……and all this pretty much applies to ANY re-enactor in ANY time frame….especially if you want to do it right. As a WW2 German re-enactor , everything he explained about the details and idiosyncrasies of uniforms … material, fit , sewing, personalization, models and time frames, absolutely applies to me too. If I ever was going to re-enact civil war, I’d be getting ahold of this man’s products ! 🙂
Just bought a issue shirt from Wambaugh. I also am planning on getting some suspenders and a fatigue blouse. They are very high quality! I recommend them to everyone!
The south did not have a centralized system of equipping their troops, rather it was up to the states to do this. One of the things that struck me is the fact that some units in the Union army wore gray and some in the south blue. Confusion was not uncommon in conflicts, with troops from the sam side firing on each other because of this. The manuals for both sides described what soldiers should wear ( the south copied the Union armies manual), however ( particularly in the south) a shortage of production capability and or materials, led to use of dyes that were not fast, with the result that the uniforms changed over time. It was well known that uniforms could often be very poorly made, and just did not last. I think we get hung up on quality of reproductions, and yes we want them too last, but maybe these items should not be well made at all. I am sure people will disagree with me on that point at least.
I completely agree. I've been an academic historian for a while but am just now getting into the living history side of things, and this aspect of the reenactor community boggles my mind. Are the repros made with the highest quality materials and the highest quality production really the most authentic? The uniforms for the common soldier were primarily mass produced often with an emphasis on speed of production, and there were pretty minimal standards, which resulted in the wide variety of uniform quality that we see in the material record. Obviously we need to strive to use authentic patterns from the time as much as possible, but as far as quality maybe we could do with a little more slipshod in the ranks for authenticity's sake.
I'm having a coat tailored for me based on Orr's 1st SC Rifles. It's based off of the grey and green-trimmed uniform they were issued in '61. And it sais in my research that towards the end of '62, many off them began to swap out for the Richmond Depot uniforms. If that is so, what would happen if a private 'somehow' kept his coat in good shape. Could he have simply decided not to trade it in?
Given that a private is the one doing the most laborious duties, that wouldn’t occur and he would be issued the new jackets and uniforms like the rest of his unit. Your hypothetical assumes the soldier can keep his uniform from wearing which was nigh impossible, but he would send it home if it miraculously stayed in decent condition and draw a new uniform. There’s a rule of uniformity in individual units so that’s what reigns, not an attachment to a uniform
Interesting and informative, but in Episode 1, you promised more information about the ration and how it was used. You seem to have deviated from what you had promised.
……and all this pretty much applies to ANY re-enactor in ANY time frame….especially if you want to do it right. As a WW2 German re-enactor , everything he explained about the details and idiosyncrasies of uniforms … material, fit , sewing, personalization, models and time frames, absolutely applies to me too. If I ever was going to re-enact civil war, I’d be getting ahold of this man’s products ! 🙂
Just bought a issue shirt from Wambaugh. I also am planning on getting some suspenders and a fatigue blouse. They are very high quality! I recommend them to everyone!
You guys should do a episode on the Peter Tait Jacket
These uniforms are very reasonable as well. Great video and recommendation to go to this company.
Cool video!...we want more
The south did not have a centralized system of equipping their troops, rather it was up to the states to do this. One of the things that struck me is the fact that some units in the Union army wore gray and some in the south blue. Confusion was not uncommon in conflicts, with troops from the sam side firing on each other because of this. The manuals for both sides described what soldiers should wear ( the south copied the Union armies manual), however ( particularly in the south) a shortage of production capability and or materials, led to use of dyes that were not fast, with the result that the uniforms changed over time. It was well known that uniforms could often be very poorly made, and just did not last. I think we get hung up on quality of reproductions, and yes we want them too last, but maybe these items should not be well made at all. I am sure people will disagree with me on that point at least.
I completely agree. I've been an academic historian for a while but am just now getting into the living history side of things, and this aspect of the reenactor community boggles my mind. Are the repros made with the highest quality materials and the highest quality production really the most authentic? The uniforms for the common soldier were primarily mass produced often with an emphasis on speed of production, and there were pretty minimal standards, which resulted in the wide variety of uniform quality that we see in the material record. Obviously we need to strive to use authentic patterns from the time as much as possible, but as far as quality maybe we could do with a little more slipshod in the ranks for authenticity's sake.
Holy shit Will is tall. I just thought he worked out of a small cabin.
There was sack coats made that were different shades of blue...
There was a huge variation in shades of blue! - Jeremy
I heard that not all sack coats were not just indigo blue but different shades of blue
A great example of that can be seen here: www.cwuniforms.net/Sack_Coats.html
I'm having a coat tailored for me based on Orr's 1st SC Rifles. It's based off of the grey and green-trimmed uniform they were issued in '61. And it sais in my research that towards the end of '62, many off them began to swap out for the Richmond Depot uniforms. If that is so, what would happen if a private 'somehow' kept his coat in good shape. Could he have simply decided not to trade it in?
Given that a private is the one doing the most laborious duties, that wouldn’t occur and he would be issued the new jackets and uniforms like the rest of his unit.
Your hypothetical assumes the soldier can keep his uniform from wearing which was nigh impossible, but he would send it home if it miraculously stayed in decent condition and draw a new uniform. There’s a rule of uniformity in individual units so that’s what reigns, not an attachment to a uniform
Interesting and informative, but in Episode 1, you promised more information about the ration and how it was used. You seem to have deviated from what you had promised.
+Michael Thompson another ration episode is coming, very soon. That will be a continuous topic in the Digest.