Peter
Tait Trousers Finally Surface: Alabama Tait Contract Artillery Trousers
By Fred Adolphus, 24 April 2014
By the end of 2010, I had amassed photos of all the surviving Peter Tait Contract jackets and was well on my way to publishing a book on the topic. I was satisfied with these results, but was continually frustrated by not having found even a single pair of authenticated Tait trousers. I knew from the contract descriptions that they were cadet gray, made from the same material as the jackets, but I could not find an original to pair to confirm any other data. For lack of anything better, I included in my book images of accompanying trousers worn with two Tait jackets, but that were not Tait products themselves. It was not until I was conducting one of my research trips at the Museum of the Confederacy on July 24, 2012 that I finally stumbled across a pair of genuine Peter Tait trousers, and completely by accident at that.
As usual, before making the trip to the museum, I requested a specific number of artifacts for viewing. Included in this list was a pair of pair of tan-colored trousers attributed to Jesse Bryant Beck, Company A, 25th Alabama Infantry. Had my request remained as such, I might not have discovered the Tait trousers until another visit, or perhaps never. This was not the case, however, due to the redoubtable Robert Hancock, Chief of Collections. Robert had taken the initiative to include not only Beck's tan jeans trousers, but an additional pair of cadet gray trousers owned by Beck. When Robert mentioned this, I thanked him for his thoughtfulness, but otherwise dismissed the cadet gray trousers as a matter of secondary importance. It was only when I noticed the red edging down the leg seams of these trousers that their significance dawned on me. My eyes must have bulged from their sockets as the pieces of the puzzle fell together. I knew that Beck had received clothing from the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana after the Tennessee campaign. At the same time, he would have been eligible, as an Alabamian, to have received a Tait uniform from the State of Alabama. The most logical explanation was that these cadet gray trousers were Tait Alabama contract trousers!
I was so excited at this potential discovery, that I began examining Beck's cadet gray trousers ahead of everything else on the table. I looked at the linings and they appeared to be the same as were found in the Harry Pillans, Tait Alabama contract jacket. The construction details and thread were the same, as well. I had finally found a pair of Peter Tait trousers, albeit made from a pre-cut set sent to Alabama.
Jesse Beck, despite being an infantryman, had received a pair of artillery trousers. It was not uncommon for Confederate infantrymen to draw artillery clothing, or vice versa. The trousers are remarkable because the confirm that Tait trousers indeed matched the jackets in color. They also show that at least some of the trousers were trimmed with the branch of service color by adding a welt along the outside leg seams. In this case, the trim is for artillery, but it is safe to assume that infantry trousers were likewise trimmed with royal blue welts. It also indicates that the Alabama contract Tait uniforms were all trimmed, judging from the fully-faced infantry jacket of Harry Pillans and the edged artillery trousers of Jesse Beck.
Jesse Bryant Beck enlisted in Company A, 25th Alabama Infantry on August 29, 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama “for the war.” He was promoted from private to first sergeant on October 1, 1863, and retained this position until his parole at the end of the war. He apparently took part in the Kentucky Campaign of 1862, as he was reported sick in Kentucky that October. In January 1863, he was paid in Atlanta, Georgia. He was reported in the hospital in February 1863, and again on January 19, 1865 at the Way Hospital in Meridian, Mississippi. The Way Hospital listed him as wounded. His last records indicate that he was paroled on June 1, 1865 in Montgomery, Alabama, thus ending his service. His parole describes him as five feet, six inches tall, with dark hair, blue eyes and a light complexion.
Jesse Beck's descendants donated both pairs of his trousers to the Museum of the Confederacy in 1952. They left not only a legacy of Beck's service but provided evidence for how Alabama soldiers were well-provided for in the last months of the war by both the Confederate government and their home state's quartermaster bureau.
It is too bad that I did not find out about these trousers in time to include them in my book on Tait uniforms. Nonetheless, they have come to light now, and they fill in a gap of knowledge that has been missing for many years.
By Fred Adolphus, 24 April 2014
By the end of 2010, I had amassed photos of all the surviving Peter Tait Contract jackets and was well on my way to publishing a book on the topic. I was satisfied with these results, but was continually frustrated by not having found even a single pair of authenticated Tait trousers. I knew from the contract descriptions that they were cadet gray, made from the same material as the jackets, but I could not find an original to pair to confirm any other data. For lack of anything better, I included in my book images of accompanying trousers worn with two Tait jackets, but that were not Tait products themselves. It was not until I was conducting one of my research trips at the Museum of the Confederacy on July 24, 2012 that I finally stumbled across a pair of genuine Peter Tait trousers, and completely by accident at that.
As usual, before making the trip to the museum, I requested a specific number of artifacts for viewing. Included in this list was a pair of pair of tan-colored trousers attributed to Jesse Bryant Beck, Company A, 25th Alabama Infantry. Had my request remained as such, I might not have discovered the Tait trousers until another visit, or perhaps never. This was not the case, however, due to the redoubtable Robert Hancock, Chief of Collections. Robert had taken the initiative to include not only Beck's tan jeans trousers, but an additional pair of cadet gray trousers owned by Beck. When Robert mentioned this, I thanked him for his thoughtfulness, but otherwise dismissed the cadet gray trousers as a matter of secondary importance. It was only when I noticed the red edging down the leg seams of these trousers that their significance dawned on me. My eyes must have bulged from their sockets as the pieces of the puzzle fell together. I knew that Beck had received clothing from the Department of Alabama, Mississippi and East Louisiana after the Tennessee campaign. At the same time, he would have been eligible, as an Alabamian, to have received a Tait uniform from the State of Alabama. The most logical explanation was that these cadet gray trousers were Tait Alabama contract trousers!
I was so excited at this potential discovery, that I began examining Beck's cadet gray trousers ahead of everything else on the table. I looked at the linings and they appeared to be the same as were found in the Harry Pillans, Tait Alabama contract jacket. The construction details and thread were the same, as well. I had finally found a pair of Peter Tait trousers, albeit made from a pre-cut set sent to Alabama.
Jesse Beck, despite being an infantryman, had received a pair of artillery trousers. It was not uncommon for Confederate infantrymen to draw artillery clothing, or vice versa. The trousers are remarkable because the confirm that Tait trousers indeed matched the jackets in color. They also show that at least some of the trousers were trimmed with the branch of service color by adding a welt along the outside leg seams. In this case, the trim is for artillery, but it is safe to assume that infantry trousers were likewise trimmed with royal blue welts. It also indicates that the Alabama contract Tait uniforms were all trimmed, judging from the fully-faced infantry jacket of Harry Pillans and the edged artillery trousers of Jesse Beck.
Jesse Bryant Beck enlisted in Company A, 25th Alabama Infantry on August 29, 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama “for the war.” He was promoted from private to first sergeant on October 1, 1863, and retained this position until his parole at the end of the war. He apparently took part in the Kentucky Campaign of 1862, as he was reported sick in Kentucky that October. In January 1863, he was paid in Atlanta, Georgia. He was reported in the hospital in February 1863, and again on January 19, 1865 at the Way Hospital in Meridian, Mississippi. The Way Hospital listed him as wounded. His last records indicate that he was paroled on June 1, 1865 in Montgomery, Alabama, thus ending his service. His parole describes him as five feet, six inches tall, with dark hair, blue eyes and a light complexion.
Jesse Beck's descendants donated both pairs of his trousers to the Museum of the Confederacy in 1952. They left not only a legacy of Beck's service but provided evidence for how Alabama soldiers were well-provided for in the last months of the war by both the Confederate government and their home state's quartermaster bureau.
It is too bad that I did not find out about these trousers in time to include them in my book on Tait uniforms. Nonetheless, they have come to light now, and they fill in a gap of knowledge that has been missing for many years.
Image 1: This perspective provides a full front view of Beck's trousers.
Image 2: The view of the back shows the red edging along the outer leg seams.
Image 3: This image shows the full side view.
Image 4: A close-up view of the edging shows that the Tait Company used a loose woolen flannel in a scarlet shade. The flannel was not very resilient and became badly abraded with use.
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Image 5: This close-up shows details of the "V" opening pocket. It was secured with a japanned button in the corner that is now missing. The button left traces of rust and the thread holes. A dart is also visible in the rear leg panel at the waistband.
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Image 6: More details of the pocket and stitching are visible here. The top-stitching is completed with medium brown thread. This is the same thread observed on the Pillans jacket, made from one of Tait's cut-sets sent to Alabama, and on some of the ready-made Tait jackets.
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Image 7: The top front view confirms that Tait trousers had standard japanned pants buttons. The fly closed with four buttons, and there are an additional six buttons of the same type added to the waistband for suspenders. Also of note, the seam allowances are one-quarter inch (looking at the rear seat seam).
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Image 8: The inside of left fly is faced with the basic cadet gray cloth. Interestingly, the pocket bags appear to have been repaired by replacing the worn out bottom part with new pieces.
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Image 9: The image of the inside right fly also shows that the right pocket bag has been partially replaced and repaired.
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Image 10: The inside lining reinforcement along the rear leg panels have been turned inward at the bottom edge and felled in place.
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Image 11: This image provides a view of the left lining pieces on the left.
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Image 12: This inside view includes the one-quarter inch seam and a patch that was sewn to the inside of the seat for a repair.
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Image 13: The outside of the seat has also been repaired by adding a patch. of a medium gray colored woolen fabric. Apparently, the damage to the pants seat was repaired by double-patching the hole, or sewing separate pieces inside and outside.
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Image 14: This top side view shows the placement of the rear adjusting belt and the dart between the outside seam and the belt.
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Image 15: The top rear view includes complete details of the construction in the back.
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Image 16: The two-piece adjusting belt is placed flush against the waistband. It is interesting to note, that the owner added a wedge of cloth in the notched area between the two belt pieces.
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Image 17: The belt has an inexpensive iron buckle, rather than the better quality brass variety. The iron buckle may have been japanned when new, but the finish has worn away. Iron buckles were less desirable than brass because they were prone to rust.
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Image 18: The inside view of the belt shows how the billet end, on the left panel (right view in image), has ben folded back to hold the buckle. The prongs in the buckle poke directly through the tongue to secure it.
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Image 19: The trouser cuffs suffered considerable wear, and show signs of repair.
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Image 20: This provides another view of cuff repairs, that included the same medium gray woolen cloth used to repair the pants seat.
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Image 21: A final view of the repaired cuffs shows how the replacement cloth was used to reinforce the frayed edge.
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Image 22: This provides a view of the kersey's weave, color and texture. The pants have been made from the same enlisted grade, cadet gray kersey as the other Tait uniforms.
The
author extends his gratitude to the Museum of the Confederacy, and Chief
Curator Robert Hancock for facilitating this study of the Beck trousers. Readers are reminded that all images herein
are the property of Adolphus Confederate Uniforms, are copyrighted, and may not
be reproduced with the author’s permission.