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| My Confederate gray uniform & accessories for memorial services, historical events & parades. |
Each year hundreds of Confederate Memorial Day events take place in the American Southland from late April (around the 26th in most Southern States) to around early May (the 10th) in the Carolinas, but usually continue until close to U.S. Memorial Day national holiday (last Monday of May).
These events largely include the volunteer clean up of Confederate soldiers' graves, followed by humble memorial services with descendants decked out in their Sunday best laying flowered wreaths at the sites of those same graves and Confederate monuments to the dead.
Sometimes more elaborate events take place, which include volunteer War Between The States reenactors decked out in 19th century military and civilian attire, portraying people who died over 100 or more years ago (the last reported Confederate Veterans lived until the late 1950s). These include the ceremonial firing of musket volleys and cannons over the gravestones, women dressed up in black "widow" attire and children laying flowers at the flag decorated graves.
On some of these occasions, Confederate Memorial Day and U.S. Memorial Day overlap, with reenactors wearing the hallowed Confederate gray and butternut surprisingly (to some) marching in parades meant to honor the nation's American dead from its various wars.
As both a proud descendant of a Confederate soldier, and a Guardian of Confederate graves, every year around this time I too honor the Southern dead -- particularly a sergeant from northern Alabama who fell in defense of Southern independence and his home -- by going to a trunk and pulling out and retrieving a replica of the light gray uniform of a Confederate veteran.
There is no small amount of irony in my doing this given my anti-war views and my disgust for the death and destruction caused by the lack of reason that leads to armed conflict. In point of fact, I would like to make it very clear that wearing the uniform itself does not condone either the war itself and its causes, nor the results of the bloody conflict on my part.
My only reason for me to wear it is to honor the life and subsequent sacrifice of a man that I have never met and will never meet this side of Heaven, but one whom for the grace of God and the love he shared with his wife, I might never have existed -- nor my father, nor his father, and his grandfather.
My particular Confederate gray uniform is far from an accurate replica. Most troops from Alabama wore a type of light brownish-gray wool called Tuscaloosa Grey. My uniform's gray is a more a generic medium gray type similar to the uniforms wore in the late war period (circa 1864-1865) and has no lining. The jacket is of the type also worn in the post war years by the aged surviving Confederate Veterans for reunion.
Though my great-great-grandfather was a sergeant, my jacket is plain with no enlisted, or officer rank because, again, its not about the war for me. Its about the soldier. Also because I'm not an official Civil War reenactor, I would never presume to give myself a rank.
These events largely include the volunteer clean up of Confederate soldiers' graves, followed by humble memorial services with descendants decked out in their Sunday best laying flowered wreaths at the sites of those same graves and Confederate monuments to the dead.
Sometimes more elaborate events take place, which include volunteer War Between The States reenactors decked out in 19th century military and civilian attire, portraying people who died over 100 or more years ago (the last reported Confederate Veterans lived until the late 1950s). These include the ceremonial firing of musket volleys and cannons over the gravestones, women dressed up in black "widow" attire and children laying flowers at the flag decorated graves.
On some of these occasions, Confederate Memorial Day and U.S. Memorial Day overlap, with reenactors wearing the hallowed Confederate gray and butternut surprisingly (to some) marching in parades meant to honor the nation's American dead from its various wars.
As both a proud descendant of a Confederate soldier, and a Guardian of Confederate graves, every year around this time I too honor the Southern dead -- particularly a sergeant from northern Alabama who fell in defense of Southern independence and his home -- by going to a trunk and pulling out and retrieving a replica of the light gray uniform of a Confederate veteran.
There is no small amount of irony in my doing this given my anti-war views and my disgust for the death and destruction caused by the lack of reason that leads to armed conflict. In point of fact, I would like to make it very clear that wearing the uniform itself does not condone either the war itself and its causes, nor the results of the bloody conflict on my part.
My only reason for me to wear it is to honor the life and subsequent sacrifice of a man that I have never met and will never meet this side of Heaven, but one whom for the grace of God and the love he shared with his wife, I might never have existed -- nor my father, nor his father, and his grandfather.
My particular Confederate gray uniform is far from an accurate replica. Most troops from Alabama wore a type of light brownish-gray wool called Tuscaloosa Grey. My uniform's gray is a more a generic medium gray type similar to the uniforms wore in the late war period (circa 1864-1865) and has no lining. The jacket is of the type also worn in the post war years by the aged surviving Confederate Veterans for reunion.
Though my great-great-grandfather was a sergeant, my jacket is plain with no enlisted, or officer rank because, again, its not about the war for me. Its about the soldier. Also because I'm not an official Civil War reenactor, I would never presume to give myself a rank.
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| Seven brass buttons bearing the seal of the State of South Carolina. |
The uniform also includes a matching pair of medium gray wool field trousers with period suspenders and carved bone buttons. The color of the trousers is actually a slightly lighter shade of medium gray wool, but nobody really seems to notice the difference.
By the mid-to-late period of the war, most Confederate soldiers switched from the original kepi caps to wide-brimmed black, or brown, slouch hats for more practical protection against the sun and rain on the march. The Rough Rider-style brown slouch hat I wear includes a period accurate black hat cord that signifies State militia infantry forces, and a brass South Carolina hat pin.
Affixed at all times to my gray uniform coat is the black memorial cockade ribbon with the worn 5/8 inch brass button featuring the droopy winged eagle with the letters AVC (Alabama Volunteer Corps) of the type worn on the uniform of my own Confederate ancestor. I wear this ribbon anytime I put this uniform on for any event as a visual reminder of my family heritage.
My uniform appearance is completed by the carpetbag haversack. This item is also period, and serves as my only serious attempt at standing out slightly in groups. Most of the haversacks during the war were either white canvas, or coated with black waterproofing to protect the contents from rain. The carpetbag haversack was largely homemade and features an extra pocket in the back for extra storage.
I normally use it to carry my everyday items when at events, but I also carry at all times my personal 15X15 inch Dixie Cross (Confederate battle flag) to display on occasions whenever it is called for to respectfully honor the Southern dead.
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| A Bible that stopped a musket ball at the Battle of Sharpsburg, Maryland on Friday, September 19, 1862. |
One more item I carry with me is what I like to refer to as my small "Scalawag Bag" with 9 plain brass CSA buttons.
After the war ended, occupying Union soldiers would stop former Confederates still wearing their uniform coats -- often because they did not have any other clothes -- and forcibly cut the brass Confederate buttons off their coats because of Federal occupation laws prohibiting the open display of Confederate symbols. The Southern veterans in return would gather up the buttons, put them in bags, and then shake them at the Yankees when they passed by in the streets in defiance.
I keep this small bag with 9 plain brass CSA buttons in my haversack with my battle flag for those few occasions I have to deal with a heckler; just my way of keeping an old tradition alive.
During the war, the foot soldiers largely wore low-quarter boots called Brogans. I do own a pair of these with metal heel plates used to keep the boots from wearing out on long walks.
Unfortunately one downside to this footwear is that brogans, like all period shoes at the time, have to treads. This makes them pretty slippery on sidewalks, or stepping onto smooth surfaces. I've taken more than one or two tumbles as a result.
Because of the issues with the brogans, during parades I usually just wear a pair of brown, worn-looking modern-day work boots. The period trousers usually cover up all but the front of the boots so nobody really notices the difference. I also wear a regular, plain white button up dress shirt underneath my uniform jacket, with modern-day plastic buttons.
An actual professional reenactor would dub me a "farb" (reenactor jargon for someone who portrays less than period authenticity) if I ever tried wearing these during an actual battle re-enactment. For the general public, its not much of a big deal.
The gray uniform and my public portrayal are typically for modern Confederate memorial events, color or honor guard displays, or holiday parades like U.S. Veterans Day. While I wear the uniform to honor the Southern dead, I'm also a man who lives in the 21st century and not my Confederate ancestor himself.
As I said, I'm not a professional reenactor. I've never taken part in an actual living history battle reenactment -- being anti-war I doubt I would ever be comfortable doing so at any rate.
At any rate I don't believe the honored dead would begrudge me actually wearing my modern-day underwear -- though I would never wear sunglasses with my uniform though. I do try to outwardly look the part as well as a 6'2" (currently) 236 pound middle-aged pseudo-adult possibly can.
Finally, and this is a personal choice on my part, I will not carry a weapon while wearing the uniform. I have on a couple of occasions over the years been given a borrowed a musket from a friend for an honor guard service when an extra body is needed for a military rifle salute over the graves. But for parades and other events, I will not carry a rifle -- preferring to be a color bearer. This is where I draw a fine line between honoring the dead and my anti-war stances.
I hope y'all enjoyed this little explanation of my cosplay as a Confederate Veteran and how I honor the memory of my own Southern ancestor. Please let me know what you thought of this article in the comments below and feel free to ask any questions.
Have a wonderful Dixie day and y'all come back now, ya hear!
Because of the issues with the brogans, during parades I usually just wear a pair of brown, worn-looking modern-day work boots. The period trousers usually cover up all but the front of the boots so nobody really notices the difference. I also wear a regular, plain white button up dress shirt underneath my uniform jacket, with modern-day plastic buttons.
An actual professional reenactor would dub me a "farb" (reenactor jargon for someone who portrays less than period authenticity) if I ever tried wearing these during an actual battle re-enactment. For the general public, its not much of a big deal.
The gray uniform and my public portrayal are typically for modern Confederate memorial events, color or honor guard displays, or holiday parades like U.S. Veterans Day. While I wear the uniform to honor the Southern dead, I'm also a man who lives in the 21st century and not my Confederate ancestor himself.
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| Yours truly at Confederate Memorial Day in Columbia in May of 2017. |
Finally, and this is a personal choice on my part, I will not carry a weapon while wearing the uniform. I have on a couple of occasions over the years been given a borrowed a musket from a friend for an honor guard service when an extra body is needed for a military rifle salute over the graves. But for parades and other events, I will not carry a rifle -- preferring to be a color bearer. This is where I draw a fine line between honoring the dead and my anti-war stances.
I hope y'all enjoyed this little explanation of my cosplay as a Confederate Veteran and how I honor the memory of my own Southern ancestor. Please let me know what you thought of this article in the comments below and feel free to ask any questions.
Have a wonderful Dixie day and y'all come back now, ya hear!
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