Folks,
To commemorate our tenth anniversary in business Brian and I have been planning some really exciting things. First, I must admit to a bit of a "ruse de guerre" in our poll as we have planned to mark our anniversary with ALL of the options! So in honor of ten years in business, read on about the exciting things we are doing this month!
AUGUST ANNIVERSARY SALE
For the month of August, all orders placed AND delivered during the month will be discounted 10% off OR you can choose to donate your 10% to the CWPT's efforts to save the Franklin battlefield. CWPT is matching donations at a 6 to 1 ratio, meaning for every $1 donated they will match $6 to it. Thus, if you order one of our contract blouses this month, and choose to donate your 10% to CWPT, that will net $129.50 for preservation!!! How about THAT?!?!
This offer applies to all orders placed during the month, as well as orders we ship during the month, so if you placed an order back in May and we ship it to you this month, you are eligible for the offer! We'll contact you before shipping to find out your preference, but if we're unable to reach you we'll opt for the donation to CWPT.
WEBSITE UPDATE
In the next week or so check our website for some very cool updates to the photos of our US uniforms. We spent this past weekend at the Waterloo Farm Museum taking both professional modern shots and wet plate images replicating original pictures to show off our products. We hope to have these photos on the website soon, but in the meantime enjoy a little teaser of our new shelter half image!
NEW PRODUCTS
In the last month we have developed FIVE new products and are now proud to announce them in conjunction with our anniversary. It will be a little while before they are listed on the website, so for the time being these items are an AC exclusive! It should be noted that several of these products are in stock and ready to go!
H.S. McComb Contract Shelter Half $95.00
Based on one of a matching set of original tent halves made by Henry S. McComb of Wilmington, Delaware, this style reflects an early version known in Fred Gaede’s typography as a "Type IIIa" shelter tent. McComb won multiple contracts totaling 269,000 tent halves in April, May, and August 1862, and February 1864, to be delivered to the New York Depot. The original, in the collection of artist/historian Don Troiani, still retains two rough hand-hewn wooden stakes.
Our reproduction is made from two vertically seamed panels of cotton drill, machine-sewn and hemmed, with machine-sewn drill corner reinforcements. Twenty-three natural bone buttons with matching buttonholes, hand-sewn round grommets, manilla rope guy line and peg loops, and a red contractor stamp finish each shelter half. This style of shelter half is the quintessential "transitional" piece between the three-panel drill and two-panel duck shelter halves.
Cincinnati Depot Contract Shelter Half $95.00
Shelter halves produced at Cincinnati or by their contractors appear to have been configured similarly to the original French tente d'abri. Cincinnati began in-house production of tent halves in 1862 which resulted in the manufacture of approximately 229,504 individual shelter halves by the war’s end. Individual contractors in Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston produced an additional 475,000 shelter halves exclusively for Cincinnati Depot. Our reproduction is copied from an original in a private collection which is stenciled “WN” and which exhibits expert repairs in the four corners and along the edges. The repairs may have been exacted at the sub-depot in Louisville, KY, after the original tent suffered damage and was condemned. We offer this tent in what we feel is the most likely original configuration and without the period repairs.
Each Cincinnati contract shelter tent half is made from three horizontally seamed panels of cotton drill, machine sewn and hemmed, with hand-sewn drill corner reinforcements. Twenty-three drill-reinforced darkened bone buttons with matching hand-sewn buttonholes, hand-sewn slotted upright grommet and round loop grommets, manilla guy line and peg loops complete our reproduction. A George Moulton inspector stamp is optional.
Alvin Rose Contract Federal Trousers $180.00
While not as prolific a manufacturer as other New York City contractors, Rose produced a total of 395,000 pairs of foot trousers throughout the war. His other efforts included drawers, haversacks, unlined fatigue blouses, infantry uniform coats, and cavalry jackets, with most contracts dated from early to mid 1864. The most interesting and noticeable feature of the original pair of Rose trousers (currently in an Ohio collection) are the "slash" pockets which have not been widely reproduced until now. This style of pocket has also been observed on three other pairs of original trousers; one unmarked mounted pair sold by the Horse Soldier, an all hand-sewn pair by NYC contractor Conant & Bolles, and a pair of private purchase enlisted trousers by New York tailors Remmy & McLeod. Federal trousers with variations of this pocket also appear in numerous photographs from the Library of Congress and individual soldier portraits.
George Spaulding Illinois State Jacket $225.00
Based on the jacket that was worn by Orderly Sergeant George Spaulding, Co. C 52nd Illinois Infantry. Spaulding was mortally wounded on April 6th, 1862 at Shiloh. This jacket is indicative of the type made in the thousands for the state of Illinois for its troops. Made from dark blue wool kersey and lined in cotton, the chest is padded and quilted. The jacket has functional epaulets, and a functional belt look on the left side, with an eight button front. Cuffs are vented similarly to US fatigue blouses. The jackets show every sign of being mass produced, and the construction is much more closely related to a fatigue blouse than a frock coat.
Cincinnati Contract Fatigue Blouse $185.00
Our reproduction US fatigue blouse is copied from an original in a private collection that exemplifies common features seen on millions of sack coats during the war, but also has small details found on the original blouse that make it no less than a faithful copy. The blouse is made from custom 8 oz. blue wool flannel dyed to an indigo blue color, and is lined in a lightweight green wool flannel. Sewn largely by machine, it has hand-sewing where appropriate, such as the sleeve linings and buttonholes. The blouse features extensive piecings in the facings and under collar, as well as a body that is slightly shorter than some surviving original blouses and most reproduction blouses made today.
Our blouse is stamped with sizing dots and the inspector mark of F. H. Shafer. Shafer inspected clothing at the Cincinnati Depot from September of 1863 until the end of the war, effectively dating the blouse from that period (though it should be understood that there is nothing in the patterning or materials of this coat that would preclude it from use in other periods or theaters of the war.) While it is not known whether the original blouse was produced at the Cincinnati Depot or made by a contractor and simply issued through the depot, either scenario could be valid. We are also willing to leave the inspector stamp off of the blouse for our customers who would like a slightly more universal sack coat.
Items Currently In Stock:
Cincinnati Depot Shelter half (2)
Illinois State Jacket (40, 42, 44)
Cincinnati Contract Fatigue Blouse (38, 40)
Alvin Rose Contract Trousers (36)
JT Martin Contract Trousers (34)
Schuylkill Arsenal Trousers (32)
(In stock items are first-come first-serve. We don't have pictures of the new items just yet but will very soon!)
Thank you all for your support. Here's to another ten great years!
To commemorate our tenth anniversary in business Brian and I have been planning some really exciting things. First, I must admit to a bit of a "ruse de guerre" in our poll as we have planned to mark our anniversary with ALL of the options! So in honor of ten years in business, read on about the exciting things we are doing this month!
AUGUST ANNIVERSARY SALE
For the month of August, all orders placed AND delivered during the month will be discounted 10% off OR you can choose to donate your 10% to the CWPT's efforts to save the Franklin battlefield. CWPT is matching donations at a 6 to 1 ratio, meaning for every $1 donated they will match $6 to it. Thus, if you order one of our contract blouses this month, and choose to donate your 10% to CWPT, that will net $129.50 for preservation!!! How about THAT?!?!
This offer applies to all orders placed during the month, as well as orders we ship during the month, so if you placed an order back in May and we ship it to you this month, you are eligible for the offer! We'll contact you before shipping to find out your preference, but if we're unable to reach you we'll opt for the donation to CWPT.
WEBSITE UPDATE
In the next week or so check our website for some very cool updates to the photos of our US uniforms. We spent this past weekend at the Waterloo Farm Museum taking both professional modern shots and wet plate images replicating original pictures to show off our products. We hope to have these photos on the website soon, but in the meantime enjoy a little teaser of our new shelter half image!
NEW PRODUCTS
In the last month we have developed FIVE new products and are now proud to announce them in conjunction with our anniversary. It will be a little while before they are listed on the website, so for the time being these items are an AC exclusive! It should be noted that several of these products are in stock and ready to go!
H.S. McComb Contract Shelter Half $95.00
Based on one of a matching set of original tent halves made by Henry S. McComb of Wilmington, Delaware, this style reflects an early version known in Fred Gaede’s typography as a "Type IIIa" shelter tent. McComb won multiple contracts totaling 269,000 tent halves in April, May, and August 1862, and February 1864, to be delivered to the New York Depot. The original, in the collection of artist/historian Don Troiani, still retains two rough hand-hewn wooden stakes.
Our reproduction is made from two vertically seamed panels of cotton drill, machine-sewn and hemmed, with machine-sewn drill corner reinforcements. Twenty-three natural bone buttons with matching buttonholes, hand-sewn round grommets, manilla rope guy line and peg loops, and a red contractor stamp finish each shelter half. This style of shelter half is the quintessential "transitional" piece between the three-panel drill and two-panel duck shelter halves.
Cincinnati Depot Contract Shelter Half $95.00
Shelter halves produced at Cincinnati or by their contractors appear to have been configured similarly to the original French tente d'abri. Cincinnati began in-house production of tent halves in 1862 which resulted in the manufacture of approximately 229,504 individual shelter halves by the war’s end. Individual contractors in Cincinnati, New York, Philadelphia, and Boston produced an additional 475,000 shelter halves exclusively for Cincinnati Depot. Our reproduction is copied from an original in a private collection which is stenciled “WN” and which exhibits expert repairs in the four corners and along the edges. The repairs may have been exacted at the sub-depot in Louisville, KY, after the original tent suffered damage and was condemned. We offer this tent in what we feel is the most likely original configuration and without the period repairs.
Each Cincinnati contract shelter tent half is made from three horizontally seamed panels of cotton drill, machine sewn and hemmed, with hand-sewn drill corner reinforcements. Twenty-three drill-reinforced darkened bone buttons with matching hand-sewn buttonholes, hand-sewn slotted upright grommet and round loop grommets, manilla guy line and peg loops complete our reproduction. A George Moulton inspector stamp is optional.
Alvin Rose Contract Federal Trousers $180.00
While not as prolific a manufacturer as other New York City contractors, Rose produced a total of 395,000 pairs of foot trousers throughout the war. His other efforts included drawers, haversacks, unlined fatigue blouses, infantry uniform coats, and cavalry jackets, with most contracts dated from early to mid 1864. The most interesting and noticeable feature of the original pair of Rose trousers (currently in an Ohio collection) are the "slash" pockets which have not been widely reproduced until now. This style of pocket has also been observed on three other pairs of original trousers; one unmarked mounted pair sold by the Horse Soldier, an all hand-sewn pair by NYC contractor Conant & Bolles, and a pair of private purchase enlisted trousers by New York tailors Remmy & McLeod. Federal trousers with variations of this pocket also appear in numerous photographs from the Library of Congress and individual soldier portraits.
George Spaulding Illinois State Jacket $225.00
Based on the jacket that was worn by Orderly Sergeant George Spaulding, Co. C 52nd Illinois Infantry. Spaulding was mortally wounded on April 6th, 1862 at Shiloh. This jacket is indicative of the type made in the thousands for the state of Illinois for its troops. Made from dark blue wool kersey and lined in cotton, the chest is padded and quilted. The jacket has functional epaulets, and a functional belt look on the left side, with an eight button front. Cuffs are vented similarly to US fatigue blouses. The jackets show every sign of being mass produced, and the construction is much more closely related to a fatigue blouse than a frock coat.
Cincinnati Contract Fatigue Blouse $185.00
Our reproduction US fatigue blouse is copied from an original in a private collection that exemplifies common features seen on millions of sack coats during the war, but also has small details found on the original blouse that make it no less than a faithful copy. The blouse is made from custom 8 oz. blue wool flannel dyed to an indigo blue color, and is lined in a lightweight green wool flannel. Sewn largely by machine, it has hand-sewing where appropriate, such as the sleeve linings and buttonholes. The blouse features extensive piecings in the facings and under collar, as well as a body that is slightly shorter than some surviving original blouses and most reproduction blouses made today.
Our blouse is stamped with sizing dots and the inspector mark of F. H. Shafer. Shafer inspected clothing at the Cincinnati Depot from September of 1863 until the end of the war, effectively dating the blouse from that period (though it should be understood that there is nothing in the patterning or materials of this coat that would preclude it from use in other periods or theaters of the war.) While it is not known whether the original blouse was produced at the Cincinnati Depot or made by a contractor and simply issued through the depot, either scenario could be valid. We are also willing to leave the inspector stamp off of the blouse for our customers who would like a slightly more universal sack coat.
Items Currently In Stock:
Cincinnati Depot Shelter half (2)
Illinois State Jacket (40, 42, 44)
Cincinnati Contract Fatigue Blouse (38, 40)
Alvin Rose Contract Trousers (36)
JT Martin Contract Trousers (34)
Schuylkill Arsenal Trousers (32)
(In stock items are first-come first-serve. We don't have pictures of the new items just yet but will very soon!)
Thank you all for your support. Here's to another ten great years!
Comment