"Kepi versus Forage Caps" Topic

Would an expert please explaint he difference?

I had long heard that Union ACW soldiers wore mostly Kepis (with some Slouch Hats), and that the reverse was true of the Confederates (as in, mostly Slouch Hats, with some Kepis). Also western theater Union were like the Confederates.

But in recent threads, people who use Kepi are being corrected, and being told they are not Kepis at all, but Forage Caps.

I recently picked up several books on ACW uniforms. Two only uses the term Forage Cap. Another mentions both. Thery look nearly identical. I'm wondering if from 10 feet away I would recognize the difference.

Also, I tried to find online images, and find photos with captions like "Kepi (Forage Cap)" implying the terms are interchangable.

link

It looks like the Forage Cap has a high crown, but it's meant to fall forward, while the Kepi has less material, and is already sloped forward. But the end result is a small cap with a flat top that is sloped forward.

So what is the deal? I'd just like to get my history straight. Thanks

Steve

You summed it up pretty well yourself, the kepi is shorter with less material, the forage cap is taller, and meant to fall forward towards the brim.

One further complication is this: if you look, most every manufacturer offers troops "in kepi" that are, in fact, wearing forage caps. So this is really more a case of an error being so prevalent that it obtains the ring of truth.

The forage cap was probably more common than the kepi among Federal troops.

link

picture worth a thousand word

The képi is the French forage cap. Given the popularity and success of the Deuxième Empire, thanks to the Crimean War, the képi was imitated across the world. The US was one of these countries, and replaced its shako-like hats with the kepi. However, it turned out that while the kepi looked smart, it wasn't too practical for field work. The army redesigned it, mainly by lengthening the top, and the forage cap was born.

But I'm sure a real ACW buff will correct any small mistakes in the statement above…

I always wondered why they decided to take out the internal supports and let the hat collapse? How did that come about?

Steve,

You link has very poor examples. David Raybin posted his link and that is much better. Your link had BADLY made rubbish and not corret, hardly worth spit…. or farby. :)

The Forage cap had had a perfectly flat top with the seam underneath the top instead of the top. There were two styles:

1. McDowell (not as numerous) which had a visor that was a continous curve and very short visor

2. the bummer's cap (the most numerous) had a visor which came out straight from the cap, turned in to the front going straight and then curved back to the cap.

All this is somewhat difficult to expalin clearly but they were both very similar.

The US Government supplied these to the troops. This was the most common style. Officers (who had to provide all their own clothes out of their own pocket) could purchase much better made caps of finer wool and visors.

The Kepi was a French design as has been stated. It was more dressing looking. It had the seam on the TOP of the flat part of the cap. It had less material on the top part holding the crown up. It was a bit more difficult to make, more time consuming and expensive. Early war militia units had a lots of these. They weren't a Government issue item in any significant numbers. The Rebs seemed to wear this more often than Union troops and officers on both sides used this type. The visor was thicker than the Forage cap. Real Kepis did not have internal supports.

Both style caps were lined on the inside, had a leather strap across the front and soldiers rarely used it under their chin. The snug fit made the hat fit well and never blows off your head, unlike slouch hats which can at times blow off in the wind.

Should you be able to notice it from 10 feet away? In real life… yes! If you know what you are looking at. Can you see it on 25mm miniatures yes. The 'lip' on Kepis are a dead give away which you wouldn't see on the Forage caps. An untrained eye might not be able to tell the differnce between a WWI German helmet and a WWII German helmet but they are much different.

I totally get the visual distinction now. The Forage is flat on top, where the Kepi has a rim of sorts creating a depression for the top.

Whoo-Hoo! I can recognize them now from 10 feet away. I can probably even make out the differences on a 28mm mini. TMPers are so cool. Thanks for the history lesson everyone.

Mark,

You've got to give some of us break here. When I released an ACW range I initially used 'Forage cap' not 'kepi' in my descriptions. I then had to answer loads of emails along the lines of, 'What's a forage cap and why do none of your figures have kepis?'.

In the end I gave up, went with the flow and now all my ACW figures are described as wearing a kepi where appropriate.

It makes life easier that way…

Sorry you're right Peter. I followed you and called mine Kepi as well, for exactly the same reason…

Don't give in to the DARK SIDE! Hollywood made kepis the Civil War Cap by using them in practically every Civil War film made in the early years. If you watch the original Red Badge of Courage, not only are they all wearing kepis, but also crossed rifles on them. That was a post Civil War emblem. Hence, the kids kepis that they sell in Gettysburg have crossed rifles on them! And all the other equipment they are wearing in the movie, is incorrect also. Just a little research people! Don't ever believe Hollywood! Please inform people which is correct, in the nicest way possible!

Now I know the Perry plastic figs come with only Forage caps. I'm using the smaller and more compact type for CSA and the rest for Union.

"In the end I gave up, went with the flow and now all my ACW figures are described as wearing a kepi where appropriate."

Booooooooooo… hissssssssssss… booooooooooo. Hey you could forge new ground and educate the gaming public! Come on… be a leader not a follower. At least add a note for the unwashed masses. :)

The rigid kepi would be found mostly on officers, while the flopped-forward forage cap was worn by the enlisted. Though, officers could wear about any hat they liked.

Side note: I used to reenact (Co. B, 3rd U.S. Regulars); One hot day at Cedar Mountain (Virginia), it got hot-- 105 degrees. With my canteen lost(!), I found the medical station where there was some water: That forage cap held a LOT of water with very little leaking!