Confederate Memorial

[macwilkin]

Not that the 79th wore that tunic the entire war, not at all, but just that they went to war in 1861 wearing it. It was the only tunic they had at the start, and was worn by the first four companies in Full Dress and by all the companies in Service Dress.

There are photographs of members of the 79th taken prisoner at First Bull Run (First Manassas) showing them wearing the 79th tunic. It's hard to tell whether their trousers are tartan or plain.

There's an engraving showing 79th wounded from First Bull Run in hospital. One is clearly wearing tartan trousers.

An engraving showing the aftermath of the 79th's notorious mutiny in August 1861 clearly shows tartan trousers and kepis being worn. It's hard to tell what the jackets are supposed to be like.

An 1862 painting of 79th wounded shows the 79th tunic being worn with plain trousers, apparently both sky blue and dark blue.

All of these illustrations show only kepis being worn- no glengarries at all.

Seems that as the war progressed, as the original tunics wore out and new men joined, the ordinary Union sack coats took over.

The tartan trousers bit the dust too. William Todd, in his The Seventy-Ninth Highlanders, New York Volunteers, in the War of the Rebellion 1861-1865 says that when the 79th were serving on the South Carolina coast, and took possesion of Fort Beaufort in December 1861, they found abandonded supplies including "light summer clothing" and many replaced "our heavy uniform jackets and woolen pantaloons... for the lighter clothing... left behind by the enemy". Evidently these lightweight white or offwhite cotton trousers became something of a badge of service to members of the 79th.

By mid-war it seems that the 79th was pretty much indistinguishable from any other Union regiment.

Thanks for the clarification; your last post seemed to imply that they did wear their distinctive tunics throughout the war, which obviously wasn't the case. I know Todd makes reference to the 79th wearing "ordinary Federal" uniforms at Bull Run.

T.

[OC Richard]

I know Todd makes reference to the 79th wearing "ordinary Federal" uniforms at Bull Run.

T.

Interesting... at least if he's talking about First Bull Run, because photos of 79th men taken as prisoners at First Bull Run clearly show the dress tunics.