New Hampshire Troops "Pith Helmets"?

[amontalvo915]

I was speaking to a man selling several pith helmets on ebay, and he claims that there were some New Hampshire units they used "pith helmets" such as those used by the British in the Boer Wars. Is there any truth in this?

Ashley Montalvo

[Justin Runyon]

Re: New Hampshire Troops "Pith Helmets"?

Not exactly a Pith helmet, but Im sure what he is referring to is the Whipple hat. I don't have any of the original images scanned into my computer right now, but to get an idea of what these are you can click here on Dirty Billy's site. Not really a whole lot like a Pith Helmet.

Note: This is not an endorsement of Dirty Billy Whipple Hats, nor is it a condemnation, I simply don't know enough about whipple hats to judge a quality reproduction.

http://www.dirtybillyshats.com/us29.htm

[DJCasey]

Re: New Hampshire Troops "Pith Helmets"?

I just finished reading "My Brave Boys: To War with Colonel Cross and the Fighting Fifth" about the 5th New Hampshire. In it the men mention being issued helmuts. I am at work and do not have the description of the helmet, but can look it up later. I did a search online, but could not come up with anything. I do not think they are the pith helmets that we think of today.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: New Hampshire Troops "Pith Helmets"?

Bill Wickham's reproduction Whipple cap is spot-on. I sent the patent information to him several years ago so my USSS friends could have a matching early war impression and he really did a great job. All of these caps he made since also appear to be incredibly faithful to the originals.

Also, you might find a few New Hampshire images depicting men wearing a similar cap, but with visible seams. No extant "seamed" Whipple cap exists to my knowledge, but the appearance in photographs leads me to believe that they are simply in-house knock-offs of the actual thing. Both styles of cap could have been made by the Seamless Clothing Manufacturing Company in NYC; I know of their supplying Berdan's Sharpshooters with both their "seamless caps" (Whipple caps) but also their seamless overcoats.

Regarding the overcoats; there are two known original "seamless" overcoats in private collections. Both are a vibrant sky blue color and edged with a worsted wool tape. One of these is truly seamless in every sense of the word, while the other features a seamless body but with sleeves sewn on (originally hidden under a removeable cape). The construction variation in these, coming from the same company, may support the notion that Seamless Clothing Manuf. Co. also made the sewn Whipple caps.

If you crack open Echoes of Glory: The Union and flip to the headgear section you will find that the seamless/Whipple caps look nothing like a pith. The seamless caps, in simplified terms, seem to be a wide-brimmed slouch hat with the forepart cut out and a kepi visor sewn into place. The insides had embossed leather sweatbands not unlike that of an Army hat, while the outside was finished with a leather or cloth hat band, silk binding around the brim edges, and an enamelled leather chinstrap nearly identical to a forage cap strap.

[amontalvo915]

Re: New Hampshire Troops "Pith Helmets"?

Are the any pictures of these seamless greatcoats? Or does anybody reproduce these?

Ashley Montalvo

[DJCasey]

Re: New Hampshire Troops "Pith Helmets"?

Thomas Livermore of the 5th NH wrote: "...a uniform consisting of brogans, light-blue trousers and overcoat with cape, and a dark-blue blouse and frock coat, and to cap us a helmet-like structure of dark gray or blue mixed waterproof cloth, with a vizor before and behind, the top resembling a squash,and the whole lined and padded. This was a New Hampshire cap, and althought it would do in a row to keep blows from the head and was good to protect the neck from rain, yet in summer it was sweltering."

[GreencoatCross]

Re: New Hampshire Troops "Pith Helmets"?

Ashley,

I've derived a pattern for "seamless" overcoats but unfortunately it does involve some little sewing. I haven't been able to find a description about how the original truly seamless overcoats were made but it seems like it might have been a lengthy process.

David,

That's a great description! I have never read it before. Very interesting that the soldier mentions that there is a visor in the front and back; maybe in this case he considers the lengthened rear brim as a "visor." The padding and lining reference is very telling. That might account for images of the sewn variety of cap really looking like a puffy squash.