Hardy hat trimmings/dressing

[Dan Kohli]

In the 1861 U.S. Army Regulations, it was stated that the minimum trimmings should be; the company letter, the badge of the arm, and the eagle. Obviously, there's enough pictures and other documentation of men not having any brass on their hats. The question I have is if there was any documentation that this was actually followed?

The picture below is how I understand what the Regulations meant.

I apologize for possible misspelling and grammar mistakes made out of tiredness.

 

[major bill]

This hat needs a black ostrich feather. Where did the US get all the ostrich feathers?

 

[Old Soldier]

This hat needs a black ostrich feather. Where did the US get all the ostrich feathers?

Ostriches?

 

[7thWisconsin]

From black ostriches of course! They´d been a trade item for hundreds of years from Africa. I bet the army went through hundreds of pounds of feathers during the war, though. They were issuing feathers for the hats right up to the end. I bet they were issued before every major inspection, then lost and forgotten inbetween. This photo of the color guard of the raggedy-donkeyed 2nd shows their hats fully dressed.

 

[Salterr]

I'm not aware of any written proof but there might exist some quartermaster sheets of requested trimmings for the hats. Many camp site recoveries yield brass letters so they were issued for sure. On what hat we can't know. I would guess that early war and fresh uniforms would most likely be seen with the trimmings but as time and battles, camping and marching happened many soldiers opted for more practical comfortable hats. The hardee hat regulations also require the colored hat cord for enlisted men. Feathers ranges from just one up to three for a general's rank and the correct ends have a netted ball at the base. Brass pieces for enlisted men and embroidered for officers. Black and gold cords for officers as well. Smaller regimental numbers and letters could be added to the embroidered insignia. I forget what sides of the hat go up but infantry flipped one side and the cavalry and artillery wore the other side up.

 

[RedRover]

Many of the Volunteer Regiments were provided with the regulation army hats, and trimmings, in 1861-1862. The men promptly getting rid of them on the first march, and wearing their forage caps or a simpler slouch hat instead.


The 15th Connecticut Regiment at Washington received regulation hats in late 1861...

As a veteran regiment of volunteers, they were frequently less formal...

The 97th Pennsylvania Volunteers had the regulations hats in 1861 as well...

...and upon taking the field on the Florida coast in the spring of 1862 discarded them, except for Company H...

The veterans of the 106th Pennsylvania Regiment recalled how in February, 1862 the men dumped their regulation hats once and for all into the Potomac while crossing the long bridge into Virginia...

The forage cap was essentially adopted as the "uniform" headgear for the Army of the Potomac at the expense of the regulation hat.


But they made an occasional reappearance. The 127th New York Volunteers was provided with regulation uniforms in winter camp in Virginia by mid-January, 1863 (they mention receipt of the brass shoulder scales caused some "kicking" amongst the men).

Post-war, veterans visiting their old camp ground found some of the hat trimmings yet laying about...

They mention wearing generally forage caps by January, 1865, when they came in contact with Sherman's 17th Corps, who they found generally yet wearing the regulation hats (generally without insignias) etc.

In the west, the 4th Minnesota Volunteers procured regulation hats early in the war.

On taking the field in May, 1862 the men threw them away and wore their forage caps...

In subsequent campaigns the slouch hat was the standard, either civilian or wearing the army hat as such...

In February, 1864 the men of the 48th Ohio Veteran Volunteer Infantry in Louisiana were issued the regulation hats by their commanders for parade, etc. which the men were not pleased about...

J. Harvey Greene of Co. H, 8th Wisconsin Volunteers, describes the colored troops at Milliken's Bend, La. in the summer of 1863; noting by this time the white troops generally discarded the hat insignias, etc.

Color guard of the 8th Wisconsin, 1863:

 

[RedRover]

Here's a description of the modes necessary to produce the Army uniforms for 100,000 troops, including regulation hats, from the New York Evening Post, Nov. 12, 1861:

 

[RedRover]

Just for reference, here's the regulations for the Army uniform hats for enlisted men.

The hats were to be looped up on the left side for foot soldiers (infantry and artillery) and on the right side for all mounted soldiers (principally cavalry, etc.; as the light artillery retaining for full dress the black visored cap with plumes, etc.).

Some of the Regular Army infantry regiments organized in 1861-62 (the 11th to 19th) had three battalions of 8 companies each. Here's how a regular of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 16th US Infantry marked his uniform hat during the period.

Notice though the chap has looped the right side of his hat brim up, instead of the regulation left.






As mentioned in the original post, the minimum insignias required by the regulations excluded the regimental number, branch cord and ostrich feather.

it was intended that the regimental number, cord, and feather, would be put on them for parade-review-inspection at least, while the minimum trimmings was presumed suitable for ordinary duties.

So here's an example of the fully trimmed hat (left) versus the example for the minimum regulation (right):

I would only point out the hat at right is looped on the wrong side, relative to the regulations. Artillery hats were to be looped on the left.

The Union soldiers who wore the uniform hat for both uniform and fatigue purposes in camp and field appear to have preferred to do so without any of the regulation insignias attached.

The post-war US Army regular infantry did the same in the field. Here's some regular infantry in the 1872 Modoc campaign wearing their 1858 pattern uniform hats without any insignia or trimmings in the field.

 

[DixieRifles]

Don't use the words "trimmings and dressings" this close to Thanksgiving. I expect to find a recipe.

 

[Salterr]

Just for reference, here's the regulations for the Army uniform hats for enlisted men.

View attachment 529772

The hats were to be looped up on the left side for foot soldiers (infantry and artillery) and on the right side for all mounted soldiers (principally cavalry, etc.; as the light artillery retaining for full dress the black visored cap with plumes, etc.).

View attachment 529788

View attachment 529794

Some of the Regular Army infantry regiments organized in 1861-62 (the 11th to 19th) had three battalions of 8 companies each. Here's how a regular of Company A, 3rd Battalion, 16th US Infantry marked his uniform hat during the period.

View attachment 529776

Notice though the chap has looped the right side of his hat brim up, instead of the regulation left.






As mentioned in the original post, the minimum insignias required by the regulations excluded the regimental number, branch cord and ostrich feather.

View attachment 529777

it was intended that the regimental number, cord, and feather, would be put on them for parade-review-inspection at least, while the minimum trimmings was presumed suitable for ordinary duties.

So here's an example of the fully trimmed hat (left) versus the example for the minimum regulation (right):

View attachment 529787View attachment 529786

I would only point out the hat at right is looped on the wrong side, relative to the regulations. Artillery hats were to be looped on the left.

View attachment 529792View attachment 529793



The Union soldiers who wore the uniform hat for both uniform and fatigue purposes in camp and field appear to have preferred to do so without any of the regulation insignias attached.

View attachment 529779

View attachment 529795



The post-war US Army regular infantry did the same in the field. Here's some regular infantry in the 1872 Modoc campaign wearing their 1858 pattern uniform hats without any insignia or trimmings in the field.

View attachment 529781

View attachment 529782

Thanks for posting what side gets pinned up. I always forget which is which on my hardee hat eagles

 

[RedRover]

Thanks for posting what side gets pinned up. I always forget which is which on my hardee hat eagles

It's not necessarily "wrong" to loop the right side of the hats by foot soldiers, especially when expecting a photograph to be made perhaps!

From the Iron Brigade alone, here's some matching regulation, with the left sides looped...

Others looped on the right side when posing for their photographic portraits. But they appear to have done their hats up so because of the reversed image made by the photograph. For example, here's a pair of chaps whose images are flipped/corrected, and you can see besides looping the wrong side (the right) of their hats for the photograph, they are wearing their accoutrements backwards...

So that when the period photograph was made, with its reversed image, it appeared as if their hats were correctly looped on the left:

 

[Old Soldier]

Yup!! The infantry bugle's horn points left! Cavalry and Artillery are harder to see.

 

[Dan Kohli]

I would only point out the hat at right is looped on the wrong side, relative to the regulations. Artillery hats were to be looped on the left.

I just put it together for the picture. I initially used had that side of the hat looped up for an event this last June. The original light artillery battery that we were trying to represent had a mix of Hardees, civilian hats, and caps.

 

[Salterr]

One for the left side and one for the right. Thanks again for the write up

It's not necessarily "wrong" to loop the right side of the hats by foot soldiers, especially when expecting a photograph to be made perhaps!

From the Iron Brigade alone, here's some matching regulation, with the left sides looped...

View attachment 529848

Others looped on the right side when posing for their photographic portraits. But they appear to have done their hats up so because of the reversed image made by the photograph. For example, here's a pair of chaps whose images are flipped/corrected, and you can see besides looping the wrong side (the right) of their hats for the photograph, they are wearing their accoutrements backwards...


View attachment 529847View attachment 529849

So that when the period photograph was made, with its reversed image, it appeared as if their hats were correctly looped on the left:
View attachment 529852View attachment 529853

 

[Dan Kohli]

Don't use the words "trimmings and dressings" this close to Thanksgiving. I expect to find a recipe.

My apologies, I should have been more aware of the session. Lol.

 

[Salterr]

My apologies, I should have been more aware of the session. Lol.

I used red velvet in a title on the red velvet of a shoulder board and disappointed many.

 

[DixieRifles]

My apologies, I should have been more aware of the session. Lol.

Happy Turkey Day!!

.

And to quote John Wayne:
"Have a good day, Pilgrim."

 

[RedRover]

I just put it together for the picture. I initially used had that side of the hat looped up for an event this last June. The original light artillery battery that we were trying to represent had a mix of Hardees, civilian hats, and caps.

Here's some images of light artillery in hats. Most seem to be worn as campaign or slouch hats, like the infantry worn without any insignias, at least in these photographic samples showing them in active service in the field.

Virginia, 1862, Battery B, 1st NYLA:

Atlanta, 1864.

Virginia, 1864.

Post-war, some regular Artillery men of the 4th Regiment in the Modoc War, 1872 wore the uniform hat in the field as a campaign hat:

 

[Dan Kohli]

Thanks for sharing your research.

 

[RedRover]

Relative to the light artillery, the full regulation uniform was this one..., with the light artillery cap in lieu of a hat like the artillery. Also to be provided the common fatigue dress, including forage caps and flannel blouses...

During the war the light artillery caps were not often provided (from Kloster, US Army Headgear, vol. 2):

But were employed in a few wartime garrison settings in the South, like at wartime New Bern, NC and New Orleans, LA.

According to the veterans of Battery F, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery, the volunteer light artillery were not "as a rule" provided with the full light artillery uniform, but their battery were so outfitted while serving with the garrison at New Bern, NC:

Here's an A.R. Waud sketch of Light Artillery in the regulation uniform, including the light artillery cap, at Richmond, immediately post-war. The light artillery cap had been so little used in the war time, that he referred to them as "new."

Since the army did not bother generally about the light artillery caps in the war, the light artillery units employed other headgear for uniform purposes. John D. Billings of the 10th Battery, Massachusetts Light Artillery, recorded that this was almost universally the government forage cap, adorned with the insignias intended for the light artillery cap or regulation hat:

At the light artillery camp of instruction Camp Berry the soldiers were to wear the forage cap as uniform:

Battery H, 1st Ohio Light Artillery, 1863;

Battery D, 1st NY Light Artillery, photographed on April 30, 1863 in camp: wearing third corps badges over the insignia on their forage caps...

Though in the field, many wearing slouch hats, etc. (or even the army hat worn slouch fashion) for comfort or convenience, as with Knap's PA Battery photographed on the Antietam battlefield in 1862.

Some artillerymen at Fort Rosecrans at Murfreesboro, TN, ca. 1864, one on the right in the regulation hat as a slouch hat, without insignias.

Battery B, 1st Illinois light Artillery, ca. 1864, with many of the men wearing uniform hats, largely slouch fashion by the looks of it...

Relative to the artillery regiments generally (or "heavy" artillery), they also appear to have largely employed the forage cap in lieu of the regulation uniform hat. Like the 1st CT Heavy Artillery, 1862, with forage caps, but otherwise in regulation full dress...

There were some artillery units which sported the full regulation uniform, but again principally in garrison setting. Like the 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery in garrison at Fort Monroe, VA in 1864 in full regulation artillery uniform of their branch, including hats:

The officers of the 3rd in the regulation artillery full dress....

Notice the Artillery officer's hats are looped on the right side, whereas the enlisted artillery men were to loop them on the left.

The General Staff hats to be looped on the right side:

A sketch of artillerymen in regulation uniform at Ft. Monroe guarding Jefferson Davis, in 1865.

There were occasions where the heavy artillery hat was employed as uniform for some light artillery units. For example, the 3rd New York Battery of light artillery, ca. 1861, outfitted with hats as regulation for foot artillery in camp. I notice they are looped either right or left side.

This battery also evidently had forage caps for fatigue dress...

Like the above example, Battery L, 2nd Illinois Light Artillery, with the Army of the Tennessee, was evidently provided with artillery hats in lieu of light artillery caps for uniform purposes in 1862-1863, besides their forage caps.