"Confederate General and Staff Uniforms?" Topic

I am putting together a Confederate General with a few staff officers and have a question about the collar an cuffs for the generals tunic. I have read that Confederate generals had buff collar and cuffs, yet I see a lot of such officers with what look like white collars and cuffs. Are both correct? or is one of them correct?

Also, any suggestions for staff officers and their uniforms?

Thank you in advance,

Terry

Buff can range from almost white to almost dark

There were more exceptions to the rule than adherence to these regulations. If you look at period photos you are often hard pressed to find anyone who is dressed completely in a regulation uniform. I believe Infantry was supposed to have light blue, artillery red and cavalry yellow collars and cuffs but I have seen uniforms and illustrations which show buff as well. Even if a General was supposed to have a specific uniform, he may have simply modified the Uniform he had as a Major or a Colonel, especially in the field. Part of what makes the ACW kind of fun to paint is that you have quite a bit of leeway, even in the Union Army. In other words, buff, light blue, or plain would all work. Even red or yellow for artillery or cavalry would look fine. If you really want to push the envelope you could even include a chief surgeon, his cuffs and collar were green.

I have seen several original general officer uniforms and the one thing that they all share is being made of a fine broadcloth wool in a cadet grey or bluish-grey color. Everything else is to the point where you have to look at images of that exact officer to see his clothing.

For example, although Lee had several uniforms, the one he wore on campaign was more of a civilian style coat, with a shawl-collar vest and trousers in the same cadet grey wool. On all of his uniforms, however, he never wore general's rank, but only the 3 stars on each collar of a full colonel. That was his prewar rank, and what he continued to wear.

A.P. Hill also preferred a civilian-style sack coat, again in cadet-grey wool, while on campaign.

General officers were supposed to have buff facings, and those extent general's uniforms I have personally seen which had facing colors were all buff.

Staff officers would fall into one of two categories: Those who were permanent "staff" and those who were assigned on an ad hoc basis from one of the various branches.

Those on permanent staff would have, if any facing colors were worn, black facings. This was also the facing color for medical officers.

Officers assigned on a temporary basis might have any color, or none at all.

As in the federal army, CS officers were required to purchase their own kit. The only thing that the government gave them was their pay and commissioning papers. Tentage and camp equipment was also provided on an issue basis, but if it was damaged through anything other than combat, the replacement cost would be born by the officer who signed for it.

Having to purchase their own clothing, with sources of material becoming somewhat more difficulty as the war progressed, and inflation reaching high levels, meant that a great deal of latitude was allowed to them. In many cases, from 1862 on, the phrase "less is more" truly comes into it's own. General (and staff) officers would have two uniforms, one for dress occasions, such as reviews, official visits, etc. the rest of the time they wore a "campaign uniform" more suited to the rigours of riding and living in the field under less than ideal sanitary conditions.

Having said all this, in the end they are your figures and you must decide how you want them to look. I'd suggest doing some online searches, including the Museum of the Confederacy to get a feel for what was really worn, and then basing your interpretation on that.

One thing to keep in mind as you examine surviving officer's clothing, is that these fancy coats with colored facings, Austrian knots, etc, were almost always the dress coat and survived because they were packed away in campaign trunks, or at their owner's homes. Field uniforms, plain & serviceable (though, as noted above, their were always exceptions) were worn out on campaign, or buried with their owners during the war. basically, used up.

The way we know of them is because of some surviving examples such as Lee's, and also images taken in the field.

Thank you gentlemen, some very excellent help here from all of you. You can guess that our civil war is not my area of knowledge compared to other wars, but I am enjoying doing a few small armies for some gaming of it.

TKindred, a special thank you to you for such excellent detail!

Terry

These may help:
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In the movie Gettysburg, Pickett is wearing the official general's uniform. No one else is, that I recall noticing.

These may help as well:

11th ACR: Altough I have seen the movies more times than I could ever remember I appreciate the great photos.
Thanks, JOhn Miller

Wow! Thank you everyone – the pictures and photos are a tremendous help!!!

I received my order from Essex today and started sorting the armies out and that is fun in itself!

Again, my sincere thanks!

Terry