The Guerrilla Shirt

[major bill]

I know we have some people who are interested in the guerrilla war in Missouri and this older issue of Civil War History has an article about the Guerrilla Shirt that might interest some of you. The name is kind of deceptive. although the article does describe the style of the guerrilla shirts, the article mostly focus on how the guerrillas saw themselves as protectors of the wives and families and how the women supported the men in their lives by making them guerrilla shirts. The article does talk about some of the symbolism behind some of the embroidery. So if you want to better understand the way that guerrillas saw themselves and why they fought the way they did, then you might find the article interesting. The article is a bit short on detailed descriptions of the various shirts.

Embroidered: red roses = love, daisies = innocence, violets = faithfulness, pansies = though and remembrance.

 

[cash]

T. J. Stiles gets into guerrilla shirts in his biography of Jesse James.

 

[Patrick H]

Or "Bushwhackers: Guerrilla Warfare, Manhood, and the Household in Civil War Missouri" by Joseph M. Beilein. It is a very interesting study of their interrelated families, their foodways, their horsemanship, weapons, and their style (over shirts, hat plumes, etc.)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1606352709/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

That's George Maddox on the cover and you can see a bit of his guerrilla over shirt through his open jacket.

Our fellow member Booner was telling me about the symbolism noted in the original post. That's new information to me. I imagine the symbolism was generally applied to floral embroidery in the day, and not just to guerrilla shirts. Nevertheless, it's interesting.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

I learnt about this a while ago, thanks to @Booner, and he gave me a great explanation about the embroidery.

Here is a rather unfortunate (post mortem) image of Bloody Bill Anderson:

This is what @Booner told me: "It's called a bushwhackers shirt and if the bushwhackers had a uniform, it was a shirt like this. You'll see this type of shirt in many of their pictures, some are embroidered, some not. The embroidery on his shirt was done by either his wife or sisters, and the flowers on the shirt tell a story. In the 19th century flowers different flowers meant different things, they represented a language. Flowers told a story of affection that one person would want to convey to another. Today we do the same type of thing when we give red roses to our wife or girlfriend, and yellow roses to a friend, (don't ever mess that up! trust me). For as viscious as Bill was, someone loved him very very much, his shirt tells us that. It may be in a language that we don't understand, but in the day an among his fellow bushwhackers and their supporters, the message was very clear to them".

I found this fascinating, and it adds a depth to the story of these men which I hadn't expected.

Also in the movie "The Outlaw Josey Wales" you see his young compatriot in an embroidered shirt, and the kid explains how his father embroidered the shirt as he had no mother to do it. I knew about this after Booner had told me and I thought it amazing that Hollywood went so far as to include this little known (to outsiders) fact about 'bushwhackers'. (just goes to show the 'devil is in the detail')

 

[Patrick H]

In the movie "Ride With The Devil", just before the gallop into Lawrence, one of the bushwhackers says: "Take off your coats, boys. Let 'em see who we are." And, of course, all the boys are wearing guerrilla shirts under their jackets. In the summer of 1863, EVERYONE on the Missouri/Kansas border would have recognized a guerrilla shirt on first sight.

 

[major bill]

Or "Bushwhackers: Guerrilla Warfare, Manhood, and the Household in Civil War Missouri" by Joseph M. Beilein. It is a very interesting study of their interrelated families, their foodways, their horsemanship, weapons, and their style (over shirts, hat plumes, etc.)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1606352709/?tag=civilwartalkc-20

That's George Maddox on the cover and you can see a bit of his guerrilla over shirt through his open jacket.

Our fellow member Booner was telling me about the symbolism noted in the original post. That's new information to me. I imagine the symbolism was generally applied to floral embroidery in the day, and not just to guerrilla shirts. Nevertheless, it's interesting.

I am sure the article in Civil War History quarterly is based on this book.

 

[Boonslick]

I am currently reading Beilein's, Bushwhackers right now. Everyone interested in Missouri guerrillas should own and read this book. I can't praise it high enough.

 

[AUG]

Note that the overshirt itself was not exclusive to bushwhackers; many different homespun designs and patterns were worn by civilians and were a popular "uniform" among early war volunteers in place of a coat or jacket. Though bushwhackers' overshirts/battleshirts tended to be more ornately decorated.

Here's Troiani's depiction of a bushwhacker, clad in a red v-necked battleshirt.

 

[Patrick H]

I've posted this previously in other threads, but it's very illustrative for Major Bill's thread. This is one of the lesser known Missouri guerrillas named Clifton Holtzclaw. Note the "claws" on his gauntlets and his bright guerrilla shirt. I don't know if the photographer hand tinted this image or if it was done more recently. Regardless, he's a pretty intimidating looking guy!

 

[MOBDEnut]

Clark, Hockensmith

 

[Booner]

I am sure the article in Civil War History quarterly is based on this book.

It should be, it's authored by the same person.
Thanks for posting about guerrilla shirts, I'm always interested in such things.

 

[Patrick H]

It should be, it's authored by the same person.
Thanks for posting about guerrilla shirts, I'm always interested in such things.

Dang, Booner and Major Bill, I missed that fact. Okay, the joke's on me! Yes, Major Bill, thanks for this thread. It's already producing new information for me. I'd never seen that picture of Clark Hockensmith. He died trying haul Quantrill up onto the back of his horse in Kentucky.

 

[Patrick H]

Cash said that the Stiles biography of Jesse James touched on guerrilla shirts. True, true. It was the first place I ever read about guerrilla shirts. Here's the photo of Jesse in his guerrilla shirt which appeared on the front cover. Note Jesse's very young age and almost childish face, but don't be fooled. He was a far more cold blooded killer than his big brother. Not only that, he had already come under the influence of the vicious, twisted Little Archie Clements. Note, too, Jesse's plumed hat and at least three Colt revolvers. He's probably all of 16 or 17 years old in this picture. Maybe as young as 15. He was an extremely effective and ruthless guerrilla cavalry man by the summer of 1864. Contrary to the myth he and John Edwards created years later, he was never the Robin Hood of old Missouri.

 

[MOBDEnut]

@Booner https://civilwartalk.com/threads/the-guerrilla-shirt.26529/

 

[Booner]

Cash said that the Stiles biography of Jesse James touched on guerrilla shirts. True, true. It was the first place I ever read about guerrilla shirts. Here's the photo of Jesse in his guerrilla shirt which appeared on the front cover. Note Jesse's very young age and almost childish face, but don't be fooled. He was a far more cold blooded killer than his big brother. Not only that, he had already come under the influence of the vicious, twisted Little Archie Clements. Note, too, Jesse's plumed hat and at least three Colt revolvers. He's probably all of 16 or 17 years old in this picture. Maybe as young as 15. He was an extremely effective and ruthless guerrilla cavalry man by the summer of 1864. Contrary to the myth he and John Edwards created years later, he was never the Robin Hood of old Missouri.
View attachment 144587

He was 16 at the time the photo was taken (summer of '64) and he and Archie Clement had their pictures taken at Platte City, Mo.

 

[Patrick H]

He was 16 at the time the photo was taken (summer of '64) and he and Archie Clement had their pictures taken at Platte City, Mo.

Thanks, Booner. Very nice photo of a little punk, wouldn't you say? I've seen several photos of Little Archie. I am not sure which one was from this same session. I have never seen a picture of Archie where he was wearing a guerrilla shirt. Do you know of any?

 

[Booner]

Thanks, Booner. Very nice photo of a little punk, wouldn't you say? I've seen several photos of Little Archie. I am not sure which one was from this same session. I have never seen a picture of Archie where he was wearing a guerrilla shirt. Do you know of any?

I've never seen a picture of Little Archie in a guerrilla shirt. Borderruffian some time back did a nice report on Archie, Anderson's Head Devil

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sou...iOATAT&usg=AFQjCNFXfrs2gaJp7CnzSAI35A094le40Q

 

[Package4]

In the movie "Ride With The Devil", just before the gallop into Lawrence, one of the bushwhackers says: "Take off your coats, boys. Let 'em see who we are." And, of course, all the boys are wearing guerrilla shirts under their jackets. In the summer of 1863, EVERYONE on the Missouri/Kansas border would have recognized a guerrilla shirt on first sight.

I just saw that movie for the first time the other night and was extremely impressed by the impressions. The producers must have gone out of their way to hire historical experts on all aspects of weaponry and mid 18th century clothing. Usually you get the trap door Springfields and IW issued hat and trousers. The union uniforms were fairly poor, but all the leathers and weapons were correct.

This just might be a movie that goes into my must have category, for historical accuracy, which is rare.

 

[zburkett]

Package4 I disagree a little in that they had too manly brass framed revolvers. That said, I have just about worn out my CD and need to pick up a back up. Their history is about as good as you can make in a fictional movie.

 

[WJC]

I know we have some people who are interested in the guerrilla war in Missouri and this older issue of Civil War History has an article about the Guerrilla Shirt that might interest some of you. The name is kind of deceptive. although the article does describe the style of the guerrilla shirts, the article mostly focus on how the guerrillas saw themselves as protectors of the wives and families and how the women supported the men in their lives by making them guerrilla shirts. The article does talk about some of the symbolism behind some of the embroidery. So if you want to better understand the way that guerrillas saw themselves and why they fought the way they did, then you might find the article interesting. The article is a bit short on detailed descriptions of the various shirts.

Embroidered: red roses = love, daisies = innocence, violets = faithfulness, pansies = though and remembrance.
View attachment 144380



View attachment 144381

Thanks for posting.
I'd never heard of this....