Is there a resource for...

JAlcorn

Cadet
Joined
Oct 20, 2011
Location
MA
Hi, all. Is there a resource where one might find out about the uniform of one specific regiment? I'm under the impression that many regiments and/or corps had unique qualities to their uniforms, even if it was just a special pin or patch.

In my search so far, I've been unable to find out details about this, never mind learn about any specific group I might be curious about.

This goes double for regimental flags.

To be more specific, right now I'm looking for information about the uniform and flag of the 58th Massachusetts. But there may be plenty of other units I'll need/want to know about later.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
 
Hi, all. Is there a resource where one might find out about the uniform of one specific regiment? I'm under the impression that many regiments and/or corps had unique qualities to their uniforms, even if it was just a special pin or patch.

In my search so far, I've been unable to find out details about this, never mind learn about any specific group I might be curious about.

This goes double for regimental flags.

To be more specific, right now I'm looking for information about the uniform and flag of the 58th Massachusetts. But there may be plenty of other units I'll need/want to know about later.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


Books and the internet are the resources.
 
If it was a stupid question, I apologize. If not, I'm not sure your answer was necessary.

I've tried to find my answer already, both in libraries and online. I haven't been successful. Which is why I'm asking here.
 
If it was a stupid question, I apologize. If not, I'm not sure your answer was necessary.

I've tried to find my answer already, both in libraries and online. I haven't been successful. Which is why I'm asking here.


Here is something you may find helpful. It's a basic research example and has some good points you can use to find what you are looking for if it is out there.

Written by Curt Schmidt.....

have been thinking about a “Research How To,” and have come up with this “quick and dirty,” basic, “exercise in researching” to take Newcomers to research through a sample “project.”

Granted, it is not a “full blown,” complete, or exhaustive study, but I believe it may be of help start for those down the path of researching. Of the three basic question forms of research, this project is of the “Descriptive” type research. Meaning, it seeks primarily to describe what existed, and what was going on.

It is intended to “instruct” on process, not to fully cover everything and all things from researching to proving or disproving the hypothesis I have created for this quickie post.

This “how to” is not about how to “write a research paper;” it is how to do one form of basic research and then move to the area of “applied research” in how the results can be used to further our knowledge and improve our impressions/personae.

This is done to help counter “The Dangers and Pitfalls of Internet Laziness” as well as “Hobby Lore and Myth.”

“Internet Laziness” is the total or near total over-reliance on “virtual research.” At its worst, it can and does, make one lazy- plus it also prevents as well as erodes basic research skills.

One of the key goals of “research” is to develop the ability to understand artifacts, relics, and documents and then make links between multiple sources, and then make inferences and analyses that can be applied to Reenacting and Living History.

This can only be achieved through the process of selecting, viewing and analyzing “reference material” both “in person and in the flesh“ as well as through shared research, interpretation, analysis, inference, and application to our impressions and personae.

The Internet should be seen as a research tool, not a research substitute.

On to the Project then…

This is just a constructed “project’ to illustrate research methods and techniques. It is not intended as an exhaustive or definitive study on the topic…

Part 1: “The Idea”

This is a made up exercise. Any similarities between me and any and all reenacting or living history units with my name, or the name of “Company “B” of the 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry,” is used here for instruction only and bears no connection or intentional or unintentional coincidences to persons or units real or imagined.

Background: I am a member of Company “B” of the 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, a “PM” (Progressive Mainstream) unit. Our impression is of Company “B” during Gettysburg in July 1863. Our unit standards call for cartridge box plates and waist belt plates sold by Sutler Sam’s Skinner Mercantile. I want to be more authentic, and suspect that the Pakistani plates are not historically correct in the first place, and not correct for Company “B,” at Gettysburg in 1863 in the second place.

Part 2: “Literature Search”

What does the printed and on-line “literature” reference materials say about this topic?
Are there books on the 116th PA?
Are there papers on the 116th PA?
Are there for a postings on the 116th PA?

Part 3: "Form a Hypothesis"

This involves doing some critical thinking and condensing things down to a simple statement of “belief.” To “get there,” one needs to look at a variety of questions, such as, but no limited to:

1. What manner of plates was Company “B” of the 116th PA using at Gettysburg on July 1, 1863?
A. What did they look physically look like (materials, pattern, form, dimensions, markings, etc.),?
B. Who made them? Where did they come from (arsenal, contractor)?

2. What manner of plates does the recreated Company “B” of the 116th PA use now?
A. What do they look physically look like (materials, pattern, form, dimensions, markings, etc.)?
B. Who made them?

One’s “Thesis Statement” is like a declaration of your belief. The main portion of one’s research will consist of evidence, inferences, and arguments to support and defend this belief.

After reviewing the “literature” and the research of others (if there is any), after looking at a number of ideas, notions, observations, and questions- I (as a member of Company “B,” of the 116th PA have the following hypothesis to research:

I believe that the cartridge box and waistbelt plates now being used by Company “B” of the 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry are not historically correct for Company “B” of the 116th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry during Gettysburg in July of 1863.


Part 4: "Setting the Stage To Prove or Disprove the Hypothesis"
Getting to the “actual physical research.”

My “literature search” turned up nothing on Company “B,” of the 116th PA in regards to their accoutrement plates.

However, a review of Sydney Kerksis’s PLATES AND BUCKLES OF THE AMERICAN MILITARY 1795-1874, and Michael O’Donnell and J. Duncan Campbell’s AMERICAN MILITARY BELT PLATES has given me a basic understanding of the “evolution” of waist belt and cartridge box plates from Prewar “large flat ovals” to “medium flat ovals” to “medium convex ovals;” as well as from “puppy paw” studs to “arrowhead” studs.

A search of modern day maker and vendor/sutler offerings, over the past 30 years, shows:

1. Some 90% of the plates are of a mid to late 1863 “medium convex oval” with arrowhead stud, design as typified by Kerksis Figure 32, or O’Donnell & Campbell’s Plate 507. This is the MOST commonly found CW Reenacting plate.

Hobby lore states that these are struck from original Civil War dies.

2. Some 8% of the plates are of a similar design, but one that is “softer” and does not match any known surviving plate. These are modern Pakistani copies being sold at the same prices as the better made plates as in No. 1 above, to boost sutler profits.

3. Some 1% or less of the plates are of a correct Pre War and Early War “large flat oval” design. These are more often found among the H/A end of the CW Community and are now being featured on the accoutrements made by the “premium” makers. Some of these also now include arsenal or contractor stamps- a feature not found on No. 1’s.

4. Some 1% or less are No. 2 above but with epoxy filler instead of being lead backed- marketed to reenactors concerned about toxic lead exposure.

Percentages do not add up to 100.

The “primary, secondary, and tertiary literature and relic searches” shows that No. 1 “style” plates, “medium convex ovals with arrowhead studs,” are a mid to late 1863 item (and contractors still made the earlier versions into 1864).

The “primary, secondary, and tertiary literature and relic searches” shows that No. 3 “style” plates, “large flat ovals with ‘puppy paw’ studs,” are a PreWar and Early War well into 1863.

Since I cannot yet find conclusive evidence what Company “B,” 116th PA Volunteers had at Gettysburg in July 1863, I will look to the PEC Concept (Plain, Everyday, and Common) to hope to find a plate that is “more probable” than a late 1863 to 1864 plate that would not have been there at that time.

I will use the relic and artifact “pool” housed at modern-day Gettysburg to provide the answers. Perhaps in the various collections on display there, will be documented Company “B,” 116th PA Volunteers plates. Failing that, the artifacts and relics should help determine what was PEC versus what came later and would not be probable let alone possible.

Here in Part 2 “Proving or Disproving the Hypothesis” and “Applying the Research Results.” we will finish it up.

Before going to Gettysburg to review the relics (a surviving item or article with unknown, or unproven” historical and archaeological provenance and context) and artifacts (a surviving item or article with known, or documented historical and archaeological provenance and context) pool, a few “caveats” are in order:

1. Any museum may have relics and artifacts. Public and private collections at a particular battlefield or historical site may contain relics NOT from that location and time. Over the years, people donate(d) items from all over the country that are “Civil War.” Curators may add “non site” and “non period” relics, as well as reproductions (done with or with standards, or done to the contemporary “state of the art” at that moment in time) to further the “story” or “enhance” the visual or interpretive presentation.

2. Battlefields often are more “relic” based. Meaning, local citizens on the battlefield immediately after the battle start randomly “picking up souvenirs and mementoes” that are not documented to troop locations. Descendents often add “family lore” and “history” to what their great grandfather told them about how and where he found an item when they were kids 70 years ago.

3. Relics and artifacts tend to be found by locals and “amateurs,” and their provenance is later added by “experts” who know that such-and-such a unit was at such-and-such a place at such-and-such a time….

4. Relics in reference books rarely have known historical or archeological provenance (some do, most don’t). They have been sold and traded for 140-some years from all over the country and back again.

The relics and artifacts collected at Gettysburg in the past nearly 141 years offer a unique “snapshot” of the items in use by the Army of the Potomac for July, 1863.

The “random” nature of the finds, from different portions of the battlefield, help to establish a certain measure of research “R & V” (reliability and validity) and help to insure/ensure that the items did not come from just ONE AOTP unit that might be an aberration or unusual with rare and unusual items.

Part 5: "Gathering the Data"

The method for gathering data is the simple viewing of numerous “Relic Boards” and “Relic Frames” at Gettysburg, and the finding of cartridge box and waistbelt plates. These are examined as to the type (as researched in Part 1).

The raw data showed:

12 “large flat U.S. ovals”
4 “medium convex U.S. ovals,” (one, with puppy paws, assigned to a Wisconsin regiment and found on a fence on July 4, 1863)
1 “small U.S. oval”
0 “medium convex U.S. ovals with arrowhead studs”

Part 6: "Interpreting the Data"

Based upon the data:

1. the common federal plate at Gettysburg was the PreWar/Early War
“large flat U.S. oval.”
2. The post 1862ish “medium convex U.S. oval with puppy paw studs” is present in 1/3 of the relic/artifact pool.
3. The “medium convex U.S. oval with arrowhead studs” was not found in the relic/artifact pool for the Army of the Potomac for Gettysburg in July 1863. (Which supports the Fall or late 1863 believed introduction.)

Part 7: "Applying the Data"

While I was not able to uncover any research or documentation on what plates Company “B,” 116th PA Volunteers had at Gettysburg in July of 1863, I can infer from the data, with a strong factor for Reliability and Validity, that:

1. They did not use the “medium convex U.S. oval with arrowhead studs” being used
by the vast majority of reenactors.
2. They did not use the Pakistani reproduction “medium convex U.S. oval with arrowhead studs” or Pakistani “medium convex U.S. oval with puppy paw studs”
3. They likely did not use the “medium convex U.S. oval with puppy paw studs,” although may have (further research and documentation being required)
4. Based upon PEC concepts, they likely used the PreWar/Early War
“large flat U.S. oval.”

Based upon my research, for my impression and persona, I will seek out a vendor who makes a historically correct PreWar/Early War “large flat U.S. oval” as they were in common usage at Gettysburg in July of 1863.

And, I will continue to research to gain more knowledge of what I should be using, and will update and upgrade as further research comes to light.

Once again, this has been a classroom exercise in really basic research, that anyone can do.

Any similarity or findings in fact between this exercise and actual Civil War research and item/article usage is strictly coincidental. Or is it?


http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/links/browselinks.php?c=15 for more Research Links.
 
I have seen reprints of Regimental histories at the Visitors Center in Gettysburg.

A quick search of the Internet brings up two possibilities.

Here is one source of books on Regimental histories, http://tomfolio.com/mall/claytonthompson/searchresults.asp

or another possibility is:

Massachusetts Civil War Regimental
Histories Book Collection on DVD : http://www.thehistoricalarchive.com/products/c531.html

another interesting web site is:
https://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/58th_Regiment,_Massachusetts_Infantry
 
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