US sack coat field modifications

[ScottCross]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Paul McKee wrote a very good article years ago concerning field altered fatigue blouses in the "Company Wag". There is quite a bit of photographic evidence, but I have never come across a surviving example. I used to own a quarter plate tintype of a Federal wearing a fatigue blouse with a slash pocket in the left breast, two exterior patch pockets near the bottom hem of the front, and the addition of three front buttons to make a total of seven. I made this type of a conversion to my enlisted fatigue blouse, but quit wearing it when too many other people started altering their's.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Hallo!

Not much I can add to the excellent posts above, other than...
Ditto.

Curt

Period images, is there nothing they cannot do? -Homer Simpson

[swampyankee76]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

I just put a slash pocket on my fatigue blouse. I made the pocket out of the lineing on the jacket. Which may or may not be correct

[ArtilleryNick]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

I've not yet made any additional pockets to a sack coat I have, but a while back I did a field modification to a greatcoat by adding a pocket. Sometimes an additional pocket is a great thing to have

[GeraldDuval]

Fatigue blouse modifications

I apoligize if this is a repost, I've searched and found nothing similar.

As I was flipping through a soldier's diary (Pvt. Alexander Hamilton, Batt. G Pittsburgh heavy artillery) I noticed an interesting fatigue blouse modification, One of the artillerists at Ft. Delaware appeared to have modified his fatigue blouse, adding buttons to make it almost a quasi- shell jacket. His 7 button fatigue blouse would make a fun project in my spare time.

However, it is unusual enough (to me anyway) to request some help finding other pictures, since the one it the book is fairly blurry. I'd like to go ahead with the project since it would be completely appropriate for my current impression. Yet, would such a modification be completely off the wall for soldiers outside of Garrison Duty at Ft. Delaware? While I have seen extra pockets added to the outside of blouses, I haven't seen other such button modifications.

Thank's in advance for any help.

-Rob Williams
Battery G Pennsylvania Independent Light Artillery
Ft. Delaware State Park

[Jefferson Guards]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

A nice little sack coat modification by an artillerist.

From:

Atlanta, Georgia. Sherman's men in Confederate fort east of Atlanta.
Barnard, George N., 1819-1902, photographer.
CREATED/PUBLISHED
1864.
NOTES
Caption from negative sleeve: Interior view of confederate Fort East of Atlanta, GA.
Photographer's name attributed in Civil War caption books.
Forms part of Civil War glass negative collection (Library of Congress).
MEDIUM
1 negative : glass, wet collodion.
CALL NUMBER
LC-B811- 3634
REPRODUCTION NUMBER
LC-DIG-cwpb-03400 DLC (digital file from original neg.)
REPOSITORY
Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

[Guy Gane III]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

I'll probably get smacked for saying this, but I have a few ideas to offer here.

I am hoping that people who are reading this post will not walk away and add pockets to their sacks, just because it was a discussion topic here, on the AC. This isn't "Pimp My Sack Coat".

That being said, my own personal conclusion, using logic and the accumulation of knowledge, both read and experienced, leads me to believe a few things.

As long as your CO from company level to the top didn't order against it; you had the materials (be it sack lining, shelter halves, old shirts, sacks, socks, whatever....) and needle and enough thread.... what would stop you from adding pockets for specific uses? Pipe pockets, Bible pockets, money pockets... Sky's the limit within reason. Now, I think it would be more common on the inside of the sacks because you don't want to make it obvious you have goods that would spark a sticky-fingered pard's interest.

Now, we are left with very little written evidence to the logical conclusion that so many coats were probably modified in some way. You see mods in pictures but they aren't all over.

Think of how many coats were cast away/used up, after the soldier's term of service that we will never be able to physically and visually document. That indeed is sad. :cry_smile Seriously.

We all know that on the march, the boys probably didn't have time (within the prescribed 15 minute breaks - if any) to start making pockets. Your physical needs come before your luxuries. Common sense.

Personally, I have a lined, unlined plain, a 'western theater' mod unlined and another unlined with patch pockets of darker blue flannel. As long as the event isn't calling for "Unmodified" coats, I'm going to stick with the patch pocket coat because I use the pockets, or if it's colder, I'll wear the lined sack. :tounge_sm

[GeraldDuval]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Here is that picture of the 7 button sack coat I was talking about. The man in question is John McCutcheon, Independent battery G, Pennsylvania Light artillery, Formerly Pittsburgh Heavies. While they were supposed to see field service with the redesignation, they remained at the fort until the end of the war.

http://img110.imageshack.us/img110/7201/0002196ec5.jpg

[Bummer]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Admittedly I have not read through all the pages on this thread so maybe what I'm about to say has already been said--I don't apologize if it has.

When incountering a hard to document (and personal) question like this (to rip or not to rip issue stuff) I hark back to my own experience in the leg infantry. Soldiers tend to be soldiers whether it be Ceasar's legions to the present. So many of these kinds of questions can pretty well be speculated on by looking at other soldiers in other eras.
Sack coats were part of clothing issue--they belonged to the soldier--if he lost, threw away, or messed it up--he was charged for a new one. Unlike Ordnance supplies which belonged to the army. If he felt like ripping something out that didn't show unduly--then fine. (If he can throw it away on the march, he can certainly rip it)
In my own time I have seen soldiers (albeit foolish ones) rip up their field jackets in weird ways like tearing the 'hidden' hood out of the collar etc. and I don't know of any particular consequences that rained down on them. For a while wearing a chemical suit top with the protective charcoal lining ripped out was the rage for summer field wear...who am I to say what GI's will do?
Many of these sorts of questions are very much individual personal choices--there are as many answers as there are soldiers.

Don't 'overthink' the issue.

Spence Waldron,
ex Platoon Sgt. US Army

[Garrett Silliman]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Hey,

I am reviving this thread b/c the links to the pics are dead and I am interested in seeing a pic of the seven button fatigue blouse modification. Unfortunately, I don't have a copy of For Fatigue Purposes and it's to of print so I can't look at that either. If someone has a digitial copy of the photo - i'd love to see it.

Thanks in advance, Garrett

[ohioyankee]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Hello everyone, guess I'll throw in my two cents about the subject. I figure heat could have been a factor for the removal of a coat lining, but we also have to think about the shrinking of the lining. Say a man with a 38 inch chest recives a number one or two sized fatigue blouse with a lining. If it shrinks because of washing it or sweat from a long march, rendering the lining very snug and uncomfortable. I suppose that would be a good reason to remove the lining.

[brown]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Hey Garrett
Do you have the old Company Wag article mentioned at the top of the last page? If not, I'll dig mine out so you can read it while showing off our daughters.

[Garrett Silliman]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Doc Brown! Did you get my pm yesterday?
Yes, i've read the Co.Wag article (thanks Brian for providing that) but it was a scanned copy so the pics were fuzzy - if you have an original i'd be happy to see it.

Sorry, if my original revival post was unclear - I am looking for pics of the shortened blouse or blouse converted jacket (ala seven button blouse/jacket)

Thanks, Garrett

[FlatLandFed]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Friend Silliman,

There's a nice image on Weed's site of a federal soldier in the "seven-button" sack. Follow the link to John's pictures of overcoat linings (a couple of posts above) and then move to photos in his "original sack coat" section.
Hope that helps.

Paul Hadley
Waiting For Brandon to Tackle Another Project Patrol

[FlatLandFed]

Re: US sack coat field modifications

Yikes -- I was referring to another thread; the information about the altered fatigue blouse isn't in this section.

Here's the link to Wedeward's site:

http://cwquartermaster.com/original_great_coat.htm

Added: Here's the link directly to the photo. I'll look later for a photo I had of a "cut down" sack coat, made to appear as a jacket.

http://cwquartermaster.com/original_sack_coats.htm

My break's over -- guess I should get back to work. Hope you find what you need.

Paul Hadley
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