How about a Polish uniform?

[tbuckley]

Wow did they really wear that shako to war in 1861?

That is a nice pipe. I've thought of adding a clay pipe or corn cob to my impression but something like that with the beeswax mustache looks to "natty"!

I believe that the "shako" is called a czapka.

 

[Mdiesel]

I believe that the "shako" is called a czapka.

Thanks for the correction

 

[Mdiesel]

The fur balls on the toes of their shoes always makes me think of over sized clown shoes.

Ok I had to look it up. The shoe is the "Tsarouhi" Back in the day the pompoms on their shoes hid a blade for times of hand to hand (or foot) fighting.

 

[major bill]

We have not discussed Polish uniforms in the Civil War in awhile. His Czapka looks uncomfortable. However they must have not been because Polish soldiers wore this style of caps for hundreds of years.

 

[major bill]

Note that although the czapkas look uncomfortable other nations also wore them in the Americas as well. Here is a Royal Danish West Indies Forces from 1830-1837. This man would have bent his feather every time he walked through the doorway.

 

[major bill]

Here is another style of head wear that has some Polish heritage to it. This is a Lancer's helmet. Many European nations had copied the Polish style lancer units, that by the start of the Civil War the lancer helmet was in wide use in Europe. Lancer type units had been popular in the U.S. militias in the years leading up to the Civil War, but had mostly fallen out of popularity by the start of the Civil War. Only a few militia units wore lancer uniforms at the start of the war. Here it is worn by the Massachusetts National Lancers.

 

[major bill]

We discusse dhat in another thread and it made me think of odd Civil War head wear. I think the czapka is one of the oddest caps of the Civil War.

 

[Irishtom29]

A Pole is a man with a plough in one hand and a saber in the other.

 

[major bill]

Because we just got a new member from Poland I thought I would bump this Polish Civil War uniform thread.

 

[BlueandGrayl]

You know it's the 100th anniversary of the reconstitution of Poland after World War I and a huge independence march was just held it relates a bit to "How about a Polish uniform?" thread since Poland (where this dress was created) is mentioned here

 

[zburkett]

Artistic license and all, one cannot shoot a gun like that. Period.

You can, it is just very hard on the face.

 

[OldReliable1862]

There's too much tail on that kite!