"bee gum hat"

[major bill]

Very early in the Civil War Company C (Captain Dean's Company), 4th South Carolina Volunteers (Sloan's) received hats which was called "bee gun hats". I have not seen this term before and not sure Ron Field has properly "predicted" the style and shape of their "bee gum hats". Has anyone seen this term used during the Civil War era? Any thoughts on the term "bee gum hat".

 

[Kurt G]

I think it's another name for the beehive hat.

 

[major bill]

In 4th South Carolina Volunteers (Sloan's) Ron Field uses this Company C (Captain Dean's Company), 4th South Carolina Volunteers (Sloan's).

I am not totally convinced Mr. Field got the hat right. He is his line of thought.

"After First Manassas, Private J.W. Reid recalled in a letter dated 28 July 1861 that another enlisted man in Company C had two holes shot through his "old fashioned bee gum hat, line the one that I wore off (to war)" (the "bee gum hat" may have been a reference to a civilian top hat, or militarized version there of, as worn by some officers in Orr's Regiment of Rifles. Bee gum" refers to a section of tree trunk used as a beehive, thus a "bee gum hat" must have been a cylindrical)."

Although I do respect Mr. Field I am not certain his view of this is correct. Private Reid assumed that the person he wrote to would know what a "old fashioned bee gun hat" would look like. My concern is that the hat style Mr. Field used in the above image does not in particular look "old fashioned" to me. I am no expert on Civil War era men's dress hats but this hat looks like most dress hats of 1860. So why did Private Reid call it an old fashioned dress hat? Perhaps we have some Civil War era men's' fashions experts on the forum who can help me understand why this hat would be an "old fashioned dress hat" in 1860.

 

[Si Klegg]

In 4th South Carolina Volunteers (Sloan's) Ron Field uses this Company C (Captain Dean's Company), 4th South Carolina Volunteers (Sloan's).

View attachment 203067
I am not totally convinced Mr. Field got the hat right. He is his line of thought.

"After First Manassas, Private J.W. Reid recalled in a letter dated 28 July 1861 that another enlisted man in Company C had two holes shot through his "old fashioned bee gum hat, line the one that I wore off (to war)" (the "bee gum hat" may have been a reference to a civilian top hat, or militarized version there of, as worn by some officers in Orr's Regiment of Rifles. Bee gum" refers to a section of tree trunk used as a beehive, thus a "bee gum hat" must have been a cylindrical)."

Although I do respect Mr. Field I am not certain his view of this is correct. Private Reid assumed that the person he wrote to would know what a "old fashioned bee gun hat" would look like. My concern is that the hat style Mr. Field used in the above image does not in particular look "old fashioned" to me. I am no expert on Civil War era men's dress hats but this hat looks like most dress hats of 1860. So why did Private Reid call it an old fashioned dress hat? Perhaps we have some Civil War era men's' fashions experts on the forum who can help me understand why this hat would be an "old fashioned dress hat" in 1860.

The rest of Private Reid's letter provides a clue: 'We both swapped off our Bee Gum hats that evening. We had a choice amongst thousands. We are now wearing nice low-crowned hats ...'

My guess is that high-crowned 'top' hats were seen as an older generation thing, along with formal frock-coats. The army, being mostly young men, would be more inclined to more modern low-crowned headgear.

https://www.uvm.edu/landscape/dating/clothing_and_hair/1860s_hats_men.php

 

[Si Klegg]

I think it's another name for the beehive hat.

I'm not sure that's the case. Bee Gums:

Caption for the coachman image: Charlie Richardson's Coachman's Outfit would have
been similar to this. Beegum /Bee-gum Hat

http://1973whsreunion.blogspot.com/2015/12/charlie-richardson-slave-born-in-1857.html

Bee hive:

 

[major bill]

Much depends on what Private Reidsville ment when he wrote "old fashion dress hat".

The new military fashion was the forage cap so he could be calling any hat old fashion.

Maybe old fashion hat refers to it being of felt rather than the newer silk dress hats which were in style in 1860.

 

[major bill]

What I am doing is keeping a data base of terms used for Civil War uniforms that I use to determine what a period written description of a uniform might indicate. I had never seen bee gum hat.

I will add it to my data base, but might use the passage "A bee gum hat is likely a reference to a tall civilian style dress hat." Incorporating "likly" will show I have not verified the meaning.

 

[Belle Montgomery]

An ancient style bee hive is called "bee gum" It's a log that's been hollowed out for bees to make their nest in. The name comes from the type of tree that was typically used: a black gum tree, which was preferred because it lasted longer than other logs. Other types of wood could be used as well. IMHO I think the reference means to a tall hat, like a top hat or stovepipe style.

 

[Patrick H]

I had not heard the term used to describe a hat style. This is pretty interesting.

 

[AUG]

From William F. Fulton's account of the battle of Gaines' Mill:

There was a comic fellow in the [5th Alabama] battalion who had picked up somewhere a tall, black beaver hat, with a tall crown and narrow brim, such as the gentry sometimes wear, and the boys called him, "Beegum." It happened that "Beegum" was on the tail end of the line behind the tree and as I came up panting for breath, some one hollered out, "Fall in behind Beegum." And here on the battlefield, amid ten thousand bullets, I felt the spirit of fun awaken a new life in me, as I threw my arms around "Beegum" about fifteen or twenty feet from that apple tree.

http://history-sites.com/civilwar/units/5albn/Chapter 7.htm

 

[major bill]

From William F. Fulton's account of the battle of Gaines' Mill:

There was a comic fellow in the [5th Alabama] battalion who had picked up somewhere a tall, black beaver hat, with a tall crown and narrow brim, such as the gentry sometimes wear, and the boys called him, "Beegum." It happened that "Beegum" was on the tail end of the line behind the tree and as I came up panting for breath, some one hollered out, "Fall in behind Beegum." And here on the battlefield, amid ten thousand bullets, I felt the spirit of fun awaken a new life in me, as I threw my arms around "Beegum" about fifteen or twenty feet from that apple tree.

http://history-sites.com/civilwar/units/5albn/Chapter 7.htm

Great find. Although I thought Mr Field was probably right, I hoped to find a better description of a bee gum hat. I think you confirmed it.