British Leathers

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Currently I have a set of British "Enfield" Leathers. I am having a hard time finding these in museums/books and am curious as to what type of units would have had these. I have been told that the CS Storms? were alot more plentiful and I just want to make sure that I buy/trade for the right stuff....HELP???

Thanks,

Paul B. Boulden Jr.

RAH VA MIL '04

[JimKindred]

Re: British Leathers

Paul,

I am not sure why you mentioned CS Storms as it appears you are looking for Confederate equipment based on your profile. Some people have the misconception that CS Storms equipment is Confederate when the company was actually a Federal Contractor out of New York. Christian S. Storms is the complete name.

[markj]

Re: British Leathers

Hi Paul,

Well, for a start you might want to check out "Cartridge Boxes of the Union Infantryman," which as I recall does discuss imported accoutrements (with all due respect, I would suggest you NOT use "leathers" since I have never seen this term used in period context--it's invariably "accoutrements," "accouterments," or even folksy terms like "traps").

Depending on what unit you're interested in, you might want to check contemporary diaries, letters, and documents. In some cases, state-level documentation may provide clues as to what was actually issued. I've also looked at the "Summary Statements of Quarterly Returns of Ordnance and Ordnance Stores" (microfilmed by the National Archives) but the information regarding accoutrements is usually pretty vague. Regimental and company order/clothing books might also provide clues as well. Here's another intriguing little tidbit I found in an 1863 article discussing Federal military clothing and equipment issues:

"The leather equipments, belts, boxes, bayonet-sheath and frog, seem unnecessarily heavy at first. But they are all substantial, and quite as good as the British [Enfield] ones captured on blockade and distributed to our troops."

Regards,

Mark Jaeger