Hatless

[JacobReichwein]

I have been reading Cadet Gray and Butternut Brown by Thomas Arliskas and it has a lot of information about Confederate troops at Gettysburg being without hats. I was just curious as to how many of you Confederates out there have actually portrayed this at reenactments.

[BrianHicks]

Re: Hatless

Sorry.. not me... (but then again, I haven't done any Gettysburg events.)

Seriously though, I do not go hatless. While I have read a few (very few) descriptions of troops without headwear, those accounts are far more rare than the many descriptions of troops with varying types of head covers. Same holds true when looking at original photographs. From what I have seen, the men without hats are in the small minority.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Hatless

That I've read, soldiers in the field seem to have been very reluctant to go hatless for various reasons. Soldiers who were unable to find a hat were probably a minority in temporary, difficult circumstances.

[J.H.Berger]

Re: Hatless

John Henry Otto sates in "Memoirs of a Dutch Mudsill" that when Sherman's men were marching through the Carolinas many did not have any hats/caps left and were substituting selfmade head covers made from shelter halves etc.

[Knapsack Matt]

Re: Hatless

I would never go hatless.

Matt

[Coatsy]

Re: Hatless

Patrick,

To actually answer your question.....The only time I have been at an event that had hatless Confederates documented was at the First Immortal 600 event way back in 2000. A few fellows got the information from Muriel Josyln's "Immortal Captives" book (a darn fine book) and I think from Murray's book as well. (I don't know if it was recreated at this year's I-600 since I did not attend)

Other than that I am not very sure about other Confederates being hatless. But with the understanding that most men would not go outdoors without a hat (social norms of the time) I think it would be logical to surmise that a Johnny would try to replace his hat as fast as he could. I know I would. Being sunburned is not a fun experience. I don’t have regulations in front of me at the moment, but I think it was in the regulations that soldiers have a hat. There are of course exceptions, but as others have stated here it was not a normal occurrence during the war.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Hatless

There were a few prisoners at this year's I-600 that spent the weekend hatless.

[JacobReichwein]

Re: Hatless

Thank you for the help :)

[AZFarrier]

Re: Hatless

I would but I would burn what little hair I have left.

Andy Miller
1st CAL Cav
Azrizona Rangers

[roundshot]

Re: Hatless

For some reason Vermont veteran, Medal of Honor winner, and noted artist Julian Scott always depicted a considerable number of the figures in his battle paintings without headgear. He certainly saw enough combat to know. Check out his paintings of White Oak Swamp, Antietam, and Banks Ford in the Time Life Civil War series. Artistic license or real deal?

[LWhite64]

Re: Hatless

In regards to Scott's artwork, men lost hats and caps in battle, and unlike us, in combat I dont think they worried too much about it til afterwards.

Lee

[roundshot]

Re: Hatless

Yep. We are in violent agreement.

[CornFedComrade]

Re: Hatless

In regards to Scott's artwork, men lost hats and caps in battle, and unlike us, in combat I dont think they worried too much about it til afterwards.

Lee

It's easier to forget about a hat when you didn't shell out $100 or more.

But on a more serious note, after losing a hat I would think they would try to procure one as soon as possible. Both for the social aspects of men wearing hats, but also to protect them from the elements. I have a close comrade that holds nothing but contempt for kepis and forage caps because of the lack of sun protection. I can imagine him pilfering around a battle ground looking for a new hat after passing a thousand caps.

[JacobReichwein]

Re: Hatless

Take directly from CGABB

"most disgraceful, that fully ten thousand of men were barefooted, blanketless, and hatless."

[jlewis]

Re: Hatless

From what was already posted, it is highly probable that many soldiers fought without a hat. I have lost my hat charging down a hill or running up one. It has blown off in a heavy wind while marching down a road or while standing in a firing line. I feel hats are one of those reenactor things. We do spend a lot of money for one so we have an interest in its preservation. Do you think it is historically accurate while charging to stop to grab your hat? How many times have we seen someone jump out of ranks to grab a hat they dropped. The question becomes did soldiers under fire or marching stop to grab a fallen hat?

My favorite personal hat story was at an event some years ago. We all had batched ordered some authentic kepis from Don Smith (this was during our transition from main stream to authentic so we were excited to get them). We had talked about doing a formal presentation of the hats to each man after the first day’s battle. I suggested that we not wear hats into the battle and than we can have them given to us after. I was quickly shot down, because of comments about social norms for the times. When we marched off to battle with all our hats on, the 1st Sgt. who was the most against the idea of not wearing hats had his blown off. I saw him pause to go grab it than realize that he could not break ranks. Than I saw it in his eyes, the realization that civil war soldiers did lose their hats.

Without a doubt they grabbed replacements whenever they could. The battlefield was probably littered with hats. I am in no way saying everyone should go “topless” at events, but only that it is likely that some soldiers did not have a hat.

This post made me think about these references about hats from the book “The Story of a Confederate Boy in the Civil War” by David E. Johnson

"Hood's Texans were encamped across the railroad from us, amusing themselves by putting musket caps on the rails just in advance of the approach of a passenger train, then taking their stand close beside the track, bushes or brush in hand. On the caps exploding, the passengers would put their heads out of the windows to ascertain the cause of the popping, and found on drawing their heads back into the coach that they were hatless - a slick trick of the soldiers to get for themselves a supply of hats."


"Many of the men went into Petersburg, some without leave, among them Gardner of Company D, who, on his return, was discovered wearing a good looking hat instead of the old, dingy cap he had worn away. Inquiry being made as to how he became possessed of the hat, he replied: "I swapped with a fellow - but he wasn't there!""



"In passing along the roads and through the towns and villages, if a citizen with a high silk hat appeared, these clowns would call out: "Mister, come out of that hat; I know you are in there, for I see your feet!" Another would likely call out: "Mister, my bees are swarming; lend me your hat to hive them in.""


Thanks,
Jon Lewis