As a continuation of a series on looking at a Confederate soldier’s uniform and equipment, in this post we look at his uniform and things he may carry in his pockets. The following images provide an excellent insight into all of the clothing that a Confederate soldier would have worn. This “kit” is an example of a sergeant of from Company A, 24th Virginia infantry circa mid-1863.
The first image shows the jean cloth uniform of jacket & trousers, brogans & forage cap to the left & slouch hat to the right. On campaign, the soldier would only have one piece of headdress.
In image 2 we can see the uniform opened up & the various bits this man has in his pockets.
1 – Trousers, made of a blend of wool & cotton called jeancloth with cotton braces. We will spare this mans blushes & leave his drawers under his trousers!
2 – Jacket, again made of jeancloth, lined & similar to the pattern we call today the Richmond Depot Type 1. It has epaulets & belt loops, black piping on the collar & black sergeants stripes.
3 – Slouch hat. In the field this Virginian has opted for the comfortable civilian style slouch hat with a brass ‘A’ denoting his company.
4 – Brogans.
5 – Socks.
6 – Civilian style, checked shirt.
7 – In one of the breast pockets of his jacket he carries a journal & pencil.
8 – In one of his trouser pockets he carries a pocket knife, a few confederate notes left from his recent pay issue & a confederate gold $20 piece given to him by his sweetheart.
9 – Matches carried in the other pocket, safely inside a tin box to protect them from moisture.
Teaching Idea: Put the image up on the screen and have the students write down what they think the item is without any context or suggestions. Let them make some guesses and speculation. Then you can use “random reporter” or another method to get the answers. From there, have students pick an item and do some research and then report back on what they learned.
Used with permission from 24th Virginia Company A
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