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Resembling Sherman's Bummers (at their worst point) moreso than their Regular contemporaries in the East, the Federal POWs being imprisoned at Fort McKavett during the winter of 1861/spring of 1862 would have been in want of new clothing.
During the 1859- 1861 Inspections carried out by Col. J. K. Mansfield, Inspector General of the Department of Texas, and Lt. Col. Joseph E. Johnston it was noted that the soldiers of Companies B, E, F, H, I, and K of the 8th Regiment of Infantry were clothed in a manner ranging from “good order”(1) to “new and good”(2) to “good, in excellent order”(3) in uniforms of the new pattern (M1858 uniforms). After being surrendered at the Battle of Adam's Hill, Texas in May 1861, the prisoners-of-war would have been wearing the same clothing for six months. Their clothing that was once in “handsome order”(4) would have been well worn and in various stages of disrepair.
The Texas Hill Country (where Camp Verde, Camp Van Dorn, and Fort McKavett are all located) during the Civil War was largely populated by Unionist German immigrants. Many of which were run out of Germany during the 1848 revolutions and created utopian communities in the Texas Hill Country (the names still exist but the scene has changed...Utopia, Fredonia, etc.) Unionist sympathies ran so strong that two regiments of Federal Texas cavalry were formed across the Rio Grande in Mexico. One group of armed Germans attempting to join the Federal army in Mexico were captured in a battle known as the Battle of Nueces/Nueces Massacre depending on where your allegiance lies. Unionist aid societies in these German communities would have made some clothing for the Federal prisoners and they did have some money on them when they were captured (as noted in Schwartz's "Twenty-two months a Prisoner-of-War") to purchase what scant offerings that could be found in Kerrville.
Schwartz notes, in his memoir of his stint as a POW, that in June 1862 they were issued a suit of clothing and "it was now over twelve months past, since we had received clothing of any kind, from the Confederate government. We were obliged to be daily tailoring, sewing one patch on another, but this bungling work had to come to an end, from the scarcity of patches and thread." (p. 103) This means that in June 1861, four months before the POWs were sent to Fort McKavett, they received an issue of clothing from the Texans. What this issue of clothing was, is not known. It may have been surplus from the Arsenal in San Antonio or, as they were issued in 1862, it may have been a suit of clothing constructed out of various hues of ticking. More than likely it was cast off civilian clothing from Dill's Company that was guarding them at Camp Verde.
A good mixture of well worn civilian and Federal issue clothing is the best bet for this impression. Dress hats and civilian broad brimmed hats are preferred over forage caps due to contemporary descriptions of antebellum regulars and the blistering Texas sun. Belt knives are accepted, as the prisoners were only ordered to turn over their long arms and cartridge boxes. Knapsacks are to be of the double bag variety....unless you happen to have an india rubber or gutta percha copy of the m1815/Mexican War knapsack that the government was testing in Texas during the mid-1850s. The prisoners were allowed to keep their overcoats, but if you have a civilian overcoat it will serve the purpose just as well.
I will post the QM returns for Camp Verde at the time of the Federal surrender when I get home tonight.
1Company B at Fort Buchanan, NM
2Company E at Fort Marcy, NM
3Company H at Fort Quitman, Tx and Fort Davis, TX
4Company K at Fort Stanton, NM
During the 1859- 1861 Inspections carried out by Col. J. K. Mansfield, Inspector General of the Department of Texas, and Lt. Col. Joseph E. Johnston it was noted that the soldiers of Companies B, E, F, H, I, and K of the 8th Regiment of Infantry were clothed in a manner ranging from “good order”(1) to “new and good”(2) to “good, in excellent order”(3) in uniforms of the new pattern (M1858 uniforms). After being surrendered at the Battle of Adam's Hill, Texas in May 1861, the prisoners-of-war would have been wearing the same clothing for six months. Their clothing that was once in “handsome order”(4) would have been well worn and in various stages of disrepair.
The Texas Hill Country (where Camp Verde, Camp Van Dorn, and Fort McKavett are all located) during the Civil War was largely populated by Unionist German immigrants. Many of which were run out of Germany during the 1848 revolutions and created utopian communities in the Texas Hill Country (the names still exist but the scene has changed...Utopia, Fredonia, etc.) Unionist sympathies ran so strong that two regiments of Federal Texas cavalry were formed across the Rio Grande in Mexico. One group of armed Germans attempting to join the Federal army in Mexico were captured in a battle known as the Battle of Nueces/Nueces Massacre depending on where your allegiance lies. Unionist aid societies in these German communities would have made some clothing for the Federal prisoners and they did have some money on them when they were captured (as noted in Schwartz's "Twenty-two months a Prisoner-of-War") to purchase what scant offerings that could be found in Kerrville.
Schwartz notes, in his memoir of his stint as a POW, that in June 1862 they were issued a suit of clothing and "it was now over twelve months past, since we had received clothing of any kind, from the Confederate government. We were obliged to be daily tailoring, sewing one patch on another, but this bungling work had to come to an end, from the scarcity of patches and thread." (p. 103) This means that in June 1861, four months before the POWs were sent to Fort McKavett, they received an issue of clothing from the Texans. What this issue of clothing was, is not known. It may have been surplus from the Arsenal in San Antonio or, as they were issued in 1862, it may have been a suit of clothing constructed out of various hues of ticking. More than likely it was cast off civilian clothing from Dill's Company that was guarding them at Camp Verde.
A good mixture of well worn civilian and Federal issue clothing is the best bet for this impression. Dress hats and civilian broad brimmed hats are preferred over forage caps due to contemporary descriptions of antebellum regulars and the blistering Texas sun. Belt knives are accepted, as the prisoners were only ordered to turn over their long arms and cartridge boxes. Knapsacks are to be of the double bag variety....unless you happen to have an india rubber or gutta percha copy of the m1815/Mexican War knapsack that the government was testing in Texas during the mid-1850s. The prisoners were allowed to keep their overcoats, but if you have a civilian overcoat it will serve the purpose just as well.
I will post the QM returns for Camp Verde at the time of the Federal surrender when I get home tonight.
1Company B at Fort Buchanan, NM
2Company E at Fort Marcy, NM
3Company H at Fort Quitman, Tx and Fort Davis, TX
4Company K at Fort Stanton, NM
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