Depot Jacket questions

[racerlee]

Hello.

I have this depot jacket that I bought in early 2000's for using for reenactments. If I remember right it came from the East coast. I used it for about 7 years on and off. I believe it to be a type 3 Richmond depot jacket, but not sure. It is the one I'm wearing in my avatar.

First of all I should tell you that the little club I was in didn't really care on the Confederate side what you wore as long as it was grey. The Confederate company was just happy to get anybody to wear grey since most of the club wore blue. I also ventured out of the club and did reenactments in Northern Oregon and California. I usually fell in with Virginia companies.

Anyways, if I decide to get back to reenacting I would like to try to stay as authentic as I can. I know the East coast clubs are really stricked on what is proper.

I have never seen Virginia buttons like these being one piece. They are back marked Young Smith and Co. New York. It looks to be all hand sewn that I can see.

I want to know what you think on this jacket if I wanted to use it in a East coast reenactment? What era of the Civil War would this jacket have been used? Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks, Lee

 

[kepi]

I can't answer your question, but there are people here who can. I'm looking forward to reading the answers so I can learn as well.

Pardon me for getting off topic, but I see you are from Oregon. Is Civil War reenacting popular up there? I've visited Oregon before and fell in love with the state. It is truly an amazing place and the most beautiful of the 50 states in my opinion.

Regards from Mississippi.

 

[Chattahooch33]

@johan_steele ?

 

[johan_steele]

@johan_steele ?

I'm at a loss on this; I'm not a CS jacket guy. From what I can see it looks ok. The button holes appear handsewn, material looks ok & the buttons... well they seem off to me but I know the CS used all kinds of buttons.

 

[Cumpston1862]

Racerlee-

Below are pictures of an original one piece Virginia State Seal button. They are usually more of a pre war manufacturing time frame if I remember correctly. So one piece buttons are very "correct".

As far as your uniform and wanting to use it back east. Many more authentic minded living historians base reproductions on surviving originals. And there is quite a variance even amongst the surviving Richmond Depot jackets on all three versions. Some have epaulets while others do not, some have colored trim and some don't etc. etc. I would highly recommend the link below for Confederate uniforms. A lot of good research and pictures on there.

http://www.adolphusconfederateuniforms.com/


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[Frederick14Va]

The one piece Virginia State buttons are known. Some plain, some with either gilt or silver wash plating. The majority of these normally are found contributed to the 1840-early 1850ish era. I don't immediately recall any of these known to have wartime manufactured provenance. Those recovered from Civil War sites typically are noted early war era locations... Don't normally find these related to mid-late war sites or associated surviving uniforms. Did they exist, yes. but to most would view these as having a narrow window of use/issuance to the early months till the existing stocks were exhausted.

The jacket itself is a bit of a puzzle... granted there were a wide range of variants existing over the course of the war in the different theaters... However I would be reluctant to label this jacket as a Richmond Depot Type-III. Granted it does have a six-piece body and a nine button front, but lacks most of the other pattern features from Richmond. Richmond jackets habitually had a tapered snug fit design pattern,, rather short waisted, and flared sleeves.. angled and full at the elbow but tapered much smaller at the cuff.

The following are an original Richmond Depot Type-II and a Type-III for general comparison

 

[racerlee]

I can't answer your question, but there are people here who can. I'm looking forward to reading the answers so I can learn as well.

Pardon me for getting off topic, but I see you are from Oregon. Is Civil War reenacting popular up there? I've visited Oregon before and fell in love with the state. It is truly an amazing place and the most beautiful of the 50 states in my opinion.

Regards from Mississippi.

kepi, There is a large club that covers northwest Oregon and part of Washington called NCWC (Northwest Civil War Council). Back in 2007 I went to their reenactments at Willamette Mission State Park and Fort Stevens. I really enjoyed them since they were the largest reenactments that I ever attended. Where I live in southern Oregon there is a small club called CCWS (Cascade Civil War Society). It is small and does more living history events and a few Indian war history, the Modoc War and Fort Klamath history.

As for Oregon it is okay, I was born and raised here, but the state politics are a little crazy.

 

[racerlee]

Racerlee-

Below are pictures of an original one piece Virginia State Seal button. They are usually more of a pre war manufacturing time frame if I remember correctly. So one piece buttons are very "correct".

As far as your uniform and wanting to use it back east. Many more authentic minded living historians base reproductions on surviving originals. And there is quite a variance even amongst the surviving Richmond Depot jackets on all three versions. Some have epaulets while others do not, some have colored trim and some don't etc. etc. I would highly recommend the link below for Confederate uniforms. A lot of good research and pictures on there.

http://www.adolphusconfederateuniforms.com/


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Expired Image Removed

The one piece Virginia State buttons are known. Some plain, some with either gilt or silver wash plating. The majority of these normally are found contributed to the 1840-early 1850ish era. I don't immediately recall any of these known to have wartime manufactured provenance. Those recovered from Civil War sites typically are noted early war era locations... Don't normally find these related to mid-late war sites or associated surviving uniforms. Did they exist, yes. but to most would view these as having a narrow window of use/issuance to the early months till the existing stocks were exhausted.
View attachment 60931 View attachment 60932
View attachment 60933

The jacket itself is a bit of a puzzle... granted there were a wide range of variants existing over the course of the war in the different theaters... However I would be reluctant to label this jacket as a Richmond Depot Type-III. Granted it does have a six-piece body and a nine button front, but lacks most of the other pattern features from Richmond. Richmond jackets habitually had a tapered snug fit design pattern,, rather short waisted, and flared sleeves.. angled and full at the elbow but tapered much smaller at the cuff.

The following are an original Richmond Depot Type-II and a Type-III for general comparison
View attachment 60935 View attachment 60936

Thanks for the information on my jacket. I wasn't sure on the buttons being single piece buttons, but I'm glad that they did have them. It would make me believe that they would be wrong for this type of jacket. Buttons might be good for early 1861 impression while the jacket would be late war, maybe 1864-65. I suppose?

So maybe there might have been single piece Virginia buttons on the type I Richmond Depot jacket?

The jacket itself does match the type III style Richmond Depot jacket. The jacket doesn't have that much of a tapered fit as the originals, but has the short waist and the sleeves match the description fairly well.

The top button I put on myself since it was missing. I found a reproduction Rev. War button that had 42 on it. I usually fell in with a company in northern California, the 42nd Virginia Co. K.

 

[kepi]

[QUOTE="

As for Oregon it is okay, I was born and raised here, but the state politics are a little crazy.[/QUOTE]

Come to Mississippi and I'll show ya crazy state politics.

 

[kepi]

kepi, There is a large club that covers northwest Oregon and part of Washington called NCWC (Northwest Civil War Council). Back in 2007 I went to their reenactments at Willamette Mission State Park and Fort Stevens. I really enjoyed them since they were the largest reenactments that I ever attended. Where I live in southern Oregon there is a small club called CCWS (Cascade Civil War Society). It is small and does more living history events and a few Indian war history, the Modoc War and Fort Klamath history.

I never made it to southern Oregon. I just visited the area from Portland to Redmond, Eugene, Corvallis, and Florence.
Mount Hood is probably my favorite since we don't have mountains here.

I'll check out the CCWS website. Thanks!

 

[kepi]

kepi, There is a large club that covers northwest Oregon and part of Washington called NCWC (Northwest Civil War Council). Back in 2007 I went to their reenactments at Willamette Mission State Park and Fort Stevens. I really enjoyed them since they were the largest reenactments that I ever attended. Where I live in southern Oregon there is a small club called CCWS (Cascade Civil War Society). It is small and does more living history events and a few Indian war history, the Modoc War and Fort Klamath history.

As for Oregon it is okay, I was born and raised here, but the state politics are a little crazy.

Let me know if you ever make it to Mississippi for a reenactment. Catfish dinner is on me.

 

[racerlee]

Let me know if you ever make it to Mississippi for a reenactment. Catfish dinner is on me.

I don't travel a lot, but I love catfish. So I might take you up on that sometime.

 

[spe801]

Unless you're doing a Chickamauga Longstreet impression the Richmond depot doesn't work in the west and I'm not even sure about that. With a Confederate impression you really can't go wrong with a Civilian sack coat. The Army of Tennessee was noted for preferring clothing sent from home. I read a story once about when one unit would get issued new clothes the other guys would take their clothes off and pretend like they were getting new issued stuff with the other guys