April 2004

• Commercial Enlisted Frock
• English Repro Garments!
• The Latest News
• What's On Sale
• April Production Runs
• Past Issues Online

The Latest News

Our retail location at 141 Steinwehr Avenue will be open Friday though Monday throughout April from 10am-6pm. (till 9pm on Friday and Saturday) The phone number at the store is 717-334-4429. Hours will be extended further in May.

Our sutler schedule for the month is as follows: Neshaminy, PA April 24-25 Traditionally this event is the first big reenactment in the East and has been well attended for the last 15 years. As in events past, I'll have offerings from not only my business, but caps from Joel Bohy and leathers from Tim Welch. Recon: Friday April 30th only This event is a one day gig for me. Recon (or Into the Wilderness) will take place near the Culpeper/Warrenton area of VA. Sutlers will only be set up for Friday and we'll be asked to leave by Saturday morning, so if you need something, arrive early!

What's on Sale?

	This month we carrying over our sale from March which was a sale on Federal Commercial Sack Coats and Confederate Sack Coats in Conjunction with the AC Forum's "Bully Buy". For all the details, click the link below: Sale of the Month

April Production Runs

• Commercial Sack Coats

• Confederate Sack Coats

• English Import Overcoats

• Federal Trowsers

• CS Kepis in blue/grey cloth!

• Tait Jackets

• CS Trowsers in 8 Fabrics

• Military Vests in 5 fabrics

• Shelter Tents

For years I've been looking to reproduce a commercial frock coat. Such a coat could be worn early or late in the war, east or west and could be worn by just about any Federal serving from any state. A private collector recently allowed me to photograph and document a remarkable coat in his collection:

Private Parker's Story: Like other enlistedmen of the 44th Massachusetts, Private Steven Henry Parker went to war with every expectation of coming home unscathed by the ravages of war. He was young, wealthy and adventurous. He was blond, blue eyed and had a fair completion. At the age of 18 he enlisted in Company I of the 44th on August 26, 1862, which was a nine months regiment and were assigned to the Dept. of North Carolina.

If you click on this photo you'll notice something peculiar about Pvt. Parker's coat.....it isn't exactly government issue. Far from it in fact, it's a finely tailored and custom made frock coat specially made just for Parker. Being wealthy, Parker (or someone close to him) commissioned a tailor to produce the coat at some point in his enlistment.

He survived the Goldsboro Expedition and the 44th was mustered out in June of 1863. Parker then reenlisted in February 1864 with Company D, of the 59th Massachusetts. They fought in the Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor and Petersburg battles. Company D was  heavily involved at the battle of the "Crater" and Parker was mortally wounded, later dying in a field hospital on July 30th, 1864.

Parker's story may be like the other 600,000+ casualties who died during the war, except the story doesn't really end there..... Upon his death at the Crater, a friend in another regiment took the coat and wore it until war's end. Upon arriving home in Mass, the friend then gave it back to the Parker family along with other personal items. His family saved the coat and it is in pristine condition today.

The Details of the Coat: The overall fabric, pattern and construction of the coat is on par with of many of the field grade officer coats I've examined. The ballooned sleeve, long and fully lined skirt, hand details and high grade broadcloth indicate that this coat was produced by a tailor rather than a government contactor. The buttons on the coat, tails and cuffs are all standard eagle buttons.

While the pattern is different in cut and design than the standard government issue coat, the trimming is very similar to that of the Infantry Uniform Coat (see our February 2004 Newsletter).  The perimeter of the collar and chevron cuff would allow Parker to wear the coat without disrupting the overall look of his company by not standing out, but still allow him to obtain a better constructed and better fitting coat. Although the cuff is non-functional, there are still two ornamental cuff buttons on on the out seam of the sleeve.

The coat is fully lined in Green polished cotton and is quilted in the chest area. Like the government version, this coat also has two tail pockets accessible from the inside, but it also has two breast pockets which are lacking in the issued coats. Tail pocket bags and sleeve linings are cut from a white polished cotton.

We are planning on starting a run of these coats later this Spring. Anyone who is currently on the list for an Infantry Uniform Coat will have the option of choosing this commercial pattern or the standard government coat. We are VERY excited to start this run and I can't wait to see guys sporting these coats for the 2004 season!

The big question on everyone's mind I'm sure is "So what's it going to cost?" Good question. The broadcloth along for this project runs about $65 per yard and there is a ton of detail work involved in reproducing the coat. We project that the final price of the coat including shipping will be about $550.00. 

I'd like to thank the owner of the coat who wishes to remain anonymous for allowing us to use the photos in this article

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New Product Offerings:
Three New Imported Confederate Items
please click on any image to enlarge

In case you haven't noticed, we just moved into an 1864 anniversary year. That means all you Johnnies out there will be hefting Isaac and Campbell knapsacks and sporting Snake Buckle Belts. That also means you'll be on the hunt for late war imported items. We are already stocking plenty of Tait jackets and Blue/Grey trowsers to meet your needs, but we've decided to add three new items to our line of offerings to meet your late war needs:

English Import Overcoats: This coat is copied off of an original in a private collection. It is cut from Blue/Grey Kersey, has a jean body lining and a linen sleeve lining. The buttons are script "I" buttons and it has an fall down collar and an adjustable back belt. All the facing pieces in the coat are hand felled and there are literally thousands of hand stitches in this garment. I've worn one of these coats for years and really like them. The price of the coat with shipping is $445.00

Late War Kepis: These caps are being produced for us by Greg Starbuck and are based on one pictured in Echoes of Glory: Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy Page 156. The cap is cut from Blue Grey Kersey and has a plain cotton lining. It has a bound painted canvas visor, oil cloth chinstrap and oilcloth sweatband common in many late war CS caps. The price of the cap with shipping is $95.00

Blue/Grey Kersey Vests: These vests are similar to the original vest featured in this article: Military Style Vest. The vests are cut from blue grey kersey with three outside pockets and will be lined with a plaid material. They have a 9 button front and a polished cotton backing. The price of the vest with shipping is $145.00

Production runs on all three items have begun so if you'd like to order one of these items, please send us an e-mail with your name, which items you want and your size and we'll contact you when that item is in stock and ready to ship to you.

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