Confederate sailor's uniforms at the Battle of Little Saylor's Creek

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Does anyone have any details of the Confederate sailors and marines who fought at the Battle of Little Sayler' Creek On 6 April 1865 in Tucker's Naval Battalion? I am interested in the uniforms worn by the Confederate marines and the uniforms worn by the Confederate sailors. Does anyone know if the sailors fought in their naval uniforms?

Thank you for any assistance you may provide.
 
Funny you should mention this because a bunch of us were talking about it just the other day, in an attempt to form up an adjunct battalion for the 150th.. here's the guidelines that were published when it was formenting...

Navy:

Guidelines for CS Navy Impressions for Tucker's Brigade Adjunct: CLOTHING

CAPS:
Jean or kersey flat caps, plain (preferred)
Slouch hats (preferred)
Round caps/mechanics caps (preferred)
Late war jean RD issue kepis (acceptable)

BLOUSE/SHIRT:
Plain osnaburg/cotton collared shirts, with or without pockets (Preferred)
Collared overshirts of wool, flannel, jeancloth, or heavy cotton in various shades (blue, red, gray most common) (preferred)
Navy blouse in jean, English Army Cloth, or blue flannel (acceptable)
Federal blue wool blouses (acceptable if old and well used)
NO white cotton or linen navy blouses (jumpers)
Note: The plainer the better - the look is for laborer's style clothing with normal fall collars. Try to avoid the traditonal large naval collars and white collar on gray wool mainstream blouse (jumper)
Undershirts of cotton, linen, wool are encouraged. Citizen's/CS issue (preferred) naval cotton or wool (acceptable)

JACKETS
Blue wool or gray English Army Cloth naval jacket (Acceptable)
RD issue army jacket-modern Type III (acceptable)

NECKERCHIEF:
Black silk, light cotton (preferred)
Plaids, solids, and other shades of silk or cotton (acceptable)

TROUSERS:
Civilian or RD issue button fly trousers in jean, wool, English Army Cloth, or heavy cotton/linen (preferred) - these can be of straight leg or navy wide leg pattern
Traditional fallfront naval trousers (acceptable but discouraged unless highly aged)

FOOTWEAR:
Leather booties, import English shoes, or boots (preferred)
Canvas ersatz/camp shoes (acceptable)
Civilian leather boots (acceptable)

EQUIPMENT

LEATHERS/ACCOUTREMENTS
CS issue belts, boxes, cap pouchs, etc of leather or painted canvas (preferred)
English import equipment of leather (acceptable)
limited Federal equipment such as buckle or hook belt, pistol frogs, naval boxes, etc (acceptable but discouraged unless older)

KNAPSACKS/BLANKETS
Knapsacks discouraged but if needed, a CS issue or variant is acceptable
Blanket rolls are encouraged for this adjunct, and should be made from any mid 19th century wool or jean blanket of citizen's or military issue.
Groundcloth of painted cloth (acceptable but probably was not issued/carried)
Federal gum blankets and ponchos are discourage but acceptable if you need something to sleep on or protect from the elements

HAVERSACKS/CANTEENS
Although it has not been assertained that haversacks were issued, it is suggested to have one of common CS or civilian manufacture to store food and eating utensils in. Cotton or painted cloth acceptable
Canteens: CS or import (preferred)
Federal canteens (acceptable)

WEAPONS
To be discussed in further posts

TENTAGE
This is a campaign event, traditional martial tentage such as common (wedge) tents, Federal shelter tents, etc are discouraged. Tent flies of cotton duck or cotton drill is highly encouraged. Several 12x9 flies are being produced for this adjunct, but it is a good idea to procure ample sail cloth or duck cloth or pre-made tent flies to help weather the elements. Painted ground cloths are also acceptable to string up as shelters if needed

Marines may have been in Richmond Depot issued jackets in blue/gray kersey (English Army cloth) with near matching caps. Royal blue kersey or jean wool trousers, and many with English accoutrements.. for the most part looking very much like Army troops. here is a buddies impression of a late war Marine

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Even the army type shell jackets would have been worn open sailor style and not closed up among the Naval personnel, and buttoned up for the Marines.
 
Confederate army was ALOT better uniformed than the Ragged Rebel myth would have us believe.. well established depot systems, at Richmond, Columbus, Atlanta, Mobile, Charleston, Little Rock and Houston kept guys clothed. Kershaw's brigade and many of Longstreets Corps had recieved brand new uniforms before heading to Georgia for Chickamagua, many of them in English army cloth jackets and royal blue trousers, to the point of almost being confused for Yanks. By early 64 the first of the Tate uniforms from Ireland were showing up, did they go ragged? Sometimes.

The Navy had different supply issues.. the regulations called for gray after 62, but many balked at it. As it is, you could see any mixture of stuff, especially in the home squadrons. In Savannah, it was not unknown to see gray nad blue, brown and blue, blue, gray (among the recently transferred crew of the Chattahoochee) white and blue, white and brown, brown and gray, civilian shirts, naval style trousers, army trousers, naval jackets, Army jackets... it really ran the gambit. One thing was distinct, what ever they wore, they tried to look like sailors, not like soldiers... so jackets were traditionally worn open, no matter what service they were from, flat hats and straw hats predominated, and if issued a kepi, they would often make their own flat hats..
 
If a few managed to retain uniform regulations, ideally they would have resembled,
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CS Marine and CS Sailor

http://www.onesixthwarriors.com/for...ussion/663052-civil-war-confederate-navy.html
 
The gray rig was pretty scarce, at least here in Savannah. and especially the complete gray rig shown. Only one crew in the home waters was for sure documented to have em and that was the Chattahoochie, cause Catsby Jones paid for them out of pocket. There was a lot of mixture... there is an account of some folks being surprised and surrendering to sailors who turned out to Confederate, but were thought to be Federal because of their Blues, and that was in 64. The exact qoute I cant provide right now but IIRC its in The Best Station of Them All
 
This is all great information and makes sense. What sailor wants to look a s soldier.
I did have a photo of my G.G.Grandpa John M. Pelham in a Confederate Navy Uniform but I lost it. If I can remember, He had the Saucer type hat, He wore bell bottom trousers and the normal looking sailor's shirt cuffed sleeves, long draping collar down the back and the sailor tie. It was a black and white photo, so I assume that it was a Butter nut color. I believe he had on a waist jacket too. Incidently, he was aboard the Gunboat Sampson during the siege of Savannah.
 
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I have a book that has all of the different uninforms, weapons and equipment. One particular frock coat is made of bed ticking with matching trousers. It had the military buttons down the front. The Uniform belonged to Pvt. B. N. G. Schumpert of the 3rd South Carolina Infantry

Another Frock coat made of jean cloth, belonging to Pvt. John E. Johnston of the 29th Alabama Infantry.

You wore what ever you could get your hands on.
 
These pictures are from a hat and cutlass that were captured from a sailor during the Battle of Sailors Creek. They are from the collection of the Appomattox museum.
 

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The RN very often had tailors in the crews who made uniforms out of cloth supplied, and made official issue "tiddly" ie made it fit better in the important places to impress the ladies. Did this happen on US /CS ships and stations?
 
The RN very often had tailors in the crews who made uniforms out of cloth supplied, and made official issue "tiddly" ie made it fit better in the important places to impress the ladies. Did this happen on US /CS ships and stations?

Sure did, to varying extents. For instance, I think crewmen were not issued straw hats in the summer; they were issued straw, and making the hats was generally up to them. I do think there was a standard issue of premade uniforms, though, something like the RN slop chest. The rapid expansion of the US Navy during the war, though, meant the talented tailors were a bit diluted, so it's likely most had to fall back on standard issue.

Confederate cruiser crews recruited in Europe, especially Britain, generally followed British tradition. I'm not so certain about the domestic Confederate sailors, though. Since more often than not they were not sailors by profession, I'd guess that they tended to rely on issue, too.
 
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