Lee's army, May, 1864:
In early 1865 Allen C. Redwood visited his old friends of the 55th Virginia Volunteers of Lee's army in the lines about Richmond and Petersburg, and noted they may very little pretense of uniform particularly...
Gen. J.B. Gordon noted that General Lee was yet complaining of the scanty clothing provided to the troops into the spring of 1865, sapping their morale, etc.
In that period with Lee's army, only the arms-bearing men, on duty, were provided with new clothing when available.
The Army of Tennessee:
To the west, Gen. Johnston pressed to cloth and equip the Army of Tennessee as well as possible in the early months of 1864.
Phil Stephenson of the Washington Artillery recalled of the Spring of 1864:
The chaplain of the 5th and 13th Arkansas of Hardee's Corps was described in the customary "grey fatigue dress" of pants and jacket, but noted the soldiers of the Army of Tennessee were then "dressed every way, just about like the citizens."
For example, besides army clothing, the ladies of Columbus, Georgia expended great efforts...
Some Army of Tennessee prisoners, fresh from Atlanta, ca. mid-1864. Gray jackets and a few citizens' coats, etc. etc.
Hoods' Army of Tennessee, October, 1864:
"They were ragged and thinly clad, having as a general thing, only pantaloons, shirt, and hat in their inventory of clothing, the first too greasy and tattered, the last shocking affairs in multitudinous variety. As a general thing they were tolerably well shod, though in Stewart's divisions one of our officers counted over three hundred barefooted privates-Not more than one in ten had blankets, and much suffering must have ensued through the keen frosty nights now prevailing In the line distinction as to apparel, between the officers and the men, was nearly obliterated. Regimental discipline seemed loose, and privates appeared to comment upon the commands of their immediate officers with an unction and broadness of diction which was always been native to the taste and instinct of the highly polished, intelligent, and asthetick lower orders of the South, surnamed the sunny..."
Prisoners of Hood's army taken at Franklin, Nov. 29, 1864:
"All were ragged and dirty, mostly in butternut homespun, and nearly all wore black or gray slouch hats, several marked with bullet holes. Some of the older ones were silent and thoughtful, but the younger men were cheerful and apparently enjoying their captive life. They were congratulating themselves that their guns and accouterments, which had been tossed into army wagons, would be no longer a burden to them; there was an evident feeling of relaxation after the fearful ordeal that had so thoroughly tried their splendid courage. It was plainly noticeable in the faces of nearly all of them that they had lost heart in their cause; but there were exceptions, for some were still defiant and full of fight, as shown by their bold and dogged expressions"
Chaplain McNeilly of the 49th Tennessee, Army of Tennessee:
"When active service called for marching and fighting, all extras were discarded. My equipment the last two years was a blanket rolled up and carried across my shoulder, and it contained a change of underclothes. Then shoes would wear out, and toward the last we were almost barefoot. As to hats, their variety of form and material was marvelous. Mine was made of brown jeans quilted. It could easily hold a quart or so of water soaked in on a rainy day. Some of the wool hats issued to the boys readily lent themselves to various attractive shapes; by pushing out the crown it became a high, peaked sugar loaf shape, which was often adorned with artistic figures according to the owners' taste, capacity, and coloring matter. With charcoal and pokeberry juice he could produce wonders of beast and bird architecture, and if he could adorn the apex with a bright colored ribbon he was the observed of all observers. When it came to jackets and trousers, the least said is the easiest understood. They were conspicuous by their fluttering raggedness—jackets almost sleeveless and trouser legs a fringe of tatters. No wonder the old lady after the Battle of Franklin declined to give me supplies for my wounded until I produced evidence that I was really a chaplain, and her explanation was: "If I had been looking for a preacher, you're the last man I would have picked out." But I had abundant companionship in my disreputable appearance. Rags were the badge of the fighting Confederate."
Phil Stephenson, Washington Light Artillery, Army of Tennessee, 1865:
"These men of the ranks were soldierly men. True, not so as to dress! Ah, comrades, shall I set you forth before the people as you were in '65? The crown of your dingy old cotton-felt hat had an ample hole at the top through which a tuft of hair waved gently to the breeze, and its limp rim generally flapped down along your cheeks; your gray jacket was dirty, brown, and ragged, likewise your trousers which were also burned or worn to frazzles; your shoes were often minus, and instead thereof your feet were wrapped in rags! Ah, I see you now! And ought not you to be ashamed of yourself? No! O no, my comrade! A man's a man for all that! And you were men those days, and you have been men ever since!
So, too, as to drill and discipline! Alas! Those three "d's," drill, dress, and discipline, they were not our strong points! Nevertheless, we were not a mob!"
Army of Tennessee, April, 1865:
"I witnessed today the saddest spectacle of my life, the review of the skeleton Army of Tennessee, that but one year ago was replete with men, and now filed by with tattered garments, worn out shoes, bare-footed and ranks so depleted that each color was supported by only thirty or forty men. Desertion, sickness, deaths, hardships, perils and vicissitudes demonstrated themselves to plainly upon that old army not to recur to its history. Oh, what a contrast between the Dalton review and this one! The march of the remnant was so slow—colors tattered and torn with bullets—that it looked like a funeral procession. The countenance of every spectator who saw both reviews was depressed and dejected, and the solemn, stern look of the soldiery was so impressive…"
Captain Thomas B. Hampton of Company C, 63rd Virginia, of Palmer's brigade, Army of Tennessee, noted:
"I have never seen in life such dirty & filthy set of men something near half of the command has not changed shirts for 4 or 5 months & their pants are in tater[s.] well I hope they will get fit out a little better in a short time the Va soldiers [Army of Northern Virginia] that are going home on furlough look like Ball room champions by the side of our officers."
Some Army of Northern Virginia parolees, April, 1865:
Just as Johnston was surrendering his forces in North Carolina, that State provided the army a large quantity of army clothing, principally of English goods. This was only issued generally about May 1, as the army was surrendering. A northern commentator saw on May 2 that the rebs in camp were now "all comfortably dressed, the uniform being blue pants and gray jackets." The yanks were surprised that the confederate officers and quartermasters disregarded the comfort of their troops in the field and husbanded this clothing, and issued them as the army was being surrendered.
Similar in Florida.
Regarding 1864, Joshua Frier of the 1st Florida Reserves noted it was just as well they were serving a government that could not or would not outfit its troops in uniform, as he was certain that in coming across Union men in the woods while foraging he might have had a hard time. In the fall of 1864 Confederate commander in Florida Gen. William Miller noted the troops were in "sadly tattered clothes" with many barefoot. Miller: "I was directed to draw clothing and shoes from the Charleston district. In order to do this I repaired to Charleston and after many delays succeeded in getting an abundant supply of shoes and clothing for my command." This was not issued generally, but to supply the most destitute.
Sgt. F.C.M. Boggess of the 1st Florida Battalion of Special Cavalry at Brooksville, noted the regiment had a quantity of army clothing on hand carefully hoarded. After learning of Lee's surrender, the ragged men went to the quartermaster and demanded the clothing. He deferred until it was made plain they weren't interested in regulations any more. Boggess says it was a grand sight to see the boys don their new "kerseys and caps" in time to surrender.
From Charleston, SC, Conrad Chapman depicted the troops serving there in 1863-64. Evidently generally better clothed than CS troops elsewhere, often in suits of blockade run goods...
Confederate prisoners at Fort McCallister, near Savannah, Georgia, 1865.
A Union P.O.W. described Confederate soldiers in the deep South from December, 1864 was described as a gray jacket and pantaloons generally, etc.
From early 1865, a couple of jackets worn in Georgia. At left one traded to a Union prisoner from Andersonville while being sent to Jacksonville for exchange. At center, a somewhat similar garment worn by B.W. Adams of the 4th Kentucky Cavalry in Georgia when the war closed... also with non-metal buttons. At right Adams' cap.
Forrest's Cavalry Corps:
In the winter of 1863-64, much of Forrest's cavalry was furloughed homeward to rest and to procure clothing...
Same at the close of 1864 after Hood's Tennessee campaign...
In early 1865 a description of part of Forrest's Cavalry in "dingy gray jeans"...
Here's just such a "dingy gray" jacket made for Pvt. Oldham of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry of Forrest's command by his mother:
Trans-Mississippi troops. Fred Adolphus has written on this a great deal.
New Confederate Uniform Research by Frederick R. Adolphus.Fred has been passionate about the Confederacy since the early 1960s.
www.adolphusconfederateuniforms.com
Bringing the