wearing jackets...or sling them

[PogueMahone]

Re: wearing jackets...or sling them

Well, I've searched the LOC today and cannot find the image I remember. I have seen a few times an image of a Federal company or regiment crossing a temporary bridge in formation. They have halted for the camera and are in neat files. Each has his knapsack on his back and his blouse on top of his knapsack. As I recall the image was at one time connected to Stones River/Murfreesboro, but I think that association has since been repudiated. I cannot find the image, but perhaps I've given someone else enough information that they might find it.

Was it common? It isn't something I've heard mentioned in diaries much, although I have read some accounts of drilling in shirt sleeves, especially during the training camp phase.

Did it happen? Absolutely.

just my .02,

[-Jesse-]

Re: wearing jackets...or sling them

Well, I've searched the LOC today and cannot find the image I remember. I have seen a few times an image of a Federal company or regiment crossing a temporary bridge in formation. They have halted for the camera and are in neat files. Each has his knapsack on his back and his blouse on top of his knapsack. As I recall the image was at one time connected to Stones River/Murfreesboro, but I think that association has since been repudiated. I cannot find the image, but perhaps I've given someone else enough information that they might find it.

Was it common? It isn't something I've heard mentioned in diaries much, although I have read some accounts of drilling in shirt sleeves, especially during the training camp phase.

Did it happen? Absolutely.

just my .02,

i would have a hard time believing that a soldier would remove his jacket during Stones River/Murfreesboro,when it was fought from December 31, 1862, to January 2, 1863:sarcastic

[J. Donaldson]

Re: wearing jackets...or sling them

This raises in my mind a possible "reenactorism" that I heard in the '90s that soldiers were allowed to wear their accoutrements under their coats, leaving the top button buttoned. I have often wondered about this way of wearing the coat over accoutrements. I was told that it was attributed to an order from Sherman, but have rarely seen the uniform worn in this manner, and do not know the order that generated this approach to warm weather uniform issues. Has anyone else heard of this? (And no, I'm not advocating a potentially undocumented "reenactorism", I'm just throwing this into the mix, as it pertains to the theme of the thread. It's a question I've never been able to answer, and was hoping that someone here might have knowledge of this.)

[Tom Dodson]

Re: wearing jackets...or sling them

I have been told, recently, of the practice of wearing your jacket over your accoutrements. It was told to me by some people who are well established in the the "authentic" community. I asked about documentation and was given some. I cannot quote the documentation but it was told to me as the gospel. I realize this is second hand info and apologize if this is inappropriate.
I will not mention names as I cannot speak for other people. If they read this post and want to chime in that would be good. Anyway, as I said, it was told to me by people who are highly respected in the AC community just before Resaca.
Tom Dodson

[David Fox]

Re: wearing jackets...or sling them

Recall, too, it was a four year war. Many, many volunteers of '61 spent significant time in nothing but various battle shirts and unit-procured uniform shirts, red being a favourite colour. Jackets, blouses, and frock coats didn't rain down from heaven.

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: wearing jackets...or sling them

If anyone out there wants to research an order to wear coats over accoutrements you have some easy ways to do it. Go to Cornell University's "Making of America" site and search The War of the Rebellion. If you look at the volume descriptions, they will tell you what year and what campaign they cover. Otherwise, you can do an easy series of Boolean searches over the entire set. General Orders such as you describe (something by Sherman later in the war) would probably show up there.

Or they would show up in Sherman's memoirs, also available on line.

Similarly, you can go to Google Books and look up the General Orders issued by the War Department. These come in two volumes covering 1861-63. There's a link on Silas's great site o'links. Google Books also has a couple of volumes of General Orders affecting the volunteer service, as well as the United States Service Magazine for 1864-66 (in about five volumes). Both of these extend the record of important General Orders through the end of the war.

I probably don't have to tell you that any citation from one of those sources would impress readers here more than the statement "I heard," no matter how much stature the person you heard it from has. If they really know, they'd find the citation for you themselves.

I'd look it up myself, but I don't feel confident that I'd find something.

I'm always happy to be proved wrong and learn something, though.

[Hank Trent]

Re: wearing jackets...or sling them

Here's how to really strip down for the heat. Currier & Ives "Col. Michael Corcoran at the Battle of Bull Run." No idea what the artist based this on.



Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

[OldState]

Re: wearing jackets...or sling them

Troiani has painted similar scenes. In his painting of the Irish Brigade at Gaines Mill he shows one regiment almost completely devoid of coats while the regiment in the front of the painting is wearing them. I read his commentary on the painting in his latest book but he doesn't mention anything about it.