- Yes Osprey is a very good source and actually shows on "Osprey: Civil War Marines 1861-65" the right uniforms about gives a good and short description of USMC and CSMC.
- I try to read every info about the CSMC. That includes some "not so good" things. But every thing get´s it´s chance.
- The "State Marines", like the "Virginia States Marines" (and Navys; VS Navy = red frocks) were assimilated very fast in 1861 in the CSMC (and CS Navy). VSMC transfered to the CSMC June 8 1861 (General order #25). This seem to be the only State Marine Corps, also there were other State Navys, maybe including something like Marines.
- The uniforms were for a very short time in 1861 a "former US wearaup". Especially the officers had access and used it to wear CS uniforms fast. The former USMC uniformes were soon changed into CSMC uniforms, the pants grey/grey with black or darkblue stripe/white/darkblue (winter) / or any shades of grayblue satinnett , kersey, ...
The Confederacy didn´t have that leak of material from 1861 on that everyone had to wearup it´s old clothes and than look for the rest of the war as a 1865 rotten jeancloth authentic campaigner (that´s a positive note
). Lt. Crenshaw describes how the officers get some stuff from the Navy depots in 1863/64.
You also can read there how patriotic he was for the CSA. I guess these men really didn´t want to wear theri old uniforms any more.
- There´s no picture of a CSMC officer after 1861 (early war) showing them in blue. The 2 pics known were from June 1861 (Howell, blue pants but you can´t see stripes as these parts are covered) and the Cameron (1862, still blue frock) pic doesn´t show the pants.
- I checked the 2( from 3 ) plates of the Company of Military Historians have printed three uniform plates in their Military Uniforms in America series 8showing officer uniforms). They are plate 643, plate 644 and plate 832. = yes in 643 (1861-62) the officers wear darkblue frocks and one (dark)blue pants with BLACK stripe. In 644 th officers wear grey frocks, one with blue pants and BLACK stripe. Deffinetly NO red stripes.
Fazit: A maybe still wearing is acceptabel for 1861. The normal way should be to wear the standard as sson as it was the standard. (can be referenced by histricak sources)
And right: to base a book on a book is not the right way of citat(?) you can use the 1. hand source from another book in your book to. But the thing that someone says it´s right doesn´t make it right (unless he names his source)
Just to say it: It´s another thing in the CS Navy were it seems standard that most sailors wear blue clothings for a long time. This is referenced by pictures and discriptions too. So there should be a bit more blue or just white.
Your´s
Sven