Classic Union Uniforms

The classic Union uniform is often viewed as a dark blue flannel coat and dark blue wool trousers with a kepi cap, a blue cap with a leather visor. That was the most common, but the uniform differed from volunteers and professionals. Professionals wore the darker colors. While volunteers wore lighter blues. There wered even some troops that wore grey. There was more diversity of the uniforms at the beginning of the war than at the end. Troops usually carried a knapsack. The knapsack usually had a tent, coat, blanket, food, and any personal items. To mend their uniforms, soldiers would bring a “housewife”, a kit with needles, yarn, and a thimble that was easy to carry so soldiers could bring it without it taking up too much space. Not all troops wore the classic blue or occasional grey, there were some special troops. Well known was Hiram Berdan’s Union sharpshooters. They were organized after Bull Run. They only accepted the best. They had to shoot at a target 200 yards away and get a bullseye 10 times in a row. They wore green, which was good for camouflage. …show more content…
This look was based off of the French, who based the Algerian. Both the French and the Union modeled the look due to their wearer’s fearless and brave acts, and abilities on the battlefield. They wore a fez, and dark blue vests, that had hints of red and orange. They also wore a red sash with loose fitting red pants.
About 54% of those who died in the civil war went unidentified. People feared dying unidentified. People started writing their name on a piece of paper and pinning it to their shirt, or they scratched their name into their belt buckle. That is how the dog tag started. In 1862, John Kennedy wrote to the U.S secretary asking for name discs to identify the soldiers. Companies started advertising dog tags for sale in newspapers and magazines, but the soldiers didn’t have those often so knowledge of this option was