22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

[neocelt]

Mssr. Hopper,

Could you please cite a reference to support your statement: "In weaving terms of the period, a 'piece' is 54 yds"? In my research, the term "piece" (when applied to textiles) is indeterminate--that is, what represents a "piece" is agreed upon between the parties (and often varies with different types of fabric). In this case, the length of a "piece" would presumably be spelled out in the actual terms of the contracts. I don't know whether he ever sees this forum, but Fred Gaede would have more to offer on this subject, as he has done more research in C.W. period clothing contracts than anyone I can think of...

Cheers,

[jacobite8749]

Below is part of an article on textiles in the 1860’s compiled after visiting various areas of Scotland, namely Aberdeen and the Borders were we live. The article was support of a larger work on my part about J. and J. Crombie. Although I do not have all the sources to hand most on the Scottish textile industry agreed on a piece being 54 yds. I have checked production of other mills at that time and find the yearly output to correspond to the measured piece so rightly or wrongly have assumed this to be general.

As starting point for judging the capacity of Great Britain to supply large quantities of woollen goods and material we must initially look at the survey, completed in 1851which provides the information that there were in Great Britain:
250,000 power looms producing cotton,
33,000 power looms producing worsted material
10,000 power looms producing woollen material

Sadly, in the production of woollens industrialization fell a long way behind that of the cotton industry. So by the time of the American Civil War, the majority of Great Britain’s woollen producing industry was only just getting the engines that would allow them to have any sort of power and not readily equipped to produce the vast quantities required by the South. From research I assume that this is general amongst British mills, and it was not until the 1870’s that woollen production finally succumbed to modernization.

As an illustration of this, an important area along the Borders involved in woollen production industry, Galasheilds, had on hand in 1863:
Handlooms 600
Slow Power Looms 900
Fast Power Looms 0

One of the largest woollen manufacturers in Scotland in 1862 was that of J. and J. Crombie, at the Grandholm Mills, who employed 700/800 hands. John Crombie started the firm in 1804. The Grandholm Mill had over 200 power looms, 17 carding machines and 12,000 spindles. The mill lade was over a mile long and provided 15,000 cubic feet of water per minute, generating 200 hp. James Crombie also installed two horizontal Corliss valve steam engines, which provide yet another 300 hp. The site itself was expanded to over 5 acres and by 1865 the number of “pieces” produced was over 1872. (A “piece” is 54 yds. therefore Crombie produced 101,088 yds. that year)

J & J Crombie produced woollen material, for either Confederate contracts or possibly sub-contracts, a fine grade blue/grey wool for officers, a courser blue/grey wool for enlisted, and finally a steel grey wool for the Navy. Completed suits were also supplied, but these may have also been produced on behalf of a third party, Hebbert or perhaps Collie. . In my view, without a doubt some of those categorised as P. TAIT are of Crombie manufacture, but without the museum examples we may never know which.

[Jefferson Guards]

On the overcoats hitting the open market. I believe these ads reflect another aspect of the importation mystery, that is; private enterprise importing "military" goods independant of the government and selling them on the retail market. You see much more of this in the early war period, but it occurs throughout the war.

[DougCooper]

Some overcoats were also hitting the open market. This from the advertising section of the February 10, 1862 edition of the Richmond Daily Dispatch:


Clothing & Dry Goods.

250 English army Overcoats
100 pieces English Blue Plaids and Stripes.
15 pieces English Black Crape.
8 pieces English 64 Confederate Gray Cloth, imported by the "Ella Warly," and just received.

Wilson & McILWAINM,

fe 5--2w Petersburg, Va.


The Ella Warly, mentioned above, was formerly the Isabel of Charleston, S.C. She was captured on April 24, 1862 by the St. Jago de Cuba. Her cargo, at that time, consisted of arms, skins, copper, paper, cigars, and powder. An illustration depicting the Ella Warly, and other captured blockade runners, appeared in the October 18, 1862 edition of Harper's Weekly.

Eric

The term "Confederate Gray Cloth" is seen in everything from ads like this to invoices to even OR's by US Naval Officers capturing blockade runners off Mexico and Texas (as early as 1862). This is the first time I have seen the word "English" put in front of it. Am starting to wonder if it was a standard term for bluish gray wool.