United States Army Headgear 1855-1902 - Libreria Militare Ares

NUMBER 3093all OQMG, LS, Clothing, RG 92, NA. Col. H. K. Craig toCapt. R. H. K. Whiteley, New York Arsenal, 17 February1858, Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Letters to OrdnanceOfficers, RG 156, NA.^ The Tojhusmuseet catalog reference is "F.H. IV (46)Amerika 1858; 1898/1902, side 82-83."''These acorns are in distinct contrast to the tassels onthe ends of the hat cord prescribed for the 1858 pattern.'"Jesup to Recruiting Officer, Ft. Moultrie, S. C, 27 August1855 and 6 October 1855, both in OQMG, LS, Clothing,RG 92, NA.=°Col. R. Jones to Jesup, 23 August 1855, AG, LS, RG94, NA."On the 1851-1854 eagle, see CAMPBELL and HOWELL,American Military Insignia 1800-1851, p. 29.^- U.S. WAR DEPARTMENT, General Regulations for theArmy, p. 155. The best representation of this eagle is inU.S. WAR DEPARTMENT, Regulations for the Uniform andDress of the Army, plate 18. Both of these sources picturethe eagle with his head turned to the heraldic left." By law all Army contracts were listed in ExecutiveDocuments of the Senate or House of Representatives. Onlytwo contracts for cavalry hats are so listed, one with HenryFisher, 3 August 1855, for 2000 and one with William J.McCoy, 6 April 1857 for 3500. See Exec. Doc. No. 7, Senate,34th Congress, 1st Session, and Exec. Doc. No. 31, Senate,35th Congress, 1st Session. Both actual contracts exist: thatwith Fisher in CCF (Hats), RG 92, NA, and that withMcCoy in Army Contracts, Diplomatic, Legal, and FiscalDivision, RG 217, box 30, 1857, NA."Just when and by whom this hat was first called the"Jeff Davis" or "Hardee" is unknown."See Bvt. Maj. J. H. Carleton, 1st Dragoons to AG, 27June 1857, enclosing Itr. Bvt. Lt. Col. John B. Magruder,1st Arty., 23 June 1857; Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooketo AG, 1 August 1857; both in AG, LR, RG 94, NA; Lt.A. J. Donelson, commanding the Company of Sappers, Miners,and Pontoniers, to Col. J. G. Totten, Chief Engineer ofthe Army, 26 June 1857, AG, LR, re USMA, RG 94, NA.All of these communications were brought to the attentionof the Secretary of War.'" Col. Alexander's original letter has not been found, buta gist of its contents with a brief of the endorsements iscontained in AG to Jesup, 2 February 1858, OQMG, Reg.LR, Clothing, RG 92, NA. The special order was includedwith the board report itself." Proceedings of a Board of Officers, appended to Lt. R.Jones to AG, 9 February 1858, AG, LR, RG 94, NA.'' Ibid.'"The report was submitted on 9 February and two dayslater Jesup wrote Col. Thomas in Philadelphia that since itwas probable that a hat for the Army was to be adoptedvery shortly, he was to defer contracting for more cap bodies(for the 1851-1854 cap) until further notice. See Jesup toThomas, 11 February 1858, OQMG, LS, Clothing, RG 92,NA.'"May to Cooper, 19 March 1858 and 21 March 1858,both appended to "Proceedings of Board of Officers . . . ."[note 37], Cooper to May, 11 March 1858, AG, LS, RG 94;Cooper to Jesup, 11 March 1858, OQMG, Reg. LR, Clothing,RG 92; Cooper to Thomas, Phila., 25 March 1858, AG,LS, RG 94, all NA."G.O. No. 3 WD, 24 March 1858, RG 94, NA."' See page 2."Contract with John G. Snyder, 30 July 1858, in ArmyContracts, RG 217, NA. This is the first instance of detailedwritten specifications being furnished a contractor by theQuartermaster General found by the author. It was not until1876 that detailed specifications of Quartermaster itemswere published in printed form.''^ In 1859, the Russian Hare component dropped from 4to 3/2 ounces, and the Scotch Coney rose from I/2 to 2ounces. See Contract with Wm. J. McCoy, 29 March 1859,CCF (Hats), RG 92, NA. In 1865 these components wereprescribed as "3/2 ounces prime Russia hair, and oneounce of best Scotch coney." See Quartermaster Manual,1865, MS in RG 92, NA. This manual was never published."G.O. No. 13 WD, 30 November 1858, RG 94, NA.'" G.O. No. 7 WD, 24 June 1858, RG 94, NA.•" There are numerous letters of transmittal and acknowledgmentfor requisitions for hats in OQMG, LS, Clothing,RG 92, NA.*^ Maj. E. S. Sibley, Asst. QM in Washington, to Thomas,11 June 1858, OQMG, LS, Clothing; Jesup to Thomas, 13October 1858, LS, Clothing; both RG 92, NA."" Quoted in Sibley to Thomas, 2 November 1859, OQMG,LS, Clothing, RG 92, NA.'^Sibley to Capt. T. J. Wood, 1st Cav., 1 November 1859,OQMG, LS, Clothing, RG 92, NA." Endorsement on letter from Maj. W. S. Emory, 1st Cav.,to Jesup, 31 July 1859, OQMG, LS, Clothing; Sibley toThomas, 24 September 1859, OQMG, LS, Clothing; bothRG 92, NA. Although not so stated, this probably appliedto the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen as well.^' United States Army and Navy Journal, 14 November1863, p. 180; 18 April 1868, p. 554; 1 February 1868, p.377.^Ibid., 14 November 1863, p. 180. Indeed, in 1864 theQuartermaster General wrote that there was "scarcely anydemand" for them. See Meigs to I. T. Fulton, Washington,3 November 1864, OQMG, LS, Clothing, RG 92, NA.'^ United States Army and Navy Journal, 28 September1867, p. 90.'^Ibid., 9 November 1867, p. 186; 28 March, p. 506."^ WOODHULL, A Medical Report upon the Uniform andClothing of the Soldiers of the U.S. Army, 15 April 1868(hereafter cited as the "Woodhull Report")." For the Andrews model, see "Woodhull Report" andHOWELL and KLOSTER, "United States Army Headgear to1854," pp. 54-55.°' Miller, Photographic History of the Civil War.«• G.O. No. 13 WD, 30 November 1858, RG 94, NA.""G.O. No. 13 WD, 15 August 1855, RG 94, NA." G.O. No. 3 WD, 24 March 1858, RG 94, NA." Both general orders in RG 94, NA."' Uniform Regulations for the Army of the United States1861. In regard to this latter, however, it should be pointedout that some details in these photographs are inaccurate."'' Uniform Regulations for the Army of the United States1861, paragraph 1488; Quartermaster Manual 1865.