Philadelphia made uniforms.

[major bill]

Can anyone help me find out the Philadelphia company listed below?


The 11th Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment/ May's Independent Infantry Regiment a.k.a. St. Jo Independent Regiment; was mustered into federal service on September 24 1861 in White Pigeon Michigan. They were originally formed as an independent regiment under the federal government. It would appear that the federal government supplied the uniforms. The federal government contracted with a Philadelphia company to make the uniforms. This firm went out of business after completing only part of the uniforms. The uniforms were then temporally lost in Pittsburgh. The only trousers that arrived at that time were for the sergeants. "When the uniforms came on Saturday, October 19, it was discovered there were trousers only for the officers, and a reporter wrote "If no more trousers come, the regiment may very respectably uniformed a la highlander." The War Department, Department of Detroit, contracted with Samuel Sykes & Company to supply the remainder of the uniforms. This included 500 coats. These were unlike the state issue five-button jackets and apparently what Samuel Sykes & Company supplied were frock coats. The cloth for these frock coats reportedly came from New York.

 

[bdtex]

Bump. Be great to hear any more info on this. Better still...a picture.

 

[major bill]

Five Detroit Merchant Tailors made uniforms for the first two Michigan Infantry regiments. A Grand Rapids merchant made the gray uniforms for the 3rd Michigan Infantry. After this the Detroit based Samuel Sykes & Co. them made almost all infantry, carvery and artillery uniforms for units forming in Michigan until the federal government took over the responsibility. Because May's Infantry was formed onside of the State control, the federal government was to provide and pay for their uniforms. Samuel Sykes made some frock coats for some Michigan regiments and when the Philadelphia went out of business Sykes provided the missing uniforms.

I have never been able to discover a photo that I am sure shows a Sykes made frock coat. There is a few photos of Michigan men in frock coats with strait cording on the sleeve cuffs instead of the normal pointed cording. I guess it is possible they are wearing Michigan made frock coats, but some of the frock coats supplied to the Federal Government came with this straight cording style.