Naval cap

[zburkett]

Yesterday if someone had asked me how much interest I had in navy caps I would have answered none. Can't say that anymore. That's what keeps me hooked on this forum.

 

[major bill]

Union sailors were also seen wearing Navy fatigue caps. These are rarely seen in photographs. The sailor in the center is wearing one.

These usually had a cloth bill and scalloped turn ups around the sides and back. It would appears this sailor's cap is a bit twisted sideways ad the cloth brim is off center.

 

[major bill]

These Navy fatigue caps were also seen with four flaps help up by buttons with the front flap shorter than the other three.

 

[Scooter_B]

Thoughts?
View attachment 311141

Unusual find

 

[Michael W.]

Thoughts?
View attachment 311141

The cap is a commercially produced enlisted Union Sailor's cap. The circular design in the center was sewn by the manufacturer. I used to own one. The gold star in the center and star pattern would have been sewn by the individual sailor. The white jumper (reproduced) is an example of the white summer jumper sailors could wear during the warm months. It was made of linen, with the collar being of jean material.

 

[Michael W.]

How common was it for Union sailors to wear the name of their ship on their cap bands?

Not typical. Caps did not come with the silk cap band, which bore the name of the ship. These were purchased usually from the ship's commissary of the ship itself. An example is the Cairo at Vicksburg NMP. One surviving silk band with "CAIRO" was found when the ship was recovered. And at that time, the "U.S.S." was not placed on the band.

 

[Tailor Pete]

According to United States, Chief of Naval Operations. "History of U.S. Navy [Enlisted] Uniforms." OPNAV [Office of the Chief of Naval Operations] Information Bulletin. 11 May 1981:

"The 1866 Regulations allowed a white sennet straw hat in addition to the white cover which was tied to the blue flat hat. It was found that the addition of a white cover did not provide coolness but rather added to the discomfort of the woolen hat in warm weather. This was the beginnings of a distinct white hat which would evolve through canvas and eventually the white cotton hat of recent times. To provide unit identification, which was so difficult in the myriad of ships that were commissioned, a hat ribbon specified to be 1 ¼" wide with the command's name in letter was prescribed. Commanding officers were required to insure that all lettering was the same size on all hats. Standardization was also carried through in size dimensions of the white hat and the mandate that all blue flat hats be uniform in shape and color."

This then places the hat on display as being post-war in origin. HOWEVER... we have all experienced CW Era uniform items adorned at a later date and used at reunions, so there is always the possibility, no matter how slim, that the hat IS a CW era hat, with the veteran's command added at a later date.

As for the jumper, regulations called for a white cotton drill with blue cotton cuffs and collar. There is no specification as to the material used for the cuffs and collar other than 'cotton.' Additionally, it was not uncommon for sailors to have their uniforms tailored, or to have new uniforms made by the ship's 'Sailmaker' from patterns kept on board every ship. The fabric for these clothes were to be supplied by the individual sailors, so fabric types often varied. As for the use of cotton denim, it is known that civilian use of such fabric dates back to the early 1850's, possibly earlier, so it is not out of the realm of possibilities that denim could have found its way in naval uniforms of the Civil War period.

While it has been stated in this thread that the jumper and jacket were identified as reproductions, the use of denim in no way makes the jumper any less authentic than others made without. Just wanted to put in my two-cents.

 

[Michael W.]

An example of the white summer cover on a period CW cap. This example has the tartan lining. It came from the former Paul DeHann collection.

 

[WJC]

The material just doesn't seem period. Photos I've seen show either dark blue wool or white 'duck cloth' USN uniforms. The standard USN 'flat hat', introduced in 1852, was made of wool cloth with an alternate white cover for summer.
I expect the CSN uniform was similar, but I know virtually nothing about CSN uniforms.
I'm looking forward to the answer.

 

[WJC]

As for the use of cotton denim, it is known that civilian use of such fabric dates back to the early 1850's, possibly earlier, so it is not out of the realm of possibilities that denim could have found its way in naval uniforms of the Civil War period.

Thanks for that new (to me) information that opens the possibility of this display being accurate.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

How common was it for Union sailors to wear the name of their ship on their cap bands?

Frequent but not universal.

The Union Shenandoah was a screw sloop of the two-ship Canandaigua class, built in 1861 soon after the Ossipee class (including the Hunley's victim, the Housatonic). She operated as a cruiser, searching for Confederate vessels in the Atlantic in 1863, then was with the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron, including both Fort Fisher bombardments. (This means there's at least a minor chance that the sailor who the cap belonged to could have been involved in the naval column attack on Fort Fisher.)

(She was named, launched, and commissioned years before the more-familiar Confederate cruiser was given the name.)


ETA: It occurs to me that Shenandoah served in the European Squadron just after the war, and I would tend to think that that duty, with all the attendant showing-the-flag port calls, may have occasioned an order to be sure that all the sailors were smartly turned-out... so if his cap hadn't had the name on it before, it was put on there then. So it could be immediately post-war, say pre-1870.

 

[major bill]

Some parts of this thread made me wonder about images of Civil War Naval uniforms. A sailor is wearing a cap with the ship name, how sure can we be that the photograph was taken during the Civil War and not say in 1868. How much did naval uniforms really change in the first few years after the Civil War?

 

[Billw12280]

@major bill even though I don't always comment, I always appreciate and enjoy your threads. I always learn something new or find interest in a topic that I previously dismissed as being of little interest. Please keep doing what you do.

I'll be following this thread to see what new information I can learn.

 

[Mark F. Jenkins]

Some parts of this thread made me wonder about images of Civil War Naval uniforms. A sailor is wearing a cap with the ship name, how sure can we be that the photograph was taken during the Civil War and not say in 1868. How much did naval uniforms really change in the first few years after the Civil War?

Sometimes it's a challenge. Usually, one has to look for other clues around in the background to help date the photo. Obviously, an image on a ship that was discarded or scrapped after the war is almost certainly a wartime photo, so identification of the vessel is an important clue.