22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

[paulcalloway]

Am attaching an invoice for Greatcoats dated January 22, 1862.

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[1stMaine]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

Comrade Paul,

Notice how each of these contracts, at the end, includes sufficient funds for taurpolins and iron rings and bands to strap them withh, for protection against the elements whilst in transit. Overcoats, complete sets of accoutrements (note how these sets include a ball bag for use as a cap pouch, but no scabbard, as that was a part of the stand of arms) and bales of "grey army cloth".

Wow... it's almost as if someone were trying to, well, UNIFORM an army! Heavens.....

Wonderful stuff. I guess I'll have to see how much I can spare from the tax return this year.....

Respects,

[Iron Scout]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

Hey Tim,

Thanks for the consideration with the tax refund!:tounge_sm Seriously, these invoices reflect the fact that this was big business. One particular 36 page running invoice (that we'll discuss later) literally gives one a complete snapshot into a typical cargo purchased by Huse. The total of that one invoice was 97K Pounds; that's a lot of money in November, 1862! It is interesting to note that later invoices list "cap pockets" along with the ball bags. This happens later in the 1862 invoices.

Other documents even show gratuities and wharfage paid to the docks in Liverpool. I'm almost at a loss of what to discuss first as there's so much. This will definately be a long-term project but one I hope everyone gets excited about.

Regards,

Neill Rose
PLHA

[1stMaine]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

Neill,

I'm happy to help. Maybe sometime this year I'll take the train down to SC and see what's what. I haven't been down there in about 20 years, and to be honest, I miss the cooking. ;)

I love Maine, but seriously, there is a world of difference between what you folks call barbecue and what goes by that name up here.

For what it's worth, I'll try and hit up a friend of mine who works for the Maine Maritime Museum regarding any material they might have on blockaders, captures, etc. They ahve a pretty huge reference collection on hand, especially family histories etc, and many of the shipping families turned to Navy service after the war started, since all their ports were closed.

Respects,

[jacobite8749]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

The goods on the invoice for Greatcoats dated January 22, 1862 and that of the other for cloth went out on the Economist.


CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA, WAR DEPARTMENT,
Richmond, Va., March 17, 1862.
Messrs. S. ISAAC, CAMPBELL & CO.,
71 Jermyn Street, London, England:
GENTLEMEN: I am in receipt of your favor of January 29, by the Economist, and desire to express to you the deep sense of obligation felt by this Government for the kind and generous confidence which you have exhibited toward us at a moment when all others in foreign countries seem to be doubtful, timorous, and wavering. You will find, however, that your confidence was not misplaced, and that we have not failed (as far as we could find means) to make remittances to Captain Huse, although not as rapidly as we desired; but our difficulties have been great in procuring secure remittances. Enough, however, has been done, we trust, to relieve you from embarrassment or apprehensions. I find from my books that the amounts furnished to Captain Huse have been recently as follows, viz:

January 20 $461,600
February 14 300,000
March 7 500,000
Total 1,261,600

I shall continue my remittances by every favorable opportunity, but shall probably not send them otherwise than in cash, as we prefer leaving to the merchants the very large profits made from shipping produce, being desirous of satisfying your Government and people of the folly of allowing their trade to be cut off from a country capable of furnishing such rich fruits to commercial enterprise. Our demands for supplies from England will continue quite large, and we trust you may find your connection with our young Government equally profitable and agreeable.

I am, your obedient servant,
J. P. BENJAMIN,
Secretary of War.

[jacobite8749]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

One of the aspects of all this is we are able to compare prices over time. To Illustrate this the cost of a single greatcoat in the 22 January invoice amounts to Ł1.5.6p (One pound five shillings and sixpence).

Later in the war Alexanda Collie was given a contract for Ł150,000 sterling, of which Peter Tait was sub-contracted for Ł50,000. (his brother Robert was offered 16 shillings per suit four months earlier ).

My point being that at One pound five shillings and sixpence (Ł56 plus today)for a greatcoat in 61 and 16 shillings (Ł35 plus today) per suit in 64.

Now I accept that a suit does not equate to a greatcoat but I thought it useful to point out.

[DBURT]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

It makes me wonder,given that both Artillery and Infantry Greatcoats are mentioned, if there were any subtle differences between an Artillery and an Infantry Greatcoat?
Are there any existing Confederate used Greatcoats that have,maybe branch of service facings or trim?
Or maybe only the chevrons were of different colours.British Army regs for 1863 only mention that chevron's were to be branch of service colour.
So has anyone has seen an existing CS imported Greatcoat with any sort of trim, or different coloured chevrons?

Dave Burt, ACWS, UK.

[Dignann]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

Some overcoats were also hitting the open market. This from the advertising section of the February 10, 1862 edition of the Richmond Daily Dispatch:


Clothing & Dry Goods.

250 English army Overcoats
100 pieces English Blue Plaids and Stripes.
15 pieces English Black Crape.
8 pieces English 64 Confederate Gray Cloth, imported by the "Ella Warly," and just received.

Wilson & McILWAINM,

fe 5--2w Petersburg, Va.


The Ella Warly, mentioned above, was formerly the Isabel of Charleston, S.C. She was captured on April 24, 1862 by the St. Jago de Cuba. Her cargo, at that time, consisted of arms, skins, copper, paper, cigars, and powder. An illustration depicting the Ella Warly, and other captured blockade runners, appeared in the October 18, 1862 edition of Harper's Weekly.

Eric

[jacobite8749]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

In weavng terms of the period, a “piece” is 54 yds.

[DBURT]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

Seems quite a few were hitting the open market.
This is from the SAVANNAH (GA) REPUBLICAN May 10th 1862
Augusta auction sale
By WB Griffin
Package sale of military goods
Direct importation by the steamship Nashville.

200 ready made uniforms,grey suits.
100 military Greatcoats,English Regulation.

Dave Burt, ACWS, UK.

[neocelt]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

Mssr. Hopper,

Could you please cite a reference to support your statement: "In weaving terms of the period, a 'piece' is 54 yds"? In my research, the term "piece" (when applied to textiles) is indeterminate--that is, what represents a "piece" is agreed upon between the parties (and often varies with different types of fabric). In this case, the length of a "piece" would presumably be spelled out in the actual terms of the contracts. I don't know whether he ever sees this forum, but Fred Gaede would have more to offer on this subject, as he has done more research in C.W. period clothing contracts than anyone I can think of...

Cheers,

[jacobite8749]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

Below is part of an article on textiles in the 1860’s compiled after visiting various areas of Scotland, namely Aberdeen and the Borders were we live. The article was support of a larger work on my part about J. and J. Crombie. Although I do not have all the sources to hand most on the Scottish textile industry agreed on a piece being 54 yds. I have checked production of other mills at that time and find the yearly output to correspond to the measured piece so rightly or wrongly have assumed this to be general.

As starting point for judging the capacity of Great Britain to supply large quantities of woollen goods and material we must initially look at the survey, completed in 1851which provides the information that there were in Great Britain:
250,000 power looms producing cotton,
33,000 power looms producing worsted material
10,000 power looms producing woollen material

Sadly, in the production of woollens industrialization fell a long way behind that of the cotton industry. So by the time of the American Civil War, the majority of Great Britain’s woollen producing industry was only just getting the engines that would allow them to have any sort of power and not readily equipped to produce the vast quantities required by the South. From research I assume that this is general amongst British mills, and it was not until the 1870’s that woollen production finally succumbed to modernization.

As an illustration of this, an important area along the Borders involved in woollen production industry, Galasheilds, had on hand in 1863:
Handlooms 600
Slow Power Looms 900
Fast Power Looms 0

One of the largest woollen manufacturers in Scotland in 1862 was that of J. and J. Crombie, at the Grandholm Mills, who employed 700/800 hands. John Crombie started the firm in 1804. The Grandholm Mill had over 200 power looms, 17 carding machines and 12,000 spindles. The mill lade was over a mile long and provided 15,000 cubic feet of water per minute, generating 200 hp. James Crombie also installed two horizontal Corliss valve steam engines, which provide yet another 300 hp. The site itself was expanded to over 5 acres and by 1865 the number of “pieces” produced was over 1872. (A “piece” is 54 yds. therefore Crombie produced 101,088 yds. that year)

J & J Crombie produced woollen material, for either Confederate contracts or possibly sub-contracts, a fine grade blue/grey wool for officers, a courser blue/grey wool for enlisted, and finally a steel grey wool for the Navy. Completed suits were also supplied, but these may have also been produced on behalf of a third party, Hebbert or perhaps Collie. . In my view, without a doubt some of those categorised as P. TAIT are of Crombie manufacture, but without the museum examples we may never know which.

[Jefferson Guards]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

On the overcoats hitting the open market. I believe these ads reflect another aspect of the importation mystery, that is; private enterprise importing "military" goods independant of the government and selling them on the retail market. You see much more of this in the early war period, but it occurs throughout the war.

[DougCooper]

Re: 22 January, 1862 - Invoice for Greatcoats

Some overcoats were also hitting the open market. This from the advertising section of the February 10, 1862 edition of the Richmond Daily Dispatch:


Clothing & Dry Goods.

250 English army Overcoats
100 pieces English Blue Plaids and Stripes.
15 pieces English Black Crape.
8 pieces English 64 Confederate Gray Cloth, imported by the "Ella Warly," and just received.

Wilson & McILWAINM,

fe 5--2w Petersburg, Va.


The Ella Warly, mentioned above, was formerly the Isabel of Charleston, S.C. She was captured on April 24, 1862 by the St. Jago de Cuba. Her cargo, at that time, consisted of arms, skins, copper, paper, cigars, and powder. An illustration depicting the Ella Warly, and other captured blockade runners, appeared in the October 18, 1862 edition of Harper's Weekly.

Eric

The term "Confederate Gray Cloth" is seen in everything from ads like this to invoices to even OR's by US Naval Officers capturing blockade runners off Mexico and Texas (as early as 1862). This is the first time I have seen the word "English" put in front of it. Am starting to wonder if it was a standard term for bluish gray wool.