Confederate Clothing Issue

[Rhinevalleylad]

Greetings from over the pond.

Well we all know (?) the richmond arsenal packed and shipped their muskets in wooden crates.
But what about other accoutrements or clothing???
Did they pack and ship e.g Shirts and jackets in crates "labled" for the units the items are intended for?
To the Brigade, the Regimetn, the company??
AND / OR did the unit QTM bundle the items needed for e.g Co C.

If someone can give me infos anout this..
THX in advance
Kind regards
Ingo Rolleter

[rmilstead]

Re: Conf Clothing Issue

Ingo,
Clothing from the Richmond Clothing Bureau (RCB) which produced enlisted men's clothing for the CS Quartermaster largely for the Department of Virginia (Lee's Army, etc.) apparently was shipped in wooden boxes, some made by the Gibson Brothers who also made millions of wooden buttons for the RCB. Attached are some documents covering some of the shipments as well as one discussing William Bentley the officer at the RCB responsible for trans shipment of clothing and QM produced equipment like tents to the Army. Several of the large shipments included were to the officer (Rankin) responsible for supplying clothing to the hospitals in Richmond to give to soldiers as they were released to return to duty.


Unfortunately how such boxes might have been marked is speculation although somewhere in my wandering through the records I recall seeing that the size of clothing may have been listed or at least the contents of a box may have been shown by size. I cannot seem to find that reference now, however. Certainly the receipts included represented the transferal paperwork preserved in Richmond. There were probably also some form of shipping receipt for costs when the material was transported by Railroad. I have occasionally seen those when going through the records.


Dick Milstead
Company of Military Historians
Hardaway's Alabama Battery
Liberty Rifles

[Rhinevalleylad]

Re: Conf Clothing Issue

Hi Richard,

thx a lot for answering & these helpfull infos.
I was absent WITH leave so....
I will send you a PM.

Ingo Rolleter

[CSchneider]

Re: Conf Clothing Issue

Dick is right on. To follow up, if you find receipts for smaller issues sent by Bentley, you can get an idea of the size of each box. For example, 50 jackets or 75 shirts seems to have fit nicely in one box. Also, there is a surviving Confederate shipping crate that was first used to ship 48 sets of infantry accoutrements and later reused to ship canteens. It was covered in an issue of North South Trader a few years back.

-Craig Schneider

- - - Updated - - -

For the clothing issue to the 10 companies of the 8th Virginia at Prelude to Invasion, we based our crates off the surviving reused crate, to include hand marked contents and old markings covered by paint or crossed out with ink.

-Craig Schneider

[Rhinevalleylad]

Re: Conf Clothing Issue

Craig,

thx.
Well can you quote the North South Trader by Vol. and No. ?
So, probably there is a chance to get a back issue.

Send you a PM.

-Ingo Rolleter

[CSchneider]

Re: Conf Clothing Issue

Volume 37, No. 1. Back issues are available at nstcw.com.

-Craig Schneider

[Rhinevalleylad]

Re: Conf Clothing Issue

THX Craig,

I´ve tried to get in touch - but no response. :-(

Online back-issue-ordering is only available within the States.

Ingo Rolleter

[Rhinevalleylad]

Re: Conf Clothing Issue

EUREKA.
Well got in touch with NSTCW and am able to receive the back issue.
THX Craig.

Ingo Rolleter