Uniforms Confederate Cavalry Texas Scout by Eugene Leliepvre.

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Aug 25, 2012
Eugene Leviepvre is well know for the painting of animals and French soldiers. However Leliepvre also did 20+ Civil War prints. I was at an antique store today and could not resist this print.

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I find the subject interesting and I love the very bright colors which my scanner dose not do justice to. It is professionally framed and in great condition and penciled signed by the artist. Still I wonder what I will do with it, because I have no wall space maybe put it in a closet. Seems like a waste.

My question is, what do forum members think about the uniform worn by the Texan cavalry scout.

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A black hat with star, dark brown jacket with red trim on the cuffs and down the front, gray trousers with red trim, yellow and red shirt, and large blue scarf or tie. He wears a star belt plate. He is armed with a shotgun and two pistols with stars on the holsters. He seems well uniformed and reasonably well armed.

I like the work despite any possible uniform or weapons issues.
 
I had no idea that he did any Civil War prints.

He painted fairly common Civil War subjects. Some people like his military paintings and some don't care much for them. His smaller prints are not overly expensive. I like the art, but am mostly interested in uniforms.

For those who are unfamiliar with Eugene Leliepver although he painted in to his 90s he will not produce any more paintings as he passed away in 2003.
 
I agree with some of the uniform as it was probably borrowed or lifted from of other soldiers , dead or otherwise, but I just can't go with the short brimmed hat however. It just don't look "Texan". This might have been one of the few the exceptions but most Texans wore a wide brimmed hat more like the second horseman in the picture. The star is correct though.
 
There is a famous picture of 5 of Terry's Texas Rangers each with a star in their hat and one of them is wearing a short brimmed hat. I'm sure the picture will pop up here shortly just not by me. I'm leery of the copyright laws!
 
This is one of Terry's Texas Rangers. They weren't real Texas Rangers. Regiment formed in September 1861 in Houston, Texas. They were shock troops. They each carried a shotgun and 2 to 4 pistols. About 90 surrendered to Sherman in North Carolina in 1865. Several talked about taking no prisoners while following Sherman through Georgia. One was hanged by the yanks as a spy. There is a statue of one horseback in Austin, Texas.
 
I was back to the same antique store yesterday and almost purchased another Eugene Leviepvre Confederate cavalry Civil War print but decided not to de to a lack of room in my library to hang it.
 
I once owned one I was very fond of showing a Confederate cavalry color bearer with the battle flag. As I recall, I found no fault with its accuracy.
 
Being a Texan, who writes novels about Texas Confederate infantry, I've researched their uniforms enough to have gained more than a passing knowledge of uniforms worn by Texas troops, but I'm not a researcher of cavalry units or their uniforms. My take on the uniforms in the painting is that they are 'fanciful,' as a kind description. Yes, Texans liked big brim slouch hats. And Texans put metal Lone Star pins on hats and jackets and holsters. But the main thing is the red trim on the brown jacket and grey trousers. Early in the war, either Texans wore no uniform or a 'commutation' uniform privately contracted and sewn uniform, and tried to follow the official trim rules of blue for infantry, red for artillery and yellow for cavalry. And when gray wool or jean-wool was available for uniforms, brown wasn't generally used. But there are always exceptions, aren't there. Terry Texas Rangers began the war thinking they were Napoleonic shock cavalry, or closer to home, that they were the same as the Texas Rangers who fought Comanches, where the Rangers' shotguns and Colt revolvers made them deadly indeed. But the regiment's first charge against Union infantry armed with rifled-muskets was a disaster. Col. Terry was killed. The regiment carried on, but never again blithely thinking they could run over formed infantry.
 
I purchased this a week ago and hung it up in my book room.
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Sorry my camera was a bit out of focus. Any thoughts on how accurate the uniform is in this painting?

His sword looks like it is hanging a bit loose and might beat up the horse as he rode over rough ground. His canteen looks under sized.
 
I purchased this a week ago and hung it up in my book room.
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Sorry my camera was a bit out of focus. Any thoughts on how accurate the uniform is in this painting?

His sword looks like it is hanging a bit loose and might beat up the horse as he rode over rough ground. His canteen looks under sized.
It isn't a canteen - what you're seeing is the end of a round valise - or possibly a bedroll - strapped to the rear of the seat of the saddle. I believe I had a copy of this one too; possibly I never got it framed?? At any rate, I always admired this one as well and see nothing wrong with it either. I'll point out that the TAN trousers he's wearing are indicating them to be made of corduroy, a supposedly popular material for mounted trousers at the time. Another comment about the Terry's Texas Ranger in the OP - it's based on a figure in a period painting by Texan Samuel Maverick and I think should be used with caution: So many subsequent artists have "homed in" on the brown jacket with red trim illustrated that I think some may assume wrongly it was an "official" uniform, whereas it was more likely merely another "typical" Confederate uniform variant. Maverick - yes, he's the one the wandering steers are named for - pictures four rangers and only one of them is so attired.
 
From book: "Military Uniforms in America Volume III - Long Endure, The civil war Period 1852-1867".
Produced by The Company of Military Historians in 1982.
It seems that in 1863 or 1864 there was an attempt to standardize the uniform worn by rangers, adding red trimmings to jackets and trousers:

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Personally, I think that the image illustrates well the addition of trim on butternut and gray jackets and trousers, but the red jacket seems to me not very credible.
 
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