Quote Originally Posted by James
On a lighter note, whilst the official dress regulations and pictures will give one idea of what a soldier might wear-the reality can be so very different: at least in the British Army.

For soldiers seem to have great propensity for aquiring the unforms of others-adapting, losing and relacing the missing item with something very different. Put mine alongside an American unit-and I'd wonder which army was on parade the next day: enemy kit just as attractive and so on.

Not that my nice chaps would have stolen anything-of course not!

Whilst after Suez, we all had Russian rifles-I wonder how that happened.

I wonder if American soldiers are that different?

Even Field Marshal Alexander so liked the German style of peaked cap, that he had his London hatters make his British uniform hats to a German model.

James
James -- good points all. Confederate soldiers, on the whole, did use captured federal uniforms, weapons and equipment. And there were many "field-expedient" modifications by both Federals and Confederates; the adoption of the civilian "slouch hat" as a more pratical piece of headgear than the army-issue forage cap, or the army dress ("Hardee") hat. Soldiers would often get rid of the "hat brass" on the Hardee and turn it into a civilian-style slouch.

During the Wilson's Creek campaign, a number of units on both sides literaly marched themselves out of their uniforms; homemade and/or shoddy items fell apart on the march, and were replaced by civilian items (beggged, borrowed or stolen!)

I'll try to dig up some examples of the "field-expedient" uniforms. We have some great stories from contemporary accounts by soldiers at Wilson's Creek.

Cheers,

Todd