EARLY CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE MILITIA UNIFORM COAT OFTEN IDENTIFIED TO THE STATE OF ALABAMA

EARLY CIVIL WAR CONFEDERATE MILITIA UNIFORM COAT OFTEN IDENTIFIED TO THE STATE OF ALABAMA

02-23590

The form and style of this coat is indicative of many militia coats, both North and South, from the late 1850s to the beginning of the Civil War. It is quite likely that these uniforms were ordered from a Northern supplier prior to the outbreak of hostilities. When the coats arrived, they were trimmed out locally and equipped with 37 manuscript “I” buttons with the back mark of Halfmann & Taylor of Montgomery, Alabama. These buttons were manufactured in England and sold to the Confederacy as well as Southern states. The cuff buttons are standard Civil War era Yankee enlisted eagles with plain brass backs. This was likely because of the unavailability of cuff size manuscript “I” buttons. The uniform itself was likely for a mounted unit due to the yellow trim and piping color. The body of the coat is good, stout navy blue wool with the trim on the front a faded yellow cotton. The collar, cuff facings, and tails are trimmed in yellow wool. The regulation NCO shoulder scales have yellow wool fringe, as seen on many militia coats of the Civil War years. The lining of the body is an off-white cotton with machine-sewn quilting. The sleeve lining is a similar material. The waist and tails of the coat are lined with dark blue polished cotton. There is an interior pocket on the left hand edge with a lining of the same material as seen in the back and sleeves.