Richmond Depot III : Two questions

[texandrummer61]

After viewing some RD3s at the Museum of the Confederacy, I noticed some differences. Some collars are about the same size as the ones on RD2s[Redwood's] , but some are very short [Barne's]. What's the deal with this? Another thing- on Allen Redwood's coat, the bottoms are rounded, not squared, and the buttons are on the right side. Is there any inside story on that? :confused_

[ley74]

Re: Richmond Depot III : Two questions

Simply put, it is highly improbable that any remaining RDIII (as Les Jenkins styled them) was made by the same person. While they were made in bulk, the repetetive accuracy of these garments just was not possible. There could be several other possibilities, this is just the most probable.

Kurt - It is all yours.

[Richmond Depot]

Re: Richmond Depot III : Two questions

I viewed the two Redwood coats that you mention about two- three weeks ago. The one with red trim appears to have been assembled by a professional Seamstress, versus your average type of issue coat. After viewing I came to one conclusion The coat was made by someone who was a professional seamstress who was used to sewing womens clothing.I base this on the reverse side button placement, the gathered seams on the shoulders and the key hole buttonholes.So possibly, the coat was assembled by a seamstress with materials purchased from the Clothing Bureau.This is just my own thoughts. I will be reviewing the coat again on Friday to make more notes for my book.

[Yellowhammer]

Re: Richmond Depot III : Two questions

Guys,

It seems like every time there is a question about Confederate jackets, I end up posting a link to the Les Jensen article.

Okay, here is the link again: http://www.military-historians.org/c...federate-1.htm

Please, before you ask a question, read this article. There is really no excuse for an authentic reenactor not to have read such a seminal work.

That said, here is what Jensen has to say on the subject on the way the Clothing Bureaus, like the Richmond Clothing Manufactury, were organized:

"These Clothing Bureaus operated in much the same way as the U.S. Army's Schuylkill Arsenal. A limited number of tailors in each manufactory cut out the pieces of each uniform. The pieces were bundled, and with the necessary trim, buttons and thread, were issued to seamstresses who sewed them together and were paid by the completed piece.

A typical operation was that at Atlanta. In April, 1863 it employed a total of twenty‑seven men in‑house: a Superintendent, two clerks, two inspectors, two trimmers and twenty tailors. These men cut and packaged the uniform pieces, while about 3,000 seamstresses in Atlanta did the actual sewing in their homes. With this force, the Atlanta operation manufac*tured, in the three months ending 31 December 1862:

37,150 Jackets
13,430 Pairs of Pants
13,700 Cotton Drawers
10,475 Cotton Shirts
500 Flannel Shirts"

So, yes. An RDIII jacket kit could have been assembled by a seamstress with any level of skill. There are jackets that were obviously made by an individual looking to maximize their profits in which every corner was cut. (Thus squared off collars.) Then there are jackets that were made where one can see that care was taken on every stitch. (These garments always make me think of the patriotic Southern woman sewing for the boys in the field and putting loving care into the garment.) And there are jackets at every skill level in between.

Last, here is a diagram from Jensen showing variations in extant RD jackets:

[Masked Battery]

Cutting corners.

Variations in jacket details such as collar shape may have to do with the practice of squeezing a maximum number of uniform pieces from a bolt of fabric. Note how interior facings are often constructed from multiple pieces of cloth.