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Military Equipment Guidelines

These guidelines have been created for Members, Recruits & Associate Members of the Venture Crew 862. Nearly all of the uniforms & equipment recommended by our guidelines are illustrated in the set of Time-Life books, Echoes of Glory: 1) Arms & Equipment the Confederacy and 2) Arms & Equipment of the Union. While these books are the best on the market at this time, they do have numerous errors in them, particularly in the colors of the uniforms portrayed... buyer beware.

The kepi (first generation baseball cap) is the most commonly issued head covering, as born out by surviving records. This makes sense as unlike the Army of Northern Virginia which was always close to Richmond and the hat makers therein, the Army of Mississippi/Tennessee watched the largest cities in the west, New Orleans, Nashville, and Memphis fall by June, 1862. They campaigned in the interior, far from established hat makers. The kepi required less material than a regular hat and jeancloth was in far greater abundance than felt. Head coverings may be purchased from the following suppliers:
 

B. JACKETS:

Most likely the men of the 13th Tennessee would have initially worn a mixture of shell jackets, battle shirts, and frock coats. A number of them, especially officers, may well have been clad in dark blue, while the balance would have been earthtone jeanswool. Just as the uniforms would vary between companies, so would the buttons on the uniforms. They would be plain brass, wood, bone, or even federal eagle. Starting early in November 1862 the 13th began receiving government made shell jackets. They are presumed to be Columbus Depot variety with block I, not script I buttons. Individual soldiers may well have been reluctant to replace homemade jacket (made by his mom, wife, or girlfriend) with a Jeff Davis (depot) jacket that might be too big or too small. Jackets may be purchased from the suppliers listed below:
 

C. TROUSERS:

There are very few original pairs of trousers remaining to make any definitive statement about what was issued and received. Trousers wore out more quickly than anything else, so soldiers would have supplemented their need by making one himself of having a local citizen make it for him. As cited in numerous sources, trousers rarely were of fabric that matched the jackets issued to troops. The military issue appears to have mule ear pockets. The civilian ones have side seam pockets. The civilian issue would be butternut color jeancloth. After the Battle of Richmond, Ky. in Sept. 1862, they would have liberated some federal sky-blue Kersey wool trousers as well. General Kirby Smith the 13th's overall commander for the Kentucky campaign, brought back over 10,000 square yards of Kentucky jeancloth when it returned to Tennessee.

Trousers of the period generally were found in two styles, tie back and belt back. These can be seen in the numerous examples of trousers. Tie back pulls the waist tight at the top of the waistband while belt back trousers pull the trousers together more of at the point on the hip where they will sit on the wearer's hip. Captured Federal trousers were also to be found, but much less common in the Army of Tennessee because long periods of inactivity would allow depots to issue CS garments as the US ones wore out. CS and civilian trousers will vary in the pocket style as well. These will fall into two types, side-seam and mule ear. Side seam as the same style as modern pants, while mule ear are buttoned flaps that fold down to give access to the pockets.
 

D. SUSPENDERS/BRACES:

Braces are a period term for suspenders. These are what hold up your trousers. It was not a military issue item. It was never appropriate for braces to be seen in public (your camp site was considered your bedroom and not a public area) so soldiers wore their shell jackets or a vest over them.
 

E. SHIRTING:

Soldiers letters home are filled with requests for shirts, so it would seem that the most common shirt would be a three of four button shirt. Wood and bone buttons were commonly deemed to be "slave" buttons and not used on the clothes of more well to do southerners who used glass, polished shell and other materials. CS buttons would be of any material available, especially in the later stages of the war. There are some records of military issue shirts as well as imported military shirts. The colors and patterns of these shirts were extremely functional. There was no "fashion police" telling people what and what not to wear.

Buttons found on most sutler-purchased shirts are plastic made to look like some natural material. Real bone and shell buttons can be purchased, at perhaps $1.OO each depending on style and seller. Glass and porcelain buttons usually are not readily available to buy, but can occasionally be found at antique shops and some sutlers.
 

F. VESTS:

Vests were so commonly worn during the 19th century that a man was rarely seen in public without one. The predominantly surviving specimens are those of general staff, quartermaster, and artillery service. As the vest was not an issue item in the Confederate Army, it would be either a private purchase item or made by his family. The military style has a nine button front, a standing color and three outside pockets. While some have the back and front of the same material, it was common to have the back of polished cotton or woven check. Civilian vests had five buttons and could have shawl or notched collar or a plain collarless neckline. Vests had a back belt for fitting generally extended several inches below the waistline, dipping a little lower in the front.
 

G. DRAWERS (Optional):

Civil War soldiers were issued two-piece undergarments made of cotton flannel or osnaburg. Period style drawers are available but generally should be of heavier fabrics than those sold by sutlers. The lightweight muslin drawers sold by sutlers will not absorb moisture as well as flannel or similar heavier materials. Period drawers are not required but can be of great use during cold weather events or to keep wool and jean from rubbing ones legs. Those allergic to wool should strongly consider investing in a pair. Modern t-shirts should not be worn beneath a period shirt. These shirts did not come into use until the 1900's. It would appear that the the undershirt was used as a regular shirt when worn around camp. The bottoms are especially needful as jeancloth trousers are very scratchy.

H. SOCKS:

There's not much to say about this item. Keep your feet comfortable.

I. SHOES:

Well fitting shoes (brogans) are of the utmost importance as you will be on your feet for hours. the general guideline to follow is black (so you can do federal) rough side out and if possible, a straight laced brogan. However, civilian and federal (battlefield scrounging) shoes are also worn. Boots are not appropriate.
 

II. MILITARY GEAR

A. FIREARMS:

After Shiloh, the 13th Tennessee was equipped with 1855 rifle-muskets and enfields.

B. BAYONETS:

It is well known CS troops commonly went with out bayonets, but this isn't so with Reenactors since it is quite common to stack arms instead of grounding arms. Scabbards were found in various styles through out the war. The earlier method for carriage was the baldric that carried the scabbard on the hip suspended by a leather strap around the shoulder. These were found in black or white leather, both styles having been produced well before the war. The use of a baldric is authentic for an early war CS infantry impression because of the large numbers that were in the hands of state militias and storage in southern arsenals. The other way to carry the bayonet is the belt scabbard and frog. These take on various patterns that hold the bayonet on the waste belt. Common types are the vertical British Enfield style that hangs parallel with the leg and the angled CS and US style. Various patterns were produced with varying methods of rivets and stitching for attachment. The earliest styles were either all sewn (common in CS scabbards) and with fewer rivets than later models. A fairly reliable rule is the more rivets, the later it was produced.

Any bayonet purchase must be matched with the type of weapon used. Variations in manufacturing of the barrels of the weapon cause some bayonets not to fit.

C. RIFLE SLING:

More often than not, a Confederate solder would not have had a sling for his rifle as the Confederacy had better use for the leather. If he did have one it was most likely would be made of canvas.

D. ACCOUTREMENTS:

This category includes all the items that support the use of the rifle-musket: cartridge box, cartridge box sling, cap pouch, & waist belt. Being a Western Theater Tennessee unit, we would not have anything manufactured in Richmond, Baton Rouge or by the firm of Magee & George from New Orleans. these implements could be made of painted cloth or be of federal origin (battlefield captures from Belmont, Shiloh & Richmond, Ky). A soldier might also wear blockade run goods, but they would have been issued as a complete set: cartridge box, cap box, and "snake" waist belt. Waist belts probably provided the greatest visual diversity. The Georgia frame and forked tongue belts were the most common. The small rectangular "CS" (with painted background) and CS Oval were next and the captured "US" (inverted when worn) were worn.

E. CANTEENS:

Unit inspection reports to the contrary, no re-enactor should be without a canteen. The tin canteens were issued in the Western Theater until mid-1862, after which cedar canteens were issued. This makes sense as the great cities of New Orleans, Memphis and Nashville had all fallen to federal troops. The Western variant of the Gardner canteen would have been made of cedar and had steel sling bands (not copper). Most wooden canteens would not have had a spout as it's easier to fill without one. Some issued tin drum canteens would have remained from the 13th's formation. Battlefield captures at Belmont , Shiloh and Richmond would have added more of the federal 1858 pattern to their inventory. It would not have been unusual for the federal canteens to be carried by a split canteen sling. The tin canteens regularly had jean cloth coverings, but they were brown jeancloth, not dark blue.
 

F. KNAPSACKS:

Knapsacks are probably the most underrepresented piece of equipment in re-enacting. It was an easy battlefield capture and it was quite practical as well. It was more common than the carpetbag for holding personal gear.

Although issue of the knapsack by the Confederate Ordnance Department stopped during 1864 over 180,000 were given out in the early years. The prevalent image of the Confederate infantryman wearing only a blanket roll over his shoulder is only partially valid. Knapsacks were carried in addition to the roll, or with the blanket folded or rolled inside. Incidentally, another method of carrying the blanket - with or without the knapsack - was to arrange it in a short roll and sling it on the middle of the back.

The Knapsack was meant to be the most important piece of equipage a soldier carried, because it held all of his personal items, and spare clothing. Primary source suggest that many men kept their knapsacks and carried them throughout the war , It was common for the men to drop their packs in a pile before going into battle, only to lose them, and desperately regret it later. Often the packs were carried off by stragglers, or the ensuing fight carried them away from their baggage, and it never "caught up to them". Some soldiers were so fond of their knapsacks, they felt compelled to dis-continue this practice, and carry their knapsacks with them, even in battle.

The alternate way of carrying your personal gear was by placing it in a bedroll. the advantage and disadvantages are listed below:

Advantages

1. Ability to carry a generous amount of gear
2. Cool in the summer
3. Does not hinder the accessibility of your traps
4. Easily dropped, if need be

Disadvantages

1. Generally heavier than a bedroll (horse collar)
2. Straps tend to be uncomfortable
3. Weight cannot be shifted from shoulder to shoulder

 

G. HAVERSACKS:

Haversacks were designed to carry rations. On reports they were referred to as haversacks, striped haversacks and enameled (painted) haversacks. Captured early war federal issue haversacks were also used. the difference being that these were completely painted while the confederate enameled had an unpainted carrying strap.

As with canteens, haversacks are shown by a large number of photographs to be worn high on the hip. Wearing them like this doesn't permit them to be worn under the waist belt, but allows the wearer easier access to the bag with out the hindrance of the belt. This prevents wear on the strap and lets the bag last longer. The bag carries better over long distances when worn at the hip. The soldiers issue bag had to last longer and carry better than those most Reenactors carry. An easy solution to this is to fold the strap over onto itself near where it attaches to the bag. This keeps the fold out of the way and can give you a small groove to attach a chord to carry a cup if desired.

 H. BLANKETS AND GROUNDCLOTHS:

Confederate soldiers received coverlets and blankets from home as well as being issued them. Battlefield captures supplied them as well. While some had ponchos, most had painted canvas groundcloths to be placed between them and the ground.

I. TENTAGE:

If there is one subject that is confused among reenactors it is that of what did they sleep under. With the exception of the foray into Kentucky, June-November 1862 when they were travelling light, The Army of Tennessee would have had tentage with them. This makes much sense. Tenets of that era would have had hand sewn grommets, not the brass rings which are on so many tents today. The brass grommet did not come into use until the Indian wars of the 1870's. They would have had common (A) tents, and tent flies, along with their shebangs and lean-tos.

J. AMMUNITION (BLANK CARTRIDGES)

 A. Each man will have a full 40 rounds of cartridges in his cartridge box when the Company falls in at each and every uniformed event that the Company participates. Each cartridge will contain no more that 60 grains of black powder. Generally, (1) pound of powder will make between 95 and 103 rounds. Budget you time, money and caps (15% more than rounds) accordingly.

Suppliers
Cartridges Unlimited
Irish Joe's

III. COOKING EQUIPMENT