Undershirt

[Manassas 1861]

Would Union soldiers wear a white undershirt under a checkered or woolen shirt? Or just wear the shirt?

 

[UnionistMarylander]

They would just wear the shirt. On the matter of shirts, John Billings wrote of this in his Hardtack and Coffee:

To describe the flamboyant and showy officers and recruits who came to camp in custom, privately tailored caps, clothing, and boots:

But by and large Billings notes, it was the issue wool flannel shirts:

 

[captaindrew]

You'll want at least one correct Federal issue domet flannel shirt in your kit. If you do any campaigner type events it's usually required. You can wear a period correct undershirt underneath it if you want but will get quite hot in warm weather.

 

[RedRover]

The US Army standard issue shirt was made of scratchy "domet" flannel, in an unbleached white (repros. avail from South Union Mills, Wambaugh & White, among others etc. etc.)

They were rather disliked for being so coarse.

https://palmettoriflemen.org/Documents/Quartermaster/Shirt_TheFederalIssueShirt_SOsman.pdf

Having once employed a domet flannel shirt, I used to wear a cotton shirt under it for mere comforts' sake. There are alternatives. County Cloth (Chas.R. Childs) sells the issue shirt pattern. Making one out of 100 percent wool flannel might not be 100 percent authentic, but it would probably be passably tolerable.

Other options...

The Army also purchased large numbers of contractor made flannel shirts in gray, blue, etc. Probably more comfortable.

Contract Variant Federal Issue Shirt - Wambaugh, White & Co.

Based on an original residing in a private collection in southern Ohio, this shirt represents just one of the three different styles of shirts issued to soldiers throughout the Civil War. Wool flannel shirts were manufactured by contractors and some arsenals throughout the war, and quartermaster...

wwandcompany.com

The Army also purchased large numbers of woolen knit undershirts...

South Union Mills has some of this type made up from time to time.

Excelsior Wool Knit Undershirt

Excellence in Authentic textile recreations and straw hats

www.southunionmills.com

Where cotton or linen shirts were worn by the US Soldiers they were procured privately from sutlers, stores, home, or aid society distributions, etc.

Dr. Weaver reported that in exhuming and identifying Union dead at Gettysburg the undershirts were frequently the indicator where the bodies weren't wearing coats or jackets...

The wearing of flannel shirts was common in the period. From 1853, recommending wear next the skin...

Here's a check flannel shirt worn by Union Soldier Edgar Yergason...

General Barlow customarily wore check flannel shirt too... here evidently with a paper collar (he WAS a general!)...

A Union veteran, Musician Bardeen much later observed that he generally bought his underclothing outside of the quartermaster system.

....

Bardeen mentions an occasion when some well meaning folks back home sent some "boiled" white dress shirts with fancy bosoms to their camp. The men had a laugh and ripped them up to use as cleaning rags.

 

[UnionistMarylander]

The US Army standard issue shirt was made of scratchy "domet" flannel, in an unbleached white (repros. avail from South Union Mills, Wambaugh & White, among others etc. etc.)

View attachment 552159

They were rather disliked for being so coarse.

https://palmettoriflemen.org/Documents/Quartermaster/Shirt_TheFederalIssueShirt_SOsman.pdf

View attachment 552158

Having once employed a domet flannel shirt, I used to wear a cotton shirt under it for mere comforts' sake. There are alternatives. County Cloth (Chas.R. Childs) sells the issue shirt pattern. Making one out of 100 percent wool flannel might not be 100 percent authentic, but it would probably be passably tolerable.

Other options...

The Army also purchased large numbers of contractor made flannel shirts in gray, blue, etc. Probably more comfortable.

Contract Variant Federal Issue Shirt - Wambaugh, White & Co.

Based on an original residing in a private collection in southern Ohio, this shirt represents just one of the three different styles of shirts issued to soldiers throughout the Civil War. Wool flannel shirts were manufactured by contractors and some arsenals throughout the war, and quartermaster...

wwandcompany.com

The Army also purchased large numbers of woolen knit undershirts...

View attachment 552113

South Union Mills has some of this type made up from time to time.

Excelsior Wool Knit Undershirt

Excellence in Authentic textile recreations and straw hats

www.southunionmills.com

View attachment 552114


Where cotton or linen shirts were worn by the US Soldiers they were procured privately from sutlers, stores, home, or aid society distributions, etc.

Dr. Weaver reported that in exhuming and identifying Union dead at Gettysburg the undershirts were frequently the indicator where the bodies weren't wearing coats or jackets...

View attachment 552116
View attachment 552118


The wearing of flannel shirts was common in the period. From 1853, recommending wear next the skin...

View attachment 552122

Here's a check flannel shirt worn by Union Soldier Edgar Yergason...

View attachment 552123


General Barlow customarily wore check flannel shirt too... here evidently with a paper collar (he WAS a general!)...
View attachment 552124



View attachment 552130


A Union veteran, Musician Bardeen much later observed that he generally bought his underclothing outside of the quartermaster system.

View attachment 552131
View attachment 552134
View attachment 552135
....

View attachment 552147

Bardeen mentions an occasion when some well meaning folks back home sent some "boiled" white dress shirts with fancy bosoms to their camp. The men had a laugh and ripped them up to use as cleaning rags.

I've heard accounts of cornhusk, straw, wooden fibers and tree bark being woven into the issue shirts by contractors to pinch a few pennies... yeowch

 

[RedRover]

I've heard accounts of cornhusk, straw, wooden fibers and tree bark being woven into the issue shirts by contractors to pinch a few pennies... yeowch

Now that sounds really "shoddy!"

 

[captaindrew]

I've heard accounts of cornhusk, straw, wooden fibers and tree bark being woven into the issue shirts by contractors to pinch a few pennies... yeowch

That's what the domet flannel shirts feel like when you wear them, Rebs had better shirts

 

[Dan Kohli]

Here's a video on the subject of shirts of the Union Army.