Butternut brown trousers?

[Kco.]

I picked up a pair of butternut brown trousers that are reproduction. I was wondering if they were worn in the AOT or ANV area. ?

 

[Legion Para]

I picked up a pair of butternut brown trousers that are reproduction. I was wondering if they were worn in the AOT or ANV area. ?

Butternut clothing was worn in both the AOT and ANV.

 

[Kco.]

Expired Image Removed Thank you

 

[Frederick14Va]

Much of it is also considering what you are defining to be "butternut".... wool or jean cloth...

In brief... some of the domestic jean cloth was made using natural weave that has a tannish hue to them... Much of it was originally dyed grey... but due to poor dyes it rapidly faded to a tannish hue being exposed to sunlight... Others were also grey but have faded out over time... Much of what we see in museums that look a tannish color was originally grey..... The term "butternut" has been used as a collective term over the years, as a one size fits all category which in reality it isnt... Many historians tend to refrain from using the term since its fairly ambiguous. Some items were made in that fashion... majority of it wasn't originally... but looks that way now..

Uniforms evolved over the course of the war in both patterns and materials... What the typical common Confederate soldier looked like in the Spring of 1862 tends to be very much different than he appeared in summer of 1863... or 1864... What the soldiers of the AOT or the ANV tend to be a bit different due to the depot and supply systems each respectively used... The typical trouser style pattern that came out of the Richmond Depot issued to the ANV... differed from those commonly found being issued within the AOT... regardless of the material fabric that was being used at the time...

 

[Package4]

Depending upon unit, and timeframe, almost anything goes when it comes to trousers. Other than Maryland and Kentucky units, who found it exceedingly difficult to get home on furlough, trousers were picked up on home visits and sent for when depot issue wore out. Contrary to popular belief, the commutation and later depot system worked rather well. Depots were overflowing with uniforms in April/May of 1865. If you look at my avatar picture, you will see a Richmond Depot kepi circa 1864, the gray is as vibrant today as it was in '64 (there is a seam pop on the underside liner and you are able to see the original color). This was most likely imported satinet fabric from London and the dye was of much better quality. Frederick Adolphus and Les Jensen have both researched and written extensively on southern cloth:
http://www.adolphusconfederateuniforms.com/)

Frederick14Va is correct, local dyes became very unstable, particularly after '62 and oxidation occurred turning grey to tannish/brown. Trousers that came from the homefront would most likely be of a tan/butternut color since the dye would have been from walnuts or other locally found nut.

 

[Joe Walker]

Adding to what Frederick14Va stated: The term "butternut" is a northern description of tan or various shades of brown. Over the years, northern historians and most reenactors (probably having used old Jarnagin catalogs) have placed "butternut" in the lexicon of CivilWarTalk whether describing this color from a northern of southern perspective.

Sumac and logwood and also walnut hulls (to some degree) were utilized in the dye process with mordants playing an important part as well. The "warp" in most all domestic made southern garments were made of cotton. On inspection today, many warps appear to brown or tan. The cotton warp could have been pre-dyed that color or has turned that color as a result of exposure to the wool weft, dirt and the environment, or age.

I would like to see less descriptions of brown and tan in Confederate garments described as "butternut"- (my two cents only)

KCO- my advise- go get some brown jean pants. Hand stitch the exposed stitching and button holes and have fun.

 

[Package4]

There are countless contemporary descriptions of southern uniforms being "butternut" and as such has nothing to do with Jarnagin or re-enactors. Butternut was simply that, the dye of a butternut or walnut. Freemantle describes seeing all kinds of colors and hues of grey, tan and butternut.

A contemporary description of 460 captured Confederate officers states, "There among them were tall, lank mountaineers, dark haired and fierce of aspect and a lesser number of city men of jauntier appearance. The major part were common looking, evidentially of the poorer class of Southerners, with a spreading of foreigners, principally Germans and Irish. Hardly any two dressed alike. They wore suits of blue jeans, homespuns of butternut and a few in costumes of grey more or less trimmed........."

Another quote by an unknown Union private at Appomattox, "They were wearied, earnest looking men, wearing butternut and gray colored clothing and broad brimmed hats." After the battle of Five Forks a Union officer depicted the prisoners, "Very few of whom had any semblance of uniform. It was a motley group, there being no pretense of uniformity in dress, dirty gray and butternut were the prevailing colors." Another observation on the road leading away from Appomattox, "That very few of whom had any semblance of uniform but were clad in homespun butternut cloth. It was hard to distinguish betwixt the officers and the private, as they were all dressed alike"

A correspondent for Harpers Weekly commented on the appearance of Lee's army at Sharpsburg, "With the exception of their officers, there was little but homespun among them, light drab gray or butternut color........"

Stonewall Jackson was quoted as saying his Corps were "wearing dusty brown homespun, coarse slate colored garments, in fact all varieties of uniforms and every shape form and apology for hats and shoes."

We need to dispense with the "Butternut Myth" and call it what it was called, butternut, tan or brown.

 

[Package4]

As an addendum to the above post, lest I leave out contemporary Confederate quotes, Pvt. Andrew Freeze, Co B 1st Va. Cav depicts their fall of 1863 uniform as "light drab gray or butternut....light jacket and trousers with black facings, the court costume of the regiment." Confederate Records show that they did not leave "not uniforms, but clothing of the bush pattern, butternut jeans, onansburg overcoats, comforters and quilts, etc...." behind when surrendering Fort Henry.

AP Hill described his Corps in 1862, "in a medley of garments, which could hardly be called a uniform, though gray and butternut were prevailing. Some of them had a strip of carpeting for a blanket, but the raggedness of their outfit was no discredit to soldiers who fought as bravely as they did."

During the Peninsula Campaign, the Richmond Examiner was quoted, "The men were dressed in common linsey butternut and cotton suits of the commonest and coarsest materials........"

 

[Jackson Hornets]

Dyed wool trousers like the reproductions you see today I don't think were worn in the southern army. Normal wool was predominantly a Union thing with uniforms. From my knowledge the average southern soldier wore (or was supposed to wear at least) light grey or dark grey jean wool jacket and trousers. Over time from living in the elements though the uniform faded fast into a beige or what's known as "butternut". I'd assume the trousers would be the first to go seeing they're closer to the ground, dust, and mud.

TL;DR: If they're some soft and newly dyed wool trousers, no. If they're the scratchy jean wool we all know and love that faded naturally or was woven with that shade of it then yes.

 

[Frederick14Va]

Actually woolen fabrics were indeed utilized in the Confederate Army... Wool had always been the primary preference for uniforms... wears better and lasts lots longer... Domestic Jean Cloth was an intermitting stop gap measure when suitable wool goods were not available... and local manufacture... Which may also differ in ratio's found by region and year of the war... some used more than, some less than... CS Depot and Quartermaster records indeed reflect woolen clothing being procured, made and issued... lots of it....All through the war... Latter 1863 through the end of the war the CS depots also now had a steady supply of British Army cloth... which was also wool... that many tens of thousands of uniforms were made from and issued in the latter half of the war.... Its more of another incorrect reenactorism that wool uniforms didn't exist or disappeared completely after the first few months of the war.... Over the last number of years majority of reenactors have evolved to partake near exclusive use of Jean Cloth... they think its cooler and kewl looking... regardless of historical provenance.... Not all jean cloth is scratchy... depends on the type and quality of fibers used at the time..

 

[Jackson Hornets]

Actually woolen fabrics were indeed utilized in the Confederate Army... Wool had always been the primary preference for uniforms... wears better and lasts lots longer... Domestic Jean Cloth was an intermitting stop gap measure when suitable wool goods were not available... and local manufacture... Which may also differ in ratio's found by region and year of the war... some used more than, some less than... CS Depot and Quartermaster records indeed reflect woolen clothing being procured, made and issued... lots of it....All through the war... Latter 1863 through the end of the war the CS depots also now had a steady supply of British Army cloth... which was also wool... that many tens of thousands of uniforms were made from and issued in the latter half of the war.... Its more of another incorrect reenactorism that wool uniforms didn't exist or disappeared completely after the first few months of the war.... Over the last number of years majority of reenactors have evolved to partake near exclusive use of Jean Cloth... they think its cooler and kewl looking... regardless of historical provenance.... Not all jean cloth is scratchy... depends on the type and quality of fibers used at the time..

I stand corrected. Thank you.