Uniform Coat Question

[msothan]

Mr. Schaffner,

Thank you! That in and of its self is very telling. It gives a pretty clear picture that the Cavalry frocks of the pre-war fame were all gone. As I said as of yet everything has pointed to infantry Frock coats except in a few author's accounts and from a few of hand memories from members of the Pawnee.
The good thing is that by doing this exhibit correctly we can help people start to see and understand the difference between Infantry Coat and Cavalry Coat not to mention portray these guys right and help pass on their stories.

Thank you,
Michael

[Pvt Schnapps]

Mr. Schaffner,

Thank you! That in and of its self is very telling. It gives a pretty clear picture that the Cavalry frocks of the pre-war fame were all gone. As I said as of yet everything has pointed to infantry Frock coats except in a few author's accounts and from a few of hand memories from members of the Pawnee.
The good thing is that by doing this exhibit correctly we can help people start to see and understand the difference between Infantry Coat and Cavalry Coat not to mention portray these guys right and help pass on their stories.

Thank you,
Michael

You're welcome, and thank you for bringing up a very interesting subject.

I hadn't thought to ask earlier, but do you know whether the scouts received these gratis, or whether they were charged for their clothing?

I ask because during the last year of the civil war, volunteers had a monthly clothing allowance of $4 and would have been charged $8.75 for a uniform coat. When the war ended I know they were allowed to purchase arms at greatly reduced prices, but I haven't seen anything related to clothing.

While the government would probably have been happy to get rid of their overstock, it wouldn't be like the War Department to just give away something for free.

I should probably also mention that the government reported 297,089 cavalry jackets left in stock, for which it would have charged volunteers $6.25.