1862 Regulars

[David Fox]

Just recieved my "Military Collector & Historian" quarterly. Therein is a contemporary watercolour painting of U.S. Army Regulars during the Penninsula Campaign of mid-1862, executed by the Prince de Joinville. All, officers, NCO and EMs, wear dark blue trousers.

[rpierson]

Re: 1862 Regulars

I'd speculate that the dark blue trousers have more to do with the time & place than the fact that they're Regulars. Anyway, (no offense) what's your point? Can you scan it & post it for viewing here?

-Randall Pierson

[David Fox]

Re: 1862 Regulars

Certainly the dark blue trousers have to do with time and place: few were in evidence on doughboys in the trenches of France in 1918. My point is: although sky blue became regulation in 1861, whole Federal units...and they Regulars in the eastern theatre, at that...persisted into at least mid 1862 parading uniformly in dark blue trousers. Presume (as I posted in the authenticity forum) that may be of some interest to some readers as we anticipate reenacting the 1862 campaigns this year. That they are Regulars is because that's who the artist chose to paint. And no, I'll not post the picture from a currently copywrited article.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: 1862 Regulars

Thank you for clearing that up David. Photographs taken on the Penninsula show a great deal of dark blue trousers being worn. There is a rather famous grouping of Michigan troops all wearing DB troops at that time.

[rpierson]

Re: 1862 Regulars

My point is: although sky blue became regulation in 1861, whole Federal units...and they Regulars in the eastern theatre, at that...persisted into at least mid 1862 parading uniformly in dark blue trousers...That they are Regulars is because that's who the artist chose to paint.

Right. An important distinction as I've heard folks say that Regulars wore DB trousers because their commanders kept to the old regulations etc. - All of it made up as far as I can tell. Anyway, clarity goes a long way in this and most other instances.

Cheers,
Randall Pierson

[Huck]

Re: 1862 Regulars

Or it could be simply, DB trousers were issued because they were in the supply chain, use until stock pile is used up. Same thing happens with every other change in US uniforms.

[AZReenactor]

Re: 1862 Regulars

In the far West volunteer troops were still wearing dark Blue trousers as late as '63 and '64. From correspondence it sounds like there was an effort at least by some commanders to push for uniformity of dark or sky blue trousers within their companies when supplies were available. In inspection reports it notes if there was a lack of uniform colored trousers within a company.

[Huck]

Re: 1862 Regulars

I would have to guess the reasons why DB trousers out west in the Department of the West, Hq in Santa Fe with one of the largest Federal (pre-war) logistics depots at Ft Union: Two or three regiments of Infantry, Cav.
The Mexican war still foremost on military planners minds, end point for the Santa Fe trail, Indians, gold fields in Calif and Colorado.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: 1862 Regulars

It makes sense that troops in the far West were using prewar supplies, where the vast majority of pre war stocks were located. Also with a smaller number of troops there would be more opportunity to stretch the usage of DB trousers to the wars end. Like Huck said, In the East prewar stock would be used until they were exhausted.

[David Fox]

Re: 1862 Regulars

Conversely, would there not have been stockpiles of sky blue trousers never exhausted, especially in the West, still in use while regulation dark blue came (1858)...and went (1861)?

[KeithRK]

Re: 1862 Regulars

Conversely, would there not have been stockpiles of sky blue trousers never exhausted, especially in the West, still in use while regulation dark blue came (1858)...and went (1861)?

There really wouldn't have been unused stockpiles of sky-blue trousers since the Light Artillery continued to wear sky-blue trousers during this period.

From the 1861 regulations regarding trousers,

1472. For Enlisted Men, except companies of Light Artillery - dark blue cloth; Sergeants with a stripe one and one-half inch wide; Corporals with a stripe one-half inch wide, of worsted lace, down and over the outer seam, of the color of the facings of the respective corps.

1475. For Companies of Artillery equipped as Light Artillery--sky-blue cloth.

[David Fox]

Re: 1862 Regulars

Weren't many peacetime light artillerymen, numerically, during the period, were there?

[Guest]

Re: 1862 Regulars

Yeah, I had thought that the dark blue trousers were part of the standard uniform from 1858 up until 1861 for the US Army, but like others have said: If they had them still at the depot then they continued to issue them until they ran out. So it wasn't uncommon for few soldiers through out the war to be issued dark blue trousers. But of course as the war progressed it became less and less of a possiblity to be issued a pair of them. Just like today in our current military they are no longer making the tricolor camo. pattern for the army but are just making it in general for other people but are going to continue to issue it until it runs out. Just like the US Army has every war they've had because they always manage to create some new uniform for the military.... Just had to get my 10 cents worth in..

[Guest]

Re: 1862 Regulars

There really wouldn't have been unused stockpiles of sky-blue trousers since the Light Artillery continued to wear sky-blue trousers during this period.

From the 1861 regulations regarding trousers,

1472. For Enlisted Men, except companies of Light Artillery - dark blue cloth; Sergeants with a stripe one and one-half inch wide; Corporals with a stripe one-half inch wide, of worsted lace, down and over the outer seam, of the color of the facings of the respective corps.

1475. For Companies of Artillery equipped as Light Artillery--sky-blue cloth.

Would these have been 1851 style trousers in sky blue? While everyone else is being issued dark blue 1858 trousers they are being issued sky blue 1851 trousers? Thanks

[KeithRK]

Re: 1862 Regulars

Would these have been 1851 style trousers in sky blue? While everyone else is being issued dark blue 1858 trousers they are being issued sky blue 1851 trousers? Thanks

I couldn't say.

My point, was that according to the regulations, sky blue trousers remained the regulation trousers for the light artillery throughout the period that dark blue trousers were issued to other troops. They would have continued to produce more since some troops still needed them issued.