Here is something I found interesting from "A woman's Civil War." By Cornelia Peake McDonald. This is from the part of the book called "Narrative of Our Refugee Life" that she wrote in September, 1875, as an add on to her diary for her children. It is dated March, 1865, and takes place in Lexington, VA.
"The 20th of March had come, and Harry was within three weeks of being seventeen years old. He said he was old enough to go into the army, and seemed so anxious to go, that I felt it would be wrong to refuse him. To get him equipped was the great consideration. He said if he could get the clothes that his brother Edward had promised to furnish him with a horse, and equipments. So I determined to let him go, and bethought myself of a remaining piece of finery, a crepe shawl. I took it up to a shop and exchanged it for a piece of grey cloth, such as before the war had been worn only by negroes, but which now was the only material used for soldiers' clothes. Coarse and rough as it was, it was worn by the best of the land and no gentleman himself above wearing it. Some were fortunate enough to get a finer quality of grey cloth, but grey it must be.
Broadcloth would have been considered disreputable on any but old men, and even they preferred the grey. White shirt fronts were seldom seen. It was perfectly en regle to visit in coloured flannel ones; these, however, were very fine and nice; some neatly ornamented by mothers, wives or sisters.
A white collar was indispensable, as it was then and must always be the distinguishing badge of a gentleman. Some ladies helped me to make the clothes for Harry; stockings were knitted by a neighbor, and he was soon equipped, and my boy was gone."
I thought it interesting that uniforms made at home where still being worn at this very late date, as opposed to him getting one issued to him.
John Eric Suttorp
"The 20th of March had come, and Harry was within three weeks of being seventeen years old. He said he was old enough to go into the army, and seemed so anxious to go, that I felt it would be wrong to refuse him. To get him equipped was the great consideration. He said if he could get the clothes that his brother Edward had promised to furnish him with a horse, and equipments. So I determined to let him go, and bethought myself of a remaining piece of finery, a crepe shawl. I took it up to a shop and exchanged it for a piece of grey cloth, such as before the war had been worn only by negroes, but which now was the only material used for soldiers' clothes. Coarse and rough as it was, it was worn by the best of the land and no gentleman himself above wearing it. Some were fortunate enough to get a finer quality of grey cloth, but grey it must be.
Broadcloth would have been considered disreputable on any but old men, and even they preferred the grey. White shirt fronts were seldom seen. It was perfectly en regle to visit in coloured flannel ones; these, however, were very fine and nice; some neatly ornamented by mothers, wives or sisters.
A white collar was indispensable, as it was then and must always be the distinguishing badge of a gentleman. Some ladies helped me to make the clothes for Harry; stockings were knitted by a neighbor, and he was soon equipped, and my boy was gone."
I thought it interesting that uniforms made at home where still being worn at this very late date, as opposed to him getting one issued to him.
John Eric Suttorp
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