Tricorns ?

[scoyy]

I have been looking for info on the authenticity of the tricorn in
early war sourthern units.
does anyone know of photos/writings of this type of head gear?

thx
scoyy

[flattop32355]

Odds are, you'll find a few examples of just about anything being used, including such headgear. But with the US and CS military model based upon more modern French uniforms, gear, tactics, etc, I don't know that you'll see it done in numbers significant enough to justify its use.

[BobSullivanPress]

Many of these showed up early in the war and were holdovers from militia uniforms. To my recollection, there was a Virginia regiment and a Georgia regiment that had them.

Of course, there was also an Ohio regiment that had an equally weird hat. The guys that re-create that unit love to talk about it if you corner them.

[skamikaze]

I believe early in the war, the tri-fold hat was the official uniform regulation of Mississippi. There is a pic of Gen. Gregg(?) wearing one but i dont have it online.

[bob 125th nysvi]

to that the origins of tricorns were really just wide brim hats with the brim folded back and pinned in place.

But as a fashion statement they were a little old and the war was fought by young men. They would have not been interested in wearing what grandpa wore.

Probably dissappeared pretty quickly even if worn in an engagement or two.

[GaWildcat]

The Uniform perscribed by the Military Board for th Army of Mississippi in March 1861:

For Full Dress, gray frock coats were to be of US regulation cut. Double breasted for Generals as well as for field officers bore two rows of seven buttons. Generals cuffs were plain but collars were of black velvet, with an embroidered 1-inch gilt star on each side for the Major General,and silver stars for Brigadiers. Field Officers wore black collars minus the star, and black cuffs, all edged with 1/2 inch gold lace. Staff Officers' coats were not braided. Company officers had collar and cuffs of branch service color, and horizontal silk braid of the same color running across from thier nine buttons, the top braids being 5 inches in length, and the bottom 2. Enlisted mens coats were similar but with worsted braid. Branch service color was to be crimson for infantry, yellow for cavalry and orange for Artillery.

Trousers were also gray, with black cord stripes for generals, and 1 inch cloth stripes for the rest. Black for field officers, and branch of service color for the remainder.

Hats were of black felt broad brimmed, and "looped up on three sides", with cord, tassel, and plume for parade. The plume was to be long flowing for Generals, field, and staff officers, and short and standing for all other ranks. Plume colors were white for Major Generals, red tipped white for Brig Gen., crimson for regimental field and staff, green for medical corps, blue for QM, blue tipped red for Ordnance Corps. Company grade and enlisted men wore plumes of branch color. Yellow metal numbers were below the plume socket for regimental field and staff. Cords and tassels were to be gold for all officers, and worsted branch color for enlisted.

From Uniforms of the Civil War by Smith & Field.

So tricorns were regulation for Mississippi.

In Virginia, the Morgan Continental Guard wore uniforms similar to those worn during the revolution, so no doubt that tricorns were also worn.

[Rob Weaver]

I've seen several photos of Mississippians wearing the 3-cornered hats. None of them are right in front of me at the moment, but my library is not filled with arcane sources, so they're not that hard to find.
Anyone wearing a 3-cornered hat in the Southern Confederacy isn't making a fashion statement, but rather a political one. That hat was the most distinguishing feature of dress during the American Revolution, the first one, with which Southerners had a profound admiration. The rhetoric of the early war often brings to mind the "Spirit of '76" (for lack of a better term). So does that hat. It's identification with the spirit of revolution against tyranny.
Federal rhetoric and recruiting langauge also harks back to the Men of '76, and has already been noted, a number of Federal units started the war in uniforms suggestive of the Continental army. Apparently the 3-cornered hat didn't fit in as a visual symbol up North.

[jademonkey]

As has been previously stated, Mississippi state regulations called for a black hat "looped up on three sides" (Brassey 1998:25). Photographic eveidence of troops from MS shows this type of headgear in relative abundance, and worn by young recruits - at least during the first year of the war. Hats of this type are also seen on individuals from militia units in neighboring Louisianna. Other units, particuarily those whose uniform fell under the category of 'fossilized fashion', as Baumgarten refers to it, which was the use of outdated modes of dress as symbolic expression, also wore this type of headgear. Another example of relic or fossilized fashions are 18th century-style livery suits worn by some slaves who performed household tasks. Anyway, certain militia groups also practiced this fossilized fashion in an effort to create a symbolic bridge to the first war of independance. One survviving example that I know of is the Purvis Hat worn by a junior officer from LA (EOG CS pg. 166). There are a couple of pictures in Brassey's American Civil War: Confederate Army, Jensen's Johnny Reb: The Uniform of the Confederate Army, 1861-1865, and of course good ol' Echoes of Glory. The best reference, however, would be to check out the Portraits of Conflict books on Mississippi and Louisianna from your local library if you live in a large enough city that would hold them, or a local university library. For a more detailed discussion on relic or fossilized fashion check out Linda Baumgarten's What Clothes Reveal - good text that has a great deal of info on early 19th century clothing. Hope this gives you something to go on. Good luck, Garrett

[andysmith1989]

In the echos of glory book, Gen. Buckner of the Ky armed forces made a black felt tricorne hat standard issue.

[scoyy]

Thanks for all the info so quick

My own resources are fairly limited.
But I will try to get to the UNR library and use all this info.
I have EoG and missed that on p.166
This reseach is fun.
thanks all

scoyy