Trans-Mississippi Confederate Uniforms

(Part III -- November 1862 - June 1865)

by K.C. MacDonald

The Depot System Gets Rolling

The Confederate Quartermaster depot system was late in starting in the Trans-Mississippi and the Department of Mississippi and Eastern Louisiana. The earliest state depots/arsenals were those in Baton Rouge (LA), Little Rock (ARK), and Jackson (MS) which existed from late 1861. Baton Rouge was never an official Confederate Quartermaster Depot, but a state facility, which ceased to exist when the city was captured in May, 1862.

Production records for Little Rock are only available for 1861 (see part II) and Spring 1863. Field (1996) notes that the nature of its post-1861 output is unclear, but probably consisted of sack coats and frock coats. A single surviving frock coat is known, and was thought to be manufactured in 1862/63. It is made in coarse light grey jeans cloth, with a dark blue kersey collar, and osnaburg lining (data from: www.geocities.com.capitalguards.LRfrock). Little Rock fell to the Federals in September 1863.

Jackson is the only one of these three early state facilities to become an official Confederate Depot, but it also ceased production relatively early due to military action, its factories being burned by the Federals in May 1863. Production then transferred to its principal sub-depot in Enterprise (MS). How long Enterprise continued to exist is uncertain, but there are references to it in the OR up to mid 1864.

Longer lasting, though later starting, depots were those of Houston (TX) and Shreveport (LA). The Houston Depot began to produce clothing in December, 1862 and continued to do so until the end of the war (Adolphus 1996). The Shreveport Depot was founded in June 1863 by a transfer of an earlier depot facility from Monroe (founded Fall 1862), and became the central depot for the entire Department of the Trans-Mississippi from September 1863 until the end of the war (OR vol. 33).

The Mississippi Depots from Winter 1862 through Spring 1863

A report by Major L. Mims (Quartermaster for the Department of Miss. and East. La.) dated 5 February, 1863 notes that his department had three sources for clothing: the depots of Columbus (MS), Jackson (MS), and Enterprise (MS):

Columbus... furnishes about 700 suits of clothing per week; for the present however, we are employing all force there in the making of tents, 250 tents per week are being manufactured. Enterprise... furnishes 25 wagons per month, 400 pairs of shoes and 250 complete sets of clothing. Jackson... furnishes 1,000 suits per week; manufactures 40 blankets per day. The most of the purchasing done for this department is made through these depots. It should be mentioned that Jackson also manufactures 25 tents per day; they are incomplete, however, for the want of rope. Three factories -- the Jackson, Woodville and Choctaw -- work constantly for us , making a sufficiency of woolen goods. They do not make enough cotton goods for the requirements of the department. (OR 38: 616-617)

It should be noted that in early 1863 Jackson production was very strong, certainly on par with any other major Confederate Depot at the time. But what was Jackson producing? Though no one has yet coined the notion of a 'Jackson Depot style jacket,' the case of Waul's Texas Legion provides some valuable clues. Also the equipping of Waul's Texas Legion illustrates well the sluggishness of the early Trans-Mississippi quartermasters. Organized in April 1862 at Houston and Brenham, Texas, this Brigade-sized unit did not become fully equipped with arms and accoutrements until October 1862 at Holly Springs, Mississippi, and did not receive its first uniform issue until November 1862 at Coldwater, Mississippi. The diarist Phillip Amsler (Co. E, 2nd Btn.) noted on October 13th that "we received our arms consisting mostly of old firelock muskets converted to percussion, with bayonets. Also cartridge boxes, bayonet scabbard and belt, [these] being new and in good order with forty rounds of ammunition" (Hasskarl and Hasskarl 1985: 8). On November 9th he wrote that "we received a good uniform last week consisting of good blue cloth pants, a grey woolen jacket well lined, and a grey cap. Quite a comfortable suit. We can also draw shirts and drawers if we want any" (Hasskarl and Hasskarl 1985: 12). Frederick Adolphus (pers. comm.) suggests that the wording of Amsler's letter implies the use of high-grade woolen jeans in this uniform. Blue woolen jeans cloth for trousers was by no means rare (see some examples in Echoes of Glory) and is available today via Charlie Childs/County Cloth or Family Heirloom Weavers (logwood dyed jeans), or in the UK via Richard Beardall/ Sutlers Stores.

As to the cut of the jacket, Adolphus believes they were probably issued via a Mississippi Depot (Jackson being the closest, and certainly a major producer at that time). The question is: what sort of jackets? A fairly definitive indication, I believe, comes from a more-detailed letter written at approximately the same time from Camp Coldwater:

Camp Cold Water near Holly Springs, Mississippi, Sunday, October 26, 1862

...I returned from Holly Springs about sunset, and when I got to the Regt., I found the boys all in Uniform which they had drawn. Their pants were all sky blue; their coats grey round about, with cuffs and collars trimmed with blue. Grey caps for all. This will add much to their appearance in the field... [John K. Earns, surgeon, 41st Tennessee Infantry] (Smith 1994)

What seems to be described is a typical Columbus Depot Jacket (see Jensen 1989; Field 1996). When one adds to this letter the proof that three of the eight surviving Columbus Depot jackets probably saw service in the Vicksburg campaign with Mississippi & Missouri regiments, it appears very likely that the large facility in Jackson was producing jackets in the Columbus Depot style. The three jackets in question are the McDonnell Jacket (Cowan's Battery, Ms Artillery), the Jones Jacket (1st Mo Inf, captured at Champion Hill), and the Jenkins Jacket (Breckinridge Cavalry, Ms). These jackets share most characteristics, but have some small differences: Front of Body Cut Curved; Curved Tail in Back, 6 buttons (Miss I's & US Eagles), blue kersey collar trim, width of blue kersey cuff trim ca. 2 & 1/2 inches, Pockets: 2 Interior and no External [1] OR 1 Interior and 1 External Pocket; single top-stitching (two being machine sewn with dark brown outer thread, one handsewn) (all characteristics from Geoff Walden's Columbus Depot jacket website: www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Quarters/1864/cdjacket). Using these specifications it should be possible to construct an 'appropriate' Columbus Depot jacket for wear in the mid-war Mississippi/Louisiana area with a reliable sutler or 'mess tailor'.

Trans-Mississippi Depot Production and Imports 1863-1864

A June, 1864 report of Maj. W.H. Haynes explains that he took charge of the Clothing Bureau of the Trans-Mississippi in June, 1863 and from that date had supplied the troops of the Districts of Arkansas and West Louisiana. He also supplied and controlled the distribution of materials from the Depots of San Antonio, Houston, Tyler and Jefferson, Texas; noting that the cavalry divisions stationed in Louisiana were supplied directly from the Houston Depot. He reported that from January 1863 through June 1864 the Trans-Mississippi depot system (namely the Depots of Shreveport, Houston, and Little Rock [until Spring 1863 only) issued the following total quantities of equipment:

23,397 blankets; 48,987 kepis and hats; 32,011 completed jackets; 8,098 sets of material for the manufacture of jackets; 51,336 trousers; 12,554 sets of material for the manufacture of trousers; 55,082 pairs drawers; 63,608 shirts; 6,715 pairs socks; 66,805 pairs shoes; 2,565 knapsacks; 8,155 haversacks; 251 axes; 107 picks; 81 spades; 329 camp kettles; 2,136 skillets; 505 wall tents; 610 A-frame tents; 365 tent flies; 661 wagon sheets [its should be noted that production of all materials other than uniforms virtually ceased by the end of 1863].

Of these, the following quantities were actually produced in Shreveport (Report of Brig. Gen. W.R. Boggs, Head of Clothing Bureau, Shreveport, 18 January, 1864):

15,230 kepis; 7,657 jackets; 21,747 pairs of pants; 43,651 shirts; 38,952 pairs of drawers; 571 overcoats; 6,269 pairs shoes; 1,372 knapsacks; 9,162 haversacks; 216 tent flies; 546 'A' tents; 202 wall tents.

In contrast, the Houston Depot (under Capt. Edward Wharton) gave the following production figures from January 1863- February 1864 (Adolphus 1996: 177).

13,691 kepis and hats; 20,925 jackets; 40,293 pairs of trousers; 39,407 shirts; 34,507 pairs of drawers; 3,426 pairs of socks; 43,657 pairs of shoes; and 377 great coats.

All of these figures do not quite add up, but they demonstrate that Shreveport and Houston were the two most important centres of manufacture in the mid to late war Trans-Mississippi, and that Houston Depot jackets were more common than those of Shreveport.

The following is a description from Rudolf Coreth (36th Texas Cavalry [dismounted]) on the issue of Houston Depot jackets to his unit in Houston on 16 November, 1863:

We received our winter cloths: pants, jackets, hats and blankets. The trousers and jackets are of gray woolen cloth. Everything is pretty good. The order came that each man is to get two complete suits and, in order to complete these, another requisition for clothes was made, but they haven't arrived yet. (Goyne 1998: 111).

Houston Depot jackets were usually made of imported British Cadet Grey Kersey cloth, the first shipment of which was received through the blockade in Autumn 1862 (12,000 yards, Texas Quartermaster receipt, cited in Adolphus 1996: 172). Indeed there are records in the Official Records (Navy) for seizures off the coast of Texas in November 1863 of blockade runners carrying large quantities of "woolen cloth of a color between blue and grey. That is just the Confederate uniform color" (ORN, I, 20, pg.658). Southern-made cloth from the Huntsville Penitentiary (bleached white woolen jeans, "sheep's grey" woolen jeans, and bleached white woolen kerseys) was shared between the Houston and Shreveport depots, with its white kerseys usually being reserved for 'Negro labourers' clothing.

Both Houston and Shreveport jackets were, it seems, of a similar cut, although the cloth they were made of differed quantitatively, with the Shreveport suits being more often of Huntsville jeans cloth and white kerseys (Adolphus pers.comm.). Buttons, as observed from photos, would have numbered either 6 or 7 on the Shreveport Depot jackets. One possible surviving Shreveport jacket is a late-war issue to Charles Perkins of the 3rd Louisiana (illustrated in Field 1996: 126). It is of a light-brown jean, with a low curved collar featuring wide collar gap, 6-piece cut, with 6 buttons (Louisiana Pelicans), and top-stitching with a thick white (flax?) thread.

Captain Wharton described the manufacture of the Houston Depot jacket as follows:

Single breasted with seven buttons made of 1 3/4 yards of double width coarse, cadet gray cloth, basted with spool cotton and sewn with flax thread... Bleached domestic sleeve lining taking 3/4 yard and unbleached domestic for the body lining and pockets ... [being] heavy weave cotton material from the penitentiary mill. (Adolphus 1996: 173)

Rare surviving photos show the collars of these jackets to be low, with their margins gently curved, as with early war Louisiana jackets. The jacket was also comparatively long for a shell, being specified to come to 'below the top of the hips',- making it as long, or longer, than a Richmond Depot I (ibid.). Facings, when present, were of imported kersey in branch of service colour. However, I have not yet seen a photo of a likely Houston Depot jacket with facings. Buttons used for infantry jackets were either 'Block I's' (solid cast, or tin-backed two-piece), Houston-made pewter buttons ('T-E-X-A-S' letters around a star OR 'CS' in a wreath), Brass Texas State Buttons (rare), or imported(?) 'CSA' buttons (late 1864-65) (Adolphus 1996: 174).

Houston Depot trousers were usually made of Huntsville jeans, the cadet gray kersey being spared for jackets and kepis. Adolphus (ibid.) notes that the trousers had four to five buttons, unbleached domestic serving for the pockets and waistband, with a buckle and cloth belt in the rear. Stripes in cotton webbing may or may not have been added.

However, it should also be remembered that the Houston Depot 'production figures' include some complete goods which made it to Texas through the blockade. In Fall 1863 Wharton, the head of the Houston Depot, reported receipt of 2,400 jackets and 2,916 pairs of trousers in grey wool from Great Britain (Adolphus 1996: 175). Adolphus believes that these might have been early Tait uniforms, which would make them the first of their type issued in America. By 1864 there is documentary proof for this connection: Adolphus (ibid.) notes the existence of a Peter Tait Company shipping invoice of 10,000 "Suits Infantry Uniforms" to be shipped via Liverpool to Texas in November 1864. Further conclusive evidence of shipment of complete uniforms from Britain to Texas comes once again from reports of Federal blockade runner shipments off the coast of Texas in November 1863:

SIR: I have the honor to report to you the capture by this vessel [USS Virginia] of the British brig Volante,, of Jersey, this day [November 6th, 18631... Upon examination of her papers, I found that she carried the following articles contraband of war, viz, boots and shoes, army blankets, case of stockings, bales of confederate uniforms, woolen cloth, etc...

(ORN, I, 20. 660).

The presence of British import jackets in the Trans-Miss, whether in 1863 or 1864, might also be physically attested by numerous relic lined-script 'I' British-import buttons recovered from sites along the Texas Coast and Louisiana (Adolphus ibid.), and indeed from datable sites such as the siege lines of Port Hudson (May 1863) and the Battlefield of Bayou Bourbeau (November 1863) (author's collection).

Problems of Distribution, Manufacture, and Storage

Despite the number of depot uniforms produced in the Trans-Mississippi, the distribution system did not seem to always be effective, especially for units in the field. The memoir of Maj. Silas T. Grisamore, the quartermaster of the 18th Louisiana Infantry who served from Shiloh through the Red River Campaign, does not record a single effective depot issue to his regiment. He notes that after their initial commutation issue by the state of Louisiana (early Spring 1862), they drew jackets in September 1862 made by private contractors in Alabama which were "a good size for 10-year-old-boys" along with over-large shirts and trousers made by Alabama ladies relief organisations (Bergeron 1993: 82). The men were able to get little use out of them. Later, in Louisiana (March 1863) Grisamore obtained a quantity of British cadet grey kersey for his regiment and had them made into by a local tailor who hailed from Paris. The results were disappointing: the sleeves ended at the elbows, and the side pockets fell under armpits. Despite their beauty (with black piping and brass buttons) many of the coats were unwearable. Grisamore also recalled another occasion when out of a batch of 110 contractor coats made for the regiment at Thibadeaux only 3 could be made to fit any man in the company for which they were intended. Grisamore closes by writing "If there is ever any more wars or rumors of wars, I am going to steer clear of tailors who make uniforms under contract" (Bergeron 1993:110).

in Missouri, the Indian territory, and Arkansas the clothing situation became so desperate from 1863 onwards that captured Union uniforms were often utilised. George Washington Grayson, a Creek Soldier fighting in Arkansas recounted (Baird 1991: 99),

Our government had issued to our men certain wool hats of plain sheeps wool without any coloring. Now these hats.., had further disadvantage of losing after a short service even the little shape and semblance of figure that had been given by its manufacturer. Our soldiers were poorly clad... So when we caught a prisoner we generally stripped him clean of his wearing apparel as we desired, they always being better than our own...

Indeed, in October 1864, General Rosecrans addressed a letter of complaint to Gen Sterling Price regarding the recent Missouri campaign (OR III, 53: 1011). "A number of prisoners taken in this fight were dressed in our uniform, and in obedience to existing orders from departmental headquarters, and the usages of war, they were executed instanter." Despite the appeals of Confederate authorities to cease this practice from 1863 onwards, the wearing of blue in the northern Trans-Mississippi by southerners was common.

In late May 1864, after the conclusion of the Red River campaign General Taylor wrote that his command was "Without shoes, and utterly worn out with marching and fighting...Until an adequate supply is furnished the Clothing Bureau is liberal in promise and utterly barren in performance." (as cited in Gallaway 1988: 125). Ironically, in a region not lacking cattle, tanned leather production was a problem which dogged the Trans-Mississippi throughout the war. For example in 1864 the 11th Texas Infantry (ca.500 men) reported it was deficient 165 cartridge boxes, 179 cap pouches, 380 shoulder belts, and 258 waist belts! (Johannson 1998: 70). Economization with leather ware resulted in the tendency of Trans-Mississippi infantrymen to dispense with shoulder belts and suspend cartridge boxes from the waist belt. Problems in leather production not withstanding, the Shreveport and Houston Depots had been hit hard by a decline in cloth production from Huntsville (due to decaying machinery) and a tightening Federal blockade of the Texas coast. From mid-1864 onwards, clothing shortages became so acute that Louisiana and Texas troops were allowed to go home on furlough, so long as they returned adequately clothed (Gallaway 1988).

A good index of Trans-Mississippi armaments is held in an August, 1863 ordnance return for Walker's Texas 'Greyhound' Division: 2,697 .69 calibre percussion muskets (mostly 1842 Springfields, with some earlier conversion pieces), 1,485 Enfield Rifles, and 43 Colt Repeating Rifles (Johannson 1998: 68). The rifled pieces were generally distributed to flank companies (usually A & B), rather than to entire units. As Rudolf Coreth of the 36th Texas Cavalry (Dismounted) noted:

The guns with the longest range were given to the wing companies, the next-farthest-shooting ones to second companies and so forth till the center gets the poorest guns... So we lost our Enfield rifles and got Singers [Springers or Slingers?] in their place. (Goyne 1982:114).

However, by the end of the successful Red River Campaign in Spring 1864 these numbers had changed somewhat for the survivors of the Greyhound Division, particularly due to captures at Mansfield: 848 .69 calibre smoothbores, and 2,353 rifles (mostly Enfields and Springfields).

Blessington (1875: 115) wrote of the dress of Walker's Division after the Red River campaign:

It is impossible to point out the variety our division presented. Here would be a fellow dressed in homespun pants, with the knees out of them; on his head might be stuck the remnant of a straw hat, while a faded penitentiary cloth jacket would perhaps complete his outfit. His neighbor very likely was arrayed in breeches made of some castoff blanket, with a dyed shirt as black as the ace of spades and no hat at all...

Another Greyhound remarked that most of the division's clothes left in storage before the Red River campaign were either stolen or had rotted (Johannson 1998: 71).

Recommendations for the Generic Trans-Miss Foot Soldier: mid 1863- end 1864

The following is a guide for a 'generic' Trans-Mississippi impression, valid for mid to late war Bayou Fourche (ARK), Red River (LA), and Camden (ARK) campaigns and for garrison duty in Texas. It is derived from informal suggestions by Frederick Adolphus (pers.comm.), from Adolphus (1996) and modified on the basis of my own research on photos and contemporary sketches:

Jacket Cadet Grey Kersey or Taupe! 'Drab' Jeans Jacket, 6 or 7 'Block I' buttons, low curved collar, length 2" below hips, osnaburg lining. This will serve as a Houston or Shreveport jacket. A good pattern (which can then be slightly modified) is Charlie Childs' 'Thomas Taylor' pattern (which has the right collar and basic cut, though a bit short).

Trousers may be of white jeans or suitable 'homespun' jean (blue or brown) with a belt at the rear waist seam (Richmond Depot style pattern). Buttons may be of bone or pewter.

Accoutrements Black or russet leather. Some cartridge boxes were made by the Houston Depot (see Echoes of Glory, pg. 197) , but no replicas are being made today. Using a US pattern box suitable for your gun calibre would appear the best policy. Place the cartridge and cap boxes both on the waistbelt, as cartridge box slings were rare in the Trans-Mississippi. The most common belt type for our region was of the simple 'harness style' roller buckle variety, 1 3/4" wide belt. Make sure that the roller buckle is properly japanned. (Trans-Mississippi Depot is your best supplier).

Depot produced Shirts and Drawers bleached white cotton, unbleached osnaburgs, blue linen drill, unbleached flannel, indigo blue stripes, blue checks and other documented cloth with white glass button for shirts. Flannel or linen for drawers with two bone buttons per pair. For homemade shirts draw inspirations from appropriate soldier photos.

Shoes Depot Brogans (pegged, double-thick soled, straight lasts OR crooked), or British Import Brogans (sewn and/or nailed soles -- not pegged). Russet Brogans were atypical, and were viewed as 'slave shoes.'

Hats Photos, and the mid to late war Trans-Mississippi sketches of Merrick (1991) and an unknown individual (Davis 1999) show an interesting pattern. Kepis appear to have been very common on later war Trans-Mississippi Confederates, with 18 of 37 individuals counted on 4 Winter 1862/63 to Autumn 1864 sketches wearing them. The remainder wear either flat or round crowned, dark colour slouches. The few surviving mid to late war portrait photos of common Trans-Mississippi soldiers show that most slouches were black, with slightly more flat crowned than round-crowned, some appearing in the style of Hardee hats. Kepis were either plain or featured a branch of service band. Buttons/chinstraps on kepis were often not present as an economization.

Canteen The most common dug finds in the Trans-Mississippi are typical 6" flat tin drum canteens. Most of these would have had leather straps featuring 1" japanned roller buckles (modify the Jarnigan's variety by replacing their brass buckle with japanned variety, also available from them!)

Haversack plain linen or white cotton jeans, with button closure; avoid all tarred sacks for Trans-Mississippi Confederate impression.

Blanket most of the blankets used by Trans-Mississippi soldiers were British imports which came in large numbers through the blockade. They were of a heavy wool cloth and blueish in colour. The best replica of this type of blanket can be had from Charlie Childs ('Blue-Grey Confederate Blanket' $99).

Weapons The most commonly available weapons were 1842 Springfield Muskets and Enfield Rifles.

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Frederick Adolphus for supplying me with most of the information found in part 3, and to Jon Eggleston for sending me some of the Trans-Mississippi Quartermaster returns.

References

Adolphus, Frederick. 1996. "Confederate Clothing of the Houston Quartermaster Depot," Military Collector and Historian 48: 171-180.

Baird, W.D. [ed.1 1991. A Creek Warrior for the Confederacy: the autobiography of Chief G.W. Gravson. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.

Bergeron, A. W.[ed.j 1993. The Civil War Reminiscences of Major Silas T. Grisamore CSA Baton Rouge: LSU Press.

Blessington, J.P. 1875 The Campaigns of Walker's Texas Division New York: Lange, Little & Co.

Davis, J.H.[ed.j 1999. Texans in Gray: a regimental history of the 18th Texas Infantry. Walker's Texas Division in the Civil War Tulsa: Heritage Oak Press.

Field Ron 1996. American Civil War Confederate Army. London: Brassey s.

Gallawav, B.P. 1988. The Ragged Rebel: a common soldier in W.H. Parson's Texas Cavalry 1861-1865. Austin: University of Texas Press.

Goyne, M.A. 1982. Lone Star and Double Eagle: Civil War letters of a German-Texas Family . Fort Worth: TCU Press.

Hasskarl, R.A. and Hasskarl, L.R. 1985. Waul's Texas Legion. Ada, Oklahoma: the authors

Jensen, L.D. 1989 A Survey of Confederate Central Government Quartermaster Issue Jackets. Military Collector and Historian 41: 109-122; 162-171.

Johannson, M.J. 1998. Peculiar Honor: a history of the 28th Texas Cavalry 1862-1865. Fayetteville: Arkansas University Press.

Merrick, M.W. 1991. From Desert to Bayou: the Civil War Journal and Sketches of Morgan Wolfe Merrick. El Paso: Texas Western Press.

Smith, J.A.(ed.) 1994. Letters to Mary -- the Civil War Diary of John Kennerly Farris. Franklin County Historical Review 25.

OR = Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies

ORN = Official Records of the Navy in the War of the Rebellion

Time-Life, 1996. Echoes of Glory: arms and equipment of the Confederacy. New York: Time-Life.

Sutlers List

Charlie Childs/County Cloth 13797-C Georgetown St.NE, Paris, OH 44669 tel.440-862-3307 e-mail Cntyclth@bright.net (blankets, cloth & patterns)

Confederate Yankee (Dennis Semrau) P0 Box 192, Guilford, CT 06437-0192 tel/fax 203-453-9900 (frock coats, commutation shell jackets, trousers)

Hanover Brass, Virginia, tel. 804-781-1864 (belt buckles & one piece buttons)

Jarnigan Co. P0 Box 1860, Corinth, MS 38835-1860 tel.601-287-4977 e-mail cj arnag @ tsi xroads. corn (most leatherwork)

Sutlers Stores (Richard Beardall) 11a Columbia Road, Ensbury Park, Bournemouth, Dorset BHIO 4DZ tel. 01202-268176, e-mail rbz@globalnet.co.uk (especially shirts & hats)

Trans-Mississippi Depot, search the web for current catalogue (most all of the kit discussed here, high quality)

K.C. MacDonald (jackets and trousers of all types for Lazy Jacks only)

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