Enlisted Uniform Guidelines for 21st Wisconsin Infantry
Introduction:
These standards are written based on writings of the men of the 21st Wisconsin, along with photographic evidence from 1862. We are attempting to emulate the appearance of this regiment on October 8, 1862 as closely as we can. Please feel free to contact the event organizers if you have any questions about these uniform guidelines or have any evidence from the historical record that would be helpful.
Coat:
PRIMARY - Uniform Coat. John Otto writes of this being the issued garment to the regiment. Original photos of Myron Boughton and M. A. Sanders in 1862 show both gentlemen wearing this style of coat.
The dress coat must be made of an indigo dyed wool cloth (broadcloth), a standing collar, skirt with two rear pockets, 1/4 inch padded black or brown polished cotton chest lining, cotton muslin sleeve lining, saxony blue/sky blue (not baby blue) piping or welting on collar, cuffs, and vertical piping or welting along the cuff split.
Eyes and hooks should be attached at the collar and corners of the skirt. There is no internal pocket in this coat, and there is no lining in the back of the coat body or the skirt.
Buttonholes shall be all hand sewn using blue, black, or logwood faded (brown) linen or cotton thread. Uniform coats must have nine 3/4 inch general service eagle buttons on body front, two 3/4 inch general service eagle buttons in back (above the skirt tails), and two 5/8 inch general service eagle buttons on each functional cuff. Stick to the four standard sizes of the Quartermaster Department if possible to create the proper look.
SECONDARY - Fatigue Blouse. If you do not have a uniform coat and are unable to borrow one for the event, fatigue blouses will be allowed as a secondary choice.
To be made of 5 ½ oz. indigo dyed wool flannel with a noticeable weave in the material. Correct square corner or kidney shaped breast pocket. Four ¾ inch general service eagle buttons attached by hand.
Fatigue blouses can be either lined (preferred) or unlined. Wool flannel lining can be tan, gray, brown, or blue with corresponding cotton muslin sleeve lining sewn in by hand.
Unlined coats should have hand flat felled seams.
All buttonholes shall be entirely hand sewn using blue, black, or logwood faded (brown) linen or cotton thread. Contract or Arsenal pieces are acceptable. Stick to the four standard sizes of the Quartermaster Department if possible to create the proper look.
Overcoat - OPTIONAL - Federal issue overcoats were issued to the 21st Wisconsin prior to the regiment leaving Wisconsin, per several written accounts. Some of the men may have left their coats in Louisville prior to the battle per Charles Carr’s account. Evan Davis writes that he carried his overcoat into the battle, rolled with his blanket.
Foot Pattern only. Some features include a greenish cast sky blue kersey wool with a diagonal weave, standing three inch collar, two sets of hooks and eyes, hand sewn button holes and buttons using dark blue or logwood faded (brown) cotton or linen thread, body lining of dark blue kersey wool or a light brown wool & cotton/linen mixed lining, sleeve lining of cotton muslin, cape with six 5/8 inch general service eagle buttons, front with five ¾ inch general service eagle buttons, back half belt with two ¾ inch general service eagle buttons attached, two piece cuffs, and a unhemmed skirt bottom. All documented arsenal and contract patterns of correct construction are acceptable.
Trowsers – John Otto recalls that the regiment was issued trowsers while camped in the outskirts of Cincinnati, several weeks prior to the battle of Perryville. Charles Carr writes of the regiment drawing trowsers while in Louisville, just days before the battle.
To be made of a greenish cast sky blue kersey wool with a diagonal weave, correct rise of trowsers in the seat (back yoke), right side watch pocket, narrow tapered waistband, four or six stamped paper backed tin suspender buttons, five small paperback tin fly buttons, side seam pockets, correct overlapping cuff vents with internal cuff facings, correct fly panels and facings, etc.
Buttonholes and tieback grommet holes should be hand sewn with dark blue or logwood-dyed cotton or linen thread. Contract or Arsenal pieces are acceptable. Stick to the four standard sizes of the Quartermaster Department if possible to create the proper look.
Pattern of 1858 Dress Hat - John Otto writes of the regiment receiving dress hats at the same time they were issued their uniform coats. An 1862 photograph of Myron Boughton shows him sporting this style of hat.
To be made of black rabbit or wool felt, with a 2.5 inch black leather sweatband or a late war maroon embossed leather sweatband, the hat has a 3 inch brim, 5.5 inch crown height, has double row brim stitching at 4 stitches per inch, a black silk grosgrain ribbon surrounding the base of the crown, and a black oilcloth or paper crown label.
It is acceptable, but optional, to dress your hat with regulation brass, cord, and feather.
U.S. Pattern Jefferson Bootees:
Black dyed, semi rough out leather, squared front, one inch heels, four sets of shoelace holes with one in the vamp, accompanied with leather shoelaces. Leather soles can be either pegged or sewn. Heel rims, inlet heel rims, and hobnails are all acceptable.
Shirt:
PRIMARY - Federal Issue Shirt – Charles Carr writes of the regiment drawing shirts while in Louisville, just days before the battle.
Made of domet wool flannel, completely hand sewn, incorporating a rectangular body with square gussets, produced in one size. Also acceptable are contract variant issue shirts of documented pattern, construction, and materials.
SECONDARY - Civilian
The body of the shirt may be either hand or machine stitched, but entirely hand sewn civilian shirts (which were more common) are preferred. All buttons & buttonholes shall be entirely sewn by hand. Hand felled seams, woven shirt patterns, square gussets or the set in sleeve, and cotton and linen materials should be common features in Civil War era civilian shirts. All civilian shirts must be based on a documented pattern, construction techniques, and materials.
Correct buttons of bone, shell, china, milk glass, hard rubber, or wood in two or four hole styles shall be attached by hand.
Drawers:
PRIMARY – Federal Issue - Charles Carr writes of the regiment drawing drawers while in Louisville, just days before the battle.
Federal issue drawers should be made of cotton canton flannel, with cotton tape ties in the rear and the ankles. Hand sewn paperback tin buttons, buttonholes, and tieback grommet holes. These should wear high on the waist.
SECONDARY – Civilian
Civilian drawers should be made of fabrics such as cotton canton flannel, cotton osnaburg, or linen. Other features include hand-sewn buttonholes, buttons, and tieback grommet holes. Buttons may be bone, china, or other documented compositions. Civilian drawers should also ride rather high on the waist.
Socks:
PRIMARY – Federal Issue - Charles Carr writes of the regiment drawing socks while in Louisville, just days before the battle.
Federal issue wool socks of period construction.
SECONDARY – Civilian
Civilian patterns either hand sewn (preferred) or period machine construction. Can be of wool or cotton materials based on a documented pattern.
Suspenders:
They were made out of cotton drill or linen, with differing degrees of sophistication. Common styles ranged from simple straps with hand-sewn buttonholes (poorboys), to sewn straps with two or three tined brass adjustments & leather ends on each side. Any documented suspenders of correct pattern, construction, and materials are acceptable.
Waist belts also accepted in limited numbers.
Cartridge Box:
U.S. Pattern of 1857 & 1861 .58 caliber cartridge boxes are all acceptable. Cartridge boxes should be sewn by hand using waxed linen thread, comprised of tanned leather, dyed black, with tins, and cartridge box plate attached with a small piece of leather.
Cartridge Box Belt:
Made of bridle leather, dyed black, 2.25 inches wide, and 55.5 inches long clear of billets. Billets (two narrow four hole adjustment strips) should be 4.25 inches in length at each end of the belt. The total length of the cartridge box belt is 64 inches. The cartridge box belt should be shortened so the top of the cartridge box is no lower than the bottom of the waist belt. The round eagle cartridge box belt plate (breastplate) should be attached using a small piece of leather.
U.S. Pattern Waist belt:
Made of bridle leather, dyed black, 1.9 inches wide, 38.5 inches long with standing leather loop. Can also go without any belt keeper as noted by several documented specimens in which their owner cut-off the keeper due to the awkwardness of this device. Lead backed belt plate with either early-mid war stud backed plate.
No belts with brass keepers.
U.S. Pattern 1850 Cap Box:
Made of bridle leather, dyed black, has a outer flap with latching tab, wool strip hand sewn to the back of the inner flap, cone pick loop, riveted brass finial, and two waistbelt loops which were hand sewn to the back of the cap box. May also have small copper rivets to hold waistbelt loops onto the cap box as seen in some contractor pieces. Once again, the cap box should be entirely hand sewn. Shield front cap boxes are also acceptable. Arsenal or contract pieces acceptable.
U.S. Pattern Bayonet Scabbard:
Must be of U.S. Pattern, no British Enfield Scabbards allowed. We prefer the early war, “Gaylord,” pattern two rivet sewn style. These bayonet scabbards were made of black dyed bridle leather and featured attached frogs of either bridle or buff leather. All bayonet scabbards must have a secure brass tip. Once again, this item should be hand sewn.
No seven rivet scabbards.
U.S. Pattern 1851 Haversack:
Some basic features include machine or hand sewn construction, black tarred exterior coating that may seep into the interior, cotton or linen inner bag attached by three hand sewn 5/8 inch tin buttons, hand sewn inner bag button holes, black 5/8 inch roller buckle, and a one piece shoulder strap of 40 to 45 inches in length.
Haversacks must ride at the small of the back, with the top of the haversack no lower than the waist belt. To make adjustments, either cut and re-sew the strap or fold over the excess portion and re-sew using 100% cotton or linen black thread.
U.S. Pattern 1858 Smoothside Canteen:
Must be a U.S. Pattern 1858 Smoothside Canteen, pewter spout, cloth strap, jack chain (New York Depot only!) or string stopper attachment. If string is used, then the tin strap brackets should not have a punched in hole.
The canteen must ride at the small of the back. Proper means of strap adjustment include cutting the strap and re-sewing it using 100% cotton or linen thread, or tying a knot in the strap. Soldiers wearing New York Depot or Schuykill Arsenal canteens should use the leather canteen strap. Cincinnati and St. Louis depots seemed to have used the cotton strap throughout wartime production.
Gray jean, brown jean, correct dark blue flannel, correct sky blue kersey and blanket remnants are all acceptable covers.
No 1862 Philadelphia “Bulls Eye” canteens.
U.S. Pattern 1855 Doublebag Knapsack – OPTIONAL – Evan Davis writes that he had his overcoat and blanket rolled together during the battle. Charles Carr and Mead Holmes, Jr. both write that that the men left their knapsacks in Louisville. On the other hand, John Otto writes that he had his knapsack on the march, but had issues wearing it due to a boil on his armpit, at which point he was allowed to store it on an ambulance. Separately from this, Otto also makes another reference to knapsacks of the sick being stored on ambulances during the march.
Each individual participant can decide whether or not to use a knapsack.
Hand or machine sewn linen body tarred black with a glossy appearance, black dyed shoulder straps, blackened buckles, hand sewn buckles & keepers, reinforcements of split leather, and overcoat straps. Arsenal or contract versions of documented prevalence are acceptable.
U.S. Issue Blanket:
Must be of a documented pattern, construction and materials. Can be either the gray issue wool blanket with black woven end stripes & 4 to 4.5 inch US letters stitched in the middle of the blanket, or the brown issue blanket with woven brown end stripes & 4 to 4.5 inch US letters stitched in the middle of the blanket. Blankets should not have bound edges, if they do, they must be removed. All blankets should have a noticeable diagonal weave, especially visible in the end stripes. Dimensions should be close to 7 feet x 5 feet, six inches, weighting about five pounds.
U.S. Issue Rubber Blanket-
READ CAREFULLY – The 21st Wisconsin did not have rubber blankets or oilcloths at Perryville. As late as December 26, 1862, over 2 months after the battle, John Otto recalled the regiment still did not have rubber blankets. HOWEVER, due to the unpredictability of October weather, you will be allowed to bring a rubber blanket for use during camping overnight. During daytime hours, for the sake of scenarios, and educating the public on the hardships the men of the 21st endured, it must be stowed away. They can be used after dark in case of inclement weather.
Made of rubber with a white linen backing, small brass grommets, with typical dimensions of 46” x 71”.
NO SHELTER HALVES – John Otto asserts that the 21st Wisconsin did not received shelter tents until February, 1863. Numerous accounts of the 21st state that the men slept without shelter while on the march to Perryville and directly after the battle. The men slept in tents while in Louisville, but on the march slept out in the open.
Rifle-Musket:
PRIMARY (1st OPTION) – Original 1854 Lorenz (no reproductions). John Otto writes that the regiment received “Austrian rifles” outside of Cincinnati, just a few weeks prior to the battle. A photograph of M. A. Sanders supports this claim. Due to questions in regards to the currently made reproduction of the 1854 Lorenz, we will not be accepting those in the ranks.
PRIMARY (2nd OPTION) – Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket. This is the weapon the 21st Wisconsin was re-issued later in the war. We would welcome these for those who do not have an original Lorenz or do not wish to carry an original Lorenz in the field. This weapon was picked as, like the Lorenz, it is an example of Federal troops being issued with imported weapons.
SECONDARY – Model of 1861 Springfield rifle-musket. If you don’t have either of the options listed above.
For Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle-musket or Model of 1861 Springfield rifle-musket, all modern makers’ marks should be removed, and any necessary modifications are made to ensure the accuracy of your rifle-musket. Original rifle muskets can be used as well.
No smoothbore weapons.
Bayonet:
Please carry a bayonet appropriate to the weapon you will be carrying. File off any modern markings. Original bayonets are even better.
Mess Furniture:
A soldiers mess items should consist of a tin cup or fruit can boiler, knife, fork, & spoon (or combination set), and a plate/canteen half. Must be of documented patterns, construction, and materials based on original artefacts. No Stainless Steel items allowed.
Personal Items:
These items should generally be carried in a soldier’s pockets or knapsack. Some items are only appropriate for a camp impression. These should be rather limited in your kit. Must be copied from a documented article with correct patterns, materials, and construction.
Spectacles:
For those who need vision correction, you must purchase a set of period eyeglasses filled with your prescription, wear contact lenses, or go without any which is very correct.
Other:
No modern or anachronistic items to be carried, with the exception of medication. All medication should be appropriately hidden from view.