Spring Campaigns are Here!
For those of us who braved the winter north of the Mason/Dixon I think we can all agree that the first signs of spring didn't come soon enough! I'm gearing up for another season in the hobby and have worked out some warm weather deals this month for you.

Not only do we have a sweet deal on underdrawers for this spring, but we've reintroduced two new unlined sack coats for you to sport at those hot summer events. The Pvt. Stephenson Sack and the Steubenville Sack are perfect garments for those of us who like to keep cool on those long marches.

We'll be taking our sutlery on the road soon and hope to meet you at an event this year. Our schedule is listed below, but if you know of an event you'd like to see us at, please drop me a line.
        -Chris Daley

Drawers on Sale in April!

Well, my drawers finally gave out on me this winter. I came to the conclusion that if I needed to replace my pair, you may need to do the same.  We have all sizes in stock and ready to ship. NOTE: If you placed an order for drawers in the last 30 days, you may use the $10.00 credit towards another purchase.

 

Regularly $55.00
April Sale Price: $45.00

    

Confederate Shirt
Certainly the most common shirt worn by the Rebels was the lowly cotton shirt. Plain woven, natural in color, comfortable and issued by the state and central governments, this shirt saw service in both theaters of the war from Manassas to Appomattox. Our version of this shirt is made from osnaburg, has hand felled seams, 4 hand sewn buttonholes and bone buttons. We have about 1/2 dozen of these in stock as of April 11th.

  

$80.00

Pvt. Stephenson's Sack Coat
I first offered this sack coat back in 1997 as the Pennsylvania Blouse, and after many requests have decided once again to add it the product line. The original blouse was id'd to Private James R. Stephenson of the 55th PA Militia. It's an unlined sack coat that is fully machine felled. Aside from the machine felling vs. the hand felling, there are few pattern differences between this blouse and the government issued blouse. The machine felling and lack of lining offers a lightweight, yet durable, coat for those hot Spring/Summer campaigns. Delivery time on this item is about a month.

  

$130.00

    

Steubenville Arsenal Sack Coat
I first offered these in 1996, and I like the Stephenson sack. I've decided to reintroduce it to our regular line of products. It's an interesting blouse and has several unique features. The sack has lined sleeves, but an unlined body and an outside pocket. The unlined body has hand felled seams, and the sleeves are lined in cotton. Delivery time on this item is about a month.

  

$160.00

  

 

Uniform Study:
Lt. W.T. Hollis' Jacket

click on any photo to enlarge

In the wake of General Forrest's victory at Brice's Crossroads, the 19th Tennessee Cavalry (Newsom's Cavalry) raided the town of Harrisburg, Mississippi on July 14th, 1864. During the intense battle, 88 troopers were wounded and 7 were killed. Among the dead was Lieutenant William T. Hollis, who was shot in the head.

Hollis' uniform jacket is currently in a private collection. The jacket is of particular interest not only because of it's connection to a Confederate Cavalry officers, but because of its unique construction and design. The overall pattern of the jacket consists of a 6 piece body, 2 piece sleeve, and 9 button front. The high collar is 2.5" high and is made from a twilled wool, which was originally black, but has now faded to green.

The perimeter of the collar is trimmed with 1/8" metallic gold braid. The cuffs have a separate facing applied to the outside of the sleeve that was made from the same material as the body. The bottom and top of the cuff facing is also trimmed with the metallic gold braid. The body of the jacket is made from a brownish jean cloth.

The most unique feature of the jacket is the fact that it is unlined in the sleeves and body. The jacket is assembled completely by hand, and all exposed seams are hand felled. The front facing tapers from 3" at the top to 1.5" at the bottom.

There is one inside pocket with a curved bottom that is hand applied to the inside with a running stitch. The hem of the coat is turned up and overcast. (see faint outline in photo to the right).

There are several unlined jackets that exist from the war, including a Confederate artillery jacket made from denim and Federal fatigue blouses. The Hollis jacket offers the material culture historian a view of a jacket that was cheap to produce and probably very comfortable to wear.

Copyright © 2007 CJ Daley Historical Reproductions, Inc. All rights reserved.