Uniform Guidelines
The first thing you must remember
is we are portraying a
uniformed regiment from the Army of Southwestern Virginia.
Once the Depot system was in full force, the men of the
22nd Virginia would have been equipped and issued the same
items as any other soldier in the Civil War. The
22nd Virginia saw many changes in its appearance in 1861
as it was being equipped, therefore we
portray the unit during the 1862-3 area. After studying
many photos of soldiers that served in the Army of
Southwestern Virginia, it is determined that the following
items in this guideline is needed.
The
first thing you need to do is furnish your uniform. You will need a
grayish-blue or grayish-brown Richmond Depot Type II
Jacket. Your jacket should have coin, block "I", Eagle, or
Virginia State Seal Buttons
on it. The next thing you will need is a pair of Military
Depot Trousers matching the jacket. The color can be a
different shade of gray as long as it is not
Federal sky-blue. The Confederate unit we portray was a
uniformed unit. Meaning they all looked close in
appearance. You値l need a
military or civilian cotton or flannel shirt.
Any brownish or gray colored approved kepi first, after
the kepi if you wish to buy a period correct slouch hat,
then you can do so.
You値l need to get your footwear. Brogans are highly
recommended and were comfortable to wear during long
marches. Lastly, you should go out and buy a waistcoat or
what is called a vest. Buy a pair of cotton socks or wool
socks.
After your uniform is complete, you値l need to start working
on obtaining your accouterments. The first thing to buy is
your canteen. You will not be permitted onto the
battlefield without one. Next you should obtain your
musket kit. Start small and work your way to the rifle.
Buy a
leather
belt with a Virginia plate, CSA plate or Georgia Frame
Buckle. The next thing you need is your cap box and
cartage box with a shoulder strap. Then purchase any
three-band rifle with the bayonet with scabbard. After you
purchase of the musket, pick up your musket sling, nipple
pick and nipple wrench.
The
next thing you need to purchase is your personal items.
You need a white cotton Haversack. The Haversack should
include tin-plate, tin-cup and your knife, spoon and fork
combo. The Haversack was
used for food only. A black
painted soft knapsack is something you might want to
invest in. The knapsack was used to store extra clothing
such as a pair of period correct cotton socks or wool
socks. Your waistcoat if you didn稚 wear it on the field.
It also contained several cotton bags for your tobacco,
toothbrush and housewife that were used to store needles,
thread, and extra buttons and clothe for patches. The
knapsack also contained two towels and handkerchiefs.
For
sleeping it is recommended you buy a wool blanket. Every
soldier had one and kept it close. Another item is a
gum-blanket. This is a water proofed rubberized poncho
that can be worn over the uniform in foul weather or it
can be used as a ground cover. For cold weather event, buy
a pair of wool gloves.
Camping is the fun part of the weekend. You set around the
campfire cooking and talking with friends who share the
same interests as you do. To establish your camp, you値l
need the following items. A shelter half or small A-frame if you have a family, chair, a lantern
and beeswax candles. Cooking items are also things you値l
need. Just make sure that its period correct. You値l also
need a small wooden cooler to keep your drinks cold and
other food items that need to be kept chilled.
I know this sounds like a lot. But
there are ways of getting around this. Many re-enactors
will sell items and you can buy them dirt-cheap. You can
always make your own belt, haversack, and knapsack, cap
box, cartage box & shoulder straps out of layered linen
or canvas to cut down the cost of buying new items and you
don't have to be prefect at sewing to do this. Then paint
your cloth equipment by using black oil base paint.
Now you
don稚 have to buy all of this upfront. You have a deadline
of a year and a half to purchase the recommended items to
re-enact with.
See the check list
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