Interesting Great Coat

[Bryan_C]

Saw this photo on JPKHuson's thread on CW photos. Intersting this soldier (a Union soldier, I believe) is wearing a dark blue(?) great coat as opposed to sky blue.

 

[Dave Hull]

Looks like a British Army Great Coat with the collar turned down, from possibly the 58th Indiana.

 

[noman]

Its Certainly Infantry Regiment 58 Company D....where did it come from?

 

[E_just_E]

58 is a pretty large number and there were few 58th Vol Infantries:

58th Illinois - Lyon Color Guard
58th Indiana
58th Massachusetts
58th New York - Pratt's Polish Guard
58th Ohio
58th Pennsylvania

IL and NY are out, So IN, MA, OH, PA. Here is a picture of a sergeant of company D of 58th OH. Could not find pictures of the other 3, but did not search that much.

 

[Dave Hull]

The 58th Mass was mustered into service in 64, which probably precludes them, would probably be a forage cap and Federal great coat at that point in the war.

The 58th Ohio was mustered into service in 62, so that is possible.

The 58th Penn and 58th Indiana were both mustered in in 61. The timing is right for either unit, but I went with Indiana as a guess assuming that the contract mills in Pennsylvania would have produced the great coats for their state troops and Indiana getting left overs from old Crimean War stocks of Issac Campbell great coats in the same manner in which many of the Confederate states received them.

 

[major bill]

I do know that some Michigan regiments were being issued black greatcoats by the federal government in late 1861. If I remember correctly they resembled the standard light blue great coats but were made from black cloth.

 

[Bryan_C]

I do know that some Michigan regiments were being issued black greatcoats by the federal government in late 1861. If I remember correctly they resembled the standard light blue great coats but were made from black cloth.

Maybe it's the lighting but the soldier's Hardee hat, which is definitely black, looks darker than the coat.

I just went back and took another look (I can enlarge the photo). His hat is definitely darker.

 

[major bill]

This is an interesting subject. Jackets and frock coats of both the Union and the Confederacy are well covered in books and articles, but greatcoats are less well covered.

 

[Dave Hull]

A few links to the British Great coat. The first link is an imported Confederate GC from Issac Campbell in a blue gray kersey, the 2nd link is that of a British officer's GC from the Crimean war. Same coat, different collar trim, same buttons. The color is a brownish gray or grayish brown. Like a dingy, slightly faded English Army Cloth. I have seen the blue gray GC in pictures from museum pieces from Sevastopol veterans.

http://adolphusconfederateuniforms.com/the-imported-british-overcoat-for-the-confederate-army.html

http://www.nam.ac.uk/online-collection/detail.php?acc=1992-09-63-1