Tintype Tuesday #26

[Manassas 1861]

Heres a young yankee drummer. I find it neat that heres wearing the uniform cap rather than the more common forage cap. Though the uniform cap does look much more snappy in photographs. LOC.

 

[RedRover]

Heres a young yankee drummer. I find it neat that heres wearing the uniform cap rather than the more common forage cap. Though the uniform cap does look much more snappy in photographs. LOC.View attachment 542986

Howdy. The lad is indeed wearing a hat akin that the Army regulations. Hats customarily have a brim, and cover the whole head. Caps don't have a a brim, or a partial one called a visor.

The army hat was indeed unpopular among many of the troops in active service in the field, at least in its regulation manner. Where worn it was often without the trimmings, and akin a common "slouch" hat, like this 14th Wisconsin drummer at Chattanooga...

the hat:

The forage cap...

The light artillery cap...

So that lad in the photograph is also wearing a uniform coat. Notice anything about it?

 

[iron bender]

Howdy. The lad is indeed wearing a hat akin that the Army regulations. Hats customarily have a brim, and cover the whole head. Caps don't have a a brim, or a partial one called a visor.

The army hat was indeed unpopular among many of the troops in active service in the field, at least in its regulation manner. Where worn it was often without the trimmings, and akin a common "slouch" hat, like this 14th Wisconsin drummer at Chattanooga...

View attachment 542991



View attachment 542987


the hat:
View attachment 542990

The forage cap...
View attachment 542988

The light artillery cap...

View attachment 542989





So that lad in the photograph is also wearing a uniform coat. Notice anything about it?

Looks like a standard army frock coat to me

 

[RedRover]

Looks like a standard army frock coat to me

Indeed. He's wearing an infantry private's coat instead of the regulation army musician's coat...

I've noticed over the years a large number of Union Army musicians, principally in the volunteer units, who evidently did not bother to draw the musician's coats, but wore the private's coats...

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Where worn it was often without the trimmings, and akin a common "slouch" hat, like this 14th Wisconsin drummer at Chattanooga...

Without a doubt, this is the oldest looking drummer boy I have ever seen! He almost looks too old to enlist, but I suppose if they accepted those who were too young, they could accepted the old men as well.

 

[RedRover]

Without a doubt, this is the oldest looking drummer boy I have ever seen! He almost looks too old to enlist, but I suppose if they accepted those who were too young, they could accepted the old men as well.

General Charles King, USA recalled...

However, there was no regulation that the musicians HAD TO BE under 18 years. They could be any age. And if a company had no boys to serve as such, any man would do.

 

[Manassas 1861]

@RedRover very informative! I never notice that many aren't wearing a musicians coat. Thank you friend.

 

[RedRover]

@RedRover very informative! I never notice that many aren't wearing a musicians coat. Thank you friend.

From 1862, this cost of army clothing notice says the musician's coats cost about 24 cents more than the private's coats. If nothing else, by drawing a private's coat instead of a musician's coat from Army quartermasters, a Union army musician would have saved that much of his clothing allowance.

Some more Union army musicians in privates' coats...

In this outfit, there are a couple of musicians coats, and at least one private's coat, besides jackets and fatigue blouses...

And some lads in the regulation musicians' coats...

Here's a photograph of US regular army Infantry musicians in Utah in the 1850s, with a mix of musicians and privates coats...

 

[Bruce Vail]

General Charles King, USA recalled...

View attachment 543051
View attachment 543052

However, there was no regulation that the musicians HAD TO BE under 18 years. They could be any age. And if a company had no boys to serve as such, any man would do.

View attachment 543053

Your quote from Charles King caught my eye.

800,000 boys of 17 or less served in the Federal army? Can that possibly be true?

 

[RedRover]

Your quote from Charles King caught my eye.

800,000 boys of 17 or less served in the Federal army? Can that possibly be true?

That was the customarily quoted statistic from the compiled data...

From 1908 the following compilation by John H. Greusel was published throughout the country...

It was generally accepted...

 

[Manassas 1861]

His coat also doesn't have scale mounts like many union frocks. Which makes me wonder if a soldier could draw a coat with or without mountings.

 

[Bruce Vail]

That was the customarily quoted statistic from the compiled data...

From 1908 the following compilation by John H. Greusel was published throughout the country...

View attachment 543077


It was generally accepted...


View attachment 543075

View attachment 543076

Wow. Thanks for this.

I need to look at this subject more closely.

"...the war of the rebellion was actually fought by boys." -- Now that's an uncomfortable notion!

 

[lupaglupa]

It's a wonderful image. I imagine he made it for his mother and I hope he returned home to her.

 

[RedRover]

His coat also doesn't have scale mounts like many union frocks. Which makes me wonder if a soldier could draw a coat with or without mountings.

The coats, like most army clothing, was shipped in tightly packed bales. The metal scales and mountings were evidently issued separately with the shoulder scales. The scales were not part of the soldier's uniform allowance, but were company property...

Complete Enlistedman’s Civil War Shoulder Scales / SOLD

uniondb.com

So it would appear that the Soldiers issued the scales by their companies had to sew the mountings on.

If their unit didn't bother about the scales, which was very common in the Union Army, then no point in bothering about attaching the hardware.

Here's a musician with the scale mountings on his coat:

But most Union troops, at least in active service in camp and field, seem to have been satisfied to do without them...

Union troops lived in barracks or fortresses often wore them, even when doing without the regulation hat...

 

[iron bender]

Love those five grunts with their brand new Enfields and English shooting leathers

 

[on again]

I saw a picture of this Union soldiers hat

Photos of PVT Charles Henry Farnsworth - Find a...

Charles Farnsworth married Margaret Marilla Griswold 24 December 1861 in Dover, Cuyahoga, Ohio. They had a baby girl, born approximately late 1862 and died when she was just three months old. We do not know her name, just Baby Farnsworth or her burial place. He played the violin and there is...

www.findagrave.com

Military or a civilian hat?

 

[RedRover]

I saw a picture of this Union soldiers hat

Photos of PVT Charles Henry Farnsworth - Find a...

Charles Farnsworth married Margaret Marilla Griswold 24 December 1861 in Dover, Cuyahoga, Ohio. They had a baby girl, born approximately late 1862 and died when she was just three months old. We do not know her name, just Baby Farnsworth or her burial place. He played the violin and there is...

www.findagrave.com

Military or a civilian hat?

He appears to be dressed in common citizens clothing in the photograph. A frock coat, with side pockets, and common man's cap of the period.

From the 1830s...

On down through the 1840s-50s and 60s...

Some New England clock makers in the 1850s, with some in common caps...