Uniform books we need written?

[major bill]

Books that describe both Union and Confederate uniforms are numerous. One of the problems being many books simply rehash the uniform information found in other books. However, some Civil War uniforms subjects are not well covered by existing books. So what books would we like to see?

I think the first book would be one that fully covers uniforms of the Confederate Navy. Their are some books that give some information about the uniforms of the Confederate Navy but most have little information not found in American Military Equipage 1851-1872 by Frederick P. Todd. I love Todd's book and often use it, but it was published in 1974 and is getting a bit dated. Additional information and additional images of Confederate Navy uniforms must have been found since 1974. The down side is there may not be enough information for the definitive book on this subject.

Ron Field covered Confederate state uniforms fairly well in his 6 volume The Confederate Army 1861-65 published by Osprey Publishing. The main shortcoming is the typical lack of endnote sources in Osprey Publishing books. We could use the same treatment for Union state uniforms. Mr. Field could do the same by writing 8 or 9 volumes on this subject for Osprey Publishing, but again we would lack the needed endnote sources. Mr. Filed did a good job for some Union states in, ,Rally Round the Flag 'Uniforms of the Union Volunteers of 1861 but this books only covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, and Maine. Ron Field could do the remaining Union states but if he did so the depth as in Rally Round the Flag, it would have to be at least two volumes.

What Civil War uniform subjects that need a book am I missing? There are also some books needed about Civil War equipment.

 

[Tailor Pete]

While probably a bit esoteric for most, a book on the uniform fabrics of the two combatants would be a GREAT addition to any library.

 

[mofederal]

I personally would like to see a book about Missouri Federal and Confederate uniforms 1861-65. I would also like to see a separate volume about Missouri Confederate Guerrillas. A personal bias on my part.

 

[Package4]

Books that describe both Union and Confederate uniforms are numerous. One of the problems being many books simply rehash the uniform information found in other books. However, some Civil War uniforms subjects are not well covered by existing books. So what books would we like to see?

I think the first book would be one that fully covers uniforms of the Confederate Navy. Their are some books that give some information about the uniforms of the Confederate Navy but most have little information not found in American Military Equipage 1851-1872 by Frederick P. Todd. I love Todd's book and often use it, but it was published in 1974 and is getting a bit dated. Additional information and additional images of Confederate Navy uniforms must have been found since 1974. The down side is there may not be enough information for the definitive book on this subject.

Ron Field covered Confederate state uniforms fairly well in his 6 volume The Confederate Army 1861-65 published by Osprey Publishing. The main shortcoming is the typical lack of endnote sources in Osprey Publishing books. We could use the same treatment for Union state uniforms. Mr. Field could do the same by writing 8 or 9 volumes on this subject for Osprey Publishing, but again we would lack the needed endnote sources. Mr. Filed did a good job for some Union states in, ,Rally Round the Flag 'Uniforms of the Union Volunteers of 1861 but this books only covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, and Maine. Ron Field could do the remaining Union states but if he did so the depth as in Rally Round the Flag, it would have to be at least two volumes.

What Civil War uniform subjects that need a book am I missing? There are also some books needed about Civil War equipment.

Headgear has largely been ignored from the Southern perspective, it is a problematic field, there were certainly specifications for military wear, but material constraints, many times prohibited those specifications, from being implemented.

 

[major bill]

Headgear has largely been ignored from the Southern perspective, it is a problematic field, there were certainly specifications for military wear, but material constraints, many times prohibited those specifications, from being implemented.

You are correct. Information about Confederate headgear can be found in many books but I have yet to see a book that analyses the subject in depth. There is probably enough scattered information to produce a good book on the subject but putting it together would be a major task.

 

[major bill]

I personally would like to see a book about Missouri Federal and Confederate uniforms 1861-65. I would also like to see a separate volume about Missouri Confederate Guerrillas. A personal bias on my part.

Ron Field in The Confederate Army 1861- 1865 (6) Missouri, Kentucky & Maryland does give some good information. But as I said in other posts these Osprey Publishing book lack source notes. The book does give some good information about the Missouri militia at the start of the War. Field's book may contain most of the available information.

Still new bits of information are always being found

The Federal uniforms worn in Missouri has not been well covered. Do you think both Confederate and Union uniforms should be covered in the same book? I do believe this is something I would purchase.

 

[GMSorrel]

Ron Field will be addressing some more states in an upcoming book to be released. Not sure when but he will be releasing Uniforms of the Union Volunteers Of 1861: The Mid-Atlantic States this year.

 

[GMSorrel]

Maybe not a book, but I'd love to see some type of mechanism to help ID Confederate uniforms. For example if I have a photo of a soldier that is wearing a black trimmed shell jacket with shoulder straps and 9 buttons, I'd like to have a cross reference to show me other pics of Confederate wearing jackets that matched that criteria. Now if I get an image I have to search through five Confederate Faces books, all of Ron's books, a few Portrait of Conflict books, as well as a few others to even try to find a similar jacket.

 

[major bill]

Identifying Confederate uniforms worn in photographs is a difficult task to be sure. Often it is not possible without some kind of idea what state the soldier was from.

 

[Klaudly]

Books that describe both Union and Confederate uniforms are numerous. One of the problems being many books simply rehash the uniform information found in other books. However, some Civil War uniforms subjects are not well covered by existing books. So what books would we like to see?

I think the first book would be one that fully covers uniforms of the Confederate Navy. Their are some books that give some information about the uniforms of the Confederate Navy but most have little information not found in American Military Equipage 1851-1872 by Frederick P. Todd. I love Todd's book and often use it, but it was published in 1974 and is getting a bit dated. Additional information and additional images of Confederate Navy uniforms must have been found since 1974. The down side is there may not be enough information for the definitive book on this subject.

Ron Field covered Confederate state uniforms fairly well in his 6 volume The Confederate Army 1861-65 published by Osprey Publishing. The main shortcoming is the typical lack of endnote sources in Osprey Publishing books. We could use the same treatment for Union state uniforms. Mr. Field could do the same by writing 8 or 9 volumes on this subject for Osprey Publishing, but again we would lack the needed endnote sources. Mr. Filed did a good job for some Union states in, ,Rally Round the Flag 'Uniforms of the Union Volunteers of 1861 but this books only covers Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Vermont, and Maine. Ron Field could do the remaining Union states but if he did so the depth as in Rally Round the Flag, it would have to be at least two volumes.

What Civil War uniform subjects that need a book am I missing? There are also some books needed about Civil War equipment.

I have been studying Confederate uniforms for at least 35 years, but in the last 10 (but maybe more) I focused on the naval ones just because there are many gaps. Doing research work is very exciting, not having everything already done. Todd's book is a good starting point, but deepening the subject, I discovered that it requires numerous updates and does not cover many ranks.

 

[major bill]

Todd's books are a bit dated. Still despite the mistakes the books are considered the classic study of Civil War uniforms. Still Todd only had the information he had found out about and new information about Civil War uniforms has been found since his books were published.

My real problem is that because so many others have used the information in Todd's books as a basis for their own work on Civil War uniforms any possible mistakes made by Todd has be repeated until it is now accepted as fact.

 

[Western Reserve Volunteer]

"That's not to Regs!: A Survey of Modifications, Mistakes, Personalizations, and Variations in Regulation Uniforms.", ie a book about all the marvelous weirdness of Civil War Uniforms what deals not with regiments with special uniforms but troops with regular uniforms who modified their uniforms, held on to older equipment when by rights it ought to have been discarded, Generals and the like who added minor flourishes to an otherwise by the book uniform (looking at you two, Custer & Sheridan), or uniforms made to the regulations that... don't quite actually correspond to them. We've got the title, now someone ought to go out a write it!

 

[Cpl. Smith]

I'd like to see one on union and or confederate marines. Not enough out there for either.

 

[CSuniforms]

I am writing right now a book that will cover the Armies in Missouri for 1861. I have notes on the Union and Secession side in Missouri Campaigns. The book will cover Booneville to Belmont and the Missouri State Guard forming up for Regular Confederate service.
Tom Arliskas

 

[major bill]

Sounds like an interesting book.

 

[CW Watch & Sword Guy]

Forgive me for asking a question that is only tangentially related to the OP, but I would imagine that the four most important sources of information for writing books about Confederate uniforms would be, in order of priority: surviving examples identified to specific units or individuals; photographs of same; printed regulations specifying uniform details; and contemporaneous written descriptions of actual uniforms. So my question is: About how many authenticated Confederate uniforms of known provenance are known to survive today? Are we talking about thousands, hundreds or scores? Are these primarily in museums, or are most in private hands?

I would imagine that many of the more colorful and distinctive uniforms used earlier in the war are especially scarce, as would be marine and navy uniforms. How many of these actually are known to have survived?

 

[tullock]

Another important source that I detail in my books are quartermaster requisition forms, which not only highlight amounts issued, but very often describe uniform types as well.

 

[CW Watch & Sword Guy]

Yes, that would be another source, but I'd still like to know about how many actual surviving examples of uniforms we are talking about.