Civil War Uniform: Amazing Civil War Facts For Kids Uncovered!

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Jan 16, 2023 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Nov 17, 2021
Edited by Sarah Nyamekye
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Confederate uniforms for the southern soldiers included wool

The American Civil War took place between the years 1861 and 1865 in the United States of America and was one of the deadliest wars to have taken place in the country.

On one side of the war was the Union army, which included forces from the North, while on the other side were the Confederate soldiers, who fought on behalf of the southern states. The Civil War was the main event that decided the fate of slavery in America.

During this war, both the Union and Confederate soldiers had distinct Civil War uniforms to mark their identities. The northern troops and the southern troops could be easily differentiated based on the color of the military uniforms or military fatigues they wore.

Additionally, soldiers of the two armies had different insignias, as well. While the Civil War continues to be one of the most studied aspects of history, the clothing of the soldiers during the Civil War is no less fascinating to learn about.

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What uniforms did they wear in the Civil War?

During the Civil War, the Union uniform consisted of light blue trousers, a gray woolen shirt, a dark blue woolen jacket, and a blue overcoat. The overcoat was provided with a cape at the back.

Additionally, the Union uniforms also consisted of a cap that was dark in color, and heavy shoes, known as brogans. The shoes were quite distinct and went up to the ankles of the soldiers.

On the other side, many Confederate soldiers wore their regular clothing, as the south did not have the capacity to manufacture thousands of uniforms to provide for all the soldiers. The materials commonly used in the Confederate uniforms for the southern soldiers included wool, cotton, and jean.

Overall, the Confederates had gray uniforms, which consisted of gray trousers, gray sack coats, a hat or kepi, and a pair of shoes.

However, the uniforms worn by Confederate officers of higher rank were better than what was given to those in the infantry. The different service branches under the Confederates were marked by different colored kepis and chevrons.

What did the Russian military uniform used to look like during the American civil war?

When the Civil War was taking place in America, the army of Russia was known as the Imperial Russian Army. The soldiers and officers of this army had distinct clothing styles.

The uniforms of the Imperial Russian Army depended on not only the rank of each individual but also on the regiment they belonged to. The uniforms incorporated a wide range of colors, including red, blue, and green.

Usually, the uniform of every soldier consisted of wool jackets, trousers, shirts, and shoes. Those belonging to the Imperial Guard regiments wore bright red coats made of wool and red crowns on their hats.

Confederates had gray uniforms

Who wore red during the Civil War?

A number of Civil war uniforms included the color red. It is certainly interesting to note the varied features of the clothing worn by the soldiers of that time.

For the Confederates, the red color was a part of the Civil War uniforms of those belonging to the branch of artillery. This included coats with red trim, red hats or kepis, and also a red stripe on the trousers.

Apart from the clothing of the Confederates, several voluntary regiments also wore red in their uniforms. For instance, the 39th Volunteer Infantry belonging to the Union army had puffy red shirts as part of their uniforms.

Another Volunteer Infantry of the Union, by the name of New York 79th, wore wool that had shades of red and black. They also wore blue jackets which had red detailing.

Who wins the American Civil War?

The Civil War came to an end on 9th May 1865. This was marked by the surrender of General Robert Lee of the Confederate army to General Grant of the Union army. This event was followed by the other sections of the Confederate army surrendering, as well. The last such surrender took place on 23rd June 1865.

As you can already deduce, the Civil War in America was won by the Union armies, under the commanders Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Unfortunately, Abraham Lincoln, who was the then-president of the United States of America, was assassinated five days after Robert Lee conceded.

With the end of the war, four million slaves were freed. However, the death toll was also tremendous, with more than 800,000 casualties on both the Union and Confederate sides.

The end of the war marked the beginning of the Reconstruction Era in the country. This was when a number of social reforms took place.

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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