"Unusual head wear" Topic

Look at this Union soldier from the 9th Indiana:

[URL=http://s134.photobucket.com/user/Huck1863/media/Company_quotAquot_9th_Indiana_Infantry_-_NARA_-_524693copy.jpg.html]

Looks like a variation of the "wheel" cap popular for civilians and militia pre-war.

Yup. It's referred during the period as a "mechanics" cap.

Some of the other hats are known as "plug" hats, after the "plugs" who wore them.

FWIW, and slightly O/T, the officer is wearing a commercially made sack coat. Today it's mostly known as a "private purchase" sack coat. THIS is the type of "fatigue blouse" the Grant and his staff were wearing in the final couple months of the war. Grant refers to it as a "common" soldiers blouse, but the purchase records exist in the National Archives where Porter had them ordered from a commercial firm, I believe in New York City.

V/R

Yeah the mechanic's was not that unusual. It was more common in the earlier in the war though.

TK,

Thanks for pointing out the coat. I missed that!

Those guys are wearing a variety of everything. Look at the sack/frock/shell jackets in addition to the headgear. They look like a reenactor unit!

But they aren't old and "hefty."

Jim

Also note that the officer has no rank insignia.

In 1864, officers were permitted to dispense with the sash and to wear "diminished" rank on their shoulders. Most often, this was just the embroidered rank bars and backing cloth cut from their regular shoulder straps and sewn back onto the coats. Sometimes, only one insignia was worn on each shoulder and, sometimes, you see images like this where no rank is worn.

Now, that doesn't necessarily date this image, I'm just tossing that out there for your info.

When it comes to officer's clothing and kits (on both sides) the concept of uniformity is somewhat malleable at best.

John the G,

Your comments warrant taking a look at the WHOLE photo:

[URL=http://s134.photobucket.com/user/Huck1863/media/Company_quotAquot_9th_Indiana_Infantry_-_NARA_-_524693.jpg.html]

The other two officers are wearing their rank insignia and interestingly, all three are wearing their sashes.

Great photo!

I would wear my sash when being photographed for admiration at home for being an officer. During a battle, I would forgo the recognition from confederate sharpshooters.

Now I don't feel so disgruntled over that horrific mix of shell and sack coats in the Perry ACW box. Fascinating find, ACW Gamer!

They were obviously thrown together the day before a convention out of all of the left over figs in the bottom of the box because the scenario required one more Union regiment.

I think the fact that he's carrying a big shiny sword might be a hint to the sharpshooters that he's an officer, don't you?

Of course once the shooting starts an officer's spot would be behind the line of men to supervise their fire.

Another item I noticed….the 5th man from the right is wearing a slouch hat that is not black.

It also seems that the man just behind the right shoulder of the officer is African-American, and while I can't blow up the picture enough in other areas, one or two others might also be.

ACW gamer, I bet that is more common than you would think. Modern people have a habit of confusing the uniform black dress hat with a slouch hat. Sometimes they are one and the same (basically the dress hat after it is worn out and lost all the attached brass, etc.) However, at least 1/2 of those hats in the picture are clearly private purchase hats. The soldier bought what he liked and/or fit from what he found to buy. Black seems to be more popular or available in the north and might account for their being fewer tan hats. The deciding factor in what was acceptable being the regimental officers rather than regulations per say.