Commercial Forage Cap

[CAVALRYMAN]

Hello everyone . I have a question for Union Army cavalry reenactors . Does any of your reenactment groups allow the use of reproduction commercial forage caps for enlisted men as an alternative to the reproduction type I and type II forage caps . The website www.njsekela.com sells excellant reproduction commercial forage caps for $125.00 and the website does say that they were widely used by both enlisted men and officers during the Civil War . I would appreciate as many responses as possible about this .


Allen Childers

[Rob]

It would have been a private-purchase item. If you could afford it, you could have it. Whether you could wear it on duty or not would have been up to your commanding officer.

[harley_davis]

Our unit does not have any specific rules in regards to a private purchase cap. However, as the previous poster has stated, we would want to be shown how your character would have afforded the item. Since the vast majority of our lads were farmers and clerks, odds are they would not have had the available funding for such an extravagance.
Respectfully,

[CAVALRYMAN]

Gentlemen thank you . What you wrote was very helpful .

Allen Childers

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

One of the many rules of thumb that I tend to use for many impressions is to find as many contemporary images you can, either through books or the Library of Congress and just do analysis. Do you see any private purchase caps, and if you do, how many? I won't offer my thoughts, as cav is out of my area of expertise, but try to look at as many period images or references as you can and go from there. Also, I wouldn't use financial considerations as a total reason for a CW soldier to have a privately purchased cap or not, as they were responsible for clothing themselves past what the government provided, so if one lost his cap and paying a large amount of money to replace it with a sutler or from mail order kept him out of hot water with the company commander, that would be the price to pay.

[Bummer]

Another way to guage whether private purchase stuff is 'correct' for you is to consider yourself in the modern 'real' army (or remember back then if you had been). Would you have bought some of the stuff that soldiers have available to them at clothing sales? I remember when I was overseas a guy in my section, a Spec 4 (equivalent to a high private) bought himself a beautiful doeskin velvetly looking class A uniform--it had been made for some Colonel and he bought it when the Col. didn't pick it up--but still a lot of bucks. He really enjoyed wearing that beautiful tailored dress uniform and it was regulation (he had the officer braid removed) and therefore was absolutely allowable. We all thought he was nuts for spending the money, but he did look sharp. I would never have done it.
That is a real good example of how it would be thought of back then--it's really the same equivalant as some private buying a commercial sack coat (and you know they did--my own GG Grandfather did). Soldiers today have field jackets and uniforms tailored, they buy gold plated collar insignia, fancy embroidered patches and insgnia--all sorts of stuff...and they are often privates too.
It was done, and it is still done. If you like it enough to spend the bucks, then go for it. A forage cap then was 58 cents on a $13 a month pay check. That $125 authentic forage cap today is probably equivalent to whatever pay you make today? If you like it and buy and wear it, it's pretty much what plenty of soldiers do and have done for ages.

[jademonkey]

Good points Mr. Waldron.

Another thing to consider is that many commercial forage caps were produced in the early years of the war for individual states. New Hampshire is a good example of a state that privately commisioned tailors to produce their caps. One wartime anecdote from a soldier in the 3rd NH stationed on Hilton Head island mentions the use of wadding from their caps to augment their scarce supply of matches. The soldier mentions the cap makers by name (Messrs. Purinton & Ham of Dover, NH), which likely indicates a commercial stamp on the cap.

[Rob]

One must allow for the possibility that such a cap could have been received as a gift from home.

I have relatives who travel constantly, and it is not unknown for them to bring back gifts for the various family members. A cap or hat bought for a soldier in the family would not have been unusual for them.

[jademonkey]

One must allow for the possibility that such a cap could have been received as a gift from home.

I have relatives who travel constantly, and it is not unknown for them to bring back gifts for the various family members. A cap or hat bought for a soldier in the family would not have been unusual for them.

True dat. With reference to my original post, I neglected to add that in the anecdote the soldier refers to "our caps" when he recalls the incident.

[GaWildcat]

To imagine such an item being sent from home. I know we purchased and were sent alot of neat-o-keen, Kewl, high-speed, low drag gear that wasnt exactly issue when I was in the big litterbox. Alot of us bought high speed three point slings for our weapons, chest or leg pouches for magazines, gel filled vests and helmet liners that kept us cool under body armour and such stuff. So it isnt to hard to imagine a commercial kepi or forage cap being bought by a soldier or sent from home..

[reb64]

reproduction type I and type II forage caps . The website www.njsekela.com sells excellant reproduction commercial forage caps for $125.00 and the website does say that they were widely used by both enlisted men and officers during the Civil War . I would appreciate as many responses as possible about this .


Allen Childers


The regulation ones are just fine to me. last one was 45$ and going strong going on 5 years. Id say the extra bucks.