Anything blue would do: The clothing of Union soldiers during the Civil War

Abstract

The American Civil War has generated books by the thousands and continues to fascinate both academics and the general public. However, clothing has been one long-ignored subject, mainly due to opinions that it is niche and has little to add to academic studies. It has been a mistake to let this rich subject area pass to the wayside. Clothing not only played an important role in the war, but helped soldiers and civilians find ways to connect themselves to one another, the home front, and the battlefield. Uniforms allowed men to fight for their country, while generic pieces of clothing, such as socks, shirts, and havelocks, let those on the home front take feel that they contributed directly to their loved ones. Women, too, used clothing to advance themselves. Some women donned uniforms and snuck into regiments, but most women took jobs in factories, churning out millions of yards of fabric and ready-made uniforms for the War Department. The military’s need for clothing expanded the farming industry as well, causing farmers in the Midwest to grow their flocks, affecting American farming for generations. Clothing also contributed to the expanding power of the federal government as the War Department subsumed the traditional roles of states in supplying volunteer regiments, an action that drew the ire of governors. Finally, historians have long overestimated the amount of clothing made of shoddy, leading to an assumption that a great deal of graft occurred between the government and the companies who got contracts. Clothing touched on every aspect of the war, from the home front to the battlefield, and connected people and the government in new ways which transformed the war and post-war period.