Sutlers- Cheers & Jeers Confederate Chaplains

Virginia Dave

First Sergeant
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Jan 3, 2019
Location
Waynesboro, Virginia
Hello everyone. This is my first post. Very new to this and I am very interested in reenactment.

My budget is very limited, but I would still like to participate. My hope is to model myself after a Confederate Chaplain. I would appreciate any suggestions on clothing as well as photos of current reenactor chaplains.

Thanks I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards
 
You are, of course, very welcome, and there are lots of folks here who could help you as regards re-enactment. I'm sure they'll chime in and good luck with your impression (of a Confederate Chaplain) :smile:
 
Hello everyone. This is my first post. Very new to this and I am very interested in reenactment.

My budget is very limited, but I would still like to participate. My hope is to model myself after a Confederate Chaplain. I would appreciate any suggestions on clothing as well as photos of current reenactor chaplains.

Thanks I look forward to hearing from you.

Best Regards
Howdy, Dave, and welcome aboard from the Railroads and Steam Locomotives forum.
 
Your best bet for a Confederate chaplains uniform is to put together a conservative looking civilian suit. Confederate chaplains were sent to the army as missionaries by home congregations and associations, and there were no actual uniform regulations for their appearance. There were some extraordinary exceptions, and a recent thread had some reconstructions of their uniforms, but the majority of Confederate chaplains served in civilian clothing.
 
The subject of Confederate Chaplains has come up before and I suggest you do a forum search for such threads.

Numerous photographs and artifacts survive which will enable you to put together a historically accurate impression or one based on a specific individual.

Welcome to the forum.

https://moconfederacy.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/322EA0F0-4D29-4A61-BE81-888112729814

Description This clerical robe is made of black silk and has a sheered neckline with a brown-black gimp trim, full sleeves, and a yoke that is lined with a brown cotton silesia.

Material Fabric/Cloth/Silk/Cotton

Dimensions H-52.5 inches

Owned George Patterson

Owner Regiment 3rd North Carolina

Provenance This is the clerical robe of Rev. Dr. George Patterson of the Episcopal Church, worn while he was chaplain of the 3rd North Carolina Infantry.

09850900183.jpg
 
Name Patterson, George, Rev.

Other Names George Papathakes

Born 1828

Birthplace Boston, Massachusetts

Father Petro Papathakes

Mother Louisa Miles Papathakes

Education Nashotah House (Wisconsin)
University of North Carolina

Notes George Patterson, clergyman, was born in Boston, Mass., of Greek-American parentage. His father was Petro Papathakes, a native of Greece and member of the Greek Orthodox faith, and his mother Louisa Miles, a Unitarian of Massachusetts. At his baptism his surname was changed from Papathakes to its English equivalent, Patterson. Patterson received his early education at Nashotah House in Wisconsin and later attended The University of North Carolina. In 1850 he received permission to take his pastoral training in North Carolina. In 1852 Bishop Levi Silliman Ives ordained him deacon in North Carolina, and in 1856 Bishop Thomas Atkinson ordained him priest. In his early years he adopted a vow of celibacy, a promise that he maintained throughout his life.

During his first year in the church, Patterson served as rector of the church at Plymouth. From 1852 to 1861 he was a missionary to the slaves belonging to Josiah Collins, owner of the massive Somerset Plantation in Washington County. Near the onset of the Civil War, he joined the Confederate cause as chaplain of the Third North Carolina Regiment. As a result of his devout service, late in the war he was made post chaplain at the Chimboraze Hospital in Richmond.

Following the Civil War he located in Wilmington, where he served successively as rector of two Episcopal churches, including eleven years at St. James's from 1870 to 1881. During the following year he moved to Tennessee to be financial agent for the University of the South at Sewanee. He then spent four years as a missionary in Tyler, Tex., before returning to Tennessee, where he finished his career (1885–1901) as a beloved rector of Grace Church in Memphis. He was awarded an honorary degree by The University of North Carolina (1877) and the University of the South (1895).

Despite his origins, Patterson became a devotee of the South and of the institution of slavery. His views on slavery were revealed in a pamphlet, entitled The Scripture Doctrine with Regard to Slavery, that he published anonymously in Pennsylvania in 1856. In the pamphlet Patterson asked "Is slavery a sin?" and attempted to argue in the negative by citing dozens of passages from the Old and the New Testament that seemed to provide at least scriptural approval of the practice. The piece became one of the more prominently known defenses of slavery.
 
https://moconfederacy.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/5DDC52B8-1F09-46BD-A11C-048649434885

Description The hat is made of black wool with a six section crown, lined in black silk, with a wide brim. The hat has a black crepe hatband.

Material silk

Dimensions H-4.5 W-12 inches

Owned George Patterson

Owner Regiment 3rd North Carolina

Provenance Rev. Dr. George Patterson wore this hat with a robe (0985.9.183) when he served as Chaplain of the 3rd North Carolina State Troops. He was an Episcopalian minister.


09850900184.jpg


09850900184-3.jpg
 
The subject of Confederate Chaplains has come up before and I suggest you do a forum search for such threads.

Numerous photographs and artifacts survive which will enable you to put together a historically accurate impression or one based on a specific individual.

Welcome to the forum.

https://moconfederacy.pastperfectonline.com/webobject/322EA0F0-4D29-4A61-BE81-888112729814

Description This clerical robe is made of black silk and has a sheered neckline with a brown-black gimp trim, full sleeves, and a yoke that is lined with a brown cotton silesia.

Material Fabric/Cloth/Silk/Cotton

Dimensions H-52.5 inches

Owned George Patterson

Owner Regiment 3rd North Carolina

Provenance This is the clerical robe of Rev. Dr. George Patterson of the Episcopal Church, worn while he was chaplain of the 3rd North Carolina Infantry.

View attachment 217071
Thank you. I am new to this type of web site so I have a lot to learn about navigating.
 
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