Uniform & Equipage

Uniform & Equipage Standards

All uniform, equipage, personal items, and civilian clothing must be accurate in terms of pattern, construction, and materials compared with original articles at all times.

Note: For visual reference only, we have listed the page numbers in Time-Life Books, Echoes of Glory: Volume 2 – Arms & Equipment of the Union, that correspond with most items covered in our Uniform & Equipage Standards. The Echoes of Glory book set can be had at most popular bookstores and libraries. At the end of each description, we will list the picture reference in the following manner: (EOG/US/page #).

Trowsers (Foot Pattern): Some basic features include a greenish cast sky blue kersey wool with a diagonal weave, correct rise of trowsers in the seat (back yoke), right side watch pocket, narrow tapered waistband, four or six stamped paper backed tin suspender buttons, five small paper back tin fly buttons, side seam pockets, correct overlapping cuff vents with internal cuff facings, correct fly panels and facings, etc.

Buttonholes and tieback grommet holes should be hand sewn with dark blue or logwood-dyed cotton or linen thread.

Approved styles include Schuylkill Arsenal pattern (entirely hand sewn), J.T. Martin contract pattern, William Deering contract pattern & other documented arsenal and contract patterns.

If possible, we once again recommend sticking to the four standard sizes of the Federal Army during the war. These were: Size 1 = 32 inch waist x 31 inch inseam, Size 2 = 34 inch waist x 32 inch inseam, Size 3 = 36 inch waist x 33 inch inseam, and size 4 = 38 inch waist x 34 inch inseam. (EOG/US/121, 123, 127)

Undecorated U.S. Pattern 1858 Dress Hat: Made of black rabbit or wool felt, with a 2.5 inch black leather sweatband, the hat has a 3 inch brim, 5.5 inch crown height, has double row brim stitching at 4 stitches per inch, a black silk grosgrain ribbon surrounding the base of the crown, and a black oilcloth or paper crown label. (EOG/US/120)

Forage Cap: So-called Type 1 (typically a smaller curved brim) which is preferred or so- called Type 2 (typically a larger rectangular brim) patterns acceptable. Made of finely woven indigo dyed wool flannel, with a polished cotton lining of black or dark brown, hand sewn sweatband, thin painted leather black brim, chin strap, and two 5/8 inch general service eagle buttons attached on each side of the chin strap. Please do not wear like a baseball cap. Seek out period field photographs for the correct way to push up your brim. Arsenal or contract patterns based off of originals are acceptable. (EOG/US/120)

Civilian Hat: Documented pattern, construction, and materials only. Should wear a popular style of hat available to troops such as the plug, porkpie, or slouch. Correct brim edging, lining, and sweatband per original specimens. (EOG/US/186)  

U.S. Pattern Jefferson Bootees: Black dyed, semi rough out leather, squared front, one inch heels, four sets of shoelace holes with one in the vamp, accompanied with leather shoelaces. Leather soles can be either pegged or sewn. Heel rims, inlet heel rims, and hobnails are all acceptable. For further information on U.S. pattern Jefferson Bootees, please consult Michael R. Cunningham's article, "Federal Issue Jefferson Bootees-Part 1," contained in Volume 7, No. 2 issue of The Watchdog. (EOG/US/191)

Civilian Shirt: Must be of period fabric and construction. The body of the shirt may be either hand or machine stitched, but entirely hand sewn civilian shirts (which were more common) are preferred. All buttons & buttonholes shall be entirely sewn by hand. Hand felled seams helped to prevent fraying, and was another very common sewing detail found in civilian shirts. Look for two to three colored woven shirt patterns such as small plaids, checks, & stripes. The woven shirt patterns should be the same on the reverse side of the shirting fabric. Civilian shirt fabrics should be of 100% cotton. Look for small folding or banded collars, and three or four button plackets. Civilian shirts can have square gussets as popular in the 1850's, or the rounded sleeves, which became stylish during the 1860's.

Correct buttons were comprised of bone, shell, china, milk glass, hard rubber, or wood in two or four hole styles. Small size buttons ranging from 3/8 of an inch to 1/2 of an inch in diameter are preferred. According to Robert A. Braun, four hole style buttons should be sewn on "….such that the thread forms an "X" between the button holes" ("Low-Cost Improvements for your Uniform and Equipage"). (EOG/US/126)

Federal Issue Shirt: Made of domet wool flannel, completely hand sewn, incorporating a rectangular body with square gussets, produced in one size, and delivered in bales. In Stephen Osman's article, "The Federal Issue Shirt," he describes the basic features of an existing issue shirt located at the Danish Army Museum in Copenhagen. "It is off white or cream-colored flannel (wool on a cotton warp) with a reinforced slit front opening, a squared collar closed by a single stamped sheet iron button, tapered sleeves with internally faced cuffs formed as part of the sleeve and closed by single buttons, a reinforcing strap across the top of the shoulder, and very full cut in the body" (4-5).

Also acceptable are the gray wool flannel contract variant issue shirts. Paraphrasing our pard William Brewster in his article, "The Case for the Contract Variant Issue Shirt,"the basic features of this shirt include: a three-button placket, no sleeve gussets, machine-sewn body, and the use of stamped tin buttons (6-7). (EOG/US/126)

Drawers: Either Federal Issue pattern or civilian patterns acceptable. Federal issue drawers should be made of cotton canton flannel, with cotton tape ties in the rear and the ankles. Hand sewn paperback tin buttons, buttonholes, and tieback grommet holes. These should wear high on the waist. (EOG/US/127)

Civilian drawers should be made of fabrics such as cotton catton flannel, cotton osnaburg, or linen. Other features include hand-sewn buttonholes, buttons, and tieback grommet holes. Buttons may be bone, china, or other documented compositions. Civilian drawers should also ride rather high on the waist.

We highly recommend all members have at least one pair of drawers.

Socks: Either wool or cotton, hand knitted or period machine construction, with period tops and side seams, available in varying lengths. Stick to dull colors such as gray, brown, cream, blue, dark green, tan , or dark red.

Suspenders: Must be of documented style and construction. Since the Federal Army did not issue these, soldiers had to either purchase a pair from a merchant, have them sent from home, or simply went without them. They were made out of cotton drill or linen, with differing degrees of sophistication. Common styles ranged from simple straps with hand-sewn buttonholes (poorboys), to sewn straps with two or three tined brass adjustments & leather ends on each side.
 
Do not go out and purchase a cheap sutler pair of suspenders! They are not correct at all. Stick to the merchants in the Approved Merchant List and you will do fine.

Spectacles: For those who need vision correction, you must either purchase a set of period eyeglasses filled with your prescription, wear contact lenses, or go with out any. This is not negotiable.

Period spectacles of the mid 19th century had features such as oval or rectangular frames, arch or crank bridges, and straight or sliding temple pieces with a small teardrop final. Frames were commonly made out of brass, silver, or gold. Lenses were obviously made out of glass. For more information on spectacles, please consult Nicky Hughes' article, " Closer Look," Volume 3, No. 4 issue of The Watchdog.

Cartridge Box: U.S. Pattern of 1855, 1857, & 1861 .58 caliber cartridge boxes are all acceptable. Cartridge boxes should be sewn by hand using waxed linen thread, comprised of tanned leather, dyed black, with tins, and cartridge box plate attached with a small piece of leather. (EOG/US/199, 202)

Cartridge Box Belt: Made of bridle leather, dyed black, 2.25 inches wide, and 55.5 inches long clear of billets. Billets (two narrow four hole adjustment strips) should be 4.25 inches in length at each end of the belt. The total length of the cartridge box belt is 64 inches. The cartridge box belt should be shortened so the top of the cartridge box is no lower than the bottom of the waistbelt. The round eagle cartridge box belt plate (breastplate) should be attached using a small piece of leather.

U.S. Pattern 1856 Waistbelt: Made of bridle leather, dyed black, 1.9 inches wide, 38.5 inches long with standing leather loop keeper for early mid-war impressions and the brass belt keeper for impressions after 1863. Can also go without any belt keeper as noted by several documented specimens in which their owner cut-off the keeper due to the awkwardness of this device. Lead backed belt plate with either early-mid war stud backed plate or later war arrow back plate to be used according to the desired scenario portrayed. (EOG/US/198-199, 202)

U.S. Pattern 1850 Cap Box: Made of bridle leather, dyed black, has a outer flap with latching tab, wool strip hand sewn to the back of the inner flap, cone pick loop, riveted brass finial, and two waistbelt loops which were hand sewn to the back of the cap box. May also have small copper rivets to hold waistbelt loops onto the cap box as seen in some contractor pieces. Once again, the cap box should be entirely hand sewn. Arsenal or contract pieces acceptable. Shield front cap boxes are also acceptable. (EOG/US/202)

U.S. Pattern Bayonet Scabbard: Must be of U.S. Pattern, no British Enfield Scabbards allowed. We prefer either the early war, "Gaylord" pattern two rivet sewn style, or the pattern 1863 seven rivet bayonet scabbard for late war impressions. These bayonet scabbards were made of black dyed bridle leather and featured attached frogs of either bridle or buff leather. All bayonet scabbards must have a secure brass tip. Once again, this item should be hand sewn. (EOG/US/202)

U.S. Pattern 1851 Haversack: Some basic features include machine sewn construction, black tarred exterior coating that seeps into the interior, cotton or linen inner bag attached by three hand sewn 5/8 inch tin buttons, hand sewn inner bag button holes, black 5/8 inch roller buckle, and a one piece shoulder strap of 40 to 45 inches in length.

Haversacks must ride at the small of the back, with the top of the haversack no lower than the waistbelt. To make adjustments, either cut and re-sew the strap or fold over the excess portion and re-sew using 100% cotton or linen black thread.

Remember, haversacks should only hold those items of your mess gear (tin cup, utensils, & plate) and your rations. They should not be the resting-place for your personal items or so called "haversack stuffers". (EOG/US/210-211)

U.S. Pattern 1858 Smoothside Canteen: Must be a U.S. Pattern 1858 Smoothside Canteen, with correct brownish/gray jean wool cover, pewter spout, leather or cloth strap (see below), jack chain (New York Depot only!) or string stopper attachment. If string is used, then the tin strap brackets should not have a punched in hole.

The canteen must ride at the small of the back. Proper means of strap adjustment include cutting the strap and re-sewing it using 100% cotton or linen thread, or tying a knot in the strap. We have seen several original canteens at the Wisconsin Veterans Museum which feature cloth canteen straps knotted once & in some cases twice. However, this style of adjustment is rather uncomfortable to wear with a knapsack. We prefer the cut & sew adjustment over the knotted adjustment, but both are acceptable.

Canteen straps shall be determined per event scenario. New York Depot or Schuylkill Arsenal canteens were produced with leather canteen straps through Fall, 1862. After Fall, 1862, New York Depot and Schuylkill Arsenal canteens featured the leather canteen strap (preferred) or the cotton canteen strap (which is acceptable.) After the Fall, 1863, New York Depot and Schuylkill Arsenal canteens used the sewn cotton canteen strap as standard issue. Cincinnati and St. Louis depots seemed to have used the cotton strap throughout wartime production. (EOG/US/206-207)

U.S. Pattern 1855 Doublebag Knapsack: Hand or machine sewn linen body tarred black with a glossy appearance, black dyed shoulder straps, blackened buckles, hand sewn buckles & keepers, reinforcements of split leather, and overcoat straps. Wartime documented contract versions are also acceptable. (EOG/US/212-213)

U.S. Issue Rubber Blanket or Poncho: Rubber or Gum Blankets were the primary ground cloth of the infantry during the war. Made of rubber with a white linen backing, small brass grommets, with dimensions of 4'x 7'.

Ponchos were mainly used by the cavalry, but there are accounts of infantrymen using them. Ponchos have a reinforced slit in the middle of the spread, with a tin button closure. Same small brass 9/16 inch diameter grommets are also used. We will accept both, but the Rubber (or Gum) Blanket is the preferred choice. (EOG/US/215)

U.S. Issue Blanket: Must be of a documented pattern. Can be either the gray issue wool blanket with black woven end stripes and 4-inch to 4.5-inch US letters stitched in the middle of the blanket, or the brown issue blanket with woven brown end stripes and 4- to 4.5- inch US letters stitched in the middle of the blanket. Blankets should not have bound edges, if they do, they must be removed. All blankets should have a noticeable diagonal weave, especially visible in the end stripes. Dimensions should be close to 7 feet x 5 feet, six inches, weighting about five pounds.

Don't try to go cheap when purchasing an issue blanket. You want something that will keep you warm, using only one blanket as allotted by the government. (EOG/US/214)

U.S. Issue Shelter Half: Shelter halves were generally made of 8 ounce cotton duck, with varying dimensions in the area of 66 inches long x 65 inches wide (original shelter halves did shrink quite a bit, so their is dimension differences between original shelter halves), had twenty three hand sewn bone or tin buttons & buttonholes of waxed cotton thread, and 8 hand sewn grommets holes (includes the guy rope and pole grommets). Shelter halves were not issued with brass grommets and machine-stitched buttons & buttonholes.

Shelter halves should have a guy rope of six-thread manila line that extends six feet, ten inches in length. The same manila line is also used for the tent stake loops. The shelter half can be of early war three panel section construction coined as Type II shelter halves by Fred Gaede or Type III shelter halves (October of 1863 issue according to Fred Gaede) which would be appropriate for later war impressions. Type III shelter hales featured two panel sections of cotton duck and in some documented specimens tabby weave and blue line canvas material. It takes two shelter halves to make a shelter tent.

All shelter halves shall be correct in pattern, materials, and construction compared to the original specimens. For further information on shelter halves, please consult Frederick C. Gaede's monograph The Federal Civil War Shelter Tent, Tim Shaw's article, "The Lowly Shelter Tent," in Vol. 3, No. 2 issue of The Watchdog, and Patrick McDermott's article, "A Survey of Civil War Shelter Halves," in The Company Wag, a publication of The Mudsills, Inc., Vol. 1, No.2, (September, 1988). (EOG/US/214)

U.S. Issue Tent Pegs: Tent pegs for the shelter half were issued by the Federal Army during the war. They were generally made of wood, with a curved top, which slimed down to a narrow point. Obviously these were lost during campaigning, but seemed to be a lightweight item that could be easily carried in a knapsack.

We typically recommend using hard wood sticks as tent pegs. During an active campaign, soldiers would not have carried metal or iron tent stakes in their knapsacks. They are just too heavy to cart around.

Rifle-Musket: We prefer the M1861 Springfield rifle-musket or the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket. All muskets must have three-barrel bands. If the Enfield rifle-musket is purchased, the bluing should be removed. We also suggest that modern makers' marks should be removed, and any necessary modifications be made to ensure the accuracy of your rifle-musket. Original rifle muskets can be used as well. (EOG/US/28-29, 36-37, 38-39, 40-41, 42-43)

Bayonet: You also need to purchase a corresponding pattern bayonet for your rifle-musket. Make sure it fits on your rifle-musket properly before purchasing. File off any modern markings. Original bayonets are even better.