- Joined
- Aug 25, 2012
Tonight I was reviewing the article Gaiters for the Army of the Potomac in the Civil War by Frederick C. Gaede and Juanita Leisch Jensen. The article is interesting and the authors do a fine job of discussing this issue and describing the gaiters. I think we tend to see gaiters as early war or only for Zouaves. This appears to not be completely true. The U.S. government continued to purchase gaiters for the Army of the Potomac for much of the war.
The gaiters made by the various manufacturers differed a bit but by late 1862 seem to have been based on a standard pattern. It appears that after the summer of 1863 the purchase of gaiters for the Army of the Potomac seems to have ended. Still in 1862 and 1863 a fair amount of gaiters were purchased. The question is how many were issued and how often were the gaiters worn.
The gaiters made by the various manufacturers differed a bit but by late 1862 seem to have been based on a standard pattern. It appears that after the summer of 1863 the purchase of gaiters for the Army of the Potomac seems to have ended. Still in 1862 and 1863 a fair amount of gaiters were purchased. The question is how many were issued and how often were the gaiters worn.