Soldier's+Clothing


 * =Clothing of The Civil War =

toc During the civil war, which lasted from the years 1860 to 1865, there were very strict uniform dress codes. The soldiers normally got their uniforms from their own town/state. Many of the uniforms were handmade but there were some companies that worked for the government which made uniforms for the war. The soldiers uniforms helped distinguish between the North and the South while in battle. Throughout the war, blue became the North's official uniform color, and gray became the South's official uniform color. The generals were expected to provide their own uniforms, but their uniform were nicer than most of the soldiers that enlisted.Women and children's clothing mainly depended on their wealth. Wealthier women had bigger options of day and night dresses. Meanwhile business women had a smaller range of dresses for the week and one or two nicer outfits for special events. Country and farm boys didn't have very nice clothes since their clothing would get ruined with all the manual labor they did. Wealthier boys had nicer clothing in general. Girls tended to wear longer dresses, their clothing was the same no matter how wealthy they were. The Clothing during the civil war had many categories of clothing depending on wealth, gender and age.

=Confederate Uniform =

The confederate's uniform had a large range of styles since they were all made at home. The colors ranged from gray to brown to khaki. Because the men wore different colored uniforms ranging from brown to gray, they earned the nickname "butternuts". Sometimes men even wore blue uniforms which caused great confusion in the battlefield. Throughout the war the Confederate's official color became gray. In 1863 the men finally started wearing similar uniforms making it easier to distinguish which side they were on. The Confederates used the buttons on their uniforms to identify their rank. Most men wore short waist jackets. They wore trousers made of either cotton or denim. The Southerners shoes got ruined very easily and they were hard to replace. They weren't made of very strong fabrics, so with all the marching that they did they ended up damaging their shoes. The Confederates carried less items than the Union. They used their blankets as their knapsacks. They would place all of their belonging in their blankets and then role up the blankets and tie it to their backs. The soldiers would also steal the Northerners garments causing their uniforms to be heavily influenced by the Union's uniforms. During a battle, soldiers could steal the other sides garments and easily sneak up on their enemies disguised. But they could also be shot by someone from their own side because of uniform confusion. The generals in the Confederate also had to provide for their own uniform, but they were usually better dressed despite the fact that they also had a nonspecific uniform. Most generals wore some sort of gray. They wore double breasted coats with their collars up. Generals wore dark blue trousers. They were differentiated from other soldiers by eagles on their buttons. Their general rank was determined by their collars. The only thing that did not rank the soldiers was their hats.

= Union Uniform =

Most men aged 18 to 45 were drafted for the war. The soldiers were given uniforms, unlike the officers. Officers had to buy their own uniforms and make sure that they followed the strict requirements. There were a few companies that had a contract with the federal government, and they were paid to make uniforms. Most uniforms were made with treadle sewing machines except for some shirts and under garments were hand sewn. The soldiers had a strict dress code except for when they were in the battlefield. If a soldier violated the requirement then he had to pay a fine. In the later years of the war the requirements weren't as strict. The Union soldiers also had a wide variety of uniforms. Most men wore uniforms from their native countries. For example Scottish men would wear kilts. After a while a specific kind of uniform emerged in the Union. Most men wore navy blue frock coats that came up to their mid-thigh. Higher ranking officers (majors, lieutenant colonels, colonels, and generals) wore double-breasted coats. Lower ranking soldiers wore single breasted coats. Like the Confederates, Union soldiers also used buttons as a sign of rank. Most men's uniforms were made of wool and consisted of dark blue shirts with four brass buttons. The wool was warm in the winter but itchy in the summer. Men preferred cotton, but it was harder to get since most of the cotton came from the South. Their pants were also dyed dark blue until 1862 when soldiers started dying their pants a lighter sort of sky blue. Men wore a type of shoe called brogans which were laced up to their ankles. They also wore forage caps which were very common hats made of stiff wool; they had a symbol on the top of the hat that showed which regiment the men were from. Cavalry men wore the same uniform except they wore high boots and wider hats. The men also carried blankets as knapsacks. Most men carried around 30 to 40 pounds of gear. Their gear included their rifles, knapsacks, haversacks, and a belt with their cartridge box, bayonet, and scabbard. An interesting fact is that the Union sharpshooters would wear forest green uniforms because they would camouflage better with their surroundings. Some regiments also chose to differentiate a few things in their uniforms in order to stand out.

click [|here] to see all of the layers that a Union soldier would wear during the Civil War.

= Women's Clothing =

Women during the Civil War wore a variety of dresses. Most women wore hoop skirts under their dresses, especially southern women who were known for wearing hoop skirts. The hoop skirts reached their greatest width during the civil war era. Five yards of fabric was needed to make one hoop skirt, so since the amount of fabric was cut off during the civil war, women used less fabric to make smaller skirts. That way they could save fabric. Women wore hoops for fancier occasions only. They wore one or two petticoats sometimes instead of the hoops because it achieved a wide skirt in a more comfortable way. Petticoats were much less awkward then the hoop skirts and they were easier to work in. Wealthier Victorian women had many kinds of dresses including morning dresses and evening dresses. Working class women only had two to three day dresses and a few others for fancier occasions and weekends. Women never wore makeup because it wasn't regarded as something popular during that era. Women also carried around parasols in order to protect their skin from the sun. Any sort of suntan showed a sign of manual labor, so fair skin was a sign of wealth. They worried about being too gaudy so they stuck to two colors per ensemble. Women had to wear gloves at most times. During the 1840's crochet mitts were very popular so it was unfashionable to wear them during the Civil War era. White kid gloves that covered wrists became very popular during that time. Hair jewelry also became popular during the war because it was a way to mourn people that had died or that were missed. Throughout the war it became the mourning jewelry. Victorians always wanted their hair to be covered or done up, hair was a very sensitive part of women. The hair jewelry showed a symbol of men and women connecting through very important parts of each other.

click [|here] to see all of the layers that an average woman would wear during the Civil War era.

=Children's Clothing =

 During the Civil War it was very hard to find new clothing for children. Most children had to get clothes that fit them snugly so that they could grow into them. Younger children typically got hand-me-downs from older siblings. Farm boys or town apprentices wore coarse and durable fabrics that would withstand manual labor. They also wore wide brimmed straw hats in order to protect their skin from the sun. Country boys normally walked around barefoot during the summer, meanwhile in cities boys wore lea ther boots. In most poor families boys only received their first pair of shoes when they reached an age where their feet had stopped growing. Wealthy boys normally wore dark loose suits with white dress shirts and bow ties. This is what boys that weren't as wealthy would wear to special occasions. In warmer weather boys would wear "knickerbockers" (short pants), but they could only wear them when they had reached their teenage years. All boys had to have neatly cut hair. Victorian girls would wear long dresses that buttoned up to their throats. Most girls would go out wearing cotton bonnets tied under their chins in order to protect their skin from the sun. Girls got their hair cut until they were nine or ten because having their hair up signified being older and more mature. Girls wore layers under their skirts to look fuller including crinolines and cotton petticoats. Girls never wore hoop skirts and their dresses were mid-calf length. Full grown women wore corsets while girls simply wore belts or girdles. For long walks women would wear high top leather boots.

click [|here] to see all of the layers that an average girl would wear during the Civil War era.

=Baby's Clothing =

In the Civil War era babies were all neutral. There were no colors or types of clothing to distinguish their genders. Very young children also wore their hair the same in curls. Children under the age of five all wore long dresses. Sometimes girls would wear crinolines under their dresses. Boys would wear looser petticoats under their dresses. When boys reached the age of five they started wearing shorts and trousers. After children reached the age of five they were officially mature enough expand their female or male features.

= = = Civil War Quilts =

Quilts during the Civil War were made from recycled clothing so that nothing went to waste. Most quilts were red and blue since those were the most common dyes that were available. Some people thought that the quilts were secret hidden messages from the Underground Railroad. The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses where slaves that had escaped slavery could stay in while they traveled to the north. There was also a belief about the log cabin quilt pattern being used as a symbol, but it was more of a sign of the president Abraham Lincoln who was born in a log cabin. Making quilts helped many women deal with difficult times in the civil war. The quilt had many different parts in the civil war. Some were simply used to wrap valuable items. Soldiers also used them as wraps or ponchos. Sometimes they were even ripped into bandages for wounded soldiers. The South had no calico designs since all the calico factories were located in the north. They decided to stick to simpler designs. There was a shortage of fabrics, so even carpets were used as fabric. The North had fancier quilts with nicer designs. The fancy quilts were auctioned off at fundraisers for anti slavery causes. There were also many patriotic war quilt patterns to celebrate the union. ||  || =__ Bibliography __= Brady, Mathew. "Kate Chase." Wikimedia Commons. MediaWiki, 17 Mar. 2011. Web. 28 May 2012. .

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