The Common Civil War Soldier The American Battlefield Trust Traveling Trunk Program Lesson #1

Military Issued Hardee Hat Military Issued Mississippi Rifle & Bayonet Military Issued Frock Coat Military Issued Knapsack & Blanket Roll Military Issued Haversack Military Issued Canteen Notes for the Teacher: The Library of Congress and the National Archives have an extensive photo collection that teachers can use in the classroom. All of the items are available for free. Military Issued Brogans/Booties Figure 1

Union Jacket-AKA Sack Coat Military issued jacket also commonly known as a sack coat. Worn by enlisted men and non-commissioned officers, the jacket is unlined and made of wool. The jacket is adorned with four brass buttons. Notes for the Teacher: Enlisted man-a member of the armed forces below the rank of NCO. A non-commissioned officer (NCO) is a military officer who has not earned a commission.[1][2][3] Non-commissioned officers usually obtain their position of authority by promotion through the enlisted ranks.[4] In contrast, commissioned officers hold higher ranks than NCOs, have more legal responsibilities, are paid more, and often have more non-military training such as a university diploma. Commissioned officers usually earn their commissions without having risen through the enlisted ranks.[citation needed] The NCO corps usually includes all grades of corporal and sergeant; in some countries, warrant officers also carry out the duties of NCOs. The naval equivalent includes some or all grades of petty officer. There are different classes of non-commissioned officer, including junior non-commissioned officers (JNCO) and senior (or staff) non-commissioned officers (SNCO).

Confederate Jacket Confederate jean wool jacket. This garment would be used by enlisted men and non-commissioned officers, the jacket is unlined, and is adorned with four brass buttons. Many times the buttons were Union buttons sewn onto the Confederate uniform.

Jacket’s Continued Left- Right- A well worn and lined version of the sack coat. The soldier's coats would look this way after a year or two at war. Right- A Confederate style frock coat. This coat normally consisted of nine buttons and a split tail like a tuxedo in the rear. This version is kid sized and not to scale.

Union & Confederate Headgear Left: Union Forge Cap The most common types of hats worn by Union and Confederate soldiers was either a kepi or forage cap. The forage cap, also known as a bummer, allowed soldiers to remove their hat and place eggs, hardtack and other items into the top part of the hat as they foraged for food on the march. Right: Confederate Kepi Designed by the French Army, the kepi is a more compact version of the forge cap. While used more by officers, the hat was used by enlisted men in the North and South. Note the similarity to the modern baseball cap Union Forge Cap Confederate Kepi

Headgear Continued Top Left: Union officer kepi. Bottom Left: Union Hardee Hat- This hat was rarely used in battle during the war. The tall wide brimmed hat included a hat cord, plume, French infantry horn and a Jeff Davis style hat pin. Top Right: A fez used by troops known as zouaves. Zouave units fought for the North and the South. Bottom Right: Confederate officer kepi. Notice the gold Austrian braiding that denotes he is an officer.

Shoes-Known at the time as Brogans

Brogans Continued Brogans were worn by men in both the North and the South, and officers and enlisted me alike. The shoes were fully made of leather and sometimes included what looks to be a horseshoe on the heel. This is known as a hell plate, it helps to reduce wear on the heel and it also helps a soldier to dig into the ground with their heels when going up hill. The shoes were stiff and uncomfortable. Producers also did not make the shoes to fit the left or right foot. These shoes we straight cut.

Haversack The Haversack is essentially a Civil War soldiers purse. The outside of the item is treated to weatherproof the Haversack, and inside the soldiers would carry personal items such as a toothbrush, prayer book, food, etc.

Canteen The Canteen is an essential piece of equipment for Civil War and modern soldiers alike. The Civil War canteen was normally made of metal, with a wool cover, linen or leather strap, and a cork to plug the mouthpiece.

Coffee, Tin Cup & Hardtack Notes for the Teacher: Hardtack is a very hard cracker that is made of flour, water, and salt. Solders would often have to smash the hardtack with the butt of their rifle or boil the hardtack to make it soft and to kill the bugs that normally lived in the cracker. Civil War soldiers were coffee addicts. Anytime the soldiers had a chance to brew a cup of coffee they would. Coffee was to Civil War soldiers as cigarettes were to the soldiers of World War II.

Image Citations Figure 1- Private Albert H. Davis of Co. E, 9th New Hampshire Infantry Regiment in uniform, shoulder scales, and Hardee hat with Model 1841 Mississippi rifle, sword bayonet, knapsack with bedroll, canteen, and haversack. LOC Headgear-Dirty Billy’s Hats http://www.dirtybillyshats.com/