Confederate tartan anachronisms

[OC Richard]

I'm guessing, OC, that these Civil War buffs have done their research but have made the conscious choice to bend the rules and toss on a kilt and an anachronistic sporran just to try to create an effect.

That's an interesting take on things. I was imagining that these people know a lot about Civil War uniforms, but know next to nothing about historical Highland Dress. They see various sporrans for sale and think that all the types of sporrans they see being worn today have always existed (Highland Dress being timeless somehow).

I'll give one example, a guy I ran into who spent much trouble putting together the modern full-dress uniform of The 48th Highlanders of Canada, but showed up with a huge 18th century style ___________ strapped across his back. (I'm not allowed to name the thing, but you know what it is.)

It's usually the sporrans and the _________ that are anachronistic.

[Benning Boy]

I went through a re-enactment phase, so I think I can see things from both sides. I've always felt the first thing the overwhelming majority of re-enactors need to do, before striving to be accurate in the smallest of details, is to pay attention to the greatest of details, and loose 100-150 pounds.

I'm still not clear, perplexed really, about kilt wearing in the Confederate Army. Was it really done at all, and if done, done by more than an infinitesimally small number?


Thanks OCRichard for the lesson. I'm always grateful when you share your teaching.

[OC Richard]

Of course the way which I might expect a recent, modern tartan like Confederate Memorial to be worn is with modern Highland Dress, as it appears as a pipe band uniform here, where the modern 20th century sporrans are idiomatic



Nice American-made pipes there by the way!

[AFS1970]

Even if we ignore for the moment the vintage of the tartan, I think the reason you will see modern accessories with a purportedly historic uniform is two fold.

First, since there is little if any record of confederate kilted units, there is little if any source material to work with. No drawings or photos from the period that would guide you down the right path. So you can find a great deal of stuff about jackets, you can find a great deal of stuff about kilts in other settings, but the two do not come together in any sort of educational resource. I can not explain why someone would not look at a non confederate picture of highland wear from the same period but I can understand how it happens.

The second is a matter of availability. For the casual kilt wearer, with little more than the internet and maybe a few festivals to go on, one will not find a historic sporran. In the USA unless you see a touring band the only source material you have for kilted uniforms are generally pipe bands, and they are wearing modern accessories for the most part. I know that I did not come across anything other than a few pictures in books that would show the correct time period until reading about the issue in various threads here on XMTS. I doubt many of the kilted confederates are reading through various non confederate threads on a kilt forum. Even if they did, finding one of these period correct sporrans for sale can be a daunting task. Not many of the well known (or lesser known for that matter) kilt shops carry such an item.

[ShaunMaxwell]

Even if they did, finding one of these period correct sporrans for sale can be a daunting task. Not many of the well known (or lesser known for that matter) kilt shops carry such an item.

I dunno... I just did a Google search for "Civil War era sporran" and immediately found two (reputable) vendors selling a reproduction of the 79th New York Civil War sporran. (The Scottish Trading Company and Burnett's & Struth) Now, I know that's the wrong army, but certainly the right era.

The cost of the sporran, however, did make my eyes water. I suspect it would less expensive to have Artificer make one!

Cheers,

SM

[AFS1970]

I think at that price a custom made one would definitely be worth it.

Now having a look at that one, which is relatively plain looking compared to some horsehair ones I have seen, I could probably also get a modern one that was similar for quite a bit less, and it would probably (while still being anachronistic) look better than wearing a modern civilian sporran.

As for the one from the 79th being the wrong army, since it has no crest on it, who is to say the same type would not have been worn by both armies?

[nagod]

going for a theme does not require historical accuracy(especially when it might require a 600$ sporran).next lets discuss the accuracy of the kilted stormtroopers.

[OC Richard]

I just did a Google search for "Civil War era sporran" and immediately found two (reputable) vendors selling a reproduction of the 79th New York Civil War sporran. (The Scottish Trading Company and Burnett's & Struth) Now, I know that's the wrong army, but certainly the right era.

I'll wager that neither is Civil War era. The 79th New York sporrans made by L&M and copied in India aren't Civil War era, but in fact the type worn by that regiment in the 1870s.

Yes that design is a fairly typical mid-19th century sporran and would be fine for a Civil War period civilian. But it should not be worn as part of the Civil War era uniform of the 79th New York.

Thing is, the 79th had two almost completely different Full Dress uniforms. One was worn from 1858 to 1861. When the regiment was mobilized for war service Full Dress was discontinued. After the war Full Dress was revived but with a different Glengarry, jacket, sporran, and hose. Spats were introduced post-war.

I had L&M make me a reproduction of the genuine 1858-1861 79th NY sporran, and explained and sent them numerous photos proving that it was the only style worn pre-war, and that the style L&M was making was post-war and thus incorrect for the Civil War period. They made my one, but still continue to make the 1870s style and sell it as a Civil War sporran. They know better.

Here are some 79th NY members after the war. Only the man on the right is wearing the 1858 model sporran, and it is the only type correct for the Civil War era. (However the badge is a later addition.) He's also wearing the 1858 model Glengarry, with two rows of red/white/blue dicing. (Oddly, their post-war uniform used the Glengarry of the 93rd Highlanders, not the 79th.)



Back to Confederate tartans, I've come across two variants. I wonder why.





If the yellow/red/blue portion is intended to reflect the major branches of the Army, the blue should be a sky blue as in the upper version.

I'm guessing that the red/white/blue portion is intended to reflect the various Confederate flags.

[Tarheel]

OC Richard, your last statements concerning the blue color in the two types of tartan bears merit. The darker blue would represent the battle flag "Bars and Stars" stripe. I believe the other observations of yours are correct.
But!, in North Carolina, the lighter blue is known as Carolina blue (proudly announced from University alumnus that will proclaim God's choice of color for the Heavens during the day light hours.)
Oddly enough, the State of Mississippi still celebrates Confederate Memorial day as a holiday. The University here in Oxford has several groups that dress in the uniforms of two units of college students that entered the war (The Lamar Rifles and the University Greys.) A kilted "Johnny Reb" would seem alien to the folks here among the antebellum setting of mint juleps and Southern Belles.

[macwilkin]

Something to keep in mind: In general, displays of ethnicity in the mid-19th century United States tended to be at the community level, such where a fairly large number of a particular ethnicity lived through churches, fraternal/social organizations, militia companies, etc.

The late Fernec Szasz, author of "Scots in the North American West, 1790-1917" states that the Scots as a rule were more accepted by their White Anglo-Saxon Protestant neighbors due to their shared Protestantism than the large number of Southern Irish or German immigrants who began arriving in the United States in the 1840s after the famine and the '48 Revolutions. However, Scottish immigration, especially from the Highlands, never was a large movement after the Revolution as it was to places like Canada, Australia, etc.

When I was reenacting and doing living history presentations (the latter never includes mock combat scenarios) for the National Park Service, I displayed my ethnic heritage the way my Scottish great-great-grandfather did when serving with the 11th Iowa Infantry: by carrying a period-copy of the works of Burns in my haversack. I took the idea from an article in the reenactor magazine "The Camp Chase Gazette" that suggested carrying a period rosary or wearing a period Marian medal was much more likely for Irish immigrants than the over-the-top displays of Irish harps on uniforms (bejabbers and begorrah!) that you see at reenactments.

Such symbols certainly were found in some (but not all) ethnic regiments, especially on regimental flags. If I remember correctly, the ubiquitous Irish harp badge sold by many a Civil War sutler is actually a post-war design for the Ancient Order of Hibernians (AOH) regalia.

T.