"Uniform Question - Virginia Reserve Battalions of 1864-65" Topic

I am reading on the Shenandoah Valley campaign in mid to late 1864 and have seen several references to the "Vally Reserves" from various counties, or have seen numbered battalions (e.g., "3rd Reserve Battalion") sometimes with a geographical location or command noted, but sometimes not. I've read that these units generally consisted of men between the ages of 45 and 50, and boys from 16-18 years armed with a variety of weapons.

What I'm really interested in is what, if any, uniforms did these guys wear? I'm guessing that since it was late in the war, and that especially since they were part-timers at best, that most of them wore civilian clothes. I could imagine a few wearing an issued military jacket or hat, but I wouldn't expect that many would have a complete uniform with the exception of officers and men who had completed an enlistment sometime earlier in the war.

Okay, I've checked Wikipedia, I've looked around with Google, and through all of my books on the shelves at home, so I'm now seeking the guidance of the combined knowledge of the TMP crowd!

Well I cannot speak for Virginia but i can cite similar units in Alabama.

There were a number of Home Guard style units in Alabama. Some of these were Reserve battalions and some were independent companies in each county or community.

In addition a numnber of Reserve companies and battalions were formed from men reporting back to duty after recovering from wounds 9awaiting assignemnt to units or transportation to former units. The companies also included men reporting for basic training.

These units especially in 1864 and 1865 were mustered at the training camps to respond to Union raids in the area. All available men even those awaiting transfer would be called to duty.

So as you can see uniforms would have been a wide variety. Even civilian gear for new trainees.

One pension note had an Infantry offier reporting to duty in infantry officer's markings though he was re-enlisting after recovery from wounds as a private in a Cavalry unit.

I've been reading up on the Virginia Reserves also since I had a relative that was in the 3rd Virginia State Reserves, 22nd VA. Inf, (Buckingham Rifles). Seems that it was pretty much, whatever you were wearing was your uniform…nothing standard at all…weapons, clothing, etc…

Virginia did have an awful lot of pre-war militia units, so there might have been some of those uniforms still around, plus they had a bunch of clothing manufacturers, not the least of which was the Virginia penal system – so there might well have been some in uniforms, although I suspect they were very hodge-podge outfits

Do you have a reason for this research John? I suspect you do :)

You're on to me! It MAY have to do with a "project" you are already familiar with…

I was even looking up the cost of a mid-19th century double-barreled shotgun, either original or repro, but functional, of course!

It might be interesting to paint up a unit of these guys in 28mm too; it seems they'll likely make my motley Confederates look downright uniform by comparison!

I'd offer this: The state of uniforms in the Confederacy got better as the war went on. The problem was never one of having enough clothing, equipment or food or ammunition. It was all about not having enough transport to get it to the front.

If these Virginia reserve units were called up, odds are, in my book, that they would nave clothing issued to them if it were at all possible.

I wouldn't disagree with you, and in fact that's been one of my pet peeves with the Confederate reenacting community for years; the insistence of some that they were all wearing this and that, and not issued uniforms.

For this specific instance, I think that they may have been unsupported by the war effort due to what I have read about their extremely diverse weaponry. My logic being that if they weren't issued military firearms, would they have been issued uniforms?