Thoughts on Civil War Navy cap?

[major bill]

I am away from my reference books. Is there a name for this Civil War US Navy cap?

 

[major bill]

Another Civil War Union Navy cap.

 

[RedRover]

The upper one is a cloth skull cap, a non-regulation headwear for Navy men. Here is a Union seaman wearing one on deck:

the regulation uniform from 1852 called for the wear of sennit straw hats, with or without black covers, and ribbons in muster dress. While at sea the men could wear thick blue cloth caps without visors.

During the war years, a large proportion of vessels evidently did not bother with the regulation uniform hats (white straw, worn with black "tarpaulin" covers in winter, which in the pre-war years the seamen themselves wove, covered, painted etc.) at all, but made up fancy "muster" versions of the cloth cap, usually with the ship's name marked on a silk ribbon etc. Alva Hunter of the Monitor Nahant, mentions mid-war having such a cap with his ship's name on it, as well as an "everyday cap" with no markings.

For example, here is George Geer of the USS Monitor, in a cap suitable for "muster"

Here are his shipmates on deck in the summer of 1862, in their regulation "everyday" caps.

While doing without the regulation hats, many crews met their spirit (calling for white or black headgear at the Captain's discretion) by making up white covers for their cloth caps, as worn by the crew of the Mendota on their fancy muster caps.

From the Uniform Regulations of the Navy revised Jan. 24, 1864, were little different from those of 1852.

 

[major bill]

A couple images of Civil War and post Civil War caps.

 

[RedRover]

A couple images of Civil War and post Civil War caps.View attachment 454131View attachment 454132

These are impressive examples, but these are "Caps" and not "hats." Hats have brims.

Here are some mid-1800s man-o-war's men in regulation "hats:"

 

[major bill]

Yes my photos show Naval caps not hats. This weekend was the Company of Military Historians annual convention. The convention has a best display contest and one of the display tables had a dozen Naval caps of the Civil War or post Civil War era. In the voting the Naval cap display won the Miller Award for best display. The attending "weapons" people wanted a recount of the votes.

 

[RedRover]

Yes my photos show Naval caps not hats. This weekend was the Company of Military Historians annual convention. The convention has a best display contest and one of the display tables had a dozen Naval caps of the Civil War or post Civil War era. In the voting the Naval cap display won the Miller Award for best display. The attending "weapons" people wanted a recount of the votes.

Ha! Hurrah for the Jack Tars and their fancy needle work!