Union wearing cs uniforms.

[deanbramell]

I have heard many accounts of US cavalry wearing cs jean wool jackets. They simply thought it was lighter. Can you con firm this is true?

 

[Bob Owen]

I haven't heard of this, but could see problems if they did!

 

[PartywithArty]

i dont know about that..Sounds like "re-enactorisim"

 

[DixieRifles]

I'm reading a short history of the Battle of Brice's Crossroads. When the Union infantry came up to relieve Grierson's cavalry, they saw troops in front of their line wearing Blue and a few wearing Butternut. They wondered Why were our guys wearing butternut. Turned out it was Confederates wearing liberated Union uniforms and they got the surprise of their life.
These were cavalrymen of Col. Bell's brigade and this seems to agree with the biography of Bell, where he said his men took Union blue uniforms for their use.

 

[leftyhunter]

In Mo it was not uncommon for both sides to pretend to be the other to see who was aiding the enemy. Overall from what I read about the insurgency in Mo and Ar the CSA partisans wore Union uniforms has much has possible to fool Union troops with some success.
Leftyhunter

 

[Republican Blues]

Never heard of it in the field, but prisoner accounts tell of some picking up Cornfed jackets just to have something to wear

 

[ole]

In Missouri, and other contentious areas, you didn't know who was Yank or Reb by uniform. It seemed to be a matter of, "Dammit George, Ima gonna plug ya."

 

[johan_steele]

I have heard many accounts of US cavalry wearing cs jean wool jackets. They simply thought it was lighter. Can you con firm this is true?

Reenactor Moonshine. I've worn a Sack Coat in 100 + heat and survived just fine.

 

[unicornforge]

The word-of-mouth reenactorisms that I have heard over the years.... well I just end up shaking my head. At just about every reenactment/living-history event, I hear weird stuff that I am simply amazed that anyone would believe. People will purchase a period uniform and become instant "experts" and then say the silliest things. I just mailed out two more "gift copies" of my book as part of my battle against reenactorisms.

I might note that blacksmiths at Civil War events are feeling increased pressure around here to be more accurate in clothing, equipment and presentation, as more people become informed due to reading my book. ;-)

 

[deanbramell]

I accually read this imformation in a book on uniforms.

 

[unicornforge]

I accually read this imformation in a book on uniforms.

Just because it is in a book doesn't necessarily mean that the information is correct. A gentleman recently wrote and published a book on "traveling forges" that is so inaccurate that reading it came close to triggering my gag reflex. He apparently included an unfortunate amount of reenactorisms that he heard word-of-mouth into his book so now those reenactorisms will likely become part of our country's history.

 

[johan_steele]

I can think of only one instance where US troops wore any part of CS uniforms, at the tail end of the Carolinas Campaign elements of the AoT ended up w/ CS manufactured trousers that had been held for NC troops. But I've never read of US troops wearing CS jackets.

 

[Baggage Handler #2]

Not exactly what you're looking for, but ...
http://lawrencecountyohio.com/civilwar/narrowescapes/NE1.html

"We had been on the go so much that our blue uniforms were dust-colored and about as gray as the rebels'. "

And
http://lawrencecountyohio.com/civilwar/narrowescapes/NE2.html
on a scout, intercepted by Mosby's troops: "I got into the road among the last, the rebs all around me and after me. I had on a rebel uniform and that's what saved my head, just then. "

Others from the same set of newspaper articles:
Charles Shelton: "at the battle of Waynesborough I lost my cap and found that white hat. That night after the fight was over, I changed my muddy pants for a rebel pair that was dry and clean. These I had to keep for some weeks as we were on the go all the time."

Maj McMahon: "The entire regiment, Col. Powell in command, went to Lewisburg to attract the attention of the enemy, and at Meadow Bluff the 100 cavalrymen in command of Lieut. Col. Paxton, took off southward. I was with the raiders and we left the main body of the cavalry at 10 o'clock at night, reaching Edgar's ford of Greenbrier river, at daylight."
"Before we got there, however, I suggested to Col. Paxton, that we should pull off all the brass on our uniform and coyer ourselves with our gray blankets, for if we didn't, we wouldn't last two hours after we crossed the Greenbrier. The suggestion was at once adopted, and well was it, for across the ford we ran into a rebel camp, that was just hustling about getting an early breakfast. But we kept off to one side, within talking distance however, and some of our boys exchanged words with the confeds. They holloed, "What cavalry is that?" and one of our boys responded, "Clarkson's cavalry--been down about Gauley on a raid." "

And way off topic but buried in that mess, this account by Peter Kringley of his experience at Shiloh:
"We formed this time in the timber. Myself and three others were separated a short distance from the regiment. There was an open field between us and the rebs in the woods opposite. We saw a horse-man ride in the edge of the field opposite us. We fired all four of us at once, and Albert Sidney Johnson fell. We did not know who killed him but it was one of us. The rebels tried to flank us on both sides, but we repulsed them both times and held our ground till night.""

The link:
http://lawrencecountyohio.com/civilwar/narrowescapes/narrowindex.htm

 

[ole]

We fired all four of us at once, and Albert Sidney Johnson fell.

Makes a nice story, but Sid didn't fall. By all accounts I've read, he bled out in the saddle.

 

[Baggage Handler #2]

Makes a nice story, but Sid didn't fall. By all accounts I've read, he bled out in the saddle.

Yeah. Maybe they meant fell as in "was felled." Who knows.

Another - this time from a flat-out spy:

I was dressed in a very handsome Confederate uniform, with insignia of Captain. We were mounted on a pair of magnificent Black Hawk Morgan horses, and proceeded up the valley on a back road which ran along the foot of the mountain on the west side of the valley, some 20 miles; then started up the mountain on a road crossing in a south-west direction to Moorsfield." "Arriving at the top of the mountain we turned south on a road leading through a beautiful little cove, six or eight miles long in the direction of Brock's-Gap. After leaving Moorsfield four or five miles in our rear, we came to a large log-house that looked inviting, for dinner, and horsefeed. Riding up in front of the house, several women and children made their appearance manifesting astonishment and delight at the fine appearance of our horses, which, notwithstanding they had carried us for nine hours, without being fed, were in excellent condition, and with arched necks and distended nostrils were impatiently pawing the ground. We inquired the whereabouts of Capt. Wilson, who, although we were not anxious to meet, (as he bore the name of being an exceedingly blood-thirsty hater of the Yankee,) we expected to meet somewhere on the route to Brock's-Gap; was informed that he might be expected to pass over that road any hour and after a few interrogatives on the part of the ladies as to what command we belonged to, were invited to dinner and to feed our own horses as the man of the house was in the Confederate army. We fed our horses in a large trough made from a hollow tree, 75 or 100 yds. from the house; entered the house, took seats and from the savory smell proceeding from the kitchen, anticipated momentarily an invitation to a good dinner. I was just in the act of picking up a Richmond paper, when a man sprang through the open door, with a double-barrel shotgun in his hand, followed by over half dozen bushwhackers armed with rifles and shotguns. I was seated within a few few feet of the door which they entered, leaning against the wall with my right side to the door. On my left side, Mr. Dove was sitting with a small stand table between us. The leader about-faced placed the muzzle of the gun against my breast drew back both hammers, and looking me right in the eyes, began the most wild, wicked, tirade of abuse to which I ever listened, cursing me for an abolition Yankee S.-B. and spy, threatening to blow my heart out--gave me two minutes to say my prayers. By the time he had fixed the limit for my prayers, he appeared out of breath, and as I had kept my eyes fixed on his from the start with a smile on my face and without moving a muscle,--he dropped his eyes. I felt confident from the start but knew when he dropped his eyes that I was the master of the situation. Breaking out in a laugh, I very innocently inquired if he shut his eyes to shoot. The women began screaming and begging him not to shoot. I commanded silence in a voice that might have been heard half a mile. Looking around at my comrade, I saw that he was white as the dead, and with a little laugh I said "Wilson, take your gun down. You have frightened him." Removing his gun, he inquired with an oath, "how I knew his name was Wilson." I answered, "We met an old man Hannon, back here on his way to Woodstock, with some applejack and he told us if we met Wilson on the road, the d---n fool would shoot me if he saw the U.S. on my horse. I think you are the man. What lunatic asylum did you escape from?" In tempting me with an oath, he asked "What I was doing with a Yankee hoss?" I answered, "You lunatic, what would you do with him?"

 

[1SGDan]

The "Butternut Guerillas" did exactly that. Do some research on the western theater and find out how these Union troopers affected a campaign.

 

[Borderruffian]

The Jessie Scouts regulary wore CS uniforms.

http://www.jessiescouts.com/Jessie Scouts Home.html