Breast plate armor?

[hardtack1864]

This is a silly question, but have any of you seen a photo, orginal, or any documention on the use of breast plate armor in battle or at any time in the civil war? Thank you

[Mike N]

Re: Breast plate armor?

There is (or at least used to be) an example of CW body armor in the NPS Visitor's Center at the Antietam Battlefield.

Regards,

Mike Nugent

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Hallo Kameraden!

Various versions of body armor or "iron vests" were sold by sutlers and various dealers.
On set of stories involves the 200 sold by one vendor to the 15th Connecticut Infantry in one day. It was written that "The track of the command from Washington to Arlington Heights was marked by these abandoned armor plates, the largest quantity being hurled from Long Bridge into the Potomac..." And "Another regiment, perhaps less religiously motivated than the Connecticut unit, threw their armor into the gutter in front of the White House."

There were two main types, the most popular being the "Soldier's Bullet Proof Vest" made by G. and D. Cook & Co., of New Haven Connecticut- which was a black military style vest with pockets that accepted two thin sheets of spring steel and weighed 3 1/2 pounds. The second most popular was made by Atwater Armor Company, also of New Haven, which was four large plates key-holed and riveted together- and costing twice as much as their competitor's.

Some lives were saved by these usually being distance shots. Other reports talk about Minie balls passing through and carrying bits of the armor into the wound.

They were largely gone by 1862, probably due to the extra weight, or possibly news of their ineffectiveness, and teasing for the "man in the iron stove."

I once came across something about a scandal involving body armor that was made of simple cast iron, but I do not recall where.

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt
Cuirassier Mess

[Eric Burke]

Re: Breast plate armor?

McClellan's Bayonet Tactics calls for such a vest to be worn by officers (I believe it was called a "padron") so that soldiers could practice on their NCOs! Not sure about combat-worn vests though.

[dahoude]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Taken from "Culp's Hill", by John D. Cox, 2003, Da Capo Press;

Page 120 - 121

"Captain Jesse H. Jones of the 60th New York was thankful to his creator, for he was sure that a miracle had been performed which kept him alive. While marching toward Chancellorsville, Jones came upon a pair of breastplates, essentially a bulletproof vest. He wore them in the battle at Culp's Hill and wrote how they fit him:
The shoulder supports held them up; my blouse was buttoned up over them, and the swordbelt buckled around held them firmly to the body. They lapped by about an inch, and probably were intended to do so.
While in the heat of the fight, a Confederate fired at him about fifteen yards away. The bullet struck the outer breastplate, denting it about half an inch and then made a "hollow a quarter of an inch deep or so." He was sure he would have been killed without them."

This account is particularly interesting to me in that it tells of how Capt. Jones "came upon them" while on the march toward Chancellorsville, undoubtedly cast away by another I suppose, as being a heavy and tremendous burden by another, yet a life saver to Jones. One must wonder how long Capt. Jones continued to tote them?

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Hallo Herr Eric!

I do not have my MCLELLAN's within reach, but are you thinking of the "plastron?"
A plastron is a padded half jacket worn under the fencing jacket in competition for extra protection from the tip of a sword (or fencing bayonet).
Although foils and epees have a "ball tip," (as did fencing bayonets), getting poked or jabbed with one, under force, is bruising. ;-)
Of course, for training and practice a plastron is not needed.
At any rate, this is an entirely different concept than steel body armor.

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt
College Fencer

[Eric Burke]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Thanks for clearing that up Schmidt, I had heard by word of mouth on that one, always thought it sounded a little odd. Danke, Kamerade!

[Gallo de Cielo]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Sean,

It's too early in the morning so the ole' brain bucket isn't running full speed yet but I believe Peter Cozzens documents the Col of the 2nd Texas (think I have the unit correct) wearing body armor during the savage fighting at Corrinth, Mississippi in the summer of '62. He perished in the fighting so it didn't serve him all that well however. "The Darkest Days of the War" is the title of the book.

Hope this helps.

Fred Baker

[markj]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Greetings,

SAVANNAH [GA] REPUBLICAN, May 2, 1862, p. 1, c. 2

Trophies of Shiloh.

Personne, the intelligent correspondent of the Charleston Courier, in writing from the battle field of Shiloh, gives the following account of the trophies of the field and the camp:
"Among the trophies of the battle I have seen are some of the Federal shields with which the courageous officers and men, who can afford it, are worn to envelope their valuable personal indentities [sic]. They are made of steel, and completely cover the body from the neck to the thigh joints, being supported by adjustable bands which pass over the shoulders like suspenders. One of them, taken from the body of an officer, had a dent in it, made by a minnie bullet, deep enough to embrace the head of your thumb, yet the metal was not pierced, and the life of the wearer was reserved to be sacrificed to an uncharitable bullet in the head. Their weight is thoroughly inconvenient, and must prove a terrible drawback to the Yankees when they run. Probably the next invention will be a bomb and bullet-proof helmet, and possibly a complete personal masked battery. One of our soldiers put on the shield to which I have referred, and allowed another to strike him with an iron bar with all his strength, but it produced no more effect, except to bend the bar, than if the blow had been aimed at a solid rock. They are undoubtedly a great invention—for cowards.
Of other trophies we have an abundance.—Fully nine tenths of our army are now wearing Federal hats and overcoats, and look like very aristocratic Yankees, but woe to them if they show themselves during a fight. They would be killed by our own people without a scruple of deliberation. Needle books, hair oil, pots of preserves and jellies, handkerchiefs, daguerreotypes, letters, watches and Federal money, are floating about on the curious wave of camp life in abundance, and many of our men have added valuable acquisitions to their heretofore limited stock of luxuries. Much more might have been supplied to the army could it have been brought away, but this being impossible, the plunder was consigned to the inexorable flames. Many of the officers' trunks were found packed with the finest of clothes, as if they had come to stay, and expected to make a brilliant dash in the streets of some of our cities. How they must have been disappointed."

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[hardtack1864]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Thanks for the info!

[JACKSONVC]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Pards,
There is an example of the breast plate armor located in the museum at Gettysburg. I remember it being a 2 piece contraption with a strapping system of sorts. The Commander of the Richmond Depot, a Col Broun, stated that after the seven days battles, he reportedly saw "steel breast plates, that had been worn by the federal soldiers killed in battle...They were solid steel, in two parts, shaped to fit the chest and were worn under the coat." He further stated that examples were taken back to the Richmond Arsenal. Taken from Confederate Ordnance during the War, page 367

[yeoman]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Sir, Norm Flanderman has a photo of a set of "body armor" in "Civil War Collector's Encyclopedia" by Francis A. Lord, if I may quote, "Body ARMOR. Although the Government never issued armor of any sort, sutlers and private dealers sold iron vests to many recruits. These vests were so heavy that they were soon thrown away and in the few cases they were worn in battle they failed to live up to expectations. One such breastplate (probably discarded by a confederate soldier) was worn by a federal soldier until he was severely wounded. He then gave it to a comrade who was killed by a minie ball which struck the breastplate near its lower border and passed through it carrying pieces of the plate into the abdoman. A typical advertisement for one of these soldiers' bulletproof vests stressed that it had been "repeatedly and thoroughly tested with pistol bullets at 10 paces, rifle bullets at 40 rods, by many officers and was approved and worn by them." Simple and light, it was "guaranteed" to save thousands." Thought I'd pass it on, thanks.

[James Slonders]

Re: Breast plate armor?

Someone should reproduce these.. Every mainstreamer will wear one , worn outside there coat, and paint their name and regiment on it. I Like it.


James Slonders

[Hank Trent]

Re: Breast plate armor?

"repeatedly and thoroughly tested with pistol bullets at 10 paces, rifle bullets at 40 rods, by many officers and was approved and worn by them."

Wow, that puts in perspective the distance that men expected to be from the enemy. That's an eighth of a mile!

If some officers felt it was worth wearing armor into battle that was only advertised to help at that distance, it emphasizes how compact many reenactment battles are.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[nick19thind]

Re: Breast plate armor?

The gorget was originally designed to protect the officer's throat, but by the 19th century they were only worn with full dress uniforms.