Did Civil War soldiers really tuck their trouser legs in to their socks?

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
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Aug 25, 2012
You will see many drawings or artworks showing Civil War soldiers with their trouser legs tucked in to their socks. This is especially true of drawings and artwork of Confederate soldiers. So was this actually common?

It would seem like the trouser legs would not stay tucked in very well unless one tied a string around the sock or the trouser leg. I am not a reenactor and I have never tucked my trouser legs in to my socks so perhaps one of our reenactors can helps us know if the trouser legs would stay tucked in.
 
If it was done, it certainly wasn't common. Examine the wartime unit photographs. Take a close look at the paintings by Don Trioiani (other artists tend to show pant legs being tucked into socks).

It has been way over done in the reenactment community.

42nd_1_1.jpg


Company A of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Hiram College Archives
 
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If it was done, it certainly wasn't common. Examine the wartime unit photographs. Take a close look at the paintings by Don Trioiani (other artists tend to show pant legs being tucked into socks).

It has been way over done in the reenactment community.

View attachment 405381

Company A of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Hiram College Archives
I do think artist for a while over did this and people developed the belief that this was more common than it was. Let us wait and see what other forum members think
 
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I like Alan H. Archambault's work and he is a talented researcher and good artist. This is a nice uniform plate about an interesting unit but note the socks remain tucked in even as the soldiers run. Is it possible the Mr. Archambault was influenced by older black and white illustrations that showed trousers tucked in to socks and newer color illustrations that showed this as well? I should point out that Alan H. Archambault does not always depict trousers tucked in to socks but has done it for some Confederates.

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I do think artist for a while over did this and people developed the belief that this was more common than it was. Let us wait and see what other forum members think
That was a very good question . It's one of those things that you take for granted that turn out to be overdone . . As The Walking Dead said I looked through many of my photographic reference books and have yet to find any examples . However , I have a book called "Thirty Years After" which is a collection of sketches by Edwin Forbes that shows several examples of trousers tucked into socks .Forbes worked for Frank Leslies Illustrated Newspaper and was with the Union army from 1862 to 1864 . Perhaps it was not done in camp as most of the illustrations with trousers tucked into pants were of soldiers on the march , foraging , etc.
 
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I hope nobody thinks I am putting Alan H. Archambault down. He is a fine researcher and often covers subjects no other uniform author or artist cover. His books are great as well. I am just questioning if he fell in to a trap on the Confederates tucking their trousers in to their socks. I agree that one does not see many pathographic images of Confederates doing this. Part of the problem could be there are not a great many photographs of Confederates in the field and it is possible that Confederates in studio photos did not want to tuck in their socks for the photographer. I am sure I could find a great many older black and white drawings of Confederates with tucked in trousers, I am just not sure where these older artists found the information that Confederate soldiers often tucked their trousers in to their socks. This is why I asked if reenactors had trouble keeping their trousers tucked in when they run.

I do know that when I was a soldier that my trouser legs had ties and if I did not tie these or use blousing rubbers my trouser legs, even in tall boots, would become untucked if I moved quickly
 
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Wether on march, in camp or in combat your pant legs aren't going to stay in your socks. @major bill, put on a pair of low quarter or three quarter boots, tuck your pant legs into your socks and then spend a day doing yard work. Find out for yourself.

I knew a few guys who tucked their jungle fatigue pants into their socks and then put on their jungle boots. This wasn't in the Civil War.

There has been a great deal of new research over the past fifty years.
 
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I suspect the practice was done, but not as often as re-enactors like to portray. Here is a photo of a dead Confederate soldier killed at Fort Mahone who seems to be wearing bloused socks. But if you look at the other photos on the page, there are no other examples. I suspect it depended on whether or not an individual was in close proximity to ticks and other nuisance insects.
http://adolphusconfederateuniforms.com/the-confederate-soldier-of-fort-mahone.html

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As far as personal preference goes I pull my socks over my drawers legs but not my trousers. That protects my legs from bugs and keeps the dust and/or mud off my legs yet still get some air flow through my trousers. I'd imagine then it was a matter of personal preference. I can see why they'd do it on a long dusty march. There's enough period drawings of it that it must have been done by some at least. There's not that many photos of guys actually in the field or on the march, especially Confederate, so there's not much to go on for photographic proof.
 
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Yes, but that would largely depend on the task at hand and the time of year. On the march on a dry day I would say that many soldiers would blouse to contain dust that would turn to mud with sweat. Going through brambles and heavy vegetation it helps keep the wear on the hem and edges down. Muddy areas would also be a time to blouse, case in point the Confederate dead at Ft Mahone 4 out of 15 are bloused 26%. So soldiers most likely did so as the terrain, conditions and weather dictated.
 
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Wether on march, in camp or in combat your pant legs aren't going to stay in your socks. @major bill, put on a pair of low quarter or three quarter boots, tuck your pant legs into your socks and then spend a day doing yard work. Find out for yourself.

I knew a few guys who tucked their jungle fatigue pants into their socks and then put on their jungle boots. This wasn't in the Civil War.

There has been a great deal of new research over the past fifty years.
Actually Civil War socks will allow for the tucking of trousers and staying put through almost anything. I routinely blouse as my trousers are fairly long and have started to fray and get caught under my heel. The socks, trousers and brogans are all fairly exact copies of Confederate wear and I can and do go all weekend like that. Until I repair the trouser bottoms it's a blousing I will go!
 
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If it was done, it certainly wasn't common. Examine the wartime unit photographs. Take a close look at the paintings by Don Trioiani (other artists tend to show pant legs being tucked into socks).

It has been way over done in the reenactment community.

View attachment 405381

Company A of the 42nd Ohio Volunteer Infantry
Hiram College Archives
If you blow the photo depicted above up, all but one, of the feet visible, are wearing boots.
 
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I know some in our reenacting unit did this when were in areas where there were fire ants or scorpions but otherwise not.

We didn't remove our shoes while sleeping.

Not an entomologist but I've been told that fire ants in the United States post date the American Civil War.
They are not "period correct" when they wish to participate at the reenactments.
 
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I suspect the practice was done, but not as often as re-enactors like to portray. Here is a photo of a dead Confederate soldier killed at Fort Mahone who seems to be wearing bloused socks. But if you look at the other photos on the page, there are no other examples. I suspect it depended on whether or not an individual was in close proximity to ticks and other nuisance insects.
http://adolphusconfederateuniforms.com/the-confederate-soldier-of-fort-mahone.html

View attachment 405384
Actually, if you read what Fred says about the pictures a very different story comes out:

"More remarkable are two pair of high top "Jefferson" bootees with the heel pieces on the inside. These are about ten inches high and both soldiers wearing them had tucked their pant legs into them, much like modern combat boots. Judging by the differences in the examined shoes (heel piece construction, metal and unlined eyelets, numbers of eyelets, and the high top boots) suggests that the Army of Northern Virginia used a variety of footwear. Some of these shoes may have been imported.

Some other observations offer insights into how soldiers wore their shoes. Four had their pant legs tucked into their socks, one had his pant cuffs folded up outside the socks, and eight had the pant legs worn outside the socks (not tucked inside). Two soldiers were bare footed, or partially bare footed. Souvenir hunters may have taken these soldiers’ shoes, as there appears to have been no shortage of good footwear among the fallen."

So out of 15 fallen Confederates as many as 8 may have tucked, for certain we know that 6 did (4 into the socks and 2 into the bootees) I proffer that the mud was such that soldiers would tuck just to try and keep their underdrawers somewhat clean.
 
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The artwork of Confederate veteran Allen C. Redwood includes numerous examples of Federal and Confederate soldiers with trousers tucked in their socks. He should know if anyone. He served in the 55th Virginia and later the 1st Maryland, was slightly wounded at Mechanicsville, Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, and served to the end. Many of his illustrations appear in Battles and Leaders.
 
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I suspect the practice was done, but not as often as re-enactors like to portray. Here is a photo of a dead Confederate soldier killed at Fort Mahone who seems to be wearing bloused socks. But if you look at the other photos on the page, there are no other examples. I suspect it depended on whether or not an individual was in close proximity to ticks and other nuisance insects.
http://adolphusconfederateuniforms.com/the-confederate-soldier-of-fort-mahone.html

View attachment 405384
So judging by this photo and the above one I submitted above plus the comments here we can conclude the following. Only 3 types of individuals tuck their pants into their socks. Reenactors, Lazy sit on your *** Yanks, and Dead Rebs! :bounce: :bounce::bounce:
 
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