A question about flat buttons.

[tbuckley]

I know that flat buttons are pre Civil War and are fairly common finds on Civil War sites. Were flat buttons ever used on any uniforms or were they from civilian clothes worn by soldiers or maybe civilians with the armies?

 

[Package4]

I know that flat buttons are pre Civil War and are fairly common finds on Civil War sites. Were flat buttons ever used on any uniforms or were they from civilian clothes worn by soldiers or maybe civilians with the armies?

Believe it or not material for buttons was in extremely high demand and southern armies/depots started to rely on anything they could utilize, so flat buttons are very common. Many buttons were pre-war or imported via blockade, though there were a spattering of local manufacturers in the South. Wood buttons were in ready use in the depots mid to late '64 on. Buttons were even cast in the field by soldiers themselves, out of any material they might be able to melt, lead, brass, copper etc. I have a couple of field cast Maryland buttons.

1864 copper and brass were in very short supply and were desperately needed for percussion cap production, so unless the buttons came in through the blockade they were taken from other uniforms (thus the proliferation of US General Service buttons, field cast, wood and yes flat).

Keep in mind also that uniforms were worn after the war, particularly the jackets and an ordinance was passed that did not allow for the display of any insignia of the Confederacy. Soldiers who needed to wear the jackets through necessity or pride would have to strip the buttons off the jackets and replace with an unadorned piece, this has greatly confused the collecting community when studying the extant jackets. Once the ordinance no longer made sense, buttons would be sewn back on, left the same or sewn on later by a collector.

 

[tbuckley]

Believe it or not material for buttons was in extremely high demand and southern armies/depots started to rely on anything they could utilize, so flat buttons are very common. Many buttons were pre-war or imported via blockade, though there were a spattering of local manufacturers in the South. Wood buttons were in ready use in the depots mid to late '64 on. Buttons were even cast in the field by soldiers themselves, out of any material they might be able to melt, lead, brass, copper etc. I have a couple of field cast Maryland buttons.

1864 copper and brass were in very short supply and were desperately needed for percussion cap production, so unless the buttons came in through the blockade they were taken from other uniforms (thus the proliferation of US General Service buttons, field cast, wood and yes flat).

Keep in mind also that uniforms were worn after the war, particularly the jackets and an ordinance was passed that did not allow for the display of any insignia of the Confederacy. Soldiers who needed to wear the jackets through necessity or pride would have to strip the buttons off the jackets and replace with an unadorned piece, this has greatly confused the collecting community when studying the extant jackets. Once the ordinance no longer made sense, buttons would be sewn back on, left the same or sewn on later by a collector.

Thanks for the information.
As for uniforms being worn post-war, the only Civil War relic that I have ever dug here in eastern Ohio is a US General Service button that I dug in my Grandpa's yard back in the early 80s. The button is from the jacket, or coat, worn by James Bethel of Co. I, 185th O.V.I. (The original owner of the house.)

 

[UCVRelics]

Flat buttons were indeed used on uniforms but not produced with them. One thing you have to remember as @Package4 stated is that in late war years items were getting very scarce so CS soldiers wore a variety of clothing sent from home. By this time the uniform regulations had gone out the window.