United States Army Headgear 1855-1902 - Libreria Militare Ares

60 SMITHSONIAN STUDIES IN HISTORY AND TECHNOLOGYC/IMPAIGH MAT.ScokteSize Numbers .Correspo'ttlxn^ Trad*? StrGS.16^Zsir374rj5ri67^'8FIGURE 41.—Drab campaign hat, c. 1883.(From Annual Report of the Quartermaster General, 1884.)drawn.'^" These were adopted 14 December 1883and later were published together with a line drawingof the hat (Figure 41) in the annual report ofthe Quartermaster General for 1884.QUARTERMASTERWAR DEPARTMENT,SPECIFICATIONS FOR FUR CAMPAIGN HATS.GENERAL'S OFFICE.Mixture.—To be composed of two-thirds best coney andone-third fine blown nutria.Weight.—Hat bodies to be weighed—4% ounces heavy.Shape.—Block to be 5% inches deep to center of tip.Brim.—To be 2% inches wide in front and rear, and 3inches wide at sides; to be of double thickness, and to havetwo rows of sitching, as shown on sample.Color.—To be a drab or other suitable color, as persample.Trimmings.—To be trimmed with 8-ligne union band—same quality as on hat—to be sewed on by hand. Sweat tobe an imported lined leather, 2^4 inches wide, sewed to thereed by zigzag stitch. A wire-gauze ventilator to be on eachside of the hat, 3^ inches from brim—to be of size as onsample hat.The hats to be doe finished, as per sample.To be packed three hats in each bandbox.Adopted December 14, 1883S. B. HOLABIRDjQuartermaster-General, U.S.A.^'^The first of these hats were purchased in mid-1883 and early 1884 on the open market in relativelysmall lots from William H. Hurlbut of NewYork at prices ranging from |1.75 to |1.89 each. Thefirst contract was let with Raymold 8c Whitlock ofNew York in June 1884 for 8007 at $1.67. The itemwas issued at a cost to the men of .|1.79.'"' Withsome relatively minor changes, this hat continuedin use until 1912 when the "Hat, Service," "olivedrab" with the "Montana Peak" was approved.""Several of these changes are worth noting foridentification and dating purposes. In 1889 therows of stitching on the brim increased from twoto three and the "wire gauze" ventilator was replacedby a number of small holes punched in thesides and arranged in design as on the "standardsample'"" (Figure 42). In 1895 the weight of thehat was dropped from 43^ to 3:^4 ounces and in1897 the upper edge of the sweat band Avas turnedover 14 inch and cemented and a narrow strip ofoiled silk about I/2 inch wide was welted in betweenthe sweat band and the body of the hat.""'The advent of the war with Spain brought somerenewed attempts to increase the ventilation in the