Alan J. Pitts
Re: "Prattville Dragoons"
Fri Jul 6 12:05:20 2001


In antebellum times dress suits as described here were designed and worn by individual companies to impress "home folks", usually when the company was on parade or when members were engaged in social occasions. They didn't have much use in the field. The "Prattville Dragoons" spent months on the coast near Pensacola and doubtless dispensed with their antebellum uniform suits in short order. J. D. Edwards photographs of other Confederates in camp at Barrancas and other points along Pensacola Bay are indicative of what these men actually wore in the field.

Arthur J. L. Fremantle observed Webb's 51st Alabama in Tennessee during 1863, and may have seen other troops belonging to this brigade. He mentions their arms, equipment and horses, but says nothing about their uniforms. Of course uniforms were quite significant to this officer of Her Majesty's Coldstream Guards. Earlier he had remarked on the tatterdemalion appearance of an Arkansas brigade in Hardee's Corps:

"The men were good-sized, healthy, and well-clothed, but without any uniformity in colour or cut; but nearly all were dressed either in grey or brown coats and felt hats. I was told that even if a regiment was clothed in proper uniform by the Government, it would become parti-coloured again in a week, as the soldiers preferred wearing the coarse homespun jackets and trousers made by their mothers and sisters at home. The Generals very wisely allow them to please themselves in this respect, and insist only upon their arms and accoutrements being kept in proper order."

No doubt many of these Arkansans had belonged to antebellum volunteer militia companies, but left their dress uniforms at home.

When Fremantle inquired about about other cavalry with the Army of Tennessee, Col. Grenfell, an inspector-general on Bragg's staff, said they were representative ("a very fair specimen") of mounted forces serving with this army. This interesting passage appears on pages 155-164 of Fremantle's book. He goes on to mention that sentries at Bishop Polk's headquarters were "deficient both of shoes and stockings"; i.e., they were barefooted, the first he had seen since entering the Confederacy.

An earlier post on May 8th includes a contemporary description of uniforms in the Confederate Army of the West. The message title is "Uniforms....(?)...."