Courtesy of the Library of Congress collection, "Battle of Mission Ridge, Nov 25th 1863," McCormick Harvesting Machine Company, Cosack & Co. lithograph, Buffalo & Chicago, ca. 1886.

Confederate Depot Uniforms of the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana, 1864-1865, Part II: The Jackets of Captain William M. Gillaspie's Depot, Selma and Montgomery, Alabama
By Frederick R. Adolphus, March 26, 2016; Updated August 27, 2016

Continued from Part I: click here to navigate back to the previous page...

Now turning to the Montgomery-dubbed jacket, it has these features.  The weave is one woolen yarn over two and under one cotton warp yarn, and cotton warp yarn under two and over one woolen yarn.  The cotton warp is a heavy yarn, ranging in color from a bleached white to a natural white to a light golden brown.  The woolen weft yarn color ranges from a light sheep's gray to tan to brownish-gray to steel gray.  The fabric color often has a striped, or brindled appearance due to heterogeneous-colored fill yarn used intermittently that results in darker and lighter stripes in the weft.[42]  These observations suggest that the jackets were originally either a natural, undyed sheep’s gray or a dyed steel gray (the brindling having little effect on the overall color).  The lining is an unbleached cotton osnaburg, without an interior pocket.  The jackets are tailored with a six-piece body, one-piece sleeves, one exterior inset pocket at the left breast, seven-button front, and, a one-piece collar (inside and out).  Of three interior innings observed by the author, two were cut with facing lapels that extend at the top all the way to the back piece, essentially separating the interior collar facing from the front lining.  Most extant jackets retain their wooden, two-hole, Confederate depot buttons.  Furthermore, most of these jackets have a double-row of topstitching around the edge, the stitching closest to the edge having been applied in lieu of an interior-stitched seam that had to be turned and pressed.  Some are cut straight across the back plackets at the bottom edge, and some are made with a slight point.  All but one of the originals have squared front lapel bottoms.  The Montgomery jackets are all very similar to one another, without any notable variants as observed in other depot jackets.  There are seven surviving Montgomery jackets and two of them have accompanying, matching trousers.
 
The first of these jackets, from whence the provenance to Montgomery derives, is the one worn by Sergeant H.P. Kingsley, 2nd New York Cavalry.  Kingsley, as previously stated, was interned along the Selma-Montgomery rail line at Cahaba Prison, where he received the jacket.  The weave is inconclusive based on low resolution of the images I have available, but appears to be similar to other Montgomery jackets.  The overall color is a homogenous tan due to uniformly-colored fill yarn used throughout.  Seven intact, flat brass, penny buttons, approximately one inch in diameter, are attached to the front.  The exterior pocket welt is situated between the third and fourth (middle) buttonholes from the top.  The jacket has a single row of backstitched, topstitching that extends all the way around the edge of the jacket.  The topstitching on the collar is set about a third of the way down from the top edge.  The bottom edges of the back plackets have a slight point.[43]

9a. The front on Kingsley's jacket displays the typical features of all the Montgomery jackets. The 9-series of images are attributed to the Richard Todd collection and the documentary Collecting the Confederate Soldier, Jim Osborn, Rockywood Productions, Inc.

9b. A side view of the jacket shows some brindling in the fabric.

9c. The buttons on this jacket are flat brass "coin" style buttons, rather than the more typical Confederate-issue, wooden Allen button.

9c. The brass buttons are approximately one-inch diameter.

9d. The button shanks are attached directly to the back surface.

9e. The exterior pocket welt is seen here.

9f. Another perspective of the exterior pocket welt is offered.

9g. This gives a front view of the collar.

9h. Details of the collar show the topstitching around the top edge.

9i. The collar topstitching consists of a close, tight backstitch. This view shows the inside of the collar.

9j. This view shows the back of the jacket.

9k. This view shows the inside osnaburg lining.

9l. This is the only view available that shows the fabric. While the image is not very distinct, the fabric conforms to that seen in other Montgomery jackets. This also shows the inside of the right lapel facing with its tight backstitch around the jacket's edge.

9m. A view of the bottom inside edge shows the topstitching.

The second jacket has no provenance, but is a splendid example of a Montgomery uniform, and it includes a pair of matching pants.  In lieu of provenance, the set is named by its catalog numbers from the Gettysburg National Park: the jacket GETT 29076, and the pants GETT 29077.  The weave for both the jacket and pants, that match exactly, is one woolen yarn over two and under one cotton warp yarn, and cotton warp yarn under two and over one woolen yarn.  The cotton warp yarn is a light tan color; the woolen weft yarn is a sheep's gray color; fabric color has a striped, or brindled appearance due to heterogeneous-colored fill yarn used intermittently in the weft.  The jacket has all seven of its wooden Allen buttons intact.  The top of the exterior pocket welt aligns with the middle buttonhole, and, in fact, overlaps a little onto it.  The double-row of topstitching, extending all the way around the jacket’s edge, is finished with backstitching.  The exterior stitch (closest to the edge) is rather widely spaced.  The interior stitch, around the body only, is much tighter.  The interior topstitch around the collar is machine-stitched.  The thread tension for machine-stitching along the collar edge was mal-adjusted and loose, which may explain why the rest of the topstitching for this row around the body’s edge was completed by hand.  The bottom edge of the back plackets is cut straight across.  The facing lapels are cut in the typical fashion in that they are not so wide they extend to the back lining piece and separate the front lining from the collar lining.  The matching trousers have the same wooden Allen buttons as the jacket, except in the five-eighths inch pants size; a buttoning rear adjustment belt (also with an Allen button); and, the brindled fabric matches that of the jacket exactly.  There is every reason to believe that the GETT 29077 trousers were made at the Montgomery Depot.  More details on the trousers follow in the descriptions of all the pants together.[44]

10a. This shows the front of Montgomery jacket identified only by its catalog number, GETT 29076. One of the most salient features is the brindling throughout the fabric. This feature is noted in many of the Montgomery uniforms. A Federal soldier even remarked about it in March 1862 when he described Confederate prisoners from Fort Donelson as dressed in "uniforms of all shades of colors, gray, brindle, and butternut, the last predominating." The artifact in the 10-series of images is courtesy of the Gettysburg National Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

10b. This shows the front of Montgomery jacket GETT 29076 with the buttons showing. The double row of topstitching around the edge of the jacket is also visible here.

10c. This image shows a closer view of the topstitching around the edge, the buttonholes and the bottom lapel shape.

10c. The details of the double row of topstitching show that the outer row (closest to the edge) appears to be a basting stitch. The interior row is a tight backstitch.

10e. A close-up of the depot-issue, wooden Allen button shows it to be bit over seven-eighths of an inch in diameter. The button has been attached with the same gray-colored buttonhole thread used for topstitching and for the buttonholes. This image also provides a magnified view of the fabric weave.

10f. The entire exterior pocket welt is visible here. It has a basting topstitch all around its edge.

10g. The right cuff includes some remnants of the nap. The cuff edge includes topstitching.

10h. The left cuff closely mirrors the right.

10i. An interior view of the cuff displays its construction. The lining and basic fabric were joined with the top of the cloth facing together, then the sleeve was turned right-side-out, and a row of topstitching was applied around the edge of the cuff, through the lining.

10j. This close view of the basic fabric clearly shows the brindled effect in the coloration of the yarn.

10k. This gives a magnified view of the basic fabric's brindling.

10l. This magnified view shows the basic fabric's weave: one woolen weft yarn over two and under one cotton warp yarn, and a cotton warp yarn under two and over one woolen weft yarn.

10m. This magnified view of the basic fabric shows some of the nap remnant. This indicates that when the cloth was new, the weave would not have been as visible.

10n. This image provides a view of the interior lapel facing, the osnaburg lining, the back surface of the cloth through the tear in the lining (with the cotton warp prominently visible), and the stitches used around the bottom edge. The double row of topstitching extended only to the end of the facing lapel. At that point the outer row of stitching was changed to a whipstitch that, in fact, is sewn all the way through the outer shell of the jacket. The interior row remained a tight backstitch.

10o. This view of the collar shows the same double row of topstitching that is observed in the lapel's front edges. The outer row is a widely spaced backstitch. The interior row of topstitching was applied with a sewing machine. The interior collar facing was laid over the lining, the edge folded inward, and then whipstitched in place. Details of the buttonhole construction are also visible. The buttonhole was sewn with the same gray-dyed thread used in the topstitching, and the stitches are very closely-spaced and sturdy. The collar's one-piece construction is also evident here.

10p. The back view of the collar highlights the one-piece construction of outside facing. One can also clearly discern the machine topstitching in the interior row, and see how mal-adjusted the thread tension was that left this stitching loose.

10q. A view of the back of the jacket highlights the brindled effect of the yarns in the basic cloth.

10r. A full view of the osnaburg lining shows that it mirrors the construction of the outer shell. This also highlights one of the commonalities of the Montgomery jacket: it had no interior pocket.

The third jacket, yet another without provenance, resides in the Smithsonian Institution, and is referred to by its accession number: 1980.0399.0921.  The jacket is typical of most Montgomery jackets, except that the bottoms of the front lapels are slightly rounded.  Its weave is one woolen yarn over two and under one cotton warp yarn, and cotton warp yarn under two and over one woolen yarn.  The cotton warp yarn is a light, golden brown color; the woolen weft yarn is a sheep's gray, or light steel gray color.  Fabric color has a slightly striped appearance due to heterogeneous-colored fill yarn used intermittently in the weft.  The jacket has all seven of its wooden Allen buttons intact.  The exterior pocket welt aligns between the middle buttonhole and the one below it.  The double-row of topstitching is sewn with a widely spaced backstitch all the way around the jacket’s edge.  The exterior stitch (closest to the edge) is widely spaced and the interior stitch is a bit more closely spaced.  The interior stitch is placed close to the edge of the collar, rather than towards the center.  The bottom edge of the back plackets is cut almost straight across.  The facing lapels at the top extend all the way to the back piece, between the interior collar facing and the top of the front lining piece.[45]

11a. This shows the front of Montgomery jacket identified only by its catalog number, 1980.0399.0921. This jacket is nearly identical to the GETT 29076 jacket, to include the characteristic brindling so common to Montgomery uniforms. The artifact in the 11-series of images is courtesy of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC.

11b. This shows the front of Montgomery jacket 1980.0399.0921 with the buttons showing. The double row of topstitching around the edge of the jacket is also visible here.

11c. The details of the double row of topstitching show that the outer row (closest to the edge) appears to be a basting stitch. The interior row is similar to that observed in the GETT 29076 jacket, but the backstitch is more widely spaced.

11d. A close-up of the depot-issue, wooden Allen button shows it to be bit over seven-eighths of an inch in diameter. The button has been attached with a white-colored buttonhole thread.

11e. Unfortunately, this is the only image with any details of the buttonholes. The buttonholes were worked with the same gray-colored thread used in all of the jacket's topstitching. The buttonhole is very well made with the uniform stitches close together.

11f. The entire exterior pocket welt is visible here. It appears to have a widely spaced backstitch for the topstitching in the same gray-colored thread used around the jacket edge.

11g. A close-up view of the cuff shows the basic fabric and some nap remnant.

11h. This magnified view of the basic fabric's weave show's the gray color of the yarn: possibly an undyed sheep's gray.

11i. This view of the cuff shows the topstitching around the edge: a backstitch.

11j. This view highlights the brindling in the weft yarn of the basic fabric, as seen in the right front and sleeve.

11k. This front view of the collar is a little blurry and partially obscured with conservation padding. Nonetheless, the construction closely mirrors that observed in the GETT 29076 jacket. The double row of topstitching that matches that used on the front edges.

11l. The back view of the collar highlights the similarities to the GETT 29076 jacket: most notably the collar's one-piece construction. Both rows of topstitching employ a backstitch, but the outer row is considerably wider spaced than the inner row.

11m. This image shows the front height if the collar.

11n. This image shows the rear height if the collar, and the widely spaced backstitch used in the interior row of totpstitching.

11o. The inside of the collar shows its basic construction as well as a noteworthy feature found in some of the Montgomery jackets. Namely, the facing lapels at the top extend all the way to the back piece, which effectively separates the interior collar facing and the top of the front lining piece. The weave of the typical osnaburg lining is clearly visible in this image.

11p. The back of Catalog # 1980.0399.0921 has some of the brindled effect noted in jacket GETT 29076.

11q. Other than the cut of the front lining piece at the top, the lining of the Catalog # 1980.0399.0921 jacket is typical of the other Montgomery jackets. The bottom edge has a double row of topstitching. The outer row is actually whipstitched, but shows through the front, and the inner row is backstitched.

11r. The left lapel facing displays the well-constructed buttonhole stitching sewn with gray thread. The lining and the lapel facing were joined with the top surface of the cloth facing together, then turned and the seams were ironed flat.

11s. A close-up view of the bottom edge of the jacket shows one row of whipstitching and another of widely spaced backstitching.

The fourth jacket was worn by Joseph Newman Stone, who served in three different commands during the war.  His first service was with Company G, 1st Confederate Infantry, having enlisted in April 1861.  After twelve month’s service with the 1st Confederate, Stone re-enlisted with the 32nd Alabama Infantry as a musician, being temporarily detailed to the 6th and 9th Tennessee Consolidated Regiment while serving with the 32nd.  In March 1863, he joined Buck's Escort Company, Mississippi Cavalry as a bugler.  He remained with this company until the end of the war, surrendering in North Carolina.[46]  Stone may have received his Montgomery jacket at the Mobile hospital while recovering from a gunshot wound received at Chickamauga.  This possibility is strengthened by the fact that he penned onto the jacket lining, "Jos. Stone 1863."  It is doubtful, however, that the jacket would have lasted from November 1863 to April 1865.  More likely, he received the jacket while his command was near Corinth, Mississippi following the Tennessee Campaign in January 1865.  His command would have had a perfect opportunity to draw clothing from the department’s supplies.  In any case, Stone's jacket is identical to the other Montgomery jackets, except that the bottom edge has been shortened enough to remove the bottom button.  The original buttons may have been replaced by the Federal eagle "I" buttons that are now on the jacket.  The weave is one woolen yarn over two and under one cotton warp yarn, and cotton warp yarn under two and over one woolen yarn.  The cotton warp yarn is a heavy, bleached white color; the woolen weft yarn is a light sheep's gray color.  Fabric color has a striped appearance due to heterogeneous-colored fill yarn used at distinct intervals.  The exterior pocket welt falls between what was originally the middle buttonhole (now third from the bottom) and the one above it, actually with the top of the welt almost even with the upper buttonhole, and the lower edge of the pocket welt about its full width above the lower buttonhole.  The jacket does not have a double-row of topstitching.  Instead there is a single row, basting stitch all around, even along the bottom edge where the length was shortened.  The bottom edge of the back pieces is cut with a distinctly rounded dip, although it must be reiterated that the bottom edge of the jacket has been considerably shortened.  The facing lapels in Stone’s jacket are similar to those in the Smithsonian 1980.0399.0921 jacket: the top extends all the way to the back piece, between the interior collar facing and the top of the front lining piece.[47]

12 Joseph Newman Stone, wartime owner of the Stone jacket, is pictured here in an early-war frock coat. He is thought to have received his Montgomery jacket during the last year of the war. The artifact in the 12-series of images is courtesy of the Sam Higginbotham collection.

12a. The front of Joseph Stone's Montgomery jacket shares many of the salient features of the other Montgomery jackets: chiefly the distinct brindling in the weft yarn. The most notable trait otherwise, is that the body has been shortened, thereby removing the bottom button and buttonhole.

12b. This offers a view from the right front.

12c. This image provides a view from the left front.

12d. A close look at the front bottom edge shows that after it was altered, it was topstitched with a basting stitch. Furthermore, Stone added an extra interior pocket to the right breast by stitching across the bottom of the front piece and using the lining itself as a makeshift pocket bag.

12e. The front lapels have only a single row of topstitching: a basting stitch or a very widely spaced backstitch. At some point, the jacket's original Confederate buttons were replaced with Federal infantry buttons. The buttonholes are well-made, and sewn with the same gray thread seen in other Montgomery jackets.

12f. The right cuff exhibits the basting stitch, topstitching around the bottom edge.

12g. The inside of the left cuff shows that the lining was joined to leave more of the basic cloth exposed around the cuff's edge. The basting topstitch does not pass through the lining.

12h. This gives a view of the top button and buttonhole.

12i. All of the replacement buttons were Federal "I" style. The weave of the basic fabric can be discerned here, as well.

12j. The pocket welt has only a single row of basting stitches along the top, opening edge.

12k. The inside of the pocket is seen here.

12l. Visible here is the weave's one woolen yarn over two and under one cotton warp yarn, and one cotton warp yarn under two and over one woolen yarn. The woolen weft yarn appears not to have been dyed, but rather left a natural sheep's gray color.

12m. This magnification of the weave gives a better view of the heavy cotton warp in a natural white color, and the sheep's gray woolen weft.

12n. The interior collar facing gives another view of the Montgomery Depot's linsey weave.

12o. Some damage to the seam joining in the front lining to facing lapel shows two important characteristics. The seams have a one-quarter inch allowance, and the lining edge employed the selvedge.

12p. The right sleeve shows how much variation could occur in warp yarn coloration. The top of the sleeve has a very light colored segment in the weft, and just below is a darker segment interspersed with yet darker, narrow streaks. This varied coloration, somewhat common in domestic Confederate woolens, is thought to have inspired the name "brindle," after the streaked coloring noted in cattle and dogs.

12q. A front view of the collar shows a single row of topstitching: a widely spaced basting stitch.

12r. The rear view of the collar highlights its one-piece construction.

12s. The inside of the collar follows the one-piece construction. The collar was made in the same manner as the Anderson style jackets: the pieces were joined at the base and then folded upwards. The top edges were then folded inwards and the edge was whipstitched closed.

12t. This view of the upper right inside of the jacket highlights how the facing lapel at the top extends all the way to the back lining piece.

12u. This image provides a view of the upper left inside of the jacket.

12v. The damage to the interior collar facing shows that the collar was not interlined.

12w. The bottom edge of the jacket received a row of topstitching: a basting stitch.

12x. A close view of the back is offered here.

12y. The left rear side of the jacket is seen here.

12z. The right rear side of the jacket is seen here.

12z27. Another view of the back of the jacket better highlights the brindling.

12z28. This image shows the interior lining of the jacket with the makeshift pocket added.

12z29. Joseph Stone penned his name in the lining along with the year "1863." The year is probably an allusion to Stone's overall service. It is highly doubtful that he received the jacket in 1863, and that it would have lasted until the end of the war. This magnified view also provides a close look at the osnaburg fabric.

12z30. The inside bottom edge of Stone's jacket has basting stitches, or possibly widely spaced backstitches.

12z31. The right lapel facing is visible here.

12z32. The left lapel facing is shown here.

12z33. The lining has been whipstitched through the facing lapel and the basic cloth of the jacket front to close the outside edge of the makeshift pocket bag.

12z34. Details of the upper left lapel, with its noteworthy extension to the back lining piece, is shown here.

12z35. The interior right side, makeshift pocket is shown here in its entirety. The bottom and inside periphery of the pocket bag has been made by stitching the lining and basic cloth together. The opening was made by cutting a slit in the lining, and basting a fold for the opening. Above that, the cut lining has been stitched directly to the basic cloth.

12z36. This magnified view of the pocket opening has exposed the back side of the basic cloth, where the cotton warp weave is prominent.

12z37. Details of the lower stitching used to close the pocket bag are visible here. The maker used a tight backstitch.

12z38. Details of the front stitching of the makeshift bag are seen here. The sturdy backstitch along the bottom and inside edges is clearly visible.

12z39. This shows the left sleeve cap lining that has been whipstitched in place.

12z40. This shows the right sleeve cap lining. The sleeve caps had a considerable amount of ease cut into the pattern.

12z41. A magnified view of the right sleeve cap provides a detailed view of the lining cloth, and the tear in the seamline shows the quarter-inch seam allowance that was used in the jacket's pattern.

The fifth Montgomery jacket was worn by George Jacob Mook, Company D, 4th Missouri Cavalry.  Mook’s jacket is accompanied by a pair of pants.  Mook was captured at Mound City, Kansas during Price's ill-fated Missouri Campaign of 1864.  He was interned at the Alton, Illinois Military Prison until being exchanged in February 1865, and sent to Richmond, Virginia on March 1, 1865.[48]  From there, he and the other exchanged Missouri soldiers were sent to Mobile to serve in the Missouri Brigade.  Once in Mobile, Mook received his Montgomery jacket.  The warp yarn is a tan-colored cotton.  The woolen weft is a brownish-gray (originally steel gray) color.  The fabric has an overall striped appearance due to heterogeneous-colored fill yarn used at used intermittently in the weft.  The jacket has all seven of its wooden Allen buttons intact.  The exterior pocket welt is centered on the middle buttonhole.  The bottom edge of the back plackets have a slight point.  There is but a single row of topstitching around the edge of the jacket: a basting stitch.  The topstitching around the collar is about a third if the collar's height down from the top.  Mook’s trousers do not match his jacket.  These are described in detail with the other trousers.[49]

13a. Mook's Montgomery jacket has all the quintessential features associated with this type: wooden Allen buttons, brindling, and fine construction. The artifact in the 13-series of images is courtesy of the National Battlefield Park, Wilson’s Creek, Missouri.

13b. This provides a view of the back of Mook's jacket. It appears that only the collar has a double row of topstitching, but the body and the cuffs have a row of topstitching all around.

13c. This image shows the left side of Mook's jacket.

13d. This view shows the right side of Mook's jacket.

The sixth jacket was worn by Samuel Powell Cooper of an undetermined South Carolina command.  Cooper is believed to have joined the service in that last months of the war.  He died of unstated causes in May 1865, Raleigh, North Carolina at seventeen years of age.[50]  We can surmise that he had served in the Carolina Campaign, and that his command was one that had transferred to the Carolinas after the Tennessee campaign.  This tenuous presumption is based entirely upon where he died and his jacket being from the Montgomery Depot.  Despite to sketchy details of Cooper’s service, jacket is authentic and is accompanied by a pair of non-matching pants, possibly cassinet, from a different quartermaster depot.  The pants are discussed in the “trousers” section of this study.  The jacket is identical to the other Montgomery jackets.  The weave is one woolen yarn over two and under one cotton warp yarn, and cotton warp yarn under two and over one woolen yarn.  The cotton warp yarn is a heavy, bleached white color; the woolen weft yarn is a light sheep's gray color.  All the buttons are missing.  Fabric color has a slightly striped appearance due to heterogeneous-colored fill yarn used at distinct intervals.  The exterior pocket welt falls between the middle buttonhole and the one above it, in fact, extending into the space between the two buttonholes, with the top of the welt starting in the middle of the buttonhole above and at the inside edge of the middle buttonhole.  The double-row of topstitching is sewn with a basting stitch and extends all the way around the jacket’s edge.  The exterior stitch (closest to the edge) appears to have been a bit more widely spaced than the interior stitch.  The interior stitch is also placed close to the edge of the collar, rather than towards the center.  The bottom edge of the back plackets is cut straight across.[51]

14a. Cooper's jacket is an udyed, sheep's gray color, and has the double row of topstitching all around the collar and body. The artifact in the 14-series of images is courtesy of the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room, Columbia, South Carolina; photographs provided by Neill Rose, Camden, South Carolina.

14b. This view shows the entire jacket front, to include the shape of the lapel bottom.

14c. A close-up view of the upper left front of the jacket shows how much of the topstitching has worn away. The topstitching was done with a dark-colored thread. The button holes are worked in the usual gray-colored thread, and they are well made.

14d. This image provides a magnified view of the topstitching, a button hole, and the weave of the basic cloth.

A last Montgomery jacket, another in the Gettysburg collection, is without provenance but includes an accompanying pair of trousers.  These artifacts can only be identified by their catalog numbers: the jacket GETT 29259, and the matching pants GETT 29260.  I could draw no definitive conclusions about the artifacts because I viewed them when they were on exhibit in a dark gallery, behind glass, and their features were obscured by the jacket covering the top of the pants, and accoutrements and a bedroll covering significant parts of both the jacket and pants.  The weave of both garments was difficult to observe, but they appeared to be different.  The jacket fabric may have been cassinet and the pants jeans.  The thick nap of the pants fabric make an accurate assessment impossible.  The jacket’s overall color is tannish, and the pants are a grayish-tan.  The colors for both are fairly consistent since both have a homogenous-colored weft.  The jacket’s wooden Allen buttons are visible, but no buttons can be seen on the pants.  The top of the exterior pocket welt seems to align with the middle buttonhole, which is covered by the blanket.  The double-row of topstitching includes two different types of stitches.  The exterior stitch (closest to the edge) is a basting stitch.  The interior stitch is a backstitch.  These stitches presumably extend all the way around the jacket’s edge.  The interior stitch is placed close to the edge of the collar, instead of dropping about a third of the height down, as is the case with some Montgomery jackets.  Interestingly, the seamtress misaligned the collar when she joined it to the neckhole, causing the base to fall below the neckhole seamline once the collar was finished.  This same seamtress error is noted in two of the Anderson-style jackets.  No other observations were possible.[52]

15a. This jacket, identified only by its catalog number GETT 29259, shares most of the basic characteristics of the Montgomery jackets. Regrettably, since the author could only examine it behind glass some conclusions are difficult to draw. The basic fabric matches that seen in Kingsley's jacket. The base of the collar was joined below the neckhole seamline, a mistake noted in two of the Anderson-style jackets, which makes the base of the collar fall below the seamline whan it is finished. It appears otherwise well-made with two sturdy rows of topstitching and well made buttonholes. The artifact in the 15-series of images is courtesy of the collection of the Gettysburg National Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

15b. This view shows as much of the GETT 29259 jacket as is visible in the exhibit case.

15c. This gives a slightly closer view of the jacket. As the images show, the basic cloth of the jacket and pants contrast with one another.

15d. This view highlights the contrast between the jacket and pants fabrics. Although the jacket and pants were supposedly wore by the same soldier as a set, there is no way to determine whether the pants might also be a Montgomery Depot product without thoroughly examining them.

There are only a few photos that clearly show soldiers wearing the Montgomery jacket.  A few more might be deduced as such, based on the soldier’s location and some tenuous characteristics.
 
One of the best images is of an unidentified Confederate soldier, probably a veteran home from the war, wearing his Montgomery jacket with a matching pair of pants.  The soldier has a small child on his left leg who obscures the view of the exterior, left breast pocket.  Nonetheless, the wooden Allen buttons are plainly visible, and the general cut of the jacket and sleeves matched the Montgomery pattern.  The image is without any provenance.[53]

16a. An unidentified soldier wears a Montgomery uniform complete with wooden Allen buttons and matching trousers. The image is courtesy of Southern Methodist University, Lawrence T. Jones III photograph collection, Dallas, Texas.

Another excellent image of the Montgomery jacket is from an image of Henry Taylor Marchman, Company A, 1st Battalion, Georgia Reserve Cavalry.  Marchman was sixteen years old in 1863 when he joined the reserves.  His service records are minimal, but they indicate that he served for the last two years of the war.[54]  The mystery is how he managed to receive a Montgomery jacket as a member of the Georgia reserves, since the state was supposed to supply its own reserves, and Montgomery furnished clothing chiefly to Confederate troops within the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana.   Marchman did, however, have a Montgomery jacket, and its characteristics are distinct: seven wooden Allen buttons; a slanted exterior, left breast pocket; and, one piece sleeves.[55]

16b. Henry Taylor Marchman, a Georgia Militia cavalryman wears a Montgomery jacket. It is noteworthy that he had it, since he was not in Confederate service nor was he in the department that issued these jackets. The image is courtesy of the Washington Memorial Library, Macon, Georgia, of Brett Boyd, Marchman’s great-grandson, and of Anne Rogers.

Three CDVs of Sergeant Robert W. Frazer, 5th Company, Washington Artillery, depicts him wearing a Montgomery jacket.  The CDVs represent different prints of the same image taken by Anderson & Turner, 61 Camp Street, New Orleans in May 1865.  The clarity of each CDV offers different insights to Frazer’s uniform.  Frazer served with his battery until the end of the war, although he was mistakenly reported as having been mortally wounded at the Battle of Jonesboro.[56]  He most likely received his Montgomery uniform in early 1865 while serving near Mobile.  After examining the three different prints of the same image, one of which is clearer that the other, the jacket features can be discerned.  The jacket has seven buttonholes (two in the middle are obscured by a tobacco pouch), somewhat pointed lapel bottoms, and the full cut sleeves so characteristic of the Montgomery jacket.  Both prints are so light that the exterior, left breast pocket is not clearly visible.  Furthermore, the buttons are brass, not wooden.  Frazer also holds a cap with a dark-colored band.  Otherwise, the basic fabric of the trousers, jacket and cap match in color and material.  The untinted image show that his pants had colored edging along the side seams; pointed cuff edgings; and, a faced collar (the image is faint).  These facings appear to have been red.  The next two images were tinted by the photographer, who has the jacket somewhat obscured by the photographer, who tinted the facings with red ink, making the collar red, and highlighting the edging on the cuffs, vest and trouser seams.  One of the tinted CDVs is available to the author in only black and white, so the color must be guessed at, but the other is a color version distinctly showing the red over tinting.  Presumably, Frazer had the red trim added to his jacket after he got it from the quartermaster.  The cap that Frazer hold has a dark colored band, and this too was presumably red-colored.[57]

16d. Three copies of the same CDV of Robert W. Frazer depict him wearing a Montgomery uniform. This copy clearly shows the colored facing on his jacket collar, pointed edging on the cuffs, and edging along the outside pants seams. Frazer apparently had red facings added to his uniform to denote his artillery service. This copy of the CDV is courtesy of the Glen C. Cangelosi collection.

16e. This copy of Frazer's CDV is only available to the author in black and white, therefore, the color of the tinting is not visible. Nonetheless, the photographer added more tinting to this image than to the previous one, clearly marking the collar, cuffs, pants seams, as well as the jacket's outer edges and the vest. This copy of the CDV is courtesy of J.S. Mosby Antiques & Artifacts, Orange, Virginia.

16f. The last copy of the Frazer CDVs is very significant in that the color of the photographer's tinting is visible (even though he applied only a small amount). The color is red, signifying red artillery facings. This CDV is courtesy of Confederate Memorial Hall, New Orleans, Louisiana.

16g. The photographer for all of the CDVs was Anderson & Turner of New Orleans, as indicated on the back of the previous image. This image is courtesy of Confederate Memorial Hall, New Orleans, Louisiana.

The last Montgomery jacket image is the full length portrait of Captain Edward Brett Randolph, 7th Alabama Cavalry.[58]  Randolph wears an imported Peter Tait & Company great coat over a domestic weave, enlisted soldier suit with officer collar rank.  The jacket and pants fabric and color match, and the jacket has seven brass buttons.  Given that Randolph probably got the great coat, jacket and pants in Montgomery (his duty station), and that the jacket has seven buttons, there is a strong possibility that the soldier suit is from the Montgomery Depot.[59]

16h. Captain Edward Brett Randolph appears to have a Montgomery Depot soldier suit on under his Peter Tait Company overcoat. Image courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama.

See continuation of this study in Part III: The Pants, Caps and Hats of the Department’s Depot, and the Cadet Gray Uniforms of Mobile, Alabama. Click here to navigate to the next part...


Acknowledgements:
The author extends his thanks to numerous institutions and people for their generous cooperation and indispensable help with this study.  Les Jensen’s Survey of Government Made Confederate Jackets, published in 1989, provided the first study of the “Alabama” (Anderson-style) jackets.  Harold S. Wilson’s Confederate Industry provided an understanding for clothing bureau operations.  Tom Arliskas’s Cadet Gray and Butternut Brown provided invaluable insights on the uniforms.  Numerous institutions and individuals have shared their collections, insights, and valuable time with me to make the study possible.  These include The Museum of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia, Chief Curator, Robert Hancock; Alabama Confederate Memorial Park, Marbury, Alabama, Director Bill Rambo; Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama, Bob Bradley and Dr. Kerr; Texas Civil War Museum, Fort Worth, Texas, Executive Director Ray Richey; Confederate Memorial Hall, New Orleans, Louisiana, Director Pat Ricci; Washington Artillery of New Orleans website and Glen C. Cangelosi collection; Louisiana State Museum, New Orleans, Louisiana, Chief Curator Wayne Phillips; Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia, Curator Heather Beattie; Museum of Southern History, Houston Baptist University, Houston, Texas, Curator Maggie Brown; General Sweeny’s Civil War Museum, Republic, Missouri, Dr. Tom Sweeney and Joseph Furtak; Wilson Creek National Battlefield, Republic, Missouri, Curators Deborah Wood and Alan Chilton; Gettysburg National Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Curator Paul Shevchuk; Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC, Curator Margaret Vining; South Carolina Confederate Relic Room, Columbia, South Carolina, Curator Joe Long; Neill Rose, Camden, South Carolina; Alan Hoeweller collection, Cincinnati, Ohio; Samuel P. Higginbotham II collection, Orange, Virginia; Lawrence T. Jones III, Confederate Calendar, Austin, Texas; Southern Methodist University, Lawrence T. Jones III collection, Dallas, Texas; Old Courthouse Museum, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Gordon A. Cotton and Jeff T. Giambrone; J.S. Mosby Antiques & Artifacts, Orange, Virginia, Stephen W. Sylvia; Historian Mike Bailey, Fort Morgan Historic Site, Gulf Shores, Alabama; Collecting the Confederate Soldier, Jim Osborn, Rockywood Productions, Inc., Denver, Colorado, 1996, Richard Todd collection; Archivist Vicki Betts, University of Texas, Tyler, online newspapers; Washington Memorial Library, Macon, Georgia, Brett Boyd and Anne Rogers; Military Images, Editor Ron Coddington, Arlington, Virginia; North South Trader Civil War, Publisher Steve Sylvia, Orange, Virginia; the Pink Palace Museum, Memphis, Tennessee; and, an anonymous private collection by wishes of the owner.

 
Copyright:
All photos are copyrighted to Adolphus Confederate Uniforms.  Although the artifacts are credited to different institutions, the images themselves are the property of the website and may not be reproduced without the author’s consent.


Bibliography:
[42] Arliskas, Thomas M., Cadet Gray and Butternut Brown: Notes on Confederate Uniforms, Thomas Publications, Gettysburg, PA, 2006, p. 29, note 15, p. 100, from a Northern newspaper, Ottawa [Illinois] Free Trader, March 8, 1862, soldier's letter, described what may have been an in-between, partly faded color as "brindle," noting that the Confederates at Fort Donelson had "uniforms of all shades of colors, gray, brindle, and butternut, the last predominating." Brindle may have described the peculiar Confederate unintentional practice of mixing dark weft yarns with lighter that gave the illusion of stripes.  The dictionary defines brindle as "tawny or grayish interspersed with streaks of darker color."
[43] Observations made from the video, Collecting the Confederate Soldier, Jim Osborn, Rockywood Productions, Inc., Denver, Colorado, 1996. The Kingsley jacket was part of the West Point Museum collection prior to Curator Richard Todd’s retirement, at which point the museum gave Todd the jacket. The jacket is now in an unknown private collection, and all attempts to reach the video publisher, Jim Osborn, have failed, and his company appears to be defunct. 
[44] Artifact in the collection of the Gettysburg National Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Author examined the jacket on 17 December 2010.
[45] Artifact in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC; accession number 1980.0399.0921, and old catalog number U081. Author examined the jacket in May 1996, and 16 December 2010.
[46] CSRs Confederate, M258, Roll 58, Joseph Stone; CSRs Alabama, M311, Roll 348, J.N. Stone; CSRs Mississippi, M269, Roll 72, Joseph N. Stone.
[47] Artifact in the collection of Sam Higginbotham, Orange, Virginia. Author examined the jacket on 17 October 2013. Furthermore, Nancy Dearing Rossbacher not only brought the jacket to my attention, but provided a detailed history of the Stone brothers’ Confederate service in her article The Stone Brothers of Natchez, North South Trader’s Civil War magazine, Good Printers, Inc, Bridgewater, Virginia, Volume 33, No. 4, 2008, pp. 38-45, and 60-61.
[48] CSRs Missouri, M322, Roll 34, George J. Mook and George Mook.
[49] Artifact in the collection of the National Battlefield Park, Wilson’s Creek, Missouri. Author examined the jacket on 31 October 1998 while it was part of Dr. Sweeney’s collection in Republic, Missouri; and, again in August 2011 at Wilson’s Creek.
[50] Cooper’s sparse records give conflicting dates for his death, his middle name, and his command affiliation. The records all confirm that he died in May 1865, Raleigh, North Carolina, and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery; and, that he served with a South Carolina command.  The South Carolina Confederate Relic Room provided most of the data on Cooper.  The CSRs were inconclusive.
[51] Artifact in the collection of the South Carolina Confederate Relic Room, Columbia, South Carolina. Observations made from photographs provided by Neill Rose, Camden, South Carolina.
[52] Artifact in the collection of the Gettysburg National Park, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Author examined the jacket on 17 December 2010.
[53] CDV in the collection of Southern Methodist University, Lawrence T. Jones III photograph collection, Dallas, Texas.
[54] CSRs Georgia, M266, Roll 8, H.T. Marchman.
[55] Image in the collection of the Washington Memorial Library, Macon, Georgia, courtesy of Brett Boyd, Marchman’s great-grandson, and Anne Rogers.
[56] CSRs Louisiana, M320, Roll 65, Robert W. Frazer, Co. 5.
[57] From three versions of the same CDV of Robert W. Frazer: one is courtesy of the Glen C. Cangelosi collection and the Washington Artillery of New Orleans website, http://www.washingtonartillery.com; the second of J.S. Mosby Antiques & Artifacts, reference Civil War Collector’s Price Guide 11th Edition, p. 234; and, the third of Confederate Memorial Hall, New Orleans, Louisiana, Catalog # 001.005.570.
[58] CSRs Alabama, M311, Roll 26, E.B. Randolph.
[59] ADAH photo archives, Captain Edward Brett Randolph image.