"11th indiana" Topic

I'm about to start putting together Hovey's div at champion hill to take on my nearly finished Bowen's div. to my surprise I find the 11th is a Zouves regt and to complicate matters has two uniform versions an early grey number and a latter black jacket blue trouser ensemble. Any one out there know which if either the would be wearing at Champion hill.
thanks in advance.

Probably the latter.I think the grey uniform was 1st year only.

Here's an image of an unknown soldier of the 11th Indiana, in the second issue uniform.

Note on the above image the lack of a vest, or a "false vest", which was common with zouave jackets. The false vest was simply two sections of the front panel of a vest, with buttons and button holes (and sometimes waist pockets, which was sewn to the inside of the jacket during construction. This allowed the vest to be buttoned closed, thus closing off the jacket as well as keeping it from coming open or "flapping" when the soldier was running, etc. Very neat idea.

In this image, note the wide and simple blue facings and cuffs. These were simply strips of light blue kersey cloth sewn to the coast. The jacket is black, HOWEVER there exists some discussion of whether they all received black jackets, or if some of the initial issue, or all of the replacements jackets, were of indigo blue cloth. In a period image, with such wide light blue facings, it would appear to the naked eye to be a very dark blue or black.

Anyway,the cap is rad, with a dark blue band, and a glossy enameled black visor and chinstrap. The shirt is a very light grey, or cream, or light tan color. All three, as well as red, dark blue, and dark grey were known to be issued to any and all federal troops. It depended upon what the depot had in stock when the requests came in.

Also, although no tombions are found on the front of the jacket, the rear is reputed to have them, again in sky blue, the same shade as the trousers.

You would have a couple options in making this figure from existing available minis. For 15mm, or smaller, simply use a mini with a cap and shell jacket and paint the wide stripes down the front. For larger 28mm, you could use the available 14th Brooklyn ones, with a little bit of filing, or work with the Perry plastic zoauves,using the bodied mounted to the regular plastic ACW infantry. Take a little knife and saw work, but it would be an easy conversion. Lastly, just get some28 CS troops with jacket and cap and add the trim, painting the coat to look as if it was closed with a faux vest.

V/R

Great picture

One last note: The above image I posted may well show a later war replacement uniform. Extant images of 11th Indiana soldiers show a variety of types. One image shows the original red-trimmed grey uniform of the 3-month volunteers.

Another one, of an NCO killed at Shiloh (from the 3-year regiment_ shows him wearing a regulation US blue dress (frock) coat. Whether NCO's at this time wore regulation coats with the rank & file wearing the zouave jacket I can't say.

Other images show what you could call a "regulation" zouave jacket, likely of black material with light blue trim, with the edge piping a thinner material, and also tombions sewn to the front. These also seem to show the use of either a vest or a faux vest closure. I am more opt to believe in the latter, as the cost of a vest would have to be born by the soldier, since the government didn't issue them, whereas the faux vest would be included in the issue jacket, since it was an integral part of the coat.

What with the expansion of the armies as the war went into it's 3rd year, it would be fully understandable for a simpler jacket to be manufactured for the 11th. This is also born out by a letter from one of it's members home complaining about how other regiment's men were cutting up old trousers into strips, to be sewn onto the front of their jackets. When these same men were caught by the provost doing some vile thing, they claimed to be a part of the 11th Indiana, thus bringing ill repute to the regiment.

Anyway, some post war and period images are on this site:

indiana11th.tripod.com

thanks for that, so on balance i'll
go with the second uniform.

I have the 11th in their early War uniform, now I am inspired to do the later version. Thanks for all the great info!

Was that Lew Wallace's regiment?

Yes Don.