CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

[Iron Scout]

Greetings Folks,

The three excellent threads listed below have encouraged me to do what this board is all about; share information and research so here goes! For your perusal, we have three kersey Type II jackets that have surfaced in SC within the last several years. Two have ironclad provenance while the other's is in question. Each garment has it's own intrinsic details as you'll see. I've posted several of these images in the past but thought I'd do it again in three seperate posts. I hope we can dissect a few details out of each that will encourage our vendors to incorporate such details in their products.

It is my opinion that a kersey Type II may, "may" being the word up for debate, be one of the most versatile jackets for an ANV impression. As you'll see with the Jenkins jacket....just because it's English kersey does not always mean its well constructed! I will commence the posting....

Regards,

Neill Rose
Iron Scouts
Palmetto Guard

[Marc29thGA]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

Very much looking forward to reading those threads - Kersey Type II’s is a subject that some of us have talked about at this end of the map.

[Iron Scout]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

1) Kersey Type II from the Rivers Bridge State Park Museum, now closed due to budget cutbacks. No ID but all the other garments in the collection were SC specific......

Neill Rose
Iron Scouts
Palmetto Guard

[FloridaConscript]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

what button is that Neill?

[GreencoatCross]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

Wow, I expected it to be made out of twill-woven kersey but it appears to be a simple plain-weave. The method of finishing the shoulder tabs is very interesting!

[Iron Scout]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

2) Kersey Type II ID'd to W.L Jenkins from York, SC-6th SCVI. This jacket comes from a phenominal family collection that includes a SC cartridge box, hand-drawn maps of Jenkins' campaigns, reunion pins, Spencer rifle he supposedly carried home, bullseye canteen with split leather CS strap, etc.

Neill Rose
Iron Scouts
Palmetto Guard

[Iron Scout]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

Bryant,

That's actually a ball button that looks like a post-war replacement given the color of the thread, etc....

Neill Rose

[Iron Scout]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

3) Kersey Type II ID'd to James Woods Brunson, Palmetto Light Artillery. This jacket is currently housed at the SCCRR&M after the family graciously decided to donate. Family history states that Brunson received this jacket in 1864 prior to the PLA returning to SC from Va and he was married in this garment. Some very interesting features in this one!

Regards,

Neill Rose
Iron Scouts
Palmetto Guard

[GreencoatCross]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

The Brunson jacket cloth looks like melton!

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

...and the Brunson jacket features heavy use of a sewing maching in construction.

[Iron Scout]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

Brian and Wick,

Good observations! Yes, the textile is very fine cloth compared to the other jackets. Here's a few more pics of the machine stitching. The garment is very well assembled by someone who really knew how to run a machine...even the lining less the sleeve holes is put in by machine!

Neill Rose
Iron Scouts
Palmetto Guard

[GreencoatCross]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

It also looks like the pocket of the Brunson jacket was made by someone else...how does the rest of the interior compare? I may be off here but since it's a different thread, sloppy technique, and a completely different part of the garment, perhaps the lining was put together by someone else? Are the interior seams hand-sewn or machine-sewn? What color thread? How is the lining joined to the body of the jacket? So many questions!

[rbruno]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

With the qaulity of fabric, machine sewn, and the added material to add room in the sleeve and armcye, could Brunson's be a tailor made copy of a RDII? Is it an issued item that then he had fitted by a tailor? As Brian said, "So many questions!" Neill, do you have any dates or information on when these garments were issued. Often the debate about when there was enough kersey coming from England to produce enlisted garments for the masses comes into play? Before Gettysburg, after Gettysburg, etc. That has surfaced in several threads. Great pictures and thanks for posting.

[Iron Scout]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

Hey Rob,

Good question! I believe the garment to be issued as Brunson (or one of his pards) split the lining and added the gussets then restitched rather crudely. This is the only machine sewn Type II I know of but there is another Type III at the UDC Museum in Charleston that exhibits the same. Brian, the lining appears to be machine set but certainly could have been done by someone else. I'll try to post a few more lining pictures here in a second. Glad to see everyone is enjoying the artifacts!

Regards,

Neill Rose
Iron Scouts
Palmetto Guard

[GreencoatCross]

Re: CS Artifact(s) of the Week-Kersey Type IIs

Neill,

The jacket of Capt. George Bryan in the North Carolina Museum of History is alleged to be a RD2 style jacket. It too appears to be made out of blue-gray melton. The exterior is seamed and top-stitched by machine while the osnaburg lining was seamed and set by hand. The machine-sewing thread is brown top thread with natural bobbin thread. Bryan had it made with or later added yellow wool cord trim, removed the belt loops, added a second interior pocket, and attached his insignia by placing the metallic tape under slits cut in the collar.

Thank you for posting all of the remarkable photographs! Although there seems to be a good number of blue-gray wool jackets out there, are you aware of any identified late war RD jackets that are made from satinette, jean, cassimere, etc.?