CONFEDERATE ARMY

Infantry
In theory all Confederate troops in the ACW were issued with regulation uniform items from their state or the government. In practice a huge amount of variation was evident. This is a large subject and the following notes are very general, but certainly good enough for the beginner.

Infantrymen were issued with short grey jackets reaching to the waist. In theory they would have cuffs trimmed in light blue, but this was rare. Many chose to replace the issue items with better quality jackets sent to them by relatives. These garments were generally brown, but varied considerably in shade, as did the grey jackets. Trousers were either grey or the ‘butternut’ brown of the jackets, but sky blue often appeared, courtesy of captured or looted union supplies. There could therefore be a large range of indvidual coloured garments in any given unit.

The official headwear was a kepi made of grey wool trimmed on the side and top in light blue and completed with a black leather peak. These were not popular and most soldiers replaced the cap with a hat. These came from a variety of sources, mostly civilian and came in a range of colours.

The cartridge box and shoulder strap were of black or brown leather. A black, brown or occasionally white belt supported a percussion cap box to the right of the buckle, and a bayonet scabbard where this was worn. A white cotton haversack was slung from the right shoulder, as was a canteen, often a captured union item.

Shoulder rolls were commonly carried slung from the left shoulder. These were made from issue grey or brown wool blankets, or a black gum blanket, or grey shelter half.

Infantry officers demonstrated a wide latitude in dress often replacing official items with privately made items. In theory they wore a grey frock coat with rank markings denoted by Austrian knots on the sleeves and kepis decorated with gold braid. In practice rank markings were often ignored and shorter coats and jackets were common, as were hats.

Musicians wore the same basic uniforms as the ordinary soldier. Drum straps were of white leather.

Zouaves
The flamboyant and distinctive Zoauve dress was less widespread in Confederate armies than those of the North. While there were numerous companies of Zoauves, there was only one full regiment - Coppers or the Louisiana Zouaves. They wore a decorated short dark blue jacket Trousers were red, baggy and tucked into white gaiters. All belting was of black leather, with the cartridge box suspended from the waist belt rather than the shoulder strap which was dispensed with. An off-white ‘bread bag’ was slung by a white strap across the right shoulder. Headgear was a red fez with a yellow tassel. A waist sash completed the colourful outfit. Officers wore standard uniforms and equipment.