Interesting jackets

[BobRoeder]

Hello All,

Does anyone know what kind of jackets these guys are wearing and possibly what unit they might be?

The image is titled "Company of Infantry on Parade". The jackets are waist-length and double-breasted (two rows of five buttons).

Hope the link works...

http://narademo.umiacs.umd.edu/cgi-bin/isadg/viewobject.pl?object=63130

[yanksaintgood]

Re: Interesting jackets

Wow!! This is one crazy picture. I look and see many strange things, I enjoyed how you see some soldiers in full dress uniforms, a few with sack coats and there only equipment being knapsacks. To answer your question I am wondering if perhaps the coats are navy, I say that because I noticed in the background it appears that a few fellows have what look to be navy hats and the double breasted coats resemble navy coats. Some of the men in this picture are definitely army, but I wonder if perhaps a few sailors snuck into the picture. Or even if these men came into contact with sailors and may have traded or gotten there hands on some navy items. My grandfather was in the army during World War II and at some point he ended up being issued a navy herringbone twill shirt, so with that in mind who's to say this wouldn't have happened during the Civil War. Just a thought.
Patrick Abbey

[BobRoeder]

Re: Interesting jackets

.... To answer your question I am wondering if perhaps the coats are navy, I say that because I noticed in the background it appears that a few fellows have what look to be navy hats and the double breasted coats resemble navy coats. Some of the men in this picture are definitely army, but I wonder if perhaps a few sailors snuck into the picture. Patrick Abbey

Yes, "Navy" was the first thing that popped into mind when I saw them, I guess because one the jackets worn with the top unbuttoned looked like a "pea"-type jacket to me not to mention the few navy caps.

Anyway, not being very well versed in things Navy I paged through everything I have and found the following in Katcher's Civil War Source Book regarding naval uniforms: "A double-breasted jacket was worn in cold weather." So, mystery solved.

The thing that threw me was the wide mix of hats and caps being worn by the men wearing the double-breasted jackets, and (I think) the trousers of many appear to be lighter in color than dark blue. Anyway, it seems the photo does not appear to be labeled correctly.

[yanksaintgood]

Re: Interesting jackets

I agree with it being mislabeled it looks like there are all sorts of different organizations in this image. If you look there are a few fellows with dress hats that appear to have sabers or even crossed cannons on there hats. This is one confusing picture. I also wonder why some soldiers have dress uniforms and full packs and others have no equipment, some even have dress hats with the brass taken off and others with floppy dress hats that appear to be "weathered" I would really like to know the story on this picture, sadly it seems that such knowledge is lost to time.
Patrick Abbey

[amontalvo915]

Re: Interesting jackets

Look at the far left at the man with the double breasted jacket in between the soldiers. The man in the middle could pass for a modern day man, but the men to the sides of him look like regular soldiers.

[Barry Jurek]

Re: Interesting jackets

The photo is a copy produce from an original at the National Archives @ College Park, MD.

You could probably order a copy through one of the onsite contractors that do photo reproductions if you don't want to go through ebay.

I have no idea about the uniforms though... :)

[markj]

Re: Interesting jackets

Could be Navy....

Could be "private purchase..."

One thing is for sure: somebody is now going to use this photo as justification for a "new impression."

Very truly yours, &c.,

Mark Jaeger

[nick19thind]

Re: Interesting jackets

Could they have been marines in fatigue clothing?
Perhaps they were issued navy jackets due to a shortage of sack coats.

[Matthew Semple]

Re: Interesting jackets

Does anyone know what kind of jackets these guys are wearing and possibly what unit they might be?http://narademo.umiacs.umd.edu/cgi-b...l?object=63130

The jackets exhibited in this photograph are characteristic of the 10 button US Navy enlisted short jackets that I have seen in numerous photographs of sailors from the period.

The unit in the photograph is most likely a US Army gunboat crew that is ashore. US Army gunboat crews consisted of both US Army and US Navy personnel.

Of the several photographs of US Army gunboat crews that I have examined, all exhibited a "hodge-podge" of uniform parts and general lack of uniformity in headgear. It was not uncommon for gunboat crews to be issued or purchase the US Navy short jacket (despite being a crewmember that was in the US Army). These jackets took up less space on board the boat and utilized less cloth while still providing enough warmth for the crewmember.

Attahced is a digital scan of a glass plate from the Library of Congress collection. It shows the crew of US Army gunboat General Foster ashore with howitzers. Notice the mixture of uniform parts and general lack of uniformity between the gun crews. There is a wide variety in headgear and jackets. Also note, the tents in the background which indicates the practice of sustained operations ashore.


Image information

Title: [Point of Rocks, Va., vicinity. Crew of U.S. Army gunboat General Foster ashore with howitzers].

Created/Published: [Between 1860 and 1865]

Summary: Photographs of the Federal Navy, and seaborne expeditions against the Atlantic Coast of the Confederacy -- the Federal Navy, 1861-1865.
Notes: Reference: Civil War photographs, 1861-1865 / compiled by Hirst D. Milhollen and Donald H. Mugridge, Washington, D.C. : Library of Congress, 1977. No. 0556

Plate #: LC-B811-2607B

Call Number: LC-B811- 2607

Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-cwpb-02030 DLC (digital file from original neg. of right half)

[Matthew Semple]

I am reattaching the image that was lost from above post.