Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

[Charlestonian]

Gents,

Hope that this note finds you well. I wanted to inquire about clothing coming from home and private purchase clothing in the ranks as the subject would suggest. I know that officers sported a fair amount of non-issued clothing but I was wondering more about enlisted men. Mr. Machingo mentioned in a post about a soldier in the 45th Georgia who received almost all of his uniform (including frock coat) from his wife which I found interesting. I know that it really would depend on where a soldier was from, his loved one's skill and access to material, lines of communication etc.

Any information and documentation you fellows could lend to this issue would be greatly appreciated. I look forward to hearing the varying opinions.

Regards,
Daniel Gidick

[Secesh]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Greetings,
The inforamtion I mention, which is very detailed in regards to articles of clothing and how it gets to him, is the book "Letters to Amanda", which is a collection of all letters written by Pvt. Marion Hill-Fitzpatrick of the 45th Georgia Infantry, to his wife Amanda, from 1861 thru his mortal wounding at Petersburg in 1864. Thanks.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Hi,

I think it depends on the theater of war that you are protraying. In the Trans-Mississippi and the Western Theater of War, I would think that it would be more common, rather than in the Eastern. For example you have PVT Marchbanks', of the 30th Texas Cavalry (Trans-Mississippi Theater), jacket and trousers that were made for him by his wife. You can see the two items on page 146 of CS EOG.
It would also have to do with how close the soldier was to his home. The 28th Louisiana was very close to there homes during the Red River Campaign, so alot of them would have been able to get clothing from their familys. Just my 2 cents.

Andrew

[Secesh]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

The 45th Georgia Infantry fought in the Army of Northern Virginia. I don't think the theatre of War had so much to do with it, as much as availabilty, transportation, and proximity to home. In fact, as the Confederate government placed a greater emphasis on defending the Eastern "front" (i.e. Richmond), I would think the the practice may have been actually more prevalent, given the aofrementioned reasons, especially transportation...Just my opinion.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

It might have happened more frequently than we think. I can't say that I've examined a large sampling of extant CS uniforms but a couple of weeks back Dan and I were allowed to study a simply jaw-dropping CS grouping. The full uniform and equipments belonged to Pvt. John C. Speck of the 39th Battalion Virginia Cavalry. This battalion served as Gen. R. E. Lee's personal cavalry command. I cannot recall exactly when Speck served but I do remember that he died in Chimborazo Hospital in either late 1863 or early 1864.

While going through my directory I'm apparently missing a few images I had wanted to post but hopefully Dan can come through for me (*cough*overcoat!*cough*). We absolutely, positively cannot and will not share the name of the collector who has these and other items....so do not ask! He was nice enough to let us share these images.

I give you a home-made uniform dating firmly from the middle of the war, and fully identified. Just check out the pants! And is that a blue-dyed warp I see....AND Federal rifleman buttons....AND checkered wool lining....AND hand-sewn with black silk thread?!? The owner commented that a few others noted that some construction techniques and patterning is decidedly pre-war, and that the materials (except for color) and sewing techniques were consistent enough to have been made by a single person. This was also one of my own observations as the overcoat, jacket, and military vest are sewn with black silk thread. Furthermore, the actual cloth these garments are cut from are nearly identical in manufacture EXCEPT for the color of the jacket and trousers (cloth is a stout double-woven wool with nat., brown, or blue cotton filling).

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Folks,

Just to clarify, Speck died of disease in late '64, he enlisted in late '63, and all of his uniform items were of a style and pattern that was very out of date and I honestly believe that if Speck showed up at one of our late war events he would be turned away for wearing an "early war uniform." Also, the canteen is not his, just another piece in the amazing collection.

I'll see if I can get a picture of the overcoat uploaded.


Best,

Dan

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Dang, broadfall trousers that late in the game! Are they patterned after the 1832 US trousers or are there variants? Very interesting collection indeed.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Hi,

Thanks for posting the pictures!!!!!!!! That is a really cool jacket and trousers. The buttons on the jacket really surprise me, along with the style of trousers.

Andrew

[Guy Gane III]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Ugh......................

[Ian McWherter]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Ugh......................

That's hilarious!:D

[hpotter]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

I would say it's all a matter of numbers. The more girlfriends one finds along the march, the better his odds are of having one that is good at sewing and willing to make something. Was there is river rule back then or perhaps a different theater rule?

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Folks,

Here are couple more pictures of the Speck grouping. A shot of the overcoat (with New York muffin buttons) and two more shots of the jacket including the interior.

Now we are happy to share these pictures with everyone but I wanted to say that the owner wishes that there be no reproductions made of any of these garments. Fifty years from now he doesn't want hundreds of reproduction Speck jackets floating around being confused for the original. That said, I doubt that anyone could get the myriad of details right from just the pictures, and the kerseymere (yes, you read that right) fabric that they are all made from likely hasn't been woven since the 1860s, but I just wanted to share that with everyone as the owner has been so gracious as to share his wonderful collection with us all, we must honor his wishes.

Enjoy!


Dan


PS: Guy, you made my day!

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Sorry about that, buggered up one of the pictures. Here's the overcoat again.


Dan

[unclefrank]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

Great collection, and thank you for sharing. I think there might be the possibility that the uniform was made by an old family member using a style that they knew. Is that just a standard Confederate tin canteen with a Jean Cloth cover?

[floridawar]

Re: Clothes From Home/Private Purchase

The posted pictures of the broad falls are awesome!
Broad fall pants may have been "old fashioned" by 1860s, but were certainly in use, at least among country folks: Leander Stillwell describes a Bolivar Tennessee Planter encountered during the war:

"The planter himself was of a type then common in the South. He was a large, coarse looking man, with an immense paunch, wore a broad-brimmed, home-made straw hat and butter nut jeans clothes. His trousers were of the old-fashioned, "broad- fall" pattern. His hair was long, he had a scraggy, sandy beard, and chewed "long green" tobacco continually and viciously." (Stillwell, Story of a Common Soldier, 1920, page 110)

If I recall, Past Patterns notes included with the small falls pattern mentions a couple of photographs of Confederates in small fall trousers.

James "Archie" Marshall
Tampa, FL