Is this re-enactor stuff?
No, DC, I doubt that. A lot of people are curious what they wore. Anr you know me... loaded with the trivial.
How is this, Steve...
Blouse—uniform jacket, officers and EM:• 1872 – style officers had 4 gilt buttons and frogging on each side.
• 1874 – style fatigue blouse (flannel) was current for EM.
o 5 buttons.
o Yellow cord edging on collar and cuffs.
• EM also wore three other types of blouse: (1) the 1872, nine – button plaited fatigue blouse; (2) the long, nine - button frock coat (1858 – 1872)—in many cases, modified by being made shorter; and, (3) the long-standing cavalry shell jacket which became obsolete in 1872.
o At least one frock or 1872-fatigue blouse was worn at the battle. A nine – button array was discovered by archaeologists on Reno Hill in 1985.
• 1875 – style added another button.
• Sack coat—slightly longer, straight-sided jacket for both officers (with frogging) and enlisted personnel.
• Single-breasted frock coat—officer’s uniform jacket.
o Company grade (1851 – 1872 – style) were single-breasted, 9 gilt buttons.
o Field grade were usually double-breasted.
Beneath the blue uniform jackets, the troops wore coarse, pullover, flannel or knit, shirts.• Standard in 1876 was gray.
• Some wore dark blue, newly issued on experimental basis.
• Some still wore the white shirts left over from the Civil War.
• Others probably wore a civilian-type, checkered “hickory” style, pink or blue.
• Officers almost always wore the “fireman-style” blue shirt, with no rank insignia: double-breasted, trimmed in white tape, usually with a set of cross-sabers and “7” embroidered in white or yellow silk on the points of the collar.
Overcoat—• Light blue kersey with long cape.
• Double-breasted.
• Only some time after 1876 was the inside of the cape lined with the branch of service color.
Trousers—EM’s were sky-blue kersey.• After the Civil War, the officers’ trousers were changed from dark-blue (the same as their uniform coats) to the same light-blue color as the EM, though of a much finer quality material.
• Many—officers and EM—reinforced their trousers with white canvas on the seat and inside legs.
• 1861 – style officers’ trousers were sky blue with a 1/8” yellow (cavalry) “welt” (stripe).
• Only officers, sergeants, and corporals were authorized to wear a trouser stripe, each of a different width. Corporal: ½”; sergeant: 1”; officers: 1½”.
• Double yellow stripes on trumpeters’ trousers, though not authorized until 1883, were not uncommon in the Seventh Cavalry and were “authorized” by Custer.
• Suspenders were not of general issue until 1883, however, the archaeological excavation of 1984 uncovered a commercially-made suspender grip indicating at least some troops used them [Scott and Fox,
Archaeological Insights into The Custer Battle, pp. 86 – 87].
Summer-weight cotton drawers—underwear.Boots—not quite knee-high.• By regulation, the trousers were supposed to cover the boot, but many ignored this on campaign.
• Coarse leather, very poor quality.
• Soldiers rubbed soap on their feet and socks to avoid blisters.
Brogans—shoes.Hats—standard issue hats were black felt.• High crowns.
• Wide, “snap-brims,” meaning sides could hook up.
• Trimmed with yellow (cavalry) worsted band and tassels.
• Many troops wore similar—and dissimilar—civilian hats because of the poor quality of the military-issue.
• Many C Company troopers wore gray hats.
Carbine sling—the carbine was carried on the right side, suspended on a broad leather strap resting on the left shoulder. Muzzle was carried down and when a soldier was mounted, the barrel was loosely held by a leather socket near the saddle stirrup.
Officers’ Uniforms on the Little Big HornNOTE—Godfrey wrote: “All of the officers wore the dark blue shirt with rather wide falling collar [then known colloquially as the “fireman’s” shirt], which when the blouse was worn, was over the blouse collar; most of them had cross-sabers and 7, like the old cap ornament, worked in white or yellow silk on the points of the collar” [Godfrey/Graham,
The Custer Myth, p. 345]. Sergeant Daniel Kanipe tells us, “… [T]he officers who were killed, or most all of them, wore regular soldier’s uniform and I don’t think that any of the officers had shoulder straps on any of their blouses. As to the wool hats I will say that ‘C’ Troop and ‘E’ and ‘L’ all wore white hats. The other companies of the Regiment wore black hats” [Hardorff,
On The Little Bighorn With Walter Camp, p. 12].
1. Frederick Benteen: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
2. James Calhoun: buckskin blouse; blue “fireman’s” shirt; blue regulation trousers.
3. William Cooke: buckskin blouse; blue “fireman’s” shirt; blue regulation trousers; white felt hat. DeRudio claimed he was wearing his blue shirt and buckskin pants.
4. Jack Crittenden: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
5. George Custer: buckskin suit; blue “fireman’s,” bib – type shirt, piped in white; wide-brimmed, low-crowned, whitish – gray felt hat; red scarf. Probably had the buckskin jacket stowed on his horse because of the heat.
• According to PVT Giovanni Martini, Custer wore a “blue – gray flannel shirt, buckskin trousers, and long boots… a regular company hat” [Stewart,
Custer’s Luck, p. 274].
• PVT Peter Thompson (C): Custer “was in shirt sleeves; his buckskin pants were tucked into his boots; his buckskin shirt fastened to the rear of his saddle; and a broad-brimmed, cream colored hat… the brim of which was turned up on the right side and fastened by a small hook and eye to the crown” [Willert,
Little Big Horn Diary, p. 254].
• LT DeRudio claimed Custer and Cooke, “‘were the only ones who had blue shirts and no jackets and buckskin pants…’” [Nichols,
RCOI, p. 332].
• “Custer carried a Remington Sporting rifle, octagonal barrel; two Bulldog self-cocking, English, white-handled pistols, with a ring in the butt for a lanyard; a hunting knife, in a beaded fringed scabbard; and a canvas cartridge belt. He wore a whitish gray hat, with broad brim and rather low crown, very similar to the Cowboy hat; buck skin suit, with a fringed welt in outer seams of trousers and arms of blouse; the blouse with double-breasted military buttons, lapels generally open; turn-down collar, and fringe on bottom of shirt” [Godfrey/Graham,
The Custer Myth, p. 345].
• 1SG John Ryan (M) confirmed most of Godfrey’s observations. “General Custer wore a broad brimmed slouch hat, buckskin shirt and pants, and high top cavalry boots. He was armed with a Remington Sporting Rifle that used a brass shell. He also carried in his belt two pistols, one a .45 – caliber Colts [sic] and the other a French Navy, and a hunting knife” [Ryan/Barnard,
Ten Years With Custer, pp. 303 – 304].
6. Tom Custer: buckskin suit; blue “fireman’s” shirt; white felt hat. Also known to wear a buckskin shirt. Dressed generally the same as brother George [Godfrey/Graham,
The Custer Myth, p. 345].
• “… Thomas W., wore a broad brimmed slouch hat, a buckskin shirt and carried a .45 – caliber Colt pistol, and I think a Springfield sporting rifle, caliber .45” [Ryan/Graham,
The Custer Myth, p. 347].
• SGT Kanipe claimed Tom Custer wore regulation blue pants, but with a sergeant’s stripe, not an officer’s [Hardorff,
On the Little Bighorn With Walter Camp, p. 11].
7. Carlo DeRudio: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
8. Dr. James DeWolf: indications are that he wore the blue “fireman’s” shirt.
9. Winfield Edgerly: blue “fireman’s” shirt; black snap-brim campaign hat. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
10. Tom French: deerskin jacket and a large-brimmed hat. Probably wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar under the jacket. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
11. Frank Gibson: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
12. Ed Godfrey: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers, although there is some indication he wore white canvas pants. His men may have been similarly attired, as K Company was known as the “Dude Company.”
13. Luke Hare: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
14. Henry Harrington: blue regulation blouse; white canvas trousers with fringe on the outer seams.
15. Benny Hodgson: was wearing a vest. SGT Culbertson in his RCOI testimony mentioned that while Hodgson’s watch and chain were gone, the gold bar inside his vest was still there [Nichols,
RCOI, p. 371]. Wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
16. Myles Keogh: buckskin blouse; blue “fireman’s” shirt; blue regulation trousers; apparently wearing shoes rather than boots on 25 Jun 1876. SGT Caddle (I Company), quoted in
Conquest of the Missouri, p. 379, claimed he found one of Keogh’s shoes when he went with the reburial party in 1877.
17. Dr. George Lord: blue regulation shirt and blue regulation trousers. Also, wore glasses.
18. Ed Mathey: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar (“fireman’s” shirt). Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
19. Tom McDougall: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
20. Donald McIntosh: Reported to have been wearing a buckskin shirt when he was killed and his body found. If this is true, the buckskin shirt was worn over a calico shirt with gutta – percha buttons. Probably wore blue regulation trousers. Also known to wear a buckskin coat and blue “fireman’s” shirt.
21. Myles Moylan: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
22. Dr. Henry Porter: buckskin blouse.
23. James Porter: buckskin blouse; blue “fireman’s” shirt; blue regulation trousers. “I found Porter’s buckskin blouse in the village… and from the shot holes in it, he must have had it on and must have been shot from the rear, left side, the bullet coming out on the left breast near the heart” [Godfrey/Graham,
The Custer Myth, p. 346].
24. William Van Wyke Reily: blue “fireman’s” shirt; blue regulation trousers.
25. Marcus Reno: regulation blue undress coat (a sack or “sacque” coat); blue regulation trousers; straw hat.
26. Algernon Smith: buckskin blouse; blue “fireman’s” shirt; blue regulation trousers; white felt hat. Often preferred shoes with white gaiters to boots.
27. Jack Sturgis: blue “fireman’s” shirt; blue regulation trousers. Lieutenants DeRudio and McClernand claimed to have seen a buckskin shirt with Sturgis’ name on it in the Indian village. Godfrey remembered him wearing his blue army coat. From this, it seems he wore the regulation coat over his “fireman’s” shirt, then removed the jacket in the heat. The buckskin shirt could easily have been tied to his saddle or with his gear.
28. Charles Varnum: blue “fireman’s” shirt; straw hat. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
29. George Wallace: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar (“fireman’s” shirt). Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
30. Tom Weir: wore the dark blue shirt with a wide falling collar. Probably wore blue regulation trousers.
31. George Yates: buckskin blouse; blue “fireman’s” shirt; blue regulation trousers.
You can find all this and more in my book... is that an unacceptable plug?
Best wishes,
Fred.
..I need to be able to visualise these events as I read about them...And I don't need my mental pictures full of yellow neckerchiefs & suspenders..........