The rebs were pretty motley in general evidently.
In the winter of 1861-62, the government could not provide for the soldiers, and in any case by law only provided a clothing stipend to the volunteer soldiers (for technically providing their own clothing). With the collapse of the economy under the blockade, etc., many States, localities, sewing circles, and individual families were relied upon to outfit the rebs. For example:
From the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, dated August 28, 1861:
Clothing our Soldiers All who can do should at the earliest possible day, make up something like the following for their friends and relatives; two pairs of pants, heavy brown or gray mixed jeans lined, if thought advisable with domestic. One roundabout, or army jacket of the same material, lined throughout, with side and vest pockets. It should be long enough to come some four inches below the waistband of the pants and large enough to be worn over the vest or outside shirt. One heavy vest of jeans, linsey or kersey; One overshirt [underwear], of some woolen or mixed goods, one or two pairs of drawers, as the case may require, two pairs of heavy woolen socks, one good blanket, or a loose sack coat; or hunting shirt with belt. [Tuscaloosa Observer, Tuscaloosa, AL, 8-28-1861.]
Another from the Clarksville [TN] Chronicle, pleaded to the ladies to supply:
"Brown jeans pants lined, linsey shirts, linsey drawers, yarn socks and blankets.
The color gray for the coats or jackets, which ought to be single breasted, but if gray cannot be had, any kind of woolen good will do."
For the Soldiers.—We publish the following schedule of such articles of clothing as
our soldiers are bound to have for the winter: One good country jeans coat or
jacket. Two pairs of pants, same material. Two good cotton shirts, heavy. Two linsey
pairs of good linsey drawers, (or other heavy goods.) Two pairs of good woolen
socks. One pair of first rate shoes." [Little Rock, AR, 9-12-1861.]
The 2nd Texas had some "uniform" clothing provided, evidently from US Army stocks left in Texas:
These uniforms being too much like those of their opponents, an effort was made to correct this before Shiloh, and they recieved a lot of uniforms from New Orleans just prior:
Hunt P. Wilson depicted many of the rebs at Pea Ridge a month before Shiloh in drab, whitish gray suits:
The result of the massive effort to outfit the troops through the winter resulted in anything but a military appearance generally. By the spring of 1862, the Confederates were described generally at, "No attempt at uniformity." The men were dressed in "
common linsey butternut and cotton suits of the commonest and coarsest materials."
At Shiloh:
"The Confederates came on in motley garb, varying from the favorite gray and domestic "butternut," to the blue of certain Louisiana regiments, which paid so dearly the penalty of doubtful colors. Over them were flags and pennons as various as their uniforms."
Manual of the Panorama of the Battle of Shiloh, Chicago, 1885, 5.
Confederate prisoners taken at Shiloh sent to Camp Douglas at Chicago were described:
"But I have not told you how awfully they were dressed. They had old carpets, new carpets, rag carpets, old bed-quilts, new bed-quilts, and ladie's quilts for blankets. They had slouch hats, children's hats, little girl's hats, but not one soldier had a soldier's cap on his head. One man had two old hats tied to his feet instead of shoes. They were the most ragged, torn, and worn, and weary-looking set I ever saw. Every one felt sorry for them, and no one was disposed to speak unkindly to them." [Draper, John William, History of the American Civil War, II, Harper & Brothers, New York, 1867, 167.]
The rebs taken prisoner at Fort Donelson, TN a couple months earlier were described as equally badly clothed.
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