Uniforms are used for identification as well as to provide a sense of unity during any conflict, and the American Civil War (1861-1865) was no exception. At their most basic level, Civil War uniforms distinguished Union troops from Confederate troops: Union troops wore blue while the Confederate troops wore gray. However, a number of distinct uniform variations were present on both sides, further differentiating soldiers by division and rank.
Civil War Uniforms: Beyond Blue and Gray
Taking a deep dive into the types of uniforms worn during the Civil War reveals outfits in a variety of styles and materials. A number of factors affected troop uniforms, such as resource availability, weather conditions, and cost. Most notably, uniforms differed between soldiers and officers on both sides, as well as between some divisions—cavalry and infantry, for example. And one key group of fighters initially didn’t have standard uniforms at all.
Civil War Militias: Volunteer Soldiers
To discuss solely Union and Confederate Army uniforms would leave out a major portion of soldiers in the war: volunteers who came from local militia. Many militiamen volunteered for the cause early on in the war in battles like the First Battle of Bull Run and came with their own uniforms, not those issued by either side of the Civil War.
Volunteers were such a large portion of the Union Army that they were eventually provided a uniform of their own to distinguish them from the regular soldiers. The “official” volunteer uniform of the Union Army became a dark blue jacket and light blue trousers with no colored stripe.
The Union’s Standard Issue Uniform
When a soldier enlisted in the Union Army, he was issued a standard uniform for the duration of his service consisting of a cap, dark blue coat, blue wool trousers, and leather boots. Soldiers also carried a knapsack that slung around their backs to carry tents, sheets, a coat, and personal belongings. Families back home could get a peek at their service members’ uniforms through portrait photography that Alexander Gardner made popular.
Most Union uniforms—regardless of ranking or unit—were made of wool. Today, wool is considered essential for winter because it holds in warmth, something that the Union troops also valued in the cold winter months. What many do not realize is that wool regulates body temperature and wicks away moisture, making it appropriate for various kinds of weather, not just the freezing winter months. Of course, men would be sweating in nearly any type of fabric in the blazing sun of the summer months.
While this was the standard issue uniform, slight variations based on the unit the soldier served in were also found. The differences were not drastic but enough to differentiate men and, in the case of some units, support their unique roles on the battlefield.
Union Cavalry: Practical Considerations for Horseback Riding
The uniform with the most notable difference was that worn by cavalry soldiers, which had a shorter, waist length coat, in contrast with the longer jackets of other units. A short coat allowed for a range of movement on horseback, which other units did not have to contend with. In depictions of the cavalry, many of the soldiers also wielded swords instead of guns, so the shorter, lighter coat was helpful.
Cavalry soldiers were also issued what was referred to as a “great coat” to use in the winter, since their standard-issue jacket was shorter than the coats other soldiers received. The great coat appeared uniform across all cavalry soldiers. The coat was a lighter blue than the traditional uniform and double-breasted. A rain cape fell over the shoulders and rested at about the top of the jacket’s cuffs. Again, the design of the coat lent itself to the movements needed to fight on horseback.
Pants and belts were relatively standard among all units, with minor differences. The stripe on the side of the cavalry’s pants was yellow. Their belt also doubled as a sword belt to hold their sword at their side.
Union Infantry: Take What You Get
Though most pictures and drawings of Civil War soldiers show well-fitting garments, infantry soldiers often had uniforms that were too large or too small. Garments were so ill-fitting that it became a joke among soldiers.
The standard issue coat for infantry soldiers was longer than that of the cavalry at just about knee length. Infantrymen were also provided an overcoat, though it was not as dramatic as the cavalry’s great coat. It was single-breasted and did not have a cape.
The pants for the Infantry, also in light blue, had a dark blue stripe down the side. Members of the infantry also had a standard issue black belt worn at the waist rather than around the hips.
Union Army: Artillery
Red was the name of the game for the men in the artillery unit during the Civil War. Members of the artillery units had coats that were similar in length to that of the infantry. Artillery uniforms were adorned with red piping to differentiate them from infantrymen. The stripe on their light blue trousers was the same red as on their uniforms.
Artillerymen, like the cavalry, were issued riding boots that went up to their calves. While boots served the cavalry well on horseback, they were also helpful for the artillerymen who drove artillery limbers, or carts. Though artillerymen were not fighting on horseback during battles, they did need to use horses to move large pieces of artillery.
Confederate Army: Standard Issue Uniform
Compared with their Union Army counterparts, soldiers in the Confederate Army had fewer dress options. In fact, Confederate troops had one standard issue uniform consisting of a hat, gray wool jacket, gray or blue trousers, haversack and ankle boots known as brogans.
The South began with less money for uniforms than the North and, as the War progressed, had even less money to put toward outfitting its soldiers. Uniforms were gray in the beginning of the war in 1861—gray that often faded to a brownish color—but by the end of the War in 1865, uniforms were any number of colors.
One major difference between Confederate Army uniforms is the fabric of choice: cotton. Unlike the North that relied on wool, the South had access to more cotton because of its agricultural economy. In fact, the South produced so much cotton that it hoped Britain would support their war effort in order to continue its dependence on the South’s cotton production. This, for one, made uniforms cheaper to produce but also kept the troops cooler. There was no need for wool uniforms in the Southern heat.
Confederate Officers: Showcasing Status
While the Union Army uniforms had differences between units, Confederate uniforms were instead differentiated by rank. In general, officer uniforms were more ornate and tailored than an enlisted soldier’s uniform.
Confederate officers had dark blue uniform jackets that were ornate and tailored. Officers—those like Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson—purchased their own uniforms (and were required to until early 1864), so they had the opportunity to put more design effort into their attire. Many jackets worn by officers were longer than waist length and featured buttons, belts, tassels, high collars, and embroidery. Thanks to tailoring, officers’ uniform jackets were well-fitted, in contrast with standard issue uniforms that soldiers wore.
Standing Out: Badges, Buttons, and Insignia
Both Union and Confederate troops used additional emblems to distinguish themselves, like badges, shoulder straps, collars, insignias, and even buttons. The Union Army, for instance, used shoulder straps on the uniform to distinguish ranks like Major, General, and Captain. The Confederate Army, on the other hand, used collars and sleeve badges to indicate rank. Both the Confederate and Union Armies used something as small as buttons to distinguish the unit; Union buttons were more elaborate than the simple Confederate buttons, which often simply used a letter to represent the unit.
Both sides of the Civil War used chevrons on the sleeve to denote lower ranks. There are some designs that overlap between both the Confederate and Union Armies, but they do not have a one-to-one meaning.
Unique to the Confederate Army was the use of different color hats for generals, colonels of the cavalry, captains of the infantry, and lieutenants of the artillery. Hats were more or less standard amongst the Union troops, regardless of rank or unit, but the Confederacy utilized navy, blue, yellow, and red hats for its highest-ranking officials.
