Hip-hop Yank?

[roundshot]

This yank is on the cutting edge of trend with his low riding belt and plate. Hip-hop fashion? Or maybe he's Scottish and thinks it's a sporran. Anyway, he's got it covered. From an LOC photo showing a Union sentry at Redoubt Zabriskie on the Bermuda Hundred lines.

[jandksuttorp]

Wow! I can't believe his NCO of the guard let him stand his post looking like a riff-raff. Is he wearing his fatigue blouse tucked in to his trousers?
Nice picture, thanks for posting!

John Suttorp

[SCTiger]

Mounted-type trousers? Perhaps he's Mounted Infantry and all his gear is on the horse, out of the picture shot. Maybe tucking in your blouse was a good idea for riding.

[roundshot]

My guess is that these are "heavies," armed as infantry and manning static guns along the line. Here's a larger view. Merry Christmas to all.

[Dignann]

Chances are that these fellows are members of a Signal Corps detachment. "Redoubt Zabriskie" was located on Cobb's Hill, along the Appomattox River and was manned by the Army of the James. At least one officer that appears in this image is included in another photo (LC-B811- 2595), which shows the Cobb's Hill signal tower behind them.

Eric

[roundshot]

I'd say you're onto something, Eric. And those signal fellows were a law unto themselves as far attire went. Nice sleuthing!

[DaveGink]

I thought it was interesting that just after seeing this thread I ran accross this photo of a trooper from the 18th Pennsylvania cavalry with his fatigue blouse tucked in to his pants.

[lawson]

Upon looking closer, YES, his blouse is tucked in. OH NO!
It would also appear that he has taken advantage of his extra storage space, and has stuffed a few items inside his tucked in blouse. Otherwise, he's got dem lub handles, and I think not. What a killer image.

Reagrds,

[Vuhginyuh]

Nice little patch of cockle-burrs in #4.

[Dignann]

Today I was searching through the regimental history of the 12th NH, for something completely unrelated, and came across a nice description of a photo that is part of the same Cobb's Hill signal tower series.


"The picture here given is the 'Cobb Hill' tower and shows the parapet of the fort lying between the position of the artist's camera and the tower, and which cuts off, as will be noticed, the bottom view of the latter. This fort was built upon the spot where the owner of the estate lived in a large family mansion when our troops first landed at Bermuda Hundred and City Point, and from whom the tower took its name.

The tower and detachment of men connected therewith were, at the time the picture was taken, in charge of a signal officer who had previously followed the colors of the Twelfth Regiment, and is shown in the engraving sitting in a chair and holding a newspaper in his hands. The man standing near him was his colored cook and waiter, and the two others reclining at his right and front were two naval captains then in command of gun-boats. lying in the Appomattox river a short distance away; while the person seen standing by the wagon on the opposite side was one of the men employed by Brady & Co., the noted war photographers of New York city, the other, being at the camera, cannot of course be seen.

The house, occupied at that time as the officer's headquarters, had been the family residence of one of the slaves that worked upon the plantation; and the staging across the ridgepole was built to signal from before the tower was built. The quarters of the men, some of whom can be seen upon the tower, and the stables for their horses were on the other side of the fort. The dark spot seen on the first section below the top of the tower was a sort of box shelter for the men on duty during the winter season, as one of them had to be constantly on the watch, no matter how cold or severe the weather."
-- Asa W. Bartlett. History of the Twelfth Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers in the War of the Rebellion (Concord, N.H.: Ira C. Evans, Printer, 1897) p. 381


The parapet belongs to Reboudt Zabriskie, which was named on honor of Col. Abram Zabriskie, Ninth New Jersey Volunteers. Zabriskie died of wounds received at Drewry's Bluff.

The reverse of a sign is visible atop the parapet. Perhaps that is the same sign for which we see the obverse in the photo of the post above. The Library of Congress call number for this photo is LC-B811- 2500. It's always nice when the photographers decide to capture themselves in an image, as well as some their equipment.

Eric

[roundshot]

Now that's cool, Eric. Thanks for sharing.

[Moonshine]

What's funny too is I have a book titled "Illustrated History of the Civil War" with pictures from the Bettman Archive and on page 204, there's a large picture of some contraband cooks/teamsters and the gentleman standing in the doorway is also in this photo along with 6 others.

Just thought that was a coincidence!

[samarshall]

I dont know if anybody else noticed this but the yank who is seated farthest to the left in both pics, looks a whole lot like the same guy.

seth marshall

[markmason]

Wow! I can't believe his NCO of the guard let him stand his post looking like a riff-raff. Is he wearing his fatigue blouse tucked in to his trousers?
Nice picture, thanks for posting!

John Suttorp

Seperate what we as living historians expect of ourselves and those who were there at the time. He looks fine to me and exactly how I would stand guard in the field.

[Rob Weaver]

Just when you think you've seen everything, something like that pops up! And in the field not the studio, too. How comfortable is it to wear your fatigue blouse tucked in like that?

[ThehosGendar]

Speaking of being "thuggy" in period images, here's a cool little illustration from John McElroy's Andersonville: Fifteen Months a Guest of the So-Called Southern Confederacy. Notice the Sergeant with his cap on backwards.

John McElroy, Andersonville: A Story of Rebel Military Prisons: Fifteen Months a Guest of the So-Called Southern Confederacy (Toledo: D.R. Locke, 1879), 328.

[Rob Weaver]

In the rare occasions when I wear a cap, I find it stays on my head better backwards when doing anything physical, like running as the men in the woodcut.

[1stMaine]

Comrade Rob,

There are numerous images of men wearing their fatigue blouses tucked into their trousers. If you can get ahold of the images taken of US Cavalry on Lookout Mountain, you'll see a couple in there as well.

Respects,

[BobRoeder]

[QUOTE=ThehosGendar;52664]Speaking of being "thuggy" in period images, here's a cool little illustration from John McElroy's Andersonville: Fifteen Months a Guest of the So-Called Southern Confederacy. Notice the Sergeant with his cap on backwards.

I know of at least two Edwin Forbes drawings showing soldiers with their caps on back wards or sideways.

I don't have the LOC reference numbers but one is titled "The Rear of the Column" which shows the former; and a "A Yankee Volunteer" (actually an "old" bearded veteran with cap on sideways, cartridge box and canteen hanging from musket, pipe in hand) dated 10 August 1863, Rapphannock Station.

Now are these examples artistic license? I don't recall seeing either of these alternate examples of wearing a cap in photos. Forbes is noted for the accuracy of his artwork, and certainly some of his (and other artists) drawings were finished quite a while after the initial rough sketch was produced, or many variations of a single sketch were made, some during the war and afterward - examples are the two variations of the drawing titled "The Rear of the Column".

Regards,

[Bivouac_of_the_Dead]

It seems the Cobb's Hill signal tower was rather significant:

"The most notable towers were Cobb's Hill, one hundred and twenty-five feet; Crow's Nest, one hundred and twenty-six feet, and Peebles Farm, one hundred and forty-five feet, which commanded views of Petersburg, its approaches, railways, the camps and fortifications. Cobb's Hill, on the Appomattox, was particularly irritating and caused the construction of an advance Confederate earthwork a mile distant, from which fully two hundred and fifty shot and shell were fired against the tower in a single day with slight damage, however. Similar futile efforts were made to destroy Crow's Nest."

Source: http://www.civilwarhome.com/signalcorps.htm

[jpbab]

This yank is on the cutting edge of trend with his low riding belt and plate. Hip-hop fashion? Or maybe he's Scottish and thinks it's a sporran. Anyway, he's got it covered. From an LOC photo showing a Union sentry at Redoubt Zabriskie on the Bermuda Hundred lines.

If it weren't for your caption, I would have suspected a typical Michigan cavalryman in the field with a Spencer Rifle.

[TeamsterPhil]

[QUOTE=1stMaine;52852] There are numerous images of men wearing their fatigue blouses tucked into their trousers. If you can get ahold of the images taken of US Cavalry on Lookout Mountain, you'll see a couple in there as well.
QUOTE]
As I recall, back around the turn of the century, there was a fad among some western reenactors tucking in their blouses and cutting them down to replicate the look of a jacket (some even added faux buttons). At the time, there was quite a bit of documentation offered for both practices.


Phil Campbell

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Speaking of being "thuggy" in period images, here's a cool little illustration from John McElroy's Andersonville: Fifteen Months a Guest of the So-Called Southern Confederacy. Notice the Sergeant with his cap on backwards.


Time to add my share to Jason's topic.. I'm sorry that I can't recall where they came from! :eek: I believe the first was already posted on the Forum elsewhere.

[PanzerJager]

[QUOTE=1stMaine;52852] There are numerous images of men wearing their fatigue blouses tucked into their trousers. If you can get ahold of the images taken of US Cavalry on Lookout Mountain, you'll see a couple in there as well.
QUOTE]
As I recall, back around the turn of the century, there was a fad among some western reenactors tucking in their blouses and cutting them down to replicate the look of a jacket (some even added faux buttons). At the time, there was quite a bit of documentation offered for both practices.


Phil Campbell

Phil,

I have seen a number of photos and have copies on a disk at home somewhere of soldiers cutting down their blouse and adding a waste band to make a shell jacket, a large number of which are identified to Indiana Units. For a long time I have been interested in modified field garments. I saved some photographs that were for sale on ebay a while ago that showed this practice, two of the soldiers had not only cut down their blouse but added 3 extra buttons to make a 7 button jacket. I believe these photos where actually posted here on the forum a while back. I will try and look tonight and see if I can locate the copies I saved. There is also a photograph showing such alteration in Pat Brown's book. Altering ones clothing to their own liking is a practice that is still done in the modern military to this day and the boys of the 1860's where no different.

regards,