Cloth question?

[jpbab]

I have been intereted in putting together a CS impression for a private collection. I had relatives that fought in Louisiana and found one unit there nicknamed "Yellow Jackets" because they wore "Yellow Jackets." ( no reference to the insect at all) The matierial was called "yellow cottonade. " I've never seen any unit wear anything close. Is their an animal out there someplace?

Jeffery Babineau ( no x...family hails form north east where we dropped it)

According to period textile dictionaries, jean cloth was usually a twill weave textile.
From _Scissors and Yardstick_ by C. M. Brown and C. L. Gates (1872)

Corset jean was defined as "usually called 'drill,' and often 'satin jean. It is twilled only upon the the face; is firm in texture, and very durable. It is made white and in plain colors, and used for linings, etc."

"Kentucky Jean. A coarse, heavy cotton and wool fabric, twilled upon both sides. The face is covered with a coarse nap. It is not very expensive, but durable."

In a later source (1892), Kentucky Jean was described as having a cotton warp and a wool filling.

I expect that Rhode Island jean was similar but I could not find a period definition of this type of textile. There were a great many woolen and cotton mills in the state.

Both were proabably a hard-wearing, utilitarian textile that came in various colors.

[ewtaylor]

According to the dictionary, cottonade is a very thick and stout fabric of cotton. According to another source (http://www.acadian-cajun.com/cclothes.htm) the fabric was invented by Cajuns of Louisiana, listed as a course cotton fabric.
hope this helps,
everett taylor

[Gallo de Cielo]

Color-wise, Ben Tart's iron-dyed "yeller dog" jean might be a good visual match. You might could talk him into dying some cotton jean in that same color.

Regards,

[Spinster]

I had the same thought Fred- the visual look of the 'yaller dawg' jean popped right into my head.

As cotton takes dye differently than wool, the process required to achieve that effect on coarse cotton may be entirely different.

[DougCooper]

Good info here on the origin of the yellow cottonade suits: http://www.acadiansingray.com/Yellow%20Jacket%20(10th)%20Bn.%20Inf.htm and great info on the Battalion overall here: http://members.tripod.com/j_richard/18th_roster_co.yelljckt.html

Interestingly, yellow trim was used by a number of LA infantry regiments early war, including the 18th, Crescent Regiment, etc. There is a Crescent Reg frock in yellow trim in EOG. I have seen several CDV's of 18th LA soldiers with yellow trimmed jackets as well, some are here: http://members.tripod.com/j_richard/index1.html

[jpbab]

The links provided may have been the source for the original question.

Although my intent was for purely private ownership, it appears a unit of the 10th would make a fine impression on a reenactment battlefield. What pizazz!