Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

[Jeremy Bevard]

I have been reading the 1861 Regs and have some across something interesting in regards to dress hats and which side should be looped up. Really, it has just added confusion into my life!

Reading through the section for Hats and Trimmings the officer section says (1507) “brim of the hat looped up on the right side” with two to three feathers depending on rank “on the left”.

For enlisted it states (1516) “same as for officers of the respective corps, except that there will be but one feather”. This seems to suggest the hat for enlisted infantry should actually be looped up on the right! Now, things get more complicated when you read farther down. (1517) For Hospital Stewards it states in there “Brim to be looped up to the side of the hat with a brass eagle, …-on the right side for mounted men and left side for foot men. The feather to be worn on the side opposite the loop.”

What side is supposed to be looped up for enlisted infantry? I always hear the left because of the musket manuals carry arms. But was this already changed in the Regs by the Civil War?

[rpierson]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

Yup. I did some research into this years ago & decided that the regs could go to hell. They are a good framework to base a fundamental understanding of how "they"(the big bugs) thought it should be, but as you have found, confusion & contradiction abounds! What's worse is that the series of QM photographs published with the regs show many contradictions to the written text.

So, what to do? When in doubt, turn to those that were REALLY subject to those indecipherable texts put out by the QM. The boys of '61...



This shows a Sgt. wearing his dress hat clearly looped on the left. As many of these images appear reversed, I find it best to base my conclusion about which side the loop occurs on by referencing where it falls in relation to accoutrements. Sword is worn on the left, so is the "loop". Also, note the dark blue trousers, w/ lighter colored stripe & the fact that he must have borrowed an officers sword for the photo.


This one is just downright cool for many reasons. Shoulder scales, Mississippi rifle, GIANT haversack etc. etc. Dealing directly with the loop though, I would say this is also on the left. Though you will see photos of soldiers wearing h-sacks & canteens on their right hip, I have found that to be less common than those appearing on the left hip. Also, you can just make out a cap pouch on the side opposite the "loop" side. Cap pouch right - loop left.



Based on the cartridge box we can say that this dress hat is CLEARLY looped on the right.


This is a photo of an original that went to auction a while ago. It appears looped on the left. Who can say when exactly that was done as many of these "relics" were dressed and assembled with hat brass to make them more profitable for the relic dealer.


This photo is inserted to show an alternate, no doubt NON- regulation way of sporting a hat cord. I'm sure this guy got yelled at at some point for his attempt to be different.


Here, an artilleryman demonstrates another hat cord placement, this time to the front.

So, what's the answer? Probably either is correct as long as everyone in the unit has it the same way. It seems that officers were as confused as we are in reading the regs & directed their men to loop the dress hat according to their interpretation of the regs. I'd say a left loop is maybe more common, but I certainly haven't done a survey of photos with that in mind.

-Randall Pierson

[Jam3853]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

That second one looks like its from the quartermaster set?

[rpierson]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

Nope, not quite the same dude.



They may have had joint ownership of the same beard though! This photo of the QM model standing next to a glorious mountain of kit shows him with his dress hat looped on the left. He is wearing a sword baldric which would hang on the left hip.

-Randall Pierson

[Coatsy]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

Jeremy,

I checked this the 1861 regs with the added 1863 changes/revisions found online here: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text...=100;page=root

And I saw the same thing that you posted. That is confusing! I read and re-read the hospital stewards section. My conjecture is that the passage relates just to the medical stewards only. "Mounted" as in the stewards of a cavalry regiment and "foot man" meaning the stewards of an infantry regiment. Again odd and it makes you pause.

The 1858 regulations have the enlisted infantry looping their hats up to the left. This is what we used at TPEB since the artillery and infantry had the same regulations in regards to dress hats. http://www.topreventtheeffusionofblo..._24mar1858.pdf

Super confusing since the regulations change in 1855, 1857/8 and 1861. Arrgh! I'd use the 1861 regulations pretaining to infantry if that is your goal. I hope this helps. (and does not add more confusion)

[Dreamer42]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

I, too, did a lot of research for the 150th Twiggs surrender in San Antonio. Most pictures I saw had the fold on the right, but this, as I was told, was contrary to regs. At the event I decided to fold on the left, mainly because that's how everyone else had theirs. Also, having been in the military, my guess is that the precedent would have been unifomity within the unit. So, maybe the wise thing would be to wait until the event you are attending and follow the commander's instructions on this.

- Jay Reid
Dreamer42
9th Texas

[Jeremy Bevard]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

In the book the Smithsonian Review of Army Headgear 1855-1902 pages 13-22 gives some insight onto the history of the dress hat. Including a timeline of sorts on the looping including quoting two orders talking about such. The 1861 Regs was published in August 1861 so it is post those two early 61 orders. So, from what I can gather from this reference is…

1855 – Right side for both for all (matches 61 regs)

1858 – Left side for both for infantry is stated in the summary but this seems to not match what is on the previous page when it recounts the order given about the hat in 1858. This reads the same as the 61 Regs which would place it on the right for both and all.

2/1861 – Right side for infantry officers (matches 61 regs) enlisted not referred to in the order

3/1861 – Left side for all foot soldiers. Do we assume that means officers and enlisted? (does not match 61 regs except for hospital steward)

So, I guess for enlisted it is the left side after 1858. Officers it went back and forth.


For enlisted, I am sure commanders gave the order on what they wanted to see. The 33rd Wis article I found in another thread (about their specific headgear history) helps support that theory. I am sure the manual used (heavy or light) played a large part in that decision. No right or wrong in general but impression specific like everything else. For officers it seems either or not at all would be fine and perhaps what the officers did was cared about very little.


On a side note this all started because I am dressing out an officer hat from bender with trimmings from NJS. I will be an early war officer a couple of times this year with a few being in a garrison environment. I wanted to do away with the "campaign officer look" and get more of a "dress parade" look. I wanted to deck the hat out by the Regs and stirred up this mess!

[Jam3853]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

ya....they are all pretty awesome Yankees

[toptimlrd]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

Antoher thing that gets me is the people who tell me I have my hat cord on my dressed dress hat wrong since the knot and tassels are on the left (the side opposite the feather) with the tassels front and aft. They try to tell me that they are supposed to be to the front and have the deer in headlights look when I tell them to double check the regs. From the regs:

1516

For enlisted men, except companies of Light Artillery - the same as for officers of the respective corps, except there will be but one feather, the cord will be of worsted, of the same color as that of the facing of the corps, three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter running three times through a slide of the same material, and terminating with two tassels, not less than two inches long, on the side of the hat opposite the feather.

[Pennvolunteer]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

On the first picture Randall shows, I would initially come to the same conclusion, that it is looped on the left. However, on closer examination, the infantry horn is reversed, and the frock seems to button from the right instead of left. Also, the strap for the saber belt goes to the right side instead of the left. So, this is a very confusing photo, but based on the frock coat buttons and the infantry horn, I think that first photo is reversed despite the saber location and the sash orientation.

[Jeremy Bevard]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

Robert, I just read that myself last night which is really what prompted my careful reading of the uniform part of the regs. Which lead to my looped side confusion/frustration. I do see a lot of photos where when there is a cord that it is put in front. Perhaps that was "cool" or an ignorance of the regulation. The officer part does not say anything about the location of the cord. I assume then since it is a nicer cord with acorns they should be out front? That seems to be what I have seen in any photo of an officer with a dress hat with a cord.

[Coatsy]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

All, here is a link of John F. Reynolds with his dress hat from

http://www.civilwaracademy.com/images/john-reynolds.jpg

From the view it seems that he may indeed have his hat cord on the side opposite the looped side and eagle badge. Just tossing this image out for the masses.

[rpierson]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

On the first picture Randall shows, I would initially come to the same conclusion, that it is looped on the left. However, on closer examination, the infantry horn is reversed, and the frock seems to button from the right instead of left. Also, the strap for the saber belt goes to the right side instead of the left. So, this is a very confusing photo, but based on the frock coat buttons and the infantry horn, I think that first photo is reversed despite the saber location and the sash orientation.

Brilliant observation. I never even thought to look at which side of the coat the buttonholes are on. That is a surefire way to tell every time with no debate about where a particular soldier may have worn a certain accoutrement. I agree with your observation. It's obvious this particular Sgt. has a mishmash of borrowed stuff for the image & was probably unfamiliar with how to wear any of it properly. He must be holding the scabbard too.

I definitely think the regs warrant reading & interpretation, but regs aside, it's clear that both right & left loops appeared (maybe in equal numbers).

-Randall Pierson

[rpierson]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

That said...

Two young fellas with hats looped on the left & hat cord tassels front 'n center.

-Randall Pierson

[toptimlrd]

Re: Infantry Enlisted Dress Hat Side Looping

Robert, I just read that myself last night which is really what prompted my careful reading of the uniform part of the regs. Which lead to my looped side confusion/frustration. I do see a lot of photos where when there is a cord that it is put in front. Perhaps that was "cool" or an ignorance of the regulation. The officer part does not say anything about the location of the cord. I assume then since it is a nicer cord with acorns they should be out front? That seems to be what I have seen in any photo of an officer with a dress hat with a cord.

Jeremy,

From my research, it would seem officers had much more liberty with the uniform than did the rank and file. Having said that I too see many images of the cord tassels front and center but I don't think there is any other way to interpret the regs. Like you said perhaps it was the "cool" thing to do and they all wanted to be dandies. Either way a soldier should not be faulted on following regs and all it takes is one hard nosed NCO to ruin your day for not following them. Of course I was referring to people who automatically think I am wrong only because they never read the regs themselves.......... I chalk it up to most re-enactorisms that this is right because everybody in my unit does it this way. What looks cool to me is when a unit is actually uniform at an event where appropriate; I'm thinking TPEB or even an event I was at recently that does not meet the AC standards but an entire honor guard were dressed according to regs in full dress.