"Western Armies: Painting info?" Topic

What are some good painting guides for the Western Theater of the ACW?

Grant did great things out West, which encouraged Lincoln to bring him East. But it seems like most of the books are about eastern armies and their uniforms.

I'm thinking of painting my Epic ACW Armies in Western garb, which seems to suit the sculpting, and would like some guidance.

Thanks!

I don't think the Union troops were hugely different to the rest, apart from more of them wearing brimmed hats instead of kepis.

Tbh, I just use my ACW figures interchangeably between theatres.

Don Troiani's books cover both theatres well. From his collection (now all donated to the Smithsonian) the western Confederates had more frock coats than in the east and many Union troops wore slouch hats alongside the fatigue cap (very few kepis though). As in the east shell jacketed Rebs and sack coated Union were commonest.

Biggest difference, AFAIK, is the Confederate battle flags.

I do the same as Martin.

For Union soldiers, less uniformity then in the East. Slouch hats, kepis, Forage caps, all mixed. Mixing of packs and blanket rolls. I mixed confederates with slouch hats and blanket rolls with union in kepis or forage caps in my Union units. Supply was not as good, the further you were from Washington. Eastern troops got the best first. Same with coats, sacks, shells, frocks could be mixed. The Western union troops were more relaxed clothing wise. Now this could very with officers, but to find that, you would have to comb regimental histories, which would be a lot of work. So this is a general statement.

Western confederates we're generally less well equipped then their Eastern compatriots, uniform wise to.

Same goes with rifles and artillery. For instance 6lb guns were used much longer in the west, then in the East.

It all gives you more variety in your painting. I would also recommend Troiani's books.

If you are in the US, I am selling a couple of his books. Both like new. Will send some photos if interested.

Don Troiani's
Civil War
1995 First Edition
Signed by Troiani
189 pages
Like new
$15 USD

don troiani's
soldiers in America
1754-1865
1998 First Edition
$12 USD USD
242 pages

You paint Western union troops the same as Eastern union troops -- they were not issued different uniforms -- and they all could be transferred to different theaters if needed.

I agree that the Epic figures are probably more suited to the West because of the blanket rolls and variety of headgear.

79th, are you saying paint them like the East to be interchangeable for gaming, or that there uniforms were not different? Unsure of what you are saying. The uniforms were different, in that Western units uniforms were not as uniform due to supply. The 35th for instance, had men in both shells and sacks as i have seen original photos of both. Also wore all types of headgear, especially as the war grew longer. The slouch was much more practical. It kept the sun out of your eyes better and the rain out of your face better. I can vouch for that from experience. 🙂

FYI I have original photos of Eastern theater Ohio union soldiers in slouch hats.

It does make it more fun to paint, than the uniformity of the average eastern union soldier. 🙂

folks already pointed out the major differences but I'm like the others and I just use the miniatures I have for any battle East or West.

Honestly, exactly.

Yup. I use my Yanks for both theaters, and I use my Rebs for both theaters.

Can use for both – historically the Union troops in the West were more likely to have slouch hats but otherwise interchangable except for the Reb flags

35th, I meant that they all had the same uniform colors. I consider sack coats, shell jacket, etc. to be pretty immaterial at this scale and they don't change how you paint. Union troops in all theaters wore dark blue over a lighter blue, so they are all painted the same.

Well you would have the sky blue piping of the shells and frocks. But that and length would be the only difference.

I do that with my artillery. Some in sacks, some with red piped shells. A change of pace.

But that is just my taste. 🙂

In the West, you have a lot of different "special" units, or lack of.
You have Wilder's Mounted Rifle or the Lightning Brigade, most all with repeaters that gave the Rebels hell.
You'll have Indians fighting for both sides.
And you have a lack of Zouaves. They may have been uniformed at the beginning, but as noted above, lack of supplies would have rendered them all blue!
Plus, you could fool around with a French Foreign Legion or Austrian intervention in Texas! Or Russians sneaking into Puget Sound!

At some point, IDK when, Lee's army, and probably the troops along the east coast, received blue-grey jackets either made in Britain or made in Richmond from British cloth.

The Army of Tennessee and other western units received jackets made at Atlanta, from a light-gray cloth that tended to turn yellowish after a while (and thus was called butternut, though they weren't really died with walnut stain).

The officers procured their own uniforms from tailors (or from the best-sewing slave on the plantation) and could be any shade of gray, but IIRC one witness said the coats of the officers in the ANV were of a lighter shade than the jackets of the men.

Thanks Don, that's the kind of "trend" I'm looking for.

My books about the East armies have lots of uniform details. I'm looking for some trends out west, and if any units had some odd uniforms, that's what I like to know.

After all, everyone knows that the 235th Indiana at Ft. Donalson wore purple spats – that's what makes them the 235th! etc, etc.

"At some point, IDK when, Lee's army, and probably the troops along the east coast, received blue-grey jackets either made in Britain or made in Richmond from British cloth."

I believe that was 1863-64. Longstreet's Corps spent that winter in western North Carolina and were given uniforms imported by NC. The gray was so dark they were mistaken for Yankees during the Wilderness battles.

Yes, Grant, at Chattanooga, remarked that Longstreet's men were wearing "a shade of blue different from ours," or words to that effect. Which implies that it was also different from what he had previously seen on Confederates in the West.

Confederate flags in the West were different, also. There are whole books on the subject. The various divisions and corps that were assembled for Shiloh each had their own pattern. IIRC, it was only when Joe Johnston took command of the Army of Tennessee that it officially adopted a battleflag similar to (but not identical to) that used by Lee's army.

Emblems of Southern Valor is a great book on the flags.

A late reply for an old thread, but the Texas Prison in Huntsville churned out hundreds of thousands of yards of cotton and wool cloth that was never dyed and used to make thousands of white, or off-white, Confederate uniforms that were used by Texas troops and regiments from other states in the Western theater. Let me assure you that a couple of white uniformed regiments stand out on your tabletop among all the browns and grays. And they really were there.

I believe some of the Confederate troops at Pea Ridge wore those.

Yup. 2nd Texas at Shiloh is well documented in their new, undyed wool uniforms.

Don is right about the flags. Each corp flier it's own flag. Hardee had the white cannon ball on blue background. Polk used the cross flag. I think Longstreets deployment to the West was the first time the ANV/ battle flag was flown. One question is the use of butternut rather than official gray is not clear. Clearly in 1864-65 the supply transportation was a hindrance. There are local records of uniforms in storage in warehouses that were both burned and not bothered by Union raids which were common in Alabama.
Every soldier who who recovered and went through camp depot outfitting were given new gray uniform. It was on campaign when uniforms and shoes deteriorated. One account that I read about a infantry lieutenant who recovered and went to a camp at Talladega. He asked to be reassigned as a Cavalry private rather than returning to the infantry as a captain. These and other stories were in various books authorized by the State Centennial commission in the 1960s. Researchers are missing many books written in this era. Every county had books authorized about every county.

I have come to the conclusion that Confederate uniforms were often called "butternut" only because their grey cloth tended to turn yellow-ish as the dye aged. But wasn't actually dyed with butternut (walnut) stain, as some homespun cloth was, or had been. It just looked as though it had been.

Makes sense

I am leaning towards that same conclusion as well Don. I am curious though how long it took those originally some shade of gray uniforms to take on a butternut hue. Also I do think you have along side the gray turned butternut issued uniforms a certain amount of from home clothing, some of which may have been actually dyed butternut.

I know that latter comment runs counter to the mounting evidence of the amount of uniforms being issued to Confederate troops in the mid to late war. However I believe there were still times between issues when soldiers might need to procure clothing, and clothing from home was probably the best way to do so.

In regards to clothing from home, based on letters reported, while trousers were in demand, the requested items were shoes. My partner at the store had an uncle in a Georgia regiment at Gettysburg. The letter only said they were in a great ‘fit' yesterday and they were still needing shoes. He was captured in 1864 and died in the Yankee prison.