Jean wool shell

[10thKyScout]

I’ve been doing research and I’m interested in knowing if the 10th Kentucky (Johnson) cavalry while assigned to the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry were ever issued the Jean wool shell with blue trim on the collar and cuffs. From the picture and other sources I see that other units like the 9th Kentucky cavalry and the 2nd Kentucky cavalry were issued these jackets, while assigned to the Army of Tennessee.
The 10th Kentucky cavalry was transferred to Gen John Hunt Morgan on 13 December 1862 and stayed assigned until the end of the war.
Does anyone know if they were? Since there are almost no records of quarter master reports for this unit and dealing with two units going by 10th Kentucky and/or the 13th Kentucky records are all mixed up.
I’ve read the history of the 10th Kentucky cavalry book by Adam R. Johnson and he makes no reference of uniforms but does mention his men in grey.

Jeff Thompson

[GenuineInformation]

Re: Jean wool shell

I'm not sure about those jackets specifically--only rarely does one come across an account like that of Washington Ives, 4th Florida, that notes being issued gray jackets with blue collars and cuffs--but it seems that Kentucky regiments in the Confederate army would depend especially on the patronage of the Confederate central government. Since Kentucky never entered the Confederacy, and since only parts of it were under Confederate control for small amounts of time, the chances of getting uniforms from the good folks at home were minimal at best.

Geoff Walden, in his article about Columbus Depot jackets, notes, "Several period images show Kentucky soldiers in the Army of Tennessee wearing what appear to be jackets of this style." Further, three of the six jackets he examined belonged to Kentucky soldiers.

So, while I don't know of any evidence off the bat directly pertaining to the 10th Kentucky Cavalry receiving these jackets, the evidence that is out there would suggest that this widely-worn jacket style was common among Kentuckians in the Army of Tennessee.

[10thKyScout]

Re: Jean wool shell

I read Goeff Walden's article and the Kentucky men in question are two from the 6th Ky Infantry, one from the 2nd Ky Inf and one Lt. from the 5th Ky Cav but the jacket may have came from another prisoner.

However, from the Orphan Brigade wesite there are jean wool shells with the blue trim that were worn from troopers from the 2nd Ky Cavalry.

So common sense would dictate that they would have been issued while camped in Tennessee. Yet with all standards, proof is needed and trying to discover the answer is not only a challange but fun.

Jeff Thompson

[10thKyScout]

Re: Jean wool shell

In Geoffrey R. Walden article about the Cloumbus jacket he does state this at the end.

"Although this style would certainly seem appropriate for an impression of most any Army of Tennessee unit from 1863-65, I do not wish to imply that every single man, even in a single regiment, would have worn this style at any given moment. It is likely that clothing produced at any given depot differed in small details, and most AoT units drew uniforms from a number of different sources (including clothing from home). Period images show a mix of clothing types, and Sgt. Ives described different looking clothing in even a single issue. One late report even indicates that some AoT infantrymen wore jackets with artillery trim, as is obvious that artillerymen and cavalrymen also wore blue-trimmed jackets. Our modern impressions must take all of these factors into consideration".

There was also some photos of 2nd Ky Cavalry prisoners wearing the columbus jacket after being captured at Buffington Island on 19 July, 1863, which would prove that they were issued, but I have not found any proof of the men from 10th Ky (Johnsons) cavarly wearing them. Some of the 10th Ky cavalry were also captured during this raid in Ohio. They could have just been just called Morgans men and not the proper unit that they belonged too (Just a thought).

Does anyone have any photos or records of the men in the 10th Ky Cavalry being issued the columbus jacket with the blue trim? For they were encamped along the Murfreesboro Pike at Woodbury, Tennessee in January 1863 before the Ohio raid.

Jeff Thompson