Confederate Supplies
There were several categories of equipment used by Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. These main types were
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In 1861 the Confederate army was described by some as “a motley looking crew”, which means that they were not very sharp looking or well put together as an army. But despite this fact they were very proud of their army and themselves. So proud that the women of many communities got together to design and sew a uniform for them to wear. As an English Colonel once said," The Confederate soldier has no ambition to imitate the regular soldier at all. He looks like the general rebel, but in spite of his bare feet, ragged clothes, old rug, and toothbrush stuck like a rose in his buttonhole, he has a sort of devil-may-care, self confident look that is very charming." In mid 1861, the Alabama governor asked a European artist living in the area at that time to design a uniform. This artist based his design on an Austrian uniform he had seen in Europe. However, there were many different styles of uniform depending on their rank. A typical uniform of a soldier in combat;
| 1. Shoes\boots (knee high) a soldier could expect 4 pairs of
shoes a year for $6.00 each. 2. A six button sack coat ,one per 3 years. 3. Military-style wool and cotton trousers ($3.00 a pair)7 pairs in all. 4. A jean cloth cap (4 at $2.00 each). These trousers were often home made with bone buttons. 5. a home made cotton or wool shirt, made out of any colored cloth that was available. 6. 7. 12 pairs of socks at one dollar a pair. |
8. An overcoat made of brown
wool. 9. A belt with a gun holster and identification buckle. 10. Gloves which were only used by officers, useless to the soldiers who had to load their rifles 3 times in 1 minute. 11. Haver sacks which were purses that held the essentials such as pipes for smoking, tobacco, small pieces of soap, snacks such as apples, black berries, and persimmons which can be easily eaten while marching. 12. A percussion cap pouch and cartridge box and a wooden carved or metal canteen for water. 13. Miscellaneous items: cards for playing, a toothbrush, a razor, a comb, a sewing kit, a mirror, and also treasured letters from home. |
A very common food sold to soldiers in combat was corn bread as well as corn cakes which could be made in huge quantities for soldiers to eat. During the beginning of the war there were large amounts of food such as fresh beef which spoiled in the hot sun because of the surplus, molasses, coffee, sugar, and flour. As the war continued, foods slowly became scarce for the confederate soldiers and many starved. Mess equipment, tools associated with the fixing and eating of food, included the following: tin plates, wrought iron frying pans, iron skillets, a mess tin, a tin cup with a handle, a corn meal sifter, and sacks of flour.
There were many different types of rifles used during the Civil War. The pre- war traditions of swords and sabers were still respected but were quickly replaced by fire arms. Aside from rifles, there was a large variety of hand held revolvers used depending on rank. Field rifles shot cannon ball that weighed up to 18 pounds a piece. Highly destructive land mines were also used and if tripped could wipe out large numbers of soldiers at once.
Woodhead,Henry. Echoes of Glory.Virginia,1998
