A battlefield during the War Between the States could  be  a
very  colorful  place,  and  countless writers of the period
described  the  "pageantry"  of  war.   As  the  Battle   of
Fredericksburg  got  underway,  even Robert E.  Lee, perched
atop the heights above the town observed, "It is well war is
so  terrible  lest  we  grow  too fond of it." Not only were
there countless flag designs and colors, but military attire
of  the  period was as equally diverse.  The War Between the
States was the last conflict that witnessed such varying and
colorful  uniforms.  The Indian Wars of the following period
were fought largely by regulars with "issue"  garments,  and
the Spanish American War, though employing a large number of
volunteers, saw little diversity.                           

Americans met their  requirements  for  militia  service  in
varying ways from the Colonial Period through the WBTS.  Many
men simply reported for drill  or  muster  wearing  whatever
clothing  they  had,  civilian,  military or combinations of
both.  Others formed companies or  smaller  units  and  held
frequent  drills,  parades,  balls  and  other social events
where they could display  their  elaborate  and  distinctive
uniforms.   Their  motivation  was  both  military  and  the
glamour that was associated with the  mystique  of  military
uniforms.    In   many   instances   membership   in   these
organizations imparted a social status similar to membership
in a very exclusive club.                                   

When  the  call  to  arms was issued in 1861, the volunteers
reported for duty  wearing  clothing  that  reflected  their
militia  requirements.  They wore either civilian clothes or
the most exotic of peacetime uniform.  The  Zouaves  are  an
example of one exotic uniform style adopted from abroad.  As
the War progressed both sides displayed fewer and  fewer  of
the   exotic   uniforms,   however  they  never  disappeared
completely.  As certain units  distinguished  themselves  in
battle,  their  unusual  uniforms  became  symbols  of their
exploits.   This  was  recognized  by  the   United   States
government when it continued to authorize the manufacture of
"non-regular"  uniforms  by  government  depots  or  private
contractors  with  the  requirement  that the cost would not
exceed that of the regulation issue garments.  If  the  cost
was  higher,  the  unit was permitted to have these uniforms
made if they would pay the  additional  cost.   These  units
were in the minority however, since most Federal units found
it more practical to  adopt  the  readily  accessible  issue
garments  when their original unique uniforms were no longer
serviceable.  In the Confederacy the situation  was  similar
with  the  additional  factors of cloth shortages and broken
lines of transportation.  Diversity grew where the situation
required utilization of every available material.           

During the early phases of the War both sides relied largely
upon the volunteer and militia companies which were  already
in  existence  prior  to the outbreak of hostilities.  These
units were regimented into battalions  for  active  service,
often  with  each  company wearing a different uniform.  The
Union Army had an existing set of Dress Regulations but  the
Confederacy  had to create its own.  As the Confederate Army
was based initially upon the local  volunteers  and  militia
whose  uniforms of "cadet gray" were popular for such troops
throughout  the  country,  the  South  wisely  decided   (as
specified  in the first Dress Regulations of September 1861)
to authorize gray as the standard for the  Southern  forces.
Union  regiments  which  were  also  dressed  in  gray  were
re-fitted  as  quickly  as  possible  in  order  to  prevent
confusion during combat.                                    

The  volunteer companies of both sides often clad themselves
in elaborate  and  quite  impractical  costumes  which  soon
became  modified  (officially  or  otherwise)  when  serious
campaigning  began.   Numerous  units  of  both  sides  were
dressed  in  ornate uniforms styled after the French Zouaves
and Chasseurs …  Pied,  elite  European  troops  which  were
emulated  North  and  South.   These uniforms were extremely
impractical and were soon modified, but many  units  elected
to  keep  these  distinctive  costumes whenever possible, no
matter how incongruous baggy Cossack  trousers  and  Arabian
turbans   might  appear  on  the  battlefields  of  America.


Chasseur a Pied

As military clothing gradually became more  functional  than
decorative   many   troops,   particularly  officers,  began
designing  their  own  uniforms,  some  assuming  an  almost
civilian  appearance  with  long overcoats, brightly colored
waistcoats  and  straw  hats  being  quite  popular.    Some
officers   like   Ulysses  S.   Grant,  achieved  an  almost
disreputable  appearance.   Grant  often   wore   a   shabby
private's  jacket  on  which General's bars were sewn, and a
battered felt hat.  An English  witness  to  the  Battle  of
Chattanooga  wrote  in amazement of how Grant was dressed in
"plain civilian's clothes.wearing nothing military about him
except a large opera glass.  Grant wore a black surtout with
black braid on and quite loose, black trousers and  a  black
wide-awake  hat  and thin Wellington boots.  General Hunter,
standing next to Grant, was similarly dressed,  except  that
his  black  wide-awake having gold cord around it but having
the brim turned down all round over  his  cadaverous  face."
The  appearance  of  General  Grant in stark contrast to the
immaculately clad Robert E.  Lee at Appomattox is legendary.

Other Generals like JEB Stuart and  George  Custer  designed
their own ornate uniforms.  General Custer, his uniform made
entirely of black  velvet  with  a  blue  sailor-collar  and
covered  with  "ludicrous  amounts  of gold braid," was once
described as "a circus  rider  gone  mad."  The  black  felt
campaign-hat  was a favorite of many officers both North and
South, but it soon lost its shape so that  many  had  to  be
"modified"  to fit properly.  Union General Ambrose Burnside
wore his hat with the crown "punched  up"  or  stuffed  with
various  materials  so  that  one  observer  described it as
"resembling a tall dunces' cap."  The  practice  of  wearing
civilian  clothes  was  naturally  confusing  and  sometimes
fatal.  At Logan's  Cross  Roads  in  the  Western  Theater,
Confederate  General  Felix Zollicoffer apparently mistook a
body of Federal troops for his own and rode up to  speak  to
their  commanding  officer.  Zollicoffer was wearing a white
raincoat so large that it completely covered his uniform and
it  was  only after several minutes of conversation that the
Union officer realized that he was conversing with the enemy
and shot the General dead.                                  

The  factor  which  brought about the most radical change in
the appearance of the uniforms of the  Confederacy  was  the
Union   naval   blockade  of  Southern  ports  which  caused
desperate  shortages  among  both  Southern  civilians   and
military.   By  the  mid-point of the War Confederate troops
were dressed in a mixture of what  few  regulation  uniforms
were  available,  much  captured  Union  clothing,  civilian
attire, and home-dyed uniforms which came to be known as the
famous  Southern  "butternut."  Supplies  of gray dye having
been exhausted, a crude  replacement  was  made  by  boiling
nutshells  and  iron  oxide (commonly known as rust).  Shoes
were improvised by nailing leather onto wooden soles,  using
horseshoes  as boot-irons, or as one Confederate wrote, "The
men get pieces  of  rawhide  from  the  butchers  and  after
wrapping  their  feet  up  in  old rags, sew the hide around
them.which they wear  until  it  wears  out."  Appropriating
clothing and equipment from battlefield dead was a repugnant
but necessary tactic of the  ill  equipped  Southern  troops
late  in  the  War  which  led  to  large  portions  of  the
Confederate military wearing Union light blue  trousers  and
captured boots.  Southern officers discouraged this practice
as much as possible as it often led to tactical difficulties
in  combat  with both sides having a similar appearance.  In
addition, captured Confederates clad in Union uniforms could
technically be declared spies and summarily executed.       

The  expected  wear-and-tear of campaigning was not the only
reason why uniforms quickly became ragged or  entirely  worn
out.   Many  uniforms,  particularly at the beginning of the
War, were made of a material named "shoddy." Harper's Weekly
described  shoddy  as,  "a  villainous  compound, the refuse
stuff and sweepings of the shop, pounded, rolled, glued, and
smoothed  to  the  external  form and gloss of cloth, but no
more like the genuine article than  the  shadow  is  to  the
substance.soldiers  on  the  first  day's  march  or  in the
earliest storm found their clothes, overcoats and  blankets,
scattering  to  the  wind  in rags, or dissolving into their
primitive elements of dust under the pelting rain." The term
"shoddy"  remains  today as descriptive of inferior products
or workmanship.                                             

Rank markings, while varying between the two armies, were of
the same basic style, though the following details cannot be
regarded as universal.  It was not uncommon  to  find  Union
soldiers  wearing Confederate style rankings and vice versa.
Non-commissioned officers of both armies were identified  as
follows;  Corporal,  two  chevrons worn on the upper sleeve.
Sergeant, three chevrons.  First  Sergeant,  three  chevrons
with  an  arc  or  "lace lozenge" above.  Ordnance Sergeant,
three chevrons with a five-pointed star above. Quartermaster
Sergeant,  three  chevrons  with  a horizontal "tie" of lace
linking the upper corners.  Sergeant Major, three  chevrons,
with an arc of lace linking the upper corners.              

Rank  of Union officers was indicated by laced shoulder-bars
on a backing of cloth of the color of the arm of the service
to  which  they were attached.  Red indicated the Artillery,
Yellow the Cavalry and Engineers,  Sky  Blue  the  Infantry,
Green  Riflemen  or  Sharpshooters  and  Green  and Buff the
Medical Corps.   Second  Lieutenant,  no  rank  insignia  on
shoulder bars.  First Lieutenant, one gold bar at either end
of shoulder bar.  Captain, two gold bars on  shoulder  bars.
Major, gold oak leaf on shoulder bars.  Lt.  Colonel, silver
oak leaf at either end of shoulder  bars.   Colonel,  silver
eagle  on shoulder bars.  Brigadier General, One silver star
on shoulder  bars.   Major  General,  two  silver  stars  on
shoulder bars.  Lt.  General, three silver stars on shoulder
bars.                                                       

Color also indicated the Confederate branch of service,  but
was  not  limited  to  shoulder  insignia.   The facings for
General officers  and  for  the  officers  of  the  Adjutant
General's  Department,  Quartermaster  General's Department,
Commissary General's Department, and the Engineers was to be
Buff.  The tunic for all officers was to be edged throughout
with  the  facings  designated  Medical  Department   Black,
Artillery Red, Cavalry Yellow, and Infantry Light Blue. Caps
were to be distinguished by the  colors  of  the  branch  of
service,  with the number of the regiment in yellow metal to
be worn in front.                                           

Confederate rankings were indicated  in  two  ways;  by  the
thickness  of  lace  decorations on sleeves and caps, and by
gold rank insignia on either side  of  the  collar.   Second
Lieutenant,  one  bar  on  collar,  one braid on cap.  First
Lieutenant, two bars on collar, one braid.   Captain,  three
bars  on  collar,  two  braids.   Major, one star on collar,
three braids.  Lt.  Colonel,  two  stars  on  collar,  three
braids.   Colonel,  three  stars  on  collar,  three braids.
General (all ranks), three  stars  in  a  laurel  wreath  on
collar, four braids.                                        

Information  on the uniforms of both navies is very detailed
and provides more than enough data to be the subject  of  an
article  devoted  solely  to  the  sailors  of the Union and
Confederacy.  But  no  matter  what  the  color,  design  or
insignia,  the  uniforms of both North and South provide yet
another fascinating  avenue  of  exploration  into  the  War
Between  the  States  and allow us to once again acknowledge
the sacrifice and heroism of  our  ancestors.   God  SaveThe
South!                                                      
						Harry