"Confederate Regiment Uniforms 1862" Topic

Hello All,

Seasons Greetings.
Just before I place a substantial order with Dixon for ACW Confederates from Jackson's Division I would like to get some clarification on some of the uniforms. I've researched what I can but would appreciate any further information, from what I can gleam kepi's were common through these regiments as were frock coats. Being a painter foremost I don't mind a bit of artistic licence and utilizing some earlier headwear like Havelock's etc… I have drawn the OOB from Fredericksburg/Antietam.
3rd Brigade
10th VA
23rd VA Frock Coats, kepi with blue band.
37th VA
47th ALA Frock Coats
48th ALA Frock Coats

4th Brigade
1st LA Volunteers
2nd LA
9th LA
10th LA
14th LA
15th LA
Coppen's 1st LA Zouave Bttn Blue Jacket, Red Pants and Fez.

Side item. When Grant went through South Carolina he captured over 35,000 uniforms that were being stored. It seems that these uniforms were being issued to only South Carolina regiments. Grant burned them.

This is at a time when the Army of Northern Virginia was mostly in rags and patched uniforms. One of the major reasons that the south lost was because they could not look beyond their states at the general good of the country.

I don't think Grant ever set foot in South Carolina during the war. At least not Ulysses Grant. I think you meant Sherman and North Carolina. And by the end of the war, the Confederate armies were actually remarkably well clothed. Uniforms from the Columbus Depot, Richmond, and the Tait uniforms from England kept them fairly well clothed at the end. It was the Confederate transportation system that fell apart, not the lack of supplies, be it food or uniforms.

There is even some photographic support for Cleburne1863. If you study closely the uniforms of Confederate dead at Fort Mahone (Petersburg) in April, 1865, you will see that even at this late point in the war, they were uniformly clothed.

Reference:
link

The "ragged Rebel" thing really mostly applied in 1862 when the original uniforms wore out and before the states had gotten into the replacement uniform business and then in 1865 when the Confederate logistical network totally collapsed

By mid-war, especially when units were close to railheads, Confederate units could be better dressed than Union ones

Antietam the army was still in their state issue uniforms, which by that time were pretty worn out.
Cleburne is correct that by Fredricksburg the central depos, such as the Richmond depo were issuing uniforms. Most of these uniforms were from England.
The ragged rebs thing is correct up until about Fredricksburg. After that the ANV was fairly well clothed.

There is evidence that even in the Trans-Mississippi the Confederate depots were better stocked in 1865 than at any time?

And all of Longstreet's corps sent west in late 1863 was reclothed along the way. Their dark blue-gray uniforms were sometimes confused for Union dress at the Battle of Chickamauga.

But we've kinda strayed from the original poster's message, haven't we.

Jim

Where did you get the uniform info on the 23rd virginia and what time period? Do you have a reference?

I am putting together a cross referenced database of the Valley campaign, all the battles, order of battle at each one, uniform references, strength, casualties, commanders, for both sides.

If anyone can point to any other references for the Valley uniforms, for either side, I would appreciate it

I will, of course, share when done

Jaxenro,
Here's a link to the 23 Va's QM records and it lists numerous times in the months before the Valley campaign that "jackets" or "round jackets" (i.e. shell jackets) were requested. Look especially at the entries for March '62. I would say the regiment was mostly outfitted in shell jackets and a small sprinkling of frock coats during the Valley campaign.

23rdva.netfirms.com/qm1.htm

Almost no caps though

were the other Virginia regiments the same?