. Itwas not until 186,~ that they were all armed with 0.S8in. or o'S77-in. Enfield calibre rifled muskcts. In

able pa..... fO"Dd OD Enfield_Inade weapoDB., ...d i.. !eDeraUy .... Iher more cnodely 6n;lihed ...... D ....... Ihe calie wi!h Bricish Army muskets. (Mil_.....ee Publi., Mulie.....; ...d Aucbor' • collection)

I--·~

the Army of tile Tennessee this mixed ammunition problem was solved on 21 April 1863, when arms were swilched about fmm company to company to ensure a standard calibre within, at least, each company. The basic infantry longarms included, nevertheless, the ~11842 smoothbore o.6g-in. calibre musket made in Springfield, ~Iassachusctts, and Harpers Ferry, Virginia. The Army modernised 14.182 of these weapons between 1856 and 1859, adding rifling and long-range sights. The ),11855 rifled musket, 0.5S-in. calibre, was the firsl rifled musket the Army designed to use the '~Linie' ball. II also featured a priming system using a roll of paper percussion caps which were automatically advanced to prime the weapon with each cocking of the hamlllcr. A total of 59,273 of these were made by the Army, while Eli Whitney, Jr., in Connecticut, also made a number under contract. As the ~11855 rifled muskcts were expensive to produce, \\ ith special long-range sights Ijke those on the PI853 Enfield and iron patch boxes in the stocks, in 1861 the Army introduced a simplified version of this weapon. It had a sight set only to three seuings, the furthest being 500 yards, and no automatic primer or patch box. The ~11861 became the standard infantry arm of the US Army during the war, and was produccd by government armouries and by 22 manufacturers in the US, Belgium, and Germany. A total of 670,617, of which 265,129 were made in Springfield, were made during the war. In 1863 a few changes were made to the M 1861, wilh the barrel bands now held in position with screws, like the PI853 Enfield, and the cone seal being f1allened \\Iilh the clean-out screw removed. A new S-shapcd hammer replaced the older one which had fitled over the patcnted M,855-type primer. In practice, it was found that the barrel bands worked loose under pmlonged firing; and in 1864 they were replaced with clips, and the screws on the bands were removed. Besides all the American-madc weapons, a number of foreign weapons were imported. The most popular of these was the long British P 1853 Enfield rifled muskct, of which 428,292 were bough I for Union troops, becoming the second standard infantry longarm. TIle ~11854 Austrian

The Coli 'Navy' .)6-;... re~'oh'u, .he m05C pop"lar "-"'PO" tiC the penod. (A... h"r'. _lIefti"..)

offi~r'..

o.54-in. Lorenz rifled musket was also popular, with some 226,294 of them being imported for the Army. The Anny also imported 141,570 Prussian muskets, 57,467 Belgian rifles, and 44,250 French rifles. While all these standard muzzle-loaders were being produced, technology was available for the production of breech-loaders, which would have been preferred by many infantrymen in the field. Ordnance, howevcr, feared that their introduction would simply Icad to a waste of ammunition. ~lorcovcr, thcy werc much more expensi,·c than the $13 1\11861 Springfield. StiU, many infantrymen did get breech-loaders. One of the most popular was the Sharps 1\1 1859 0.52-in. calibre rifle, which used a sliding breechblock opened by swinging the trigger guard down, Wilh a standard percussion cap and hammer. The Army bought 9,14' of these weapons. The Spencer rifle was more advanced, however, as it used a O.52-in. calibre ball fixed in a brass cartridge that contained ilS own primer; the rifle thus represented a whole new generation of weapons. These cartridges wcre loaded into a magazine tube that ran from the rear of the stock to the breech. The commander of Wilder's 'Lightning Brigade' wrotc Ihat his unit had 'repeatedly routed and driven largely superior forces of rebels, in some instanccs five or six timcs our number, and this rcsult is mainly due 10 our being armed with the Spencer repealing rifle.' Even with this endorsemcnt, the Army bought only 12,471 Spencers during the war. Another breech-loader that uS(.-d brass cartridges was the Henry. II was the ancestor of the famous Winchester Ihat 'won the West', and looked much like it, except that the breech was brass and there was no wooden forcstock. A tooth Indiana private wrote that he had bought a Henry from a wounded

39

97th Indiana soldier in ~lay 1864, to replace his issued muzzle-Ioadcr, for $35; a sum which shows what valuc hc placed all thc weapon, whcn onc considers his salary of $13 a momh. '1 am glad I could gct it,' hc wTOle home. 'They are good shooters and I likc to Ihink I havc so many shots in reservc.' Oncc again, despite such endorsements, thc Army bought only 1,731 Henry riOes out ofa war·time production of some 10,000. The issue sling for all infantry 10llgarms was russet brown leather, 1.15 ins wide and 46 illS long. II had a brass hook at one end fastened to lhe sling with twO brass rivets, and a leather loop at lhe othcr. They wcrc usually marked with a maker's name or inspector's mark. The Army bought or made 265,866 ofthcsc between 1January 1861 and 30June 1866-dearly, not ncarl) enough for C\'CT)' rifled musket it made or bought. Somc indication of \\ hat proportion of soldiers had slings on their weapons can be gained, for example, by the ordnance return of Co. B, 72nd Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment, dated 31 March 1863. The company had 20 Springfield rifled muskets, 17 Enfield rifled muskets, four Belgian rifles, and one Austrian rifled musket-a lotal of42longarms. However, while lhey had a full set of accoutrements for each soldier, there were only 15 gun slings in thc whole company. 'Thcre were, in addition, four ball screws, used in removing unfired ammunition from the bore; one spring vice, used in taking the lock parts apart; 15 screwdri"ers; six wipers, used in holding swabs when cleaning the musket borcs with the ramrods; and 20 tompions, wooden plugs used to keep lhe oore clean when not in usc.) Thill Colt 'A..my' .45-i... re ..olver W>lS c....ried by M ..j. A. W. Corlill' of 7th Sqo., Rhode "01....d Cavalry. {Chri. N",lsoo collectioo}

4°

Cavalry Longanns The longarm of the cavalryman was the carbinc, a \\eapon which came in an astonishing variety of models. The only official model was the US pistolcarbine, ~11855. This was simply a muzzle-loading, 0·58-in. calibre pistol, madc much like lhe ~11855 rifled musket, but with a handstock and, obviously, a shorter barrel. With it came a delachable stock that could be mounted on lO it to make a carbine. The pistol was carried in one holstcr, and the stock in another, on the saddle. Some 8,000 of these weapons werc made beforc the war began, and issued to the regular army cavalry regiments. They wcre rare among volunteer units. The most popular volunteer carbinc was probably the Spencer breech·loader. Like the Spencer infantr), rifle, it used a brass cartridge containing powdcr, bullet, and primer, and was loaded with a tubular magazine through the butL Over 110,500 Spencer carbines were bought by the Army after its introduction and before the war's end. Its dependability and high rate offire earned it high praise. One major wrote in i'\'lay 1864; 'We could have held our !>osilion against ally force brought before it, for widl the Spencer carbine, plenty ofammunition, and a determined sct of men, nothing can stand before them.' Another popular weapon, though nOt a repeater, was Ihe Sharps brt:'CCh-loading ~11859 or ~11863 carbine. Some 50,000 of both models werc bought by the Anny during the war. The)' wcre of 0.52-in. calibre, with a falling breech, and werc loaded individually with linen cartridges. Thc first models had brass barrel bands, trigger guards and butt plates, but these were made of iron on the 1863 model. The Burnside breech-loading carbine uscd a brass cartridgc, but also required a separate percussion cap: the cartridge was simply designed to prevent a flash through the gap between the receiver and breech. Therc were four models of Burnside carbines, all of which wcre of o.54-in. carbine; the second model had an improvccl breech locking system, the third had a wooden forestock and steel barrel band, and the fourth was shorter and had a sling swivel and blued steel finish. Between all four models, the Army bought 55,500 of these weapons. The Army also boughl 30,300 Smith carbines, a

0.50-in. calibrc brecch-loader which used Indiarubber or metallic foil cartridges. These were inscrtcd into a breech that open<:d by 'breaking' the weapon like a modern shotgun. Thc historian ofthc 1st ~tassachusctts Cavalry said that thcy were 'not a good weapon' and that they were disliked in his regiment. Part ofthe problem was that dirt particles around the breech could cause a flash in the firer's face after a number of shots. In addition to these main examples, a large varicty of carbines made by private manufacturers to their own designs wcre bought by the Army in smaller quantities. Among thesc werc the Gallagher (22,728 bought), the Starr (20,600), the Maynard (20,002), the ReminglOn (20,000). the Merrill (14-.495), the Joslyn (11.261), thc Cosmopolitan (9.342), the Warner (V>OI), the Ballard (1.5og), the Gibbs 1,°52 . , the Ball (1,002" the Palmer (1,001 i, the Lindner (8g2), and the Wesson (151). Th~ issue carbine belt was of black buff 01' bridle leather, 56 ins long and 2.5 ins wide. It had a brass buckle and tip, with a bright iron swivel and 'D' ring with a roller 2.62 ins long. Between I January 186 [ and 30 June [866 236,398 carbine belts were acquircd, in addition to complete sets.

Three US ArmYCIIIVlll.lry urhinell: "'P, Smith carbi..e carried by Sgt. F......klin I. Thoma.., Co. A, .uh 1l1inoill Cav.-the <:IItch in front ofth.. l.riggeraUowed it to be 'bro......' for reloadinllllike a "hOlsun; S..... repeater carried by ~ Bowers, 9th India..a c.v..;and bottom, Sh..-p" <:limed by Sgt. c.......day, lind Pe"""liyh.'lloia c.v. (anli NelliO.. collec:tioll)

U,,",.,

n.,.,,.

Handguns

As with carbines, there was no official model of handgun, nor did the Army make its own, depending instead on pnvate contractors. Throughout the war the Army bought some 374,000 revolvcrs for its officers and mounted men. Revolvers eame basically in two sizcs, thc 'Army' or o.44-in. calibre and the 'Navy' ofo.36-in. calibre. The designations do not indicale that soldiers used only 'Army' revolvers: indeed, lite handier so-called ;Navy' category was the more popular si7A: among officers who bought their own weapons. The most common revolver was made by Samuel Coh. It was six-shot, single-action, using selfconsuming cartridges and separate percussion caps; it had walnut grips, a brass lrigger guard, and all hardened steel cylinder, frame, and barrel. The Army bought 129,73° 'Army' revolvers and 17,110 M 1851 and M [861 'Navy' revolvers from Colt during lhe war. The revolvers had notched rramcs

4'

which accepted a detachable shoulder stock, bUi this feature was liule used in practice. The second most important revolver in terms of numbers was made by E. Remington and Sons. These weapons, which again came both in 'Army' and 'Navy' m
Edged Weapons Between I January 1861 and 30 June 1866 the Army bought Z03,z85 light cavalry sabres, 189, I 14 heavy cavalry sabres, 20,751 horse artillery sabres, 797 staff officers' swords, 1,279 cavalry officers' sabres, 2,038 foot officers' swords, 86,655 noncommissioned officers' swords, 33,531 musicians' swords, 2,152 foot artillery swords (clearly far too few to actually equip all foot artillery personnel), 300 cutlasses, and 4,301 lances (which were carried by the 6th Pennsylvanja Cavalry Regiment and some smaller commands until 1863, when the lance ,...as placed in store). The 41·in. light cavalry sabre was first made in 1857, with a curved blade I in. wide at the hilt, a

brass half-basket guard, Phrygian helmct pattern pommel, and black leather-wrapped grips bound with twisted brass wire with a swell in the centre. It was marked, as were all the Army's swords, at the top of the blade with the maker's name, date, and inspector's initials. The ~11840 heavy cavalry sabre was quitc similar, but with a blade an inch and a quarter wide at thc hilt. and with no swell in the grips. Both had iron scabbards with two rings. Officers used the same sabn:s but with floral designs cast into the hill. The ~11840 horse artillery sabre had a sharply curved blade with a single brass branch guard and Phrygian helmet pommel. The gTips were like those of the cavalry sabre. These weapons were disliked; but thcn again, as there were 13,81 I morc light anillerymcn than there were sabres for them, it is not surprising that the large majority of photographed light artillerymen, ifthey carry sabres at all and few do, carry light cavalry rather than artillery weapons. Officers used the same sabres with etched blades. The sabre knot for all enlisted men's sabres was of dark brown bridle or buff leather, I in. wide and 36 ins long, with one end of the strap fastencd to a 3-in. tassel; the other end was passed through the tassel after going around the sabre guard, and was fastened by one of the tassel tags. During the war years the Army bought 225,975 of them. The M 1833 fOOl artillery sword was even less used than the horse artillery sabre. It had a cast brass hilt with an cagle on the trilobate pommel and scales on the grip. The blade was I i ins wide at the hilt, and 25* ins long O\'erall. The M 1840 non-commissioned officer's sword had a straight 38!·in. blade and a cast brass hilt with a round pommel, a single branch, and imitation wire grips. Scabbards were leather with brass throats and chapes, although japanned black iron examples were sometimes issued. The 1\11840 musician's sword was virtually the same as the NCO sword, but was about Jt ins shorter and lacked counter-guards. The r..t 1850 staff and field officer's sword had a slightly curved blade JUSt over I in. wide at the hill. It was etched with military and Aoral designs and the national eagle. Similar designs and the Icltcrs 'US' wcrc ca~1 into the hilt. The scabbard was bright 01' bmwncd iron. The M 1860 staff and field

officer's sword had a straig:ht blade with an eagle and shield on the brass pommd, and a nickled steel scabbard. The ~11850 foot officer's sword was the common infantry officer's sword. It had a slightly curved blade just o\'er an inch wide at the hilt, which was engraved, and a brass hilt with fishskin-wrappcd grips bound with twisted brass wire. Overall length was around 36 ins. Scabbards were black leather of japanned iron.

Tile Plflfes ;II: CQIQn~l, InJantry, 1$1

This colonel wears the ficld·grade officer's full dress, with dress hat, frock coal, and the 186 r dark trousers. His regimental number appears all each epaulette, on a circle of sky blue, the infamry branch-of-scr\'ice colour. I-lis sword is the foot officer's sword. ...12:

Strg~ant

major. Infantry'. 1$1

This sergeant major \\ears the enlisted man's

\'ersion of the regulation full dress uniform, with a non--commissioned officer's sword, and staff noncommissioned officer's brass shoulder scales. Note also the national colour of the 13th Illinois Infantr)' Regiment, which was to be captured by Con· federate troops and kept in Richmond, Virginia. Found there when the city fell in 1865, it was the first US colour to fly over that city since Virginia left the Union in 1861. It is generally representative of all US infantry regimental national colours, although those carried by troops of some states differed slightl) e.g. those carried by Pennsyl\'ania infantI) units had the state seal painted or embroidered in the canton with the stars surrounding it. Inscription: '13 th 11.1.. '

A3: First

fieuft1lGT/f,

"!lantry,

1$1

In the ficld, many officers comillued wearing the The Iypical compan),1I:rade offic:.. r'. uniform in Ih .. fldd displ.fed by th..i.. Jroup frotn lJ>e 'lil Conneclicul Anill .. ry, phOIOJraphed near Yor..lo ....... Vi'llinia in nort)' .862. The man in lJ>e ....nlre ~r ha.. ao oilclOlb co.-er 0.. hi.. Cllp; .bere is a m;".ure of dar" aDd ....)' blue IroUs.e........ora o.·..r or iasid~ '-Ilii and a mi:Jnun of (o"'!l~ caps, o( bolJ> ~lar and
+3

with one or two rows of buttons by company grade or field grade officers respectively. This figure also displays the low, stylish 't\lcClellan' or 'Chasseur' style cap so popular with officers. Typical of many officers in the field, he wears plain issue enlisted man's trousers. CI.' Captain, Light Arrill"y, 186", The black slouch hat, although not regulation, was An iof_lry captain'. should"'r "Irap; Ih", baellin!! is l'ky blu", aile of the most popular forms of headgear among COIIOn, th", bord",r ....d rank bars .re ..tampnl m"tal m.ad", to ~mbl", "mbroid..ry. Th.. bars .re only pinned ill pJa~ both officers and men, especially those of the many o['6a....imply piD.ned th..on direcdy 10 sho,dd"'r or ",otlar, m.kin!! Ih..m I.... ",o...spicuou" io a",Lio... This ~pl.. mounted branches. The short mounted man's !wan. poot.....1 dale or.8 June ,86•. (AUlhor's "'oU...::tion) jacket worn by light artillery officers featured the frock coat, but with shoulder straps instead of 'Russian' shoulder knot with the sih-er insignia of epaulctlcs. This man wears Ihe regulation officer's rank at the outer end. Company grade officers used sword belt, and a pre·war style cap box with a this relatively simple shoulder knot, with one, two, shield-typc flap in frOIll. or three rows of braid according to rank. Field grade officers wore four rows of braid in a some,\ hal B/: Litutmllnl.colontl, Caralr;'. /863 more elaborate but basically similar design. Mounted officers wore the regula Lion frock coat, as docs this lieutenant-colonel. Branch-of·service R~ub.lion bUllo...s= lap, arl.m..ry aOld inraalry offiars'j ullm. colour formed Ihe background for the shoulder rill.. offiar'.. and ....H,ted "'an·... 6ot1Om• ....,.j"I"""1 or cuff bUllons of • .,._Iry offi",..r ....d an ",ntisllNI >nan. {Author's straps, here in cavalry ycllo\\. His cap has the .,.,U"CLi.... j pointed, narrow peak popular with many officers. He is anncd with a cavalry officer's sabre embellished with a metallic gold thread officer's sabre knot an itcm more gcnerally carried by cavalry officers than by those in other branches of service. Note here the rear cut of the officer's frock coat. B2: Strgtant, Condry, 1863

Many cavalrymen preferred to wear the dress jacket, without shoulder scales, ill the field. This NCO's fatigue cap has a branch-of-service badge, not generally worn by infantrymen but common in the cavalry. On his belt he carries-reading around from the right front hip-his cap box, bolster, pislol cartridge box, and carbine cartridge box. This cavalry sergeant holds a guidon of the type used from 1863. The earlier type was of the samc dimensions, but halved red over white. The lelters 'US' and the troop leller appeared on the top halfin white, and the regimental number on the boltom half, in rcd. B3: Captain, Caf:alry, IlKi3

The short, plain jacket was preferred by mounted officers to the frock coat for field use. It was worn

A morlar .,....w practi.,e in a _a.,o;olil iOlilanat;oo. NOI" ~'ariely or dark and I;«hl bID" lrousers. Th" Iwo office.... al ri«bl w~r re...-pecth·"ly a slouch hal and r.....,k coal, and a rora«" cap and ralipe bloUM. Th" Jeri-hand rroDI man or d,,, rour carryin« Lbe IiheU in the 'callipeMl' w~ the la,"«e leather «u_"r's ha~·ersaek. (US Army MiUlin.l "t.)

C2: OJrporaJ, Light ArtiJJny, tl6.J The full drcss of the light artillery included thisdress shako which was, in practice, ver, little worn. This corporal is a veteran, as indicated by the service stripe worn above each culT. The artillery wore their stripes edged in sky blue when showing wartime service, as all other branches had the stripes edged in rcd. His sabre is actually a cavalry model rather than the unpopular and relalively rare light artillery sabre. The guidon is thaI of lhe 19th Independent Battery, Ohio Veteran Volunteer Artillery, and is typical of light anillery guidons. The 19th served with Sherman from the Cumberland Gap to Atlanta; at the defence of Nashville; and finally at Durham Station, Nonh Carolina. The unit reccivcd 29 battle honours by the end of the war, some of which have already been marked on this colour. C3: RrgimmtaJ quartnmosln' sng~ant, lI~aL:J ArtilJny. dXi4 This regimental quartermaster sergeant wears the full drcss unifonn of the heavy artillery brancll,

including the rarely-seen M 1833 foot artillery sword, a Romanesque fantasy inspired by the French ~11831 'eabbage-cutler'. His shoulder scales are actually the sergeant's mooels, rather than the riveted staff pattern he should wear, indicating recent promotion. Dl: PnL'Ott. Infantry, 1$3 This is the man who fought all the battles, \\ ho took mOSl of the losses, and bore the brulll of fighting: a soldier of the infantry, the branch which the S Army c.'·dls the 'Queen of Battles'. This is how he generally looked in the field. He is little burdened with parade ground fancies, or much embellished with insignia. (He does. however, wear the issue knapsack, whilc mallY of his friends have lost or thrown theirs away by now.)

D2: Second Jirurenanl, Irrlan''}', l/Xi3 In the field, officcrs dressed littlc better than their men. This lieu len ant has a privately-made copy of the issue fatigue blouse. His slouch hat bears the badge of the 1st Division, V Corps. His haversack, privately bought, is of leather, with a removable unpainted canvilS bag for food inside. His leather waterbotlie has a pewter spout and copper rivets and is lin(.'C! with tinfoil: it was patented in 1862, and is a surprisingly commonly-found relic.

4;

First (ordrrly) mgeal/t, InJaNtry, 186] Many soldiers, given their choice, wore the dress frock coat in the field instead of the blouse. It is seen here from the rear, with its tell-talc bullons on the waistline. This sergeanl holds the regimental, or second, colour of the 60th Ohio Volunteer Infanlry Regiment, which malches the regulation regimental colour quite closely. The 60lh ser\'ed in the IX Corps in the 1864 campaign of the Army of the Potomac, from the Wilderness to the capture of Petersburg. Lower riband: '6mIlIU_G' I 0' I' Dj."

them had to be let out in the scams, as the Americans who \\ are them tended to be bigger than the French for whom they had been made. This mall wears the issu(' 'bol/nel de IJoLiet'; a shako was also issued for dress occasions.

F2: Primtt.35lh ."ta' ]mty InJonl':..Y, IlJ64 The Zouave uniform, as S('cn from Ihe back, shows the cartridge box protruding from under the jacket: many units \\ore the boxes on their waist belts, but Ihe 35th wore theirs on shoulder belts worn under Ihejackcts. The 35th also originally wore dark blue £,: Company quarltmUlJltr strgtanl, Comb')', 11Ki4 kepis trimmed with yello\\, these being replaced AJlhough it \\ as not regulation until 1866, the single with fezzcs in 186.1. The regiment was iniliaU) 'lie' o\'er the che'rons of the company quartermas- armed with PI853 Enfield rined muskets, although ter sergeant appears in man) photographs taken of Ihese were later replaced with Springfields. This soldiers as early as 1863. This one wears a popular man alread) wears the Springfield bayonet ea,-alryman's item, the plain blue ·roundabout" or scabbard. The regim('nt served in Sherman's XXII ·shell' jackel, \\ ith ,"eteran 's service stripes abo'"e Ius Corps in Georgia and the Carolinas. cuRS. His regimental number is worn on his C.'lp lOp. His carbine is a Spencer repeater, and he carries Ihe F]: Pn"l"Qtt, 51h •\'tU' }QrA: InJant,)', tIKi] associated Blakeslee Quickloadercanridge box; this The Zouave uniform worn b) the 5th :\e\\ York had a sling, and a loop 10\\ down for securing il to was probably the example IllOSt closely resembling Ihe So.'1bre belt, and held ten tubular se\,en·round that of the actual French Zouavcs. "stale belt plate Spencer magazincs. The Army bought 32,000 of was worn, although the cartridge box plate was the them octween 1862 and June 1866. issue US item. The 5th took quite a lX'atin~ at Ihe hands of the Texas Bri~adc, both in the Peninsular £2: Pril'lltt, 1St Dil'ision, IJ' Corps, 11Ki4 Campaign and at Second Bull Run, never This private wears his regulation corps badge on his regaining its form('r fame after the laller baltIc. cap top. He has thc issue grey nanncl shin and wears his trousers, as was most common, without A pair of US Arm)' fOOL soldier'M boolM, nOlic..abl), tlquar~loed, with four lac.. hol"M e:ach I'id.., Ihey we:rc: ofle:n mad .. with th.. braces. He holds a lin coffee boiler's cup, a picce of flesh "ide: of Lhe: I..alh ..r oUlwardll, (Smilhsonian Insl.) campaigning kit considcn~d vital by every man: from a morale standpoint. coffel' was probably tbe most important single ration issue item. £]: Musician, CavaLry, 186~1 All musicians werc marked by the stripes and frame of branch·of-s('J"vice colour braid worn all their cbests. This mall holds an issue bugle with a branehof-service colour cord and tassels; riflemen often used green cords and taSS<'ls, while al'lillerymen had red. I-Ie has both a regimental number and a company letter all his cap top.

Ft: Primtt, InJant'}., tIKi:! The Arm) imported 10,000 of the French Army's Chasseur uniforms and issued lhem to a number of infantr) units 'iCC details in bod) of text . ~Iany of

GI: Private, 155/h PC1/ns)'!IJania bifantry, IfJ64 Zouave uniforms were issued to this unit as a mark of its abilities at drill several years after the unit was first raised. The regiment wore its 1st Division, V Corps badges on their jacket fronts, makjng a pan of the decoratioll. He is armed with an M 1863 Springfield rifled musket.

:MANN'S

l

ACCOUTREMENTS, FOJ(

I;"F.\~TH'

.\;"D l.\\'.\LRY.

G2: Cl1ptl1in, l55th Pmns)'lI:allia Infantry, JlXi4 Zouavc officers did not wear the same uniforms as their men. In many units they were only distinguished by colourful kepis and, perhaps, gaiters. In the 155th, however, there were several variations ofZoua\'e officer dress, of which Ihis was the most common. G3: Pril.'Qt~, 3rd DiLision. XIII Corps, 1l¥:i4 Some \\'estern regiments adoptt.-d parts of Zouave dress, but usually nothing as elaborate as that worn by Eastern units. This simplified, 'semi-Zouave' jacket was peculiar to men ofthe 3rd Division, XI II Corps, such as the 34th Indiana Infantry. It is typical ofjackets worn by men from Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and olher \\'estern states. .\Iusician. 3'd Diz:ision, /I Corps, f/XiS Thc foot soldier's overcoat, as worn by this drummer, was a popular piece of unifonn. He wcars a corps badge on his cap in divisional colour. His drum is of the regulation design. The basic eagle and ribband design, similar to that which appeared on regimental colours, was the samc for all branches of service, but the field for artillery was red instead of the infantry's blue. The drum is slung 011 an issue white web sling. Orders in the field were oftcn still passed by drum; drum calls also regulated the soldier's daily timetable in camp. HI:

H2: Privat~, Ugh/ Artillery, /86S This soldier, armed with a light artillery sabre, wears the mounted man's overcoat, with its two rows of buttons and longer cape. He has a

Thill in(or...auon .heoel Ilhow. an i p ...."ftt .y.le... ofieaLher accoulrem"nta pal"n1n1 in Dec:e ber .86:J by Willia.m D. Mann. Th.. A ...... y bo""hI37,OOO..,I. orinranlry equip.....nl and I~O-alry '·.. uio... Th"".. w".... "'05dy used (or ...sunS dunn! lh.. Ci"il War, and w"r.. ne".. r adoplnl by Lh" Army all a whol... (Aulho.... coll..ction)

government-made brown leather gunner's haversack. This was used to carry ammunition from the limber chest to the piece when in action, thus protecting the flannel bags of powder from sparks. 1-13: Major, Ileavy Artilltry, 11165 The officer's overcoat was dark blue, with black silk braids on the cufl·indicating rank: this major's rank is shown by the three rows of braid. He wears a lower-type dress hat known as a 'Burnside' or 'Kossuth' hat, which was quite popular among officers of the period.

47

Select Bibliography

John D. Billings, Hardtack & Coffie (Glendale, New York, 1970 Patricia T. Gibbs, U.S. Anny Pattml Book FOri Hancock, Highlands, New Jersey, IgSal Edgar ~J. Howell, Unittd Statu tinny Headgear 1855-1902 (Washington DC, 197; Berkeley R. Lewis, Small Arms and Ammunition in the United Stalts Sm.·ice (Washington DC, 1956)

Official, Rn:ised Regulations/or the Am!)' of the Unikd States,I861 Philadelphia, 1861) Stanley S. Phillips, Cit';l lVar OJrps Badgts and Othe Rtlattd AU"Qrds, Badgt.!, MttkIls of tlu Ptrioo Lanham, ~Iaryland, 1982) Frederick P. Todd et ai, Amnican Military Equippagt, 18jl-lffp, Volume I (Providence Rhode Island,

Noles sur les planchel> en c(luleur

Farbtafeln

A, l'lUlOrmt lit ~ dn offin« lIt............aio .. "'"'""'"'It d·tp"w. ... w""" dn....-.fficWn ....I'rcu. tliIicitto c"..,..... aom.1cur capote, tnnplao;an. Itmplc-mcn. Iaq..ult"eo pardo <'p:lulrt..,.

A, \'olk .-\""lldtunibm r..,.hoht-ftOltizit:n:,b:lla~ItCJUDCD....""'onn auf Sch..h
,,-

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ft, 'I,Iot.... b coupe dt doo dt ]a ca.- dn offie>c-n. port... ,," dn pIo<.. d't-pa..1< stI, I< fOnd jaunc dc la ca"alcrit. !h Dun'" I, lwu"lle, de nombrcu. hort'''''''' de la ca,.,.ln' la 'nOlle. pI ... b;u quc I, "tod'le figlcrn
QrnC"""'''

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a

C. S<-ub In officicn d'artillcric potl,i'''1 deo '""""d. ruoortl' , .. r '" ':paulo. I... chapeau de row·boy ,,·f.all pal ,qlrmcn'a.i... m,is il Ctail , .... popu!ai", r" e'''npagnt: au,l"'O do officit:n c. dro hom de ''''''0 '" bnnt:hcs. 0. Cc..hako rut de r.rul....... lourdr. ",... ..brr \1083)""" copio' stir I< II'OOdcIc M'llJ' fnno;ait.

""toq

O. So/da' "l"'Int: d .. nn, Ie oomba. '1~"" de nombenu homn>c:o or dcba..-a-im' de leu' _ d'nrdooInancr pour k TCmplacer par """ rnu,.........., rnrouln' D:a ()(li,ci"r "lJ'll d ...... I< unnmcn. ache ptnQI',tdIc""",,- OJ I... Clprn.ponn:d.. nn,I
Jtf-.,uprn.. non ~taIrrsman"",,' d·. ch\To.... La ,'

E. <''If''''Idiotiltclili de ~.Ion JO'l!fOa'" In pam jX>pUla.i'" dun'" I< ...,-,.

n, ' ...... a,"Ct: .." tnIl ro c bkuc .. nit: f.all ..-.if, Itn',cn' ~ ma~aoiDi .uloul'....:. pour .. canbmr. rr/",uoonn S~r E2 ;\oon' r",..gllc dr eO'I_ IllI I< hau, du ~Cl'l. chcml"- ct l""laloru ,..·jt:lcmrnlairn; l;uso, d.n. IMlurllr Ie ~.... "'ai' ch.ull~. E] I"", ", .. ,ieic", .. riWCI",,1 dela roulrurde la brand... dr "''''Ie' Jur la "'" trill" ',,'er Ir """,fro d, ri:gi"'C"1
I""

•. , A la modc dCll ulllfor,,,,,,, '''''''''n' dc cor,crpltun IICI"1(>I1,,,,lle. c.,.,a".. un'lOnnn dc ch;uso,u.. rll(o(!i,'cnten, f"... rn ......'><:e fu",'" «>",mand" '" d"'ri...... au. "'gi"",nlt lit I'Ln,oo h Riogi"",n, "1*111< '1"i comba"il lO\IO ~ht,man en GcorJtor, I....." krp" b1cu 100<, ,. J"unt: ,n""WI forenl rcmplacftparlekzen.8b.t .·]Cc"r uni,i:..",,>c rul ..... lmc...... lItu ...... parI,.,. I"""",", dano b 'Pcn"....b, CamP'-'ll:,,' '" au '2nd Ilull Itu,,'

WUOl'' '

G. 1:;.-.iJI..., noidcnoblcmcn •. en.c ,'-cn.an, de I·OhIO, de 1·11IiDDi.. dt n Ddt"",. ",,,.

II, G'l""e ~ '... rc du fa"..... n; rioter l',,,,,~ dc COfIl' wr Ie ki:pr, "" ,,,,... ]a rapotc du ooidal tnOfltr r. Ie _ d·ordon,,,,,.c uulioi' par Its .....illeu... (lOU' ,n......"...... I,.,. m..rn""", dl:: r".,."'--train au catl(>Ol 113 Capote d·offincr-. blrur tOno' ,,"Ct: dro pasocpoll. t~.n., Ie,;r.tdc f.a'" Ind"lll< par I< """,1K"C de pa.epoiIH'" ]a "",...:helle, Gc 'fPC plu' 1>1. dechapr'" , I,~c toord..,aitapl""le Kurn.ittc· OIl 'K.,..mh·

48

1974)

\\afltntl,n..nc, himrndbb.. f.. r dlC I"""'..nc A2 \'ollt A.--It""","" mil L n.~h ..,.".. IUr l nterolfuoen, UDd Solda.m. Schtlhtnbaftdom , .. \1..."11: ftl, fullrt-Ddc L· "ternffi n.c "tiOnal!WUOr de.- •],h IIhnmo 1........1,,.. un;k ''''' den Konb:Icnnt nd hci dcr Uobrrullll ' ... Richmond ..-.cdc1 IUntcl..gr.o-aoncu; docft'Ollc L' ~ ..bcr ~ 8•.1" A] 1m Ei....... brtud'cn ,"Ide 0Itizit:n: i........ Gchmclt. und .. cd,m"n d ... Schul.n-kla.ppt:ol d ..,.,h 'SchullcnuriJcn·.Ransab>richcn , ....

rrlocu,,,, ..

B, :llan he.,.htc den hI"'......" Schrnll dro Grhroclu Iucr",u SchulltnbzClIdwn auf dent Gdb dcr K ",11crit gt"'.n lIa In drr Schla(-h, l,ugm '"it:1< K",'allerioru .uch wcu h", Ih'" Sp.-.ialjadctl und n,h"",,, 1cd~N:h ., ... n uhn. 113 1m f",....'. zogrn "cI.. K",allrri... Offi,....., n"" ~urtc...",raehc ackc ,km ublieh," Gehrod "Or: 11,*,,, fur g<:meine Sold3,.n 0 ..,... An "orl KOl'llxdrckllng iSl < hci 0llWcrc" und A"IlChorigcn alkr Walft:n~"ltu"g.. n C:o 0....... AlIOltrh·T.,.hako " .. r och. ochcn Oor diagonal
DU'

>Ill

.""""<%, "dt: ..:arb alkn;h"ll' ......... T _... ab und

'..-rt lCandcoorn cint: a .. ~ " Dn::lc. D:a T,-piscbr:r Offaocr lm ~tz. nut

prj,.,., gdaafi... I t _ u ~..nd Klond_ucUG. ,...or: Itu.~ctlllnib-m· Ah man auch oft ....hrmd do-, 'it:hlach. Die

zahlrci
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tooth 0IU0 InfanOl).

E. IIa.. f1fl:C. 'bcr weh' zur ...",lartrt .00.-",..nlS jt:rhttrrndc R""lIalou1. hen. dit: \\ It,lclc<:~n m" ......... '>1""1'm ,.....bundcn. Dic ntlfache blallC Jack ..... ,m I.",..". belte"', man beachlc d>e Oor" rcilCn fur "rlen"... n, lle, langhcht

&h"ltrr r 1 Rohrctl",a~"IJ"" fur i" 8petlCCr Rcl'.......rgc.. chr, Ell! M.n beachtc d Corps_AJ>.c,cI..." ullCn 'uf dem Kepi; a""loch a"'f{Cl(,benn; Hcnld u"d II"",,,: Ilkchl..... Zutn Kalf«~(lChc", E3 M",ikanlCtl .. -.rcn Slreirrn utld rin.n 11o..",,,,hm'" ill d.. R"J!imCtllsfarbe ."f drr Krllil ~c~enn>t:idlt\ct MIlt\ I..."dlle d,e Rrgimen"nu",mcr utilI ,ltr 8"cll'lahe.. dro' K"",pag"" obe" aur dem Kfpi

.', 'cben de.. modi.. hrn. oclbS! enlwonencn '7..ou"... ··U"'r."."'rn .. u.-dc" aueh ntnt« ldh und an It~mcn'"" dcr L'n"", a~ben .'" [in typtJrhn ·/.uu.. \C·-ltrgi""",•.
G .. 1lao.00h«id.C>:Idcr 'ot o.'>oion. ",,'dem \"Corpoint -\utIichru"l ..... lor; diner I;'"""" ,.......... trt. aher d... \1,,".............. of< n", d""'h «nt: f,~ btacu'e K"pfbcdt:d .. rog "" .. n.cnc:hndm G) \'crrin£arhtc ·'\cm>./ ,...·-L·""""". \'On «nt(C'D .. cotltchcn OhIO, Illinoio. Indiana snragtn 110 Itl'llul....,-l.'brrmanlcl r.., .. ..-,ld"m; mall beach"
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