sailor cap

[major bill]

Both Union and Confederate sailors wore sailor caps. So some questions about sailor caps.

1. They seemed to have been worn by sailors for years before the Civil War. But what was the origin of this type of headwear?
2. Would a cap with brim or visor been more practical? The typical sailor cap did not shade the face, it did not keep water off the face.

 

[DixieRifles]

I know very little about navel history — or naval.
There was a local Navy Vet who wore his CS Navy uniform whenever he could. Their hat was NOT the typical white cap worn today. It was a soft hat like a beret with a sweat band. I think Donald Duck wore one.

 

[major bill]

I know very little about navel history — or naval.
There was a local Navy Vet who wore his CS Navy uniform whenever he could. Their hat was NOT the typical white cap worn today. It was a soft hat like a beret with a sweat band. I think Donald Duck wore one.

Yes, I was referring to the Donald Duck cap as a sailor cap. This style has been worn in many countries, both before and after the Civil War. The type of United States Navy was wearing in World War Two is often called the dixie cup cap. The dixie cup cap is worn by a few world navies.

 

[DaveBrt]

Both Union and Confederate sailors wore sailor caps. So some questions about sailor caps.

1. They seemed to have been worn by sailors for years before the Civil War. But what was the origin of this type of headwear?
2. Would a cap with brim or visor been more practical? The typical sailor cap did not shade the face, it did not keep water off the face.

A bill/brim/visor would have been in the way when climbing the rigging and could easily have been torn off aloft by the wind.

 

[ikesdad]

They're COVERS, not CAPS.

 

[Cpl. Smith]

A bill/brim/visor would have been in the way when climbing the rigging and could easily have been torn off aloft by the wind.

Yes, not to mention sailors were some of the hardest working men on the planet at the time of the civil war. Furthermore, it's just not practical to wear a wide brimmed hat while sailing across the ocean.

 

[WJC]

The "Donald Duck" cover (or 'flat hat') eliminated April 1, 1863 but continued to be issued until supplies ran out later that year. That style was copied from the Royal Navy, like so much of our (and the world's) naval uniforms and traditions.
A white version of the flat hat was first authorized in 1852.
The 'White Hat' so common throughout the 20th century and worn by junior enlisted today was first used in the 1880s.

 

[major bill]

A bill/brim/visor would have been in the way when climbing the rigging and could easily have been torn off aloft by the wind.

Perhaps, but the sennet straw hat, often tarred, had been worn for years by sailors. I assume sailors took off their sennet hats when climbing the rigging.

 

[Cpl. Smith]

Perhaps, but the sennet straw hat, often tarred, had been worn for years by sailors. I assume sailors took off their sennet hats when climbing the rigging.

I would assume that, it would certainly get in the way.