Uniforms Ohio issued gray striped trousers.

[major bill]

In 1861 Ohio could not obtain sky blue kersey material. As a substitute Ohio issued gray cloth trousers and gray striped trousers. Were the striped trousers made from prisoner cloth? The Jonesville woolen factory in Jonesville, Michigan was a major producer of gray striped cloth for use by prisons. I believe that the Jonesville woolen factory sold cloth to Ohio for uniforms. Could this have been gray prison style cloth? Do the gray striped Ohio issue trousers have the stripes go up and down or horizontally?

 

[tbuckley]

The 17th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 3 Month, organized in Zanesville, didn't receive their uniforms until they got to Parkersburg, Virginia. According to a letter from a soldier of Co K to the local newspaper, the uniforms were gray with black trim.

 

[19thOhio]

The 19th Ohio had similar travels with the 17th Camp Goddard, Zanesville, Parkersburg, thus similar early experiences. I found no mention of uniforms, but they didn't like the "old Brown Bess" guns they first received.

 

[major bill]

It appears that four or more Ohio regiments received gray striped trousers so I am assuming there are photos.

 

[tbuckley]

It appears that four or more Ohio regiments received gray striped trousers so I am assuming there are photos.

The Osprey Publishing Lincoln's 90-Day Volunteers 1861 has a few pictures of Ohio soldiers in gray. A letter published in the Belmont Chronicle by a soldier of Co. K 17th describes the uniform as gray jackets, pants and caps. A friend who was doing research on the company said that the trousers had black trim.

 

[major bill]

So let us assume the Jonesville woolen factory was making gray striped cloth like the kind used to make gray striped prisoner suits as well as standard gray cloth. How hard would it be to switch over a loom from making gray striped cloth to a loom making regular gray cloth?

I have had problems believing that Ohio would want to want to issue trousers to her soldiers that resembled prison suits. Still I have no idea how the gray striped cloth would differ greatly from the gray striped cloth the Jonesville woolen factory sold to prisons.

Was the gray striped cloth?like what we associate with train engineers, being worn in 1861? I do not know when gray striped train engineer uniforms came in to popularity.