Hip-hop Yank?

[ThehosGendar]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

Speaking of being "thuggy" in period images, here's a cool little illustration from John McElroy's Andersonville: Fifteen Months a Guest of the So-Called Southern Confederacy. Notice the Sergeant with his cap on backwards.

John McElroy, Andersonville: A Story of Rebel Military Prisons: Fifteen Months a Guest of the So-Called Southern Confederacy (Toledo: D.R. Locke, 1879), 328.

[Rob Weaver]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

In the rare occasions when I wear a cap, I find it stays on my head better backwards when doing anything physical, like running as the men in the woodcut.

[1stMaine]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

Comrade Rob,

There are numerous images of men wearing their fatigue blouses tucked into their trousers. If you can get ahold of the images taken of US Cavalry on Lookout Mountain, you'll see a couple in there as well.

Respects,

[BobRoeder]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

[QUOTE=ThehosGendar;52664]Speaking of being "thuggy" in period images, here's a cool little illustration from John McElroy's Andersonville: Fifteen Months a Guest of the So-Called Southern Confederacy. Notice the Sergeant with his cap on backwards.

I know of at least two Edwin Forbes drawings showing soldiers with their caps on back wards or sideways.

I don't have the LOC reference numbers but one is titled "The Rear of the Column" which shows the former; and a "A Yankee Volunteer" (actually an "old" bearded veteran with cap on sideways, cartridge box and canteen hanging from musket, pipe in hand) dated 10 August 1863, Rapphannock Station.

Now are these examples artistic license? I don't recall seeing either of these alternate examples of wearing a cap in photos. Forbes is noted for the accuracy of his artwork, and certainly some of his (and other artists) drawings were finished quite a while after the initial rough sketch was produced, or many variations of a single sketch were made, some during the war and afterward - examples are the two variations of the drawing titled "The Rear of the Column".

Regards,

[Bivouac_of_the_Dead]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

It seems the Cobb's Hill signal tower was rather significant:

"The most notable towers were Cobb's Hill, one hundred and twenty-five feet; Crow's Nest, one hundred and twenty-six feet, and Peebles Farm, one hundred and forty-five feet, which commanded views of Petersburg, its approaches, railways, the camps and fortifications. Cobb's Hill, on the Appomattox, was particularly irritating and caused the construction of an advance Confederate earthwork a mile distant, from which fully two hundred and fifty shot and shell were fired against the tower in a single day with slight damage, however. Similar futile efforts were made to destroy Crow's Nest."

Source: http://www.civilwarhome.com/signalcorps.htm

[jpbab]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

This yank is on the cutting edge of trend with his low riding belt and plate. Hip-hop fashion? Or maybe he's Scottish and thinks it's a sporran. Anyway, he's got it covered. From an LOC photo showing a Union sentry at Redoubt Zabriskie on the Bermuda Hundred lines.

If it weren't for your caption, I would have suspected a typical Michigan cavalryman in the field with a Spencer Rifle.

[TeamsterPhil]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

[QUOTE=1stMaine;52852] There are numerous images of men wearing their fatigue blouses tucked into their trousers. If you can get ahold of the images taken of US Cavalry on Lookout Mountain, you'll see a couple in there as well.
QUOTE]
As I recall, back around the turn of the century, there was a fad among some western reenactors tucking in their blouses and cutting them down to replicate the look of a jacket (some even added faux buttons). At the time, there was quite a bit of documentation offered for both practices.


Phil Campbell

[Shockoe Hill Cats]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

Speaking of being "thuggy" in period images, here's a cool little illustration from John McElroy's Andersonville: Fifteen Months a Guest of the So-Called Southern Confederacy. Notice the Sergeant with his cap on backwards.

Time to add my share to Jason's topic.. I'm sorry that I can't recall where they came from! I believe the first was already posted on the Forum elsewhere.

[PanzerJager]

Re: Hip-hop Yank?

[QUOTE=TeamsterPhil;53023]

There are numerous images of men wearing their fatigue blouses tucked into their trousers. If you can get ahold of the images taken of US Cavalry on Lookout Mountain, you'll see a couple in there as well.
QUOTE]
As I recall, back around the turn of the century, there was a fad among some western reenactors tucking in their blouses and cutting them down to replicate the look of a jacket (some even added faux buttons). At the time, there was quite a bit of documentation offered for both practices.


Phil Campbell

Phil,

I have seen a number of photos and have copies on a disk at home somewhere of soldiers cutting down their blouse and adding a waste band to make a shell jacket, a large number of which are identified to Indiana Units. For a long time I have been interested in modified field garments. I saved some photographs that were for sale on ebay a while ago that showed this practice, two of the soldiers had not only cut down their blouse but added 3 extra buttons to make a 7 button jacket. I believe these photos where actually posted here on the forum a while back. I will try and look tonight and see if I can locate the copies I saved. There is also a photograph showing such alteration in Pat Brown's book. Altering ones clothing to their own liking is a practice that is still done in the modern military to this day and the boys of the 1860's where no different.

regards,