"Stonewall Jackson at 1st Manassas" Topic

I started reading Don Troiani's Regiments and Uniforms of the Civil War and very early in the book there is a painting called "Drive Them to Washington." In the painting it shows the Stonewall Brigade advancing with Jackson at the front wearing a Mexican War-style M1839 forage cap and his old pre-war dark blue uniform. I really like Don Troiani's work. He and Mort Kunstler are definitely my two favorite Civil War artists and I've always heard that Troiani's work is usually spot on historically and it seems that is mostly true to me. However, I've always thought that Jackson was probably wearing the M1858 forage cap that he usually wore during the 1st Manassas battle. It seems unlikely for anyone to know for sure what kind of forage cap he was wearing that day unless one of his subordinates wrote an in-depth description of his appearance during the battle. Therefore this could be left up the artist's interpretation and I'm sure Jackson probably owned one or two M1839 forage caps. I was wondering what some of your thoughts are on this subject and if anyone knew of a miniature from a Mexican-American War 15mm line that could be used as Jackson at Manassas.

Maybe one of these?

link

I believe he wore the regulation US Army uniform as an instructor at VMI, so I think the 1858 forage cap is more likely. Who knows?

The original hat is in the VMI museum

It is documented by eyewitness accounts that Jackson was wearing his old Army uniform, along with the Mexican-American war pattern cap.

Troiani's comments regarding the issue :

"I've always had an issue with contemporary renderings of "Old Jack" at First Mannassas, particularly his floppy cap. Jackson's appearance on the battlefield that day is clearly described in a well-known & readily available reprinted book, in which Lt. W.M. Owen of the Washington artillery gave this splendid account: "He had been slightly wounded in the hand, and had it bound up in his handkerchief. He was a very quiet plain looking man dressed in a blue military coat, and wore the shoulder straps of a colonel in the U.S. army. His cap was of the old-army pattern, in vogue during the Mexican War- blue cloth, flat on top"

The quote is from:

In Camp and Battle with the Washington Artillery: a Narrative of Events by William Miller Owen.

Published in 1885, The quote may be found on page 41.

V/R

Thanks TKindred, that is awesome information. I've always liked Troiani's interpretation of Jackson at Manassas so now I just need to find the right mini to represent Jackson in the Mexican War forage cap. Although from what I've seen of MAW miniatures it looks like some officers sport a Burnside type beard. I guess I could try to modify a Jackson ACW mini with a M1839 cap.

That's pretty good information! And to think that the only thing wrong with his statue there isn't the mesomorphic physique!

A nice model for him might be this one from Eureka:

I think in 15/18mm you can paint on a beard okay.

Is that superman posing as old jack, he really must of put the hours in at old Abe's gym! But in the early years I would portray him in his Mexican war uniform, so don trioiani is pretty much on the money! But bear in mind I'm not a history geek or uniform freak.

Wow---Stonewall was buff!

Comes that way from sucking on lemons.