Jacket

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Re: Jacket

As I WROTE most of the guidelines, feel free to ask any questions and I will GLADLY supply names of books and references that I may have on my current PC. In writing the guidelines I used the method of saying 'commutation jacket' rather than the previous methods mentioned, and I assume Dan Wambaugh did the same in his listings.

Would be a pretty idiotic point to list a event requirement as "a jacket of gray jean, 6 piece body, 2 piece sleeve, 5 button front ONLY" etc.

Patrick,

Did I say the websites were wrong? No, I didn't!

Once again...and I've seen this point driven home before on this forum...reading a website, and taking that as the gospel for an impression does not constitute research.

Your'e right in saying that for event requirements, it would get a little tiresome in listing out nuances of uniforms...and the accepted convention is to use the commonly accepted terms.

While event regulations, may be thoroughly researched...the brevity of their very nature is not research in and of itself...it's like reading the abridged version of Homer's Oddysey, and claiming to have the full version...while the originator of the abridged version, certainly may have a firm grasp on the concepts of the parent work...those who solely read the abridged version aren't getting the full work.


Paul B.

[Andrew Kasmar]

Re: Jacket

Hi,

I am not saying anything about the jackets or where I do my research, but rather just that I am not trying to use the term the wrong way. But, just using one that I have heard many times before. I also agree with what you said about when ever some strange jacket that does not fit the Depots style, that alot of us say it has to be a "commutation jacket". I was not saying that in my first post; I was just saying what the jacket might be " commutation jacket".

[vmi2009]

Re: Jacket

To answer a question raised by Mr. Smith, I do not have a picture as of now. But hope to have one by the end of today or early tomorrow up.

[vmi2009]

Re: Jacket

All,
Hopefully these will lead to images of the jacket in question. Please give me any and all feedback.

[LonestarRifles]

Re: Jacket

Mr. Allen Christian Redwood:

Born Prospect Hill plantation, Lancaster Co., 6/19/44. Raised and educated in Baltimore. Trained as an artist at the Polytechnic Institute, Brooklyn N.Y., in 1860. Enl. 7/24/61 in Co. C. WIA, by a shell fragment, at Mechanicsville, 6/26/62. Returned to duty 7/62. Travelled in an ambulance, suffering from ague, during 2nd Manassas campaign. Served with a La. battalion, 8/29/62. Captured that evening. Exchanged, 9/21/62. Detailed with the regimental Commissary Dept., winter/62-63. Served as the Regimental Sergeant-Major, 1-2/63-4/15/63. Stunned by a shell fragment at Chancellorsville, 5/2/63. Returned to duty shortly after. WIA, in his right elbow, at Gettysburg, 7/3/63. Returned to duty, 10/63. Transferred to Co. C, 1st Md. Cav. Btn., 1/12/64. Had his horse shot from under him at Pollard's Farm, 5/27/64. Orderly to Major-Genl. Lunsford Lomax in 9/64. Clerk to Lomax's adjutant from 10/4/64. Captured near Somerton, Va., 4/7/65. Released, 7/3/65. Post-war artist and writer in Baltimore and N.Y. His work, mostly based on his experiences in the 55th Va., has left an enduring insight into the regiment and ensured him his place as its best known soldier. Died 12/24/1922. Buried at Riverside Cemetery.

(O'Sullivan, Richard)

Here is a link to a publication entitled "The Confederate in the Field" by Mr. Redwood:

http://www.civilwarhome.com/confederatesoldier.htm

From my understanding, the 55th Va. Regimental History cites that the regiment fought alongside many North Carolinian regiments (among them were the 18th, 33rd, 7th, and 28th) during the spring and summer of '63. It does not say exactly who were with them during the Gettusburg campaign, but I assume they are likely the same regiments that served alongside them at Chancellorsville a couple of months earlier. (O'Sullivan, Richard)

From the sketches you posted, it looks as if the jacket is cut similar to an early N.C. jacket. The epaullettes are hard to tell if they are merely the style sewn directly to the jacket, as in N.C. jackets, or if they are detached. It is also difficult to see if there is a seam along the waist or not.



Works Cited:

O'Sullivan, Richard. 55th Virginia Infantry. Lynchburg, Va.: H.E. Howard, 1989.

[roundshot]

Re: Jacket

An early war North Carolina artilleryman. His shoulder straps are not the sewn down type typically seen on NC fatigue coats. Looks mighty like Mr. Redwood's sketch.

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: Jacket

Folks,

I'm sorry if I'm a little behind the times, but I saw my name mentioned and couldn't help but read this thread. For what it is worth I would like to include some passages for a small article I wrote that I included with our early "commutation jacket" kits. Perhaps you'll agree with it and perhaps not, but hopefully at the very least it is some food for thought:


"The term “commutation jacket” is one that is much maligned and misued in the hobby today. Thought by many to be a single type of jacket, with unique and specific construction details, this unfortunately is a misconception. Inasmuch as the term “sedan” to describe a car with four doors can in fact be describing any one of thousands of unique vehicles, “commutation jacket” can in fact describe one of thousands of different jackets, daunting to study and impossible to catalog.

Garments received by soldiers in the field through the Confederate commutation system could have come from any number of sources. The classic “made by the folks back home” garment is certainly the mainstay of commutation jackets, but they were also produced by the thousands by private firms contracted by local militia and volunteer units, produced by the skilled hands of tailors for those that could afford it, and even state governments contracted for clothing to be produced which was then reimbursed by the central government. As a result, the overall quality of these garments was as different as the hands that made them. The one constant among all of this is that while we know that these garments were produced in the hundreds of thousands, their early war nature means that a scant few have survived.

The garment that appears time and again in photographs of CS enlistedmen is the simple 6 piece body 2 piece sleeve 7-9 button front jacket. Lacking embellishments, made of coarse but durable material, and as non-descript as possible, these jackets nevertheless exemplify the attitude of the veteran soldiers who wear them. The enlisted jacket saves material, maximizing the already stretched woolen resources of the south, and yet cuts quite a dash when compared to its federal counterpart."


Best Regards,

[27thNCdrummer]

Re: Jacket

Maybe we could start saying "Confederate private purchase shell jacket" or "Confederate privately made shell jacket" instead of "Commutation Jacket"?

[1stMaine]

Re: Jacket

WEll,


There's a;ways the pgrase: "non-central government issue"... :)

FWIW, I think that roundshot has squarely hit the mark. Not only is the jacket very close, but so too are the cap, brim, and even the facial features.

Other's mileage may, of course, vary.

Respects,

[brown]

Re: Jacket

You're right, the similiarities are striking between the two images. Is it just me, or is there tape down the front of the coat in the second image?

[27thNCdrummer]

Re: Jacket

I also noticed the trim down the front of the jacket. My guess is it would be red, along with the epaulets.

[csuniforms]

Re: Jacket

Hello, Commutation refers to a system, not a style of clothing-- You were paid $21 every six months for clothing as long as you were in the Army.-- You could spend the money and buy a jacket, Depot purchased ready made --(from the ladies by piece or by a local contractor or retail outlet)--or sent from home.

Commutation jackets, trousers, shirts, hats, socks, and overcoats should be used in the context as being purchased by said soldiers using their commutation money-- North Carolina took the Commutation money directly and provided their soldiers with clothing-- Should we call it then a North Carolina sack coat or a Commutation sack coat?

Tom Arliskas
Cadet Gray Butternut Brown

[sthabig]

Re: Jacket

Its been said and said.