Louisiana Tigers - 1862 Uniforms

1862 Uniforms

As cited in Gary Schreckengost's 1st Louisiana Special Battalion: Wheat's Tigers in the Civil War (McFarland, 2008).

As winter set in, the Louisiana Brigade received a generous uniform issue from its state government. For the first time since the war began, every man in the brigade, except those from Captain White’s Tiger Rifles, who elected to retain their signature Zouav d’Afrique visage as best they could, gained a uniform appearance. As such, they most probably looked like an eclectic band of brigands from Barataria—Wheat playing the part of Jean Laffitte— or a drunken group of outlandish hooligans who were celebrating Mardi Gras. The standard issue consisted of two shirts, one checked and one flannel, two pairs of drawers, two pairs of wool socks, a bluish-gray jean-wool jacket with nine Louisiana State buttons, epaulets, and trimmed with black cotton tape; a pair of matching trousers, a pair of white canvas leggings, a blue-gray jean-wool kepi with a stiff black leather bill and black wool band, and one jean-wool overcoat of various shades.

The men of the Tiger Rifles didn’t refuse the general issue, mind you, but wished to simply retain their distinctive Zouave trappings as a matter of pride. While some of the men of the Tiger Rifles apparently chose to wear their original but now dyed out New Orleans Zouave jackets (i.e., grey-tan), others chose to don their new issue gray jean-wool issue jackets, depending on the weather. For trousers, they apparently retained their signature but much worn blue-and-white-striped pantaloons as much as they could but, due to war and tear, "most of the fellars was wearing britches of all sorts, shirts they could get from home or about." For headgear, they reportedly donned broad brimmed felt hats of various earthen tones for field use and their signature red fezzes for camp use. Most men from the other companies seemingly looked like any other member of the Louisiana Brigade. Again, according to the Warren Letters:

"Grandaddy said that the pinchbecks, stockings and straw hats didnt hold out well and started wearin out while they was up at Camp Florida . The pinchbecks and spats were purt near shredded amongst the briar and bramble that growed in Northern Virginny. By the Spring of 62 most of the fellars was wearing britches of all sorts, shirts they could get from home or about, all sorts of hats. The jackets were special ... this was the survivin piece of uniform that set them apart as one of Wheat's Tiger Rifles. The jackets fared some better than the rest of the uniforms, however, due to bein fired on a couple times by their own fellars Grandaddy said they had bolied the jackets in a concotion of potash, water and vinegar to get rid of the indigo color leavin the jackets the color of an over-ripe peach with some blue mottlin here and there. The red trim fading to a pink....'62 was tough for the Louisianans and state equipment became very difficult to come by. By the time Major Rob was killed at Gaines Mill, most of the Tigers had transformed into raggamuffins most indistiguishable from other rebs except for a few peach colored tiger jackets, corn knives and the prized pelican belt plates."

In other words, the men of the Tiger Rifles tried to wear at least the jacket or the pantaloons of the original issue. While some would wear the original but now dyed-out tan jackets with pink trim with new issue trousers, others would wear their distinctive stripped pantaloons with the new issue jackets. Those who wore the coveted pantaloons no doubt wore them with whatever socks they could get a hold of.

The battalion colors, which had been soiled by Wheat’s blood at the foot of Dogan’s Ridge, were replaced by what eventually became known as an Army of Northern Virginia battle flag with yellow edging.