Soldier's+Clothing


 * Soldier’s Clothing **
 * By: Gabriela Gayley**

** Introduction **
Throughout the American Civil War uniforms proved to be vital for health, pride, identity and comfort. The Union soldiers had the benefit of better quality uniforms, which no doubt enhanced their performance. They had large manufacturing plants while the South had few major plants, the largest in New Orleans which crashed in 1862, leaving few others left.

toc The uniforms were also helpful during battles in order to identify between the two sides. In the beginning of the Civil War, both the Confederate and the Union soldiers wore grey which caused many dilemmas during battles. Soldiers fought and shot other soldiers in their own formations and regiments because they were unable to distinguish their own men from the enemy. Because of this, the Union side changed their uniforms to navy blue while the Confederates kept their uniforms a 'cadet grey'.

** Basic Uniforms **
**//U//** //**nion Uniforms:**// The basic Union uniforms during the Civil War were navy blue frock coats that hung to mid-thigh, although the length varied depending on the ranking of a soldier.The material of the coats was wool and proved to be sturdy throughout all seasons. Union trousers for enlisted men were initially dark blue but changed at the end of 1861 to sky blue. The pants further had one-inch slits at the bottom to help the pants come on and off over the soldier's boots more easily. The material of the trousers was kersey cloth which was rough and uncomfortable. Union soldiers also wore utility belts, that contained their belt-plate, cartridge box and bayonets. Union soldiers additionally brought haversacks, a sturdy bag that was carried over one's shoulder, which held all their necessary items. This included a canteen, a wool blanket and a poncho .

//**Confederate Uniforms:**// The Confederate soldiers were identified by their 'cadet grey' uniforms that they wore throughout the Civil War. The basic Confederate uniforms were grey frock coats that hung to mid-thigh. The material of the uniforms were wool and cotton, due to the South's easy accessibility to the constantly growing cotton. Although they had a sufficient amount of cotton, they did not have the good recourses the North did to produce quality uniforms. The Confederate trousers were sky blue and only lasted a month. Unlike the Union soldiers, whose uniforms were produced by the federal government, the confederate's uniforms were produced by either the family or town. This meant that the Confederate uniforms lacked consistency from state to state. Because of these poor quality uniforms as well as a Confederate shortage, Confederate soldiers took Union uniforms off corpses after battles. Confederates, like the Union soldiers, had utility belts that held their belt-plate, cartridge boy and bayonets. They did have a haversack as well, yet it contained fewer items.

** Footwear **
As a result of marching up to forty miles a day, shoes were of vital importance to soldiers during the Civil War. Soldiers wore ankle boots that were heavy and twisted ankles easily. These boots were called brogans and if their sole wore out soldiers would reattach them with pegs. For comfort, soldiers would often cut the tops of their boots down. Because shoes were so valuable special missions were made to acquire them, even if that meant pulling them off of dead bodies.

The Union, which had many industrial strengths and factories, also had the advantage of the sewing machine to help construct the shoes, while the Confederate soldiers were extremely low on shoes due to minimal manufacturing recourses. The Confederate soldiers were so low on shoes and had such poor quality that some soldiers went barefoot and were organized into separate command so  they could march through soft roadsides and marshes.

** Headgear **
For both Union and Confederate soldiers during the Civil War, hats proved to be crucial throughout all seasons. They provided shade, warmth and even some protection from rain. The two most common styles of hats were the forage caps and the kepis. The forage cap had a leather visor and a high crown with a flat rounded top while the kepi, very similar to the forage cap, had lower crown and a raised top. Confederate regulations required that the color of a soldier's kepi matched their branch of service (red for artillery, yellow for calvary and light blue for infantry).



Another form of headgear was the Hardee hat which was typically used as the dress hat for Union officers and enlisted men. It was not liked by most soldiers because of its stiff, high crown. The rankings of soldiers were expressed on ones headgear.

** Rankings **
Rank marking were what signified the importance or ranking of a man. The rank markings were visible, usually on epaulettes and shoulder-bars for Union officers, while for Confederate officers rankings were usually displayed on the sleeve cuffs and kepis. Some rankings though, were similar for both the Union and Confederate enlisted men, while different for officers:

//Corporal//: Two chevrons worn on the upper sleeve //Sergeant:// Three chevrons worn on upper sleeve //F////irst Sergeant:// Three chevrons with a lace lozenge above //Ordnance-Sergeant//: Three chevrons with a horizontal 'tie' of lace linking the upper corners //Quartmaster-Sergeant:// Three chevrons with an are of lace linking the upper corners //Sergeant-Major:// Three chevrons with an arc of lace linking the upper corners
 * //Shared Rankings://**

//Second Lieutenant:// No Badges //First Lieutenant:// One gold bar at either end of shoulder-bar and one silver bar on epaulette //Captain//: Two gold bars on should-bars and two silver bars on epaulette //Major//: Gold oak-leaf on shoulder-bars //Lieutenant-Colonel//: Silver oak-leaf at either end of shoulder-bars and on epaulettes //Colonel//: Silver eagle at either end of shoulder-bars and on epaulettes //Brigadier-General:// One silver star at either end of shoulder-bars and on epaulettes //Major-General//: Two silver stars at either end of shoulder-bars and on epaulettes //Lieutenant-General:// Three silver stars at either end of shoulder-bars and on epaulettes //**Confederate Rankings:**// //Second Lieutenant:// One bar on collar and one braid on kepi //First Lieutenant:// Two bars on collar and one braid on kepi //Captain:// Three bars on collar and two braids on kepi //Major:// One star on collar and three braids on kepi //Lieutenant-Colonel:// Two stars on collar and three braids on kepi //Colonel:// Three stars on collar and three braids on kepi //General:// Three stars in laurel-wreath on collar and four braids on kepi
 * //Union Rankings://**

//The ranking information above was taken from// __//Uniforms of the American Civil War//__//.//

** Badges and Belt-Plates **
Different badges were used for the many formations as a sense of pride and identity. It helped distinguish which formation fought in which battle. The first use of badges was when Philip Kearney instructed his men to wear red pieces of cloth on the front of their caps to identify them from other Union army members. Kearney then got credit for designing the concept of badges, and from then on it was constantly used during battles.

Belt-plates were worn on soldier's utility belts and shoulder-belts and on them could be a variety of designs. All belt-plates were made out of brass. Usually, during the war, Union officers had the design of an eagle with its outspread wings surrounded by wreath and the star-constellation. Meanwhile, Union enlisted soldiers had the pattern of an oval with 'U.S' on the inside.

Confederate officers and enlisted soldiers often had a circular patterns with 'C.S' on the inside. The Confederacy also used pre-war militia plates during the war that had that state, state abbreviation, or state emblem.



** Bibliography **
"Uniforms of the Civil War." //Kidport Home Page//. 13 May 2010. .

"Confederate Uniforms." //The Civil War//. 13May 2010. .

"Civil War Uniform, Uniforms during the Civil War, Civil War Soldier Uniform, Civil War Clothing." //Civil War, American Civil War, Reconstruction//. 13 May 2010. .

"Civil War 13th West Virginia Infantry Education History." //The WTV Zone//. 13 May 2010. .

Haythornthwaite, Philip J. __Uniforms of the American Civil War__. München: Heyne, 1977. Print.