Question About Confederate Hats

[DixieRifles]

Okay. Then when did they become popular in the CS army? Were they used early in the war because they were cheap? I thought most early Confederate units made an attempt to set a uniform standard at least for their regiment. So I was thinking most units began with a kepi and then replaced them with the beehive.

 

[AUG]

Trying to find that hat's not gonna be easy, the Confederate Army uniform was so irregular, all types of hats were probably worn by the soldiers, most just wore their homemade farming hats.

I believe I read that only about 25 percent of the soldiers in the Confederate Army wore military style forage caps and kepis.

Yeah, just take a look at these guys. ANV soldiers captured in 1864.
Expired Image Removed

Edit: Was taken at White House Landing, Va., June 9, 1864.
Posted larger version here: http://civilwartalk.com/threads/confederate-prisoners-at-white-house-landing-va.119526/

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

Okay. Then when did they become popular in the CS army? Were they used early in the war because they were cheap? I thought most early Confederate units made an attempt to set a uniform standard at least for their regiment. So I was thinking most units began with a kepi and then replaced them with the beehive.

They were popular A) Because that is what they brought from or got sent to them from home and B) Because the wider brim kept the sun, rain, wind off of their necks & faces.....a Kepi could not do that.....

 

[DixieRifles]

I have a few kepi's that I wear when I'm touring a battlefield. They are cool but can be uncomfortable if they don't fit just right or the top board sits on your head. I have been shopping around for miniature painted ACW figures and most of the Confederate figures are not authentic; especially the CS cavalry.

As a kid, I saw these slouch hats and wondered why all these soldiers adopted the Texas cowboy hat. Most of us aren't familiar with the headgear that was common among the civilians at that time.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

I have a few kepi's that I wear when I'm touring a battlefield. They are cool but can be uncomfortable if they don't fit just right or the top board sits on your head. I have been shopping around for miniature painted ACW figures and most of the Confederate figures are not authentic; especially the CS cavalry.

As a kid, I saw these slouch hats and wondered why all these soldiers adopted the Texas cowboy hat. Most of us aren't familiar with the headgear that was common among the civilians at that time.

I had a Confederate Kepi that I wore in college when I took my finals!!
I paint 15 millimeter ACW figures.....I have some with Kepis, but most have slouch hats.....I have painted over 1,000 figures.....Infantry, Artillery, Cavalry, officers....

 

[DixieRifles]

I looked for a photo of my figure. But instead I found this photo of a uniform. It is supposed to be authentic.

What would you call this hat? It seems to be taller than a Beehive.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

I looked for a photo of my figure. But instead I found this photo of a uniform. It is supposed to be authentic.

What would you call this hat? It seems to be taller than a Beehive.

View attachment 27817

Great pic!!....As with most hats, it would be generically considered a "slouch" hat....Again, "slouch" was a fairly common, generic term for many different "styles"......

 

[DixieRifles]

Back to the original post with the photo of the 3 Confederate prisoners. The hat on the soldier on the left looks more like what I would call a Beehive. The soldier on the far right is wearing a hat with a slightly different shape and I would just refer to that as a slouch hat.

The photo I posted was taken at the private "museum" in the town of Andersonville, across the street from the Prisoner of War Museum.

I bought this figure at the NPS museum. I liked it and thought it was pretty accurate.

 

[Nathanb1]

Yeah, just take a look at these guys. AoNV soldiers captured in 1864.
Expired Image Removed

You knew I was going to ask when and where.....

 

[AUG]

I looked for a photo of my figure. But instead I found this photo of a uniform. It is supposed to be authentic.

What would you call this hat? It seems to be taller than a Beehive.

View attachment 27817

Looks like a campaign hat to me, sort of like this, although maybe taller. A slouch, beehive, or campaign hat could all look similar or completely different, there were different shapes and sizes of all three. I can see either hat being referred to as a slouch hat or beehive as well, I am sure the names were interchangeable.
http://www.cowanauctions.com/auctions/item.aspx?ItemId=38960

 

[AUG]

You knew I was going to ask when and where.....

Edit: It was taken at White House Landing, Va., on June 9, 1864.
http://civilwartalk.com/threads/confederate-prisoners-at-white-house-landing-va.119526/

 

[DixieRifles]

Looks like a campaign hat to me, sort of like this, although maybe taller. A slouch, beehive, or campaign hat could all look similar or completely different, there were different shapes and sizes of all three. I can see either hat being referred to as a slouch hat or beehive as well, I am sure the names were interchangeable.

I just wasn't sure if it might be a USA issue from the Spanish American War and they attached a badge to make it look ACW.

 

[Cumpston1862]

Many of the soldiers both north and south considered themselves "citizen volunteers" even though they had enlisted and were mustered into the army. A man's selection of hat in the 19th century was a large statement of who he was and of his status. This translated into the type of hat many wore during the war in many ways too. Some wanted to look like soldiers, others wanted comfort and protection from the elements and still others wore whatever they fancied for their own personal reasons.

Think of it this way unless you have strict military regulations (and depsite that really) being enforced you can issue 100 of any type of hat and within hours those hats will be bent, rolled and modified to each man's personal taste.

Granted these men are of course USCT but look at the similar yet different way their caps are being worn and look. If you notice closely there are differences in brass, which side the buckle for the chinstrap is on and some seem to be wearing kepis rather than forage caps...etc...etc.

 

[Billy Yank]

Many of the soldiers both north and south considered themselves "citizen volunteers" even though they had enlisted and were mustered into the army. A man's selection of hat in the 19th century was a large statement of who he was and of his status. This translated into the type of hat many worn during the war in many ways too. Some wanted to look like soldiers, others wanted comfort and protection from the elements and still others wore whatever they fancied for their own personal reasons.

Think of it this way unless you have strict military regulations (and depsite that really) being enforced you can issue 100 of any type of hat and within hours those hats will be bent, rolled and modified to each man's personal taste.

Granted these men are of course USCT but look at the similar yet different way their caps are being worn and look. If you notice closely there are differences in brass, which side the buckle for the chinstrap is on and some seem to be wearing kepis rather than forage caps...etc...etc.

Interesting epaulets on these fellows.

 

[Texian]

I realize this is an old thread but, it still comes up in searches so it wants setting straight- and there IS a lot of confusion in it.
The original poster had this to say; I'm puzzled by a style of hat I see in lots and lots of ACW photos, but have never seen on a reenactor. That, as was correctly pointed out is a "beehive hat." One of many variations of the venerable slouch hat. He is correct that you don't see that specific style but, the soldier on left wearing it has it bent around to his personal satisfaction. Punched out, the crown might even be round. I can't even begin to explain that arrangement of the brim. First rain it will fill up till it softens and the pressure dumps it all down on him.

One commentator had this to say;

Also called a "plug" hat. Various names for the style, which was very common. Good protection from the elements. The brim curls up naturally as it was not flattened.

This quote is quite incorrect. The term "plug hat" first appeared in print in 1863 but referred to the silk "top hat" but was best known later in reference to the Derby or Bowler hat. In any case, it was directed to stiff crowned hats with stiff narrow brims. Not at all commensurate with the traditional "slouch hat."

For one thing, there was not one, all defining design of "slouch hat." The closest that can be said to that would be a low crowned had with a wide brim but probably not over 3 to 3-1/2" in width.

Another poster saith; Trying to find that hat's not gonna be easy, the Confederate Army uniform was so irregular, all types of hats were probably worn by the soldiers, most just wore their homemade farming hats. The Confederate supply system suffered from the system of government- As a confederation, the troops were all provided by the states which in turn were supposed to be supplied BY those states. Obviously, that left the Texas and Arkansas troops in Lee's army (among other non-Virginia units) in a world of hurt!
It was a Bring Your Own Hat affair. Some rough,old,boys,there. One Texan came to Virginia with a Hardee hat foisted upon him by his father. He last saw it rolling down Turkey Hill at Gaines mill and like many others, found himself wounded and hatless. (See "Val Giles Rags and Hope") But, the Texans were ever resourceful. Ine one case there was a train coming out of Richmond that slowed climbing a rise not far from the Camps. Some Texans hid in a brushy ravine nearby and when the train slowed, they jumped out and fired off their muskets. When everybody stuck their heads out to see what all the noise was about, other soldiers jumped up with branches and knocked off the guys hats. They managed this a couple of times till a trainload of politicians lost their hats and a guard was put on that stretch of road.* The whole point of this is to demonstrate that very often hats, like shoes, came from wherever you could get them.
* Hood's Texas Brigade; Lee's Grenadier Guard- Harold B. Simpson
Finally, there was a comparison to the "campaign hat." In it's earliest form, the "Campaign hat" was originally a civilian hat referred to as the Montana Peak hat. The Campaign hat did not come into use as military headgear until about the 1870s. Wikipedia is an iffy source for things but this seems a well founded review of the subject- (I only wanted to insert the link to the article here but twice it has rendered the link into the whole article. I don't know why. Sorry!)
The orig/poster was concerned that the hat seemed overly large. It isn't really, maybe it was just oversized for him? But as such hats go, it was basically a low crowned affair. He ought to see a Hardy hat! (see in this thread... http://civilwartalk.com/threads/3-easy-headgear-3-23-12.71076/).

I was a reenactor (back in the 1980s) and while not pointed, I think I can claim my hat to be fairly authentic... (see below) An original hat of a Tennessee soldier and mine. I have a small head and near as I could determine, my hat which came from a thrift store was a woman's hat of some decades back. It was still a bit loose and I have pages from a (reproduction) of a Harper's Weekly paper stuffed in the hat band. The star was of a type often attached to horses halters or bridles.

Concerning the beehive, it appears to be but one of many of it's general type. I cannot find any particular history of it on a brief search so I'll end this here.

 

[Youngblood]

""But, the Texans were ever resourceful. Ine one case there was a train coming out of Richmond that slowed climbing a rise not far from the Camps. Some Texans hid in a brushy ravine nearby and when the train slowed, they jumped out and fired off their muskets. When everybody stuck their heads out to see what all the noise was about, other soldiers jumped up with branches and knocked off the guys hats. They managed this a couple of times till a trainload of politicians lost their hats and a guard was put on that stretch of road.""

Now thats funny.

 

[major bill]

The term "campaign hat" is a post Civil War term used for army Fatigue Hats. These came in one than on style and the "Montana Crease" started around the Spanish American War era. The fist hat was the Fatigue Hat of 1866 also called the Indian Scout Campaign Hat. this was similar to the beehive hat. Next came the 1872 Fatigue Hat also called the 1872 Campaign Hat. Which had 5 1/2 tall crown (6 inches tall at the center) and elliptical brim being wider at the side and less wide brim at the front and back (5 inches at the sides, tapering to 3 3/4 inches front and back of the sides where it could be hook up and 4 1/2 at the front and back). Next came the 1876 Wool Campaign Hat. Next was the 1883 Fur Campaign Hat. Followed by the 1889 Drab Campaign Hat or 1889 Fur Campaign Hat. These were followed by several other models.

 

[major bill]

The 1872 Campaign Hat. It had an odd shaped brim and by modern standards and very attractive.

 

[AUG]

I get the impression that the Beehive hat, because it looks like a Smokey Bear, was intended to be a military style. Don't think I've ever seen a photo of a civilian wearing one. It looks weird to me because I see lots of potential empty space, like it might roll around on a man's head.

The 19th century "beehive style" was a typical civilian hat of the time period.... Actually I think "beehive" is just a loose term by reenactors referring to any slouch hat with a tall, round crown, but probably not what the soldiers themselves called it. To them it would just be any other ol' slouch hat or brimmed hat.

Some good examples in these photos. There really is no specific design, I think many of those could pass for a "beehive hat."

Soldiers of the 9th Mississippi Infantry at Pensacola, circa 1861.

Confederate prisoners at Camp Douglas, circa 1864.

 

[Package4]

Frederick Adolphus, has done incredible work along these lines and new information regarding "slouch hats" indicates that the ANV was heavily supplied by British Imports. He has used Thomas C Roche's photographical study of the Confederate dead at Petersburg. There are eight dead Confederates and all but one have virtually identical black wool felt slouch hats, indicative of British imports. There are other examples of these hats in private collections and as more information comes to light, it becomes apparent that the ANV was rather well supplied as late as Petersburg.

I recommend the study to anyone interested in what the Confederate soldier wore, Frederick enlarges the images, so that the detail is astounding. He looks at cloth weave, footwear, accouterments and the weapons, of these unfortunate soldiers.

http://adolphusconfederateuniforms.com/the-confederate-soldier-of-fort-mahone.html