Wearing US Buckles Upside Down

[aaron1stvirginia]

I was wandering if anyone knows of a confederate soldier wearing a US buckle upside down. I've noticed that at a few reenactments that some johnny rebs were wearing their US buckles upside down. How authentic is that?

thanks in advance

[Todd Watts]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

At Stones River where I do a lot of volunteering, this issue has been brought up by visitors a lot since "Gods and Generals" came out. The rangers and the volunteers that have been deeply involved in the history and re-enacting hobbies for decades ("the wise ones") scoff at the idea. A couple of rangers or the more wise among the volunteers have said on numerous occasions that there is "no proof" that this was ever done. However, there is also no proof it was not done. My own thoughts on it which I have heard backed up several times by rangers or the wise ones is that buckles were not in short enough supply to cause men to be forced into wearing a US buckle if they did not want one. And, it was a simple effort to peen away the "U" or heat and etch the "U" off so in a short period of time surely these would have all been changed by CS troops stuck with a US buckle. There have been US buckles dug that had the "U" distorted as if someone at some point took time to try to remove the "U".
Todd Watts

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Has anyone ever found any documentation to suggest that, in the Confederacy, that belts and belt buckles were ever in short supply?

I believe the idea of wearing upside-down US belts is a reenactorism.

[Gallo de Cielo]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

My favorite aspect of this fine "reenactorism," which I too have seen abundantly, is that turned upside down the US became Sn, short for "Southern Nation." Real nice.

[fortdonelsonrelics]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

I agree. I believe it to be more of a reenactorism than anything.

However, I believe if you wanted to be more authentic with a US buckle, it would be better to convert the U to a C as there have been several of these recovered. I dont think a whole company should show up with these converted however.

I did mine myself and it was very easy to do. Interesting enough, most all of these I have seen converted were done with the Stud hooks or puppy paw style indicating that they were probably done earlier.

John Walsh
FDR

[brown]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

And of course a great resource is photographs. Check out any id'ed Confederate whose buckle can be clearly seen (this is a rare detail, admittedly). I have seen a few with US plates, none I have noticed were turned upside down. I remember a famous one of a dead Confederate.

This message brought to you by the Friends of Fred Baker of President of the Southern Nation 2009.

[Jimmayo]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

I think the US buckles with modifications to CS were more of a product of boredom than any thing else. The fact that there are none that I know of that are non-dug leads me to believe that they were discarded sometime during the process and not modified to be worn. In Petersburg, destroying US plates by various methods seemed to be a major past time of both sides and must have been fun since many are dug from CS and US positions.

[Bummer]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

I actually owned a non-dug US made to CS--I found it in an antique store back in the early 1960's...it was the small Mex War kind. It was not really super well done, but was definitely original--and this was before reenacting became popular enough to spill objects over into the regular antique market.
But that was only one buckle.

Seems to me I have seen a period photo of a soldier with an upside down US, but he also had his gear 'reversed' for the photograph--and may well have been a Union soldier anyway (you couldn't really tell he was a rebel).
And that one image doesn't mean anything either, but just thought I would mention these two things for whatever it's worth.

[jgr1974]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

My two cents-

To say it never occured is ludacris. It seems as the trend in America, there is an exception to every rule. Even our own laws that are written in black in white tend to be in the gray area when interpreted by individuals. This is why lawyers have jobs and always will.

I feel that if it happened in a great number, it would have been early in the war when the only thing that was available was what was siezed from the arsenals. Local militia North and South generally order their buckles and hardware for military accouterments from local saddlers. My thought that this stuff was not generally kept on hand but ordered through catalogs. So early war Confederates would have had to use what is on hand. Like in the hobby I am sure someone said hey it is "bully" to wear the buckle upside down, and it caught on like rolling tucking pants into your socks-yes I reenacted in th 90's!

I can't remeber which one, maybe even both, Keim or Mullinax's books, but there is a leather and web belt with an inverted us belt attached. The webbing appears to be the type used by 1850"s militia units. There may even be a picture or two of Confederates wearing them inverted. I can't remember, I would look but books are at work!!!

Tahe this post as you will, I am just a crazy Irishman!!!

The Mad MIck!!!

[aaron1stvirginia]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

thanks gents for the help on this one. i've heard it was period i've heard it wasn't. i haven't seen a picture yet though with a us buckle upside down. it would make more sence that the confederacy or even a commutation or a belt from home would be more common as opposed to wearing a us buckle upside down. a thought that crossed my mind not a fact but say for example at the end of a skirmish or battle would there not be a used cs or other form of belt be available from a dead man, they wouldn't need it anymore right? this was i practice i believe seeins how tight money was especially towards the end of the war. i've also read i think on the stonewall brigade website that some units in va weren't even issued much of anything and the captain out of his own pocket bought men their acoutrements.

[aaron1stvirginia]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

mr. richardson
if at all possible could you at all possible post the picture of that so i can honestly say if i've seen this or not the next time i'm asked of it. not that i wear my buckle like that cause it's way over done. kinda like the tucked in pants.

thanks

[GreencoatCross]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

I suggest those interested take a look at this famous image of a dead CS soldier at Spottsylvania, circa 1864.

http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?cwar:33:./temp/~ammem_uLxG:

Attached is a close-up of the soldier's belt taken from the same image linked above. Whether or not the belt was added by the photographer post-mortem is up for debate but it does not appear so at all.

Brian White
Wambaugh, White, & Co.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Here's the close-up of the waistbelt in question.

Brian White
Wambaugh, White, & Co.

[aaron1stvirginia]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

thats a neet picture. why would the camera man go to all that trouble of changin the buckle. it could very well be a quick pick up and put on upside down thing. i know it beats no belt at all and i'd hate to carry my powder in my hand or in a horn or haversack.

[Secesh]

Re: wearing US buckles upside down

Howdy,
In my copy of Still More Confederate Faces there is a single early-War photo of a Confederate wearing an upside down US buckle, but this is the only one I have ever seen. It if was done I would think it would have been out of the norm, and to put oneself in the mindset of Johnny Reb, after a year or two of War I don't think he really would've cared what position his buckle was in as long as it helped him survive...Best regards.