20th Indiana Infantry

[Pennsylvania]

So I was doing some research on one of my ancestors that was in the 20th Indiana Infantry Co.D and while I was on the website Civil war in the east I noticed that they claim during the regiments time in camp Morton they were issued grey uniforms. Are there any photographs of these uniforms? If there are I have not been able to find any. Thanks for any help.

 

[Stryker65]

I haven't seen anything for the 20th Indiana, but there is a ton of information on the 11th Indiana's grey uniforms:

- https://civilwartalk.com/threads/wallace-zouave-11th-indiana-volunteers-2nd-uniform.192606/ - Old thread on the topic.
- https://www.lincolncollection.org/c...aces-zouaves/?alttemplate=CuratedGroupingItem - An example coat of Corporal John E. Wilkins of the 11th Indiana Infantry -- grey, as you described.
- https://www.bridgemanimages.com/en-...atercolour-and-gouache-on-paper/asset/3026330 - A Don Troiani painting of an 11th Indiana soldier with the gray uniform.

 

[Pennsylvania]

Thanks for the help I very much appreciate it.

 

[121st PA Vols]

Thanks for the help I very much appreciate it.

Considering the tonnage of literature on the battle including the 3rd Corps, Birney's Division, Ward's brigade of which they were apart...and Devil's Den or the DD Line (Houck Ridge) where Ward and the 20th Indy fought, it would be highly unusual for this company to NOT be mentioned had they been wearing grey. They played a prominent role in the defense of the Den and were on the extreme right of Ward's line in the woods (Rose) just before the area opens up to The Wheatfield. They also lost their Colonel.
You would also think this would be mentioned in some CSA account.

 

[Stryker65]

Considering the tonnage of literature on the battle including the 3rd Corps, Birney's Division, Ward's brigade of which they were apart...and Devil's Den or the DD Line (Houck Ridge) where Ward and the 20th Indy fought, it would be highly unusual for this company to NOT be mentioned had they been wearing grey. They played a prominent role in the defense of the Den and were on the extreme right of Ward's line in the woods (Rose) just before the area opens up to The Wheatfield. They also lost their Colonel.
You would also think this would be mentioned in some CSA account.

They didn't wear the grey by then, of course. This would've been in early 1861, when they all wore different flashy uniforms.

 

[Sowbelly and Hardtack]

20th Indiana Infantry Regiment - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

"Standard issue uniforms for enlisted men, according to the journal of Erasmus Gilbreath, consisted of "a jeans suit, gray in color, and the coat or jacket was of Zouave shape with rounded corners and a braided edge".


Gilbreath's journal is online:

Dignity of Duty : the Journals of Erasmus Corwin Gilbreath, 1861-1898 : a personal odyssey of service from the Civil War to the Spanish-American War : Gilbreath, Erasmus Corwin, 1841-1898, author : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Arch

xv, 336 pages : 22 cm

archive.org