The Virginia in the Civil War Message Board

Civil War Uniforms

Greetings All,

My research is taking me into unfamiliar territory, so I'm hoping someone more knowledgable than I can advise me about sources of information. I have two old photographs.

One is of a soldier in uniform. It might be Civil War era. The picture was taken by "Davis, 316 High Street Portsmouth, VA". Unfortunately, the young man is not identified. His rectangular belt buckle might have an eagle on it, but the photo isn't clear enough for me to be sure. His coat is long, falling to just above the knee, and dark colored. There are shoulder bars. He holds a sword. His hat appears to have a white plume in center front. His trousers are of a lighter color. This is a paper photo mounted on black cardboard. There is nothing on the back. It is about 6.5 inches high by 4.25 inches wide.

The other photograph is of two young men in uniform. I think they might be VMI cadets. It is on metal, about 3.25 inches high by two inches wide.
Both pictures are at http://members.mailaka.net/egregory368/soldier.html

I welcome any advice about how to find out more about this team, what league this was, what kind of pennant they won and who these two men were.

I have checked Echoes of Glory, Arms and Equipment of The Union and Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy, and did not find an exact match for the soldier's coat. There are some similarities to a coat for the 18th New York Militia, but it is not really a match. The two young men's uniforms appear to match VMI cadet uniforms. I am not familiar with resources for this type of research. Can anyone suggest how I might find out what kind of uniforms they are wearing and from what time periods they date?

All advice will be welcomed and appreciated.

Eve Gregory
schsva2@hotmail.com

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Civil War Uniforms
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