Federal Sack Coat Lining Questions

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

I'm in the process of constructing a J.T. Martin sack coat...and it occured to me, that I have no idea what the proper lining is for the body (other than some type of woolen material).

After examing the handful of books and websites available, I've only become more confused as to the proper lining of ANY Federal Sack Coat, let along the J.T. Martin version.

Any help in defining the proper linings for the various Federal Sack Coats (especially the J.T. Martin contractor variation) out there would be most appreciated.

Thanks,

Paul B.

[WoodenNutmeg]

Re: Federal Sack Coat Lining Questions

Family Heirloom Weavers used to (and still might) produce a fabric that would ideally suit your needs; maybe someone can point you to some.

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: Federal Sack Coat Lining Questions

Paul,

Here is a shot of the lining in an original Oct 15 '64 contract JT Martin blouse in the Don Troiani collection. The material is a green woolen flannel, mostly unfinished with a very pronounced diagonal twill. This material is fairly heavy compared to what we would normally consider appropriate for a fatigue blouse, about the same weight as the body flannel itself! Hope this helps!




Best,

Dan

[Brian Baird]

Re: Federal Sack Coat Lining Questions

There are several other JT Martin sack coats with the Oct 64 contract in collections. One has a gray flannel lining and several others have various shapes of brown linings. I viewed 2 of them, one in the Smithsonian and the other is in a private collection.
Brian Baird

[WoodenNutmeg]

There is a very well known contractor/manufacturer in New Jersey (whose name will not be mentioned here) who uses, "Custom made tan and blue cotton drill lining, patterned after a John T. Martin Contract[...]" when constructing his J. T. Martin fatigue blouses, a product which I personally own.

This maker goes on to say about his J. T. Martin sack:

"It should be noted that the original blouse that our replica was patterned after (as well as all of the others we examined) had the lining ending about three to five inches from the bottom hem of the coat. Although it is speculation on our part, we believe that this was to allow for the shrinkage of the flannel body. If the coat was lined completely to the bottom, the lining would hang below the hem if the coat shrank. The reenactor should begin to notice that many modern “sutlers” offer replica sack coats which are lined right to the hem like a modern blazer. I will state very plainly, that I have never seen ANY originals like this. If you look on page 125 of Time Life’s Echoes of Glory [Arms & Equipment of the Union], you will note the Cincinnati Arsenal sack coat illustrates my point. Furthermore, all of the linings of the original sack coats that I examined were of one piece, only being seamed at the shoulders. Most often, they utilized the selvage edge as the bottom of the lining, which would serve to place the grain lines perpendicular to each other. Our speculation is that this is a production expedient, which merely obviates the need for a hem. In other words, it is one less step, and consequently, a way in which a contractor can save money. This may sound ridiculous with just one coat, but most army contracts were for 10,000 coats at the rate of 1,000 per week. At that level, every second adds up."

If you know the vendor of which I am speaking of, it couldn't hurt to contact him directly.