Buckle and Sword

[Forrest]

Not much to go on here - 1/6 plate ruby Ambrotype.

Do the buckle or sword hilt give any clues as to the type of soldier this man was, or where he was from? (I have enhanced the smaller photo to show more definition)

 

[Grayrock Volunteer]

No. His waistbelt is a standard US plate. The sword you inquire about is not a sword. It is a saber bayonet, looks to me to be a Collins and Co product, probably for the US M1841. My guess is that it's a prop. It doesn't have a scabbard and the musket he is holing is a preM1812 musket, mostly likely a 1795, 1798 contract or an early 1808 contract given the bell type sling swivels and the overly long and figured trigger guard.
It's a neat image though. And he's got a cool private purchase sack coat as well.

 

[Forrest]

Thank you - I am clueless about Civil War uniforms.

 

[major bill]

He is not wearing a standard federal issued uniform. I am going to have to give this one some thought. In general I would say he wears a private purchased long sack coat. These were not uncommon, but I am not sure that is what we have here. There are some details that just do not seem right to me. first off most images of these private purchase long sack coats are seen with sky blue trousers. Here is trousers are dark. The dark trousers make he believe it is an early war uniform. The fit of the uniform is not good and this may indicate a State issued uniform. Private purchase 4 button sack coats were worn loose, but this one seems too wide at the shoulders and too short at the sleeves. Many men opted to have 2-4 slip pockets. There is just something about the uniform that makes he think he did not have a tailor make it for him, it kind of looks poorly made. For example the sleeves look tight at the elbows and short and tight as the wrist, the sleeves do not look tailor made where the attack to the shoulders. The buttons are not spaced evenly.

I can not rule out private purchase, but like I say it just has a quickly made, mass produced look to it.

 

[major bill]

Although soldiers could private purchase what they wanted or what they could afford he is a good example of a private purchase 4 button long sack coat. Note the chest pocket and the two skirt pockets. The shoulders are well fit and there is plenty of cloth where the sleeve meets the shoulder.. Plenty of width at the elbow and at the cuff. The cuffs are a bit long. Note haw the coat skirts are rounded. All in all a quality garment.

 

[major bill]

Here is a private purchased 4 button sack coat. But in this case a whole New Jersey regiment wore them and they were not tailored made. Note the collar is not made to fit right, the overlap is too wide and this makes the collar look odd. The collar sits too low on the neck. Here the sleeves are a bit too tight especially at the elbow. Not sure the single pocket is met to be a chest pocket set too low or a skirt pocket set too high. Regardless the pocket would be useless with the waist belt being worn. All in all when these two uniforms are compared the above uniforms seems to be of higher quality.

 

[Forrest]

Thanks Major Bill. You all are going to force me to learn something about Civil War uniforms, whether I like it or not.

 

[Forrest]

...There is just something about the uniform that makes he think he did not have a tailor make it for him, it kind of looks poorly made. For example the sleeves look tight at the elbows and short and tight as the wrist, the sleeves do not look tailor made where the attack to the shoulders. The buttons are not spaced evenly.

I can not rule out private purchase, but like I say it just has a quickly made, mass produced look to it.

My first thought was that it reminded me of a really cheap quilted flannel shirt I once bought, because I didn't want to spend the bucks to get a nice one. Many of my ambrotypes feature home-made or poorly-made clothing, as I'm attracted to the 'less affluent' look. All the perfectly-groomed folks featured in daguerreotypes and ambrotypes, wearing expensive dresses and suits, finally wore me out - I've gone 'rustic' in my photo-collecting and have the same tastes in Civil War images.