Another Knit Sack Coat

[Skutatos]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Here is a photo from the medical museum showing private James Wilkins, Co D, 44th Alabama wearing some sort of knit coat or shirt. Just as a warning: The image is graphic due to a head injury received at Spotsylvania. According to the information on the back of the photo he did recover however.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/medicalmuseum/5619252464/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Back of photo:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/medicalmuseum/5618664687/in/photostream

[Skutatos]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Was there a knit blouse meant for use in military hospitals? I have so far found 2 other photographs in that same collection showing blouses like that seen in my previous post. One on a soldier from Maine, and one on a soldier from New York.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Nathan, I'm not sure if they were meant to be used in hospitals from the start, but it seems that they were distributed there anyway. I assume that the knit blouses on hand at various depots from time to time were dark blue like the ones seen in most "in field" photos, but the hospital variety seem more akin to those worn by the 7th NYSM. Knit blouses were available to the general public so it seems likely that some made their way into hospitals as donations.

Great photo by the way; there's more on that Flickr stream that show the knit blouse, as well as some great portraits of convalescent CS soldiers wearing some very interesting late war uniforms.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Just took another look at the Flickr photo set shown above. I counted 12 gray knit blouses; 6 that are likely wool felt; and 3 that appear to be a very coarsely woven, unfinished kersey. The knit and kersey blouses were made similar to the issue variety but apparently without linings, facings, etc., and are bound with worsted wool tape. The wool felt blouses are an entirely different pattern and construction.

[Skutatos]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

They seem to be without buttons in many cases, and the kind of button varies on those that do. I think these probably belonged to the hospital like the two "H"s (for "Harewood Hospital" I would assume) seen near the collars on some.

The material in this one looks almost like what you would find in a blanket:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/medicalmuseum/5416951152/sizes/l/in/photostream/

[ralsarice]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

So who is going to start reproducing them, because I want one "just because"

[4VADRUMMER]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

I'm with you Adam! I with out a doubt will buy one if someone reproduces them....

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Nathan, that's one of the "unfinished kersey" looking ones I mentioned above. Blow up the photos to the "original" size for a great look at details.

As for reproducing them, I've been ready and willing to do it for about seven years now but the challenge is in finding the right kind of knit wool. I've seen knit cotton that comes close to the appearance but I also have yet to see an original knit cotton garment that aren't socks. If I do find the appropriate type of knit wool I would definitely do a run of both the dark blue and gray knit blouses.

[Skutatos]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Nathan, that's one of the "unfinished kersey" looking ones I mentioned above. Blow up the photos to the "original" size for a great look at details.

Ahh ok. Thanks for clearing that up for me, It had an interesting look to it.

[Cracker Line]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Knit blouses were available to the general public so it seems likely that some made their way into hospitals as donations.

Brian,

Could you elaborate on this? How common were knit sack coats on the civilian market?

-Adam C.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Adam, there was an established power knitting industry in New England prior to and during the war. The number of knit garments delivered to the various Federal clothing depots shows that they were doing a brisk business in shirts, drawers, and socks, and there were even allowances made in the QM records for knit blouses, jackets, and trousers. Shortly post-war there are a good number of civilian portraits showing men wearing knit blouses similar to the type seen in the photos above (most without collars however), which must have started somewhere. In that capacity it seems that they were worn as "lounging" coats. From war-time photographic resources I would not claim there was a "preponderance" of knit blouses in typical civilian life, but I do believe that the hospital photos show that the light or mixed gray knit blouses were not intended for soldiers in the field (no buttons in some cases, not the right color, knit "outer wear" garments were provided to the arsenals in very low numbers by mid-war), and could have been provided by aide societies or other donors. These donation items would have to have come from civilian stocks rather than military. I haven't found evidence that machine-knit yard goods were available to the public at the time, so it follows that the blouses were provided for sale ready-made. See also the knit gray "Aspinwall" blouses donated to the 7th NYSM early in the war, which were provided as a sort of camp garment to supplement their uniforms made by civil tailors rather than government tailors.

I want to be careful in saying that this idea is a hard and fast rule because it is not. It's my theory regarding the appearance of so many knit blouses in hospital photographs. I think that a look at period newspapers, advertisements, business records from the knitting mills throughout New England, etc., would provide the best answer to your question but unfortunately I just don't have those resources at my disposal.

[Cracker Line]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Brian,

Thank you very much for the reply. I'll keep on the lookout for civilian references and see what turns up.

Cheers,
Adam

[Skutatos]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

I was reading the book "Campaigning with the Irish Brigade" by Pvt John Ryan, 28th Massachusetts and found a reference to an issue of brown knit blouses:

"On one occasion, after joining the Irish Brigade, there was issued to the brigade quite a number of brown colored knit blouses, representing a cardigan jacket, which, I understood, were captured from some blockade runners, while going to the south, and were issued to the Irish Brigade."

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

Great quote! Thank you!

[Skutatos]

Re: Another Knit Sack Coat

I am not sure how to share images from the the USAHEC center yet, but if you follow this link and go to image #58 there is a photo of three federal artillerymen all wearing what appear to be knit blouses in a lighter shade.

http://cdm16635.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p16635coll13/id/557