The following information was gained from studying and reading the Official Records for the 1st MD Cavalry. A set of the records is in the MD Historical society. Anyone wanting to research a soldier or unit should spend some time reviewing these documents. They contain a wealth of information and will help any reenactor's understanding of the unit he is portraying and improve his impression.
Clothing records for Co. K in the 1st VA and when Co A was attached to the 2nd VA will have to be researched in those regimental histories. One of the earliest reference to clothing is in Frank Bond's memoirs when he was in Co. K, 1st VA. He mentioned that he rode into battle wearing a "blue uniform." This could have been his militia uniform. Most early war units wore blue or a mixture of civilian clothing. Co. K in the 1st VA would have been the same.
When the Co A was first organized in May of '62, what uniforms they would have received would have been from the Richmond Depot and the jackets would have been Richmond Depot I or RD II according to Les Jenson's well respected work on Confederate Uniforms. The spring of '62 was the transition period between the trimmed RD I and the untrimmed RD II. The Marylanders would have been supplied from Richmond along with the equipment they were issued. In addition, the 1st Maryland infantry was being reorganized. A number of men reenlisted in the cavalry from the infantry. A study of 1st MD infantry uniforms and records would give a good idea of what a trooper in Co. A would look like. There are several pictures of men from the 1st MD infantry in RD I uniforms. The Richmond Depot pants they would have received are very similar to civilian pants for the time.
One of the earliest request for clothing for the 1st Maryland Cavalry is by Col. Ridgely Brown in August of 1863. Certainly, they were receiving clothing before this time. This is the first in records that we have been able to find. Col Brown requested the following:
150 pairs of shoes 200 pairs of pants 300 pairs of drawers 200 shirts 150 jackets
He had also requested socks, but this part of the order was not filled. This request came after the Gettysburg campaign. It shows the wear and tear on a soldiers uniform during active campaign. Based on the numbers of men in camp at this time, he is requesting clothes and shoes for most of the battalion. In August of 1863, these jackets would have certainly been the untrimmed RD II.
In addition to this request, the individual captains were requesting clothing for their companies. Most of the surviving request for clothing are from Hanover Junction in the winter of '63/64 through June of '64. The battalion received the most supplies during this period of the war. The camp of The Maryland Line at Hanover Junction saw the greatest prosperity for the battalion. The jackets received at this point in the war could have still been RDII but also the RD III again according to Jenson's research. The RD II at this time could have been made from imported English Kersey or Broadcloth with the RD III almost exclusively made from this fabric.
The other piece to uniforms for the 1st MD Cav is that records also show that a number of men were being reimbursed for their clothing allotment. Men were getting uniforms sent from home or purchasing uniforms and the Confederate government was paying them back. We have not totaled the number of men being reimbursed to come up with a percentage, but the reimbursements were found in many soldiers' personal records. A description of what a private purchase jacket should look like is below.
Officers were a completely different item. All officers were expected to purchase their own uniforms. Therefore, their uniforms were as unique and tailored based on the money the officer could afford. Some officers did purchase uniforms from the Richmond Depot and then tailored them to fit their needs or rank.
One additional note, one thing that is found on many MD uniforms from the highest ranking generals to the lowest privates, form early war to late war, are the MD buttons. Many surviving uniforms have MD buttons. Even if the soldier served in a VA unit, his jacket had MD buttons. We are still trying to figure out how the Marylanders were able to get so many of these buttons especially late in the war because all the buttons were made in Baltimore or even further North.
With all of this information, to accurately portray a MD cavalrymen, one should have at least two to three different RD Jackets depending on the time of war, early, mid, or late. The RD II would cover the widest amount of time.
A description of jackets is to follow for anyone interested in portraying and MD cavalryman.
Another note, if you are interested in becoming a member of the 1st MD Cav, please DO NOT purchase any uniform pieces before getting advice from us. We have bought many items over the years only to realize they are incorrect and wasted a lot of money. We are trying to save you from making the same mistakes we made. Buy the items that are correct and you will not have to buy items again.
If you are already part of another unit and are interested in the 1st MD Cav, we can discuss your current impression and tailor it to the 1st MD.
Jackets
1. Richmond Depot I (RD I) jean cloth, satinette, or cassimere fabric, 6 piece body, 2 piece sleeve, 9 button front (there are examples of 6 or 7 button fronts) cotton osnaburg lining, epaulets and belt loops; black trim on collar, epaulets, and cuffs; all visible stitching must be by hand; hand sewn buttonholes; MD buttons or other CS issue button, Federal Eagle buttons, No CSA buttons.
2. Richmond Depot II (RD II) jean cloth, satinette, or cassimere fabric, 6 piece body, 2 piece sleeve, 9 button front (there are examples of 6 or 7 button fronts) cotton osnaburg lining, epaulets and belt loops, no trim on this jacket; all visible stitching must be by hand; hand sewn buttonholes; MD buttons or other CS issue button, Federal Eagle buttons, No CSA buttons. Note, there are several surviving RD II made of English Army cloth and blue-grey kersey. This would have been in the summer or late '63. We are recommending a RD II in jean, satinette, or cassimere because it covers a larger time frame and can be worn at more events.
3. Richmond Depot III (RD III) blue-grey kersey of 100% wool fabric. This material is very hard to find to be correct. Most wool material today includes synthetics and is not correct. Again, please check with us before purchasing a jacket that is advertised as 100% wool. 6 piece body, 2 piece sleeve, 9 button front (there are examples of 6 and 7 button fronts) no epaulets or belt loops; all visible stitching must be by hand, hand sewn buttonholes; MD buttons or other CS button, Federal Eagle buttons: No CSA buttons.
4. Private Purchase Jackets, These jackets would have several different characteristics then the depot jacket; however, they would share a few of the same. The similarities are a 6 piece body, 2 piece sleeve, and 6,7, or 9 button front. That is were the similarity would end. Jean cloth, satinette, cassimere, 100% wool could all be used in the jackets. Although the jacket could have a plain cotton lining, most surviving jackets have a homespun (check or strip) or much nicer lining such as wool/silk blend. The jacket would have some quilting in the chest or shoulders, could have exterior pockets, and most importantly have a better, tailored fit then an depot jacket. Its top stitching and buttonholes would be of better quality as well. In other words, you could not were a RD III in an early war reenactment and say it is a private purchase jacket.
The next item to consider is the soldiers pants. On returns from the company officers, for the most part requested more pants then jackets. Soldiers were wearing out the pants long before a jacket. Therefore, you pants do not have to match your jacket. That being said, there are a few returns when an equal number of jackets and pants were sent to the MD cavalry. This could be for new recruits or men whose clothes were used up and needed both. There is a good chance, these items would have been from the same cloth. The Richmond Clothing Bureau would get a cloth shipped in and used up in making garments and then move on to the next batch of cloth. So there is a good chance that based on the returns there were troopers with matching jacket and pants. The only pair of trousers we have looked at associated with a MD soldiers were Richmond Depot trousers made of Blue Grey Kersey. These dated from late in the war and were entirely hand sewn. The soldiers had made a field modification and put the top button on the inside like some civilian pants. You could see that it was a field modification because the original button hole was sewn shut. Again, based on the records of the unit, men were being reimbursed for clothing, so a pair of civilian trousers would also be found in the 1st MD Cavalry.
Trousers:
1. Richmond Depot , jean cloth, satinette, cassimere, or 100% wool English Blue Grey Kersey. The kersey would be late war, 64/65. Lined in osnaburg cotton, Hand sewn, mule ear or variation of mule ear pockets. Could have button closure. Adjuster on the back, no chrome buckle. Metal or glass buttons for suspenders. bone or glass buttons on fly, no wood buttons.
2. Civilian pants. jean cloth, satinette, cassimere, 100% wool kersey, finer 100% wool fabric. There are many different pattern of civilian pants. These pants could have been made of finer material like in a private purchase jacket. Should have a higher waste in the back, curved front hem to fit better over shoe, metal or glass buttons through out. May or may not have adjuster. Would be hand sewn as well. Lining could be a variety of material, osnaburg, homespun check or stripe, or finer silesia, polished cotton, wool/silk or cotton/silk blend. The latter would be with a finer wool and show a much more tailored appearance.
A good shirt was extremely important to a soldier. It was the layer that had to be as comfortable as possible because it separated his body for the coarse jacket of his uniform. And as well as his drawers, he wore the most. Shirts were issued, sent from home, bought in stores, and taken from captured supplies whenever possible. Therefore there is a great variety of shirt options. We have examined about 15 original shirts. Only one was machine sewn and it was the sloppiest shirt of the bunch. Many of the shirts were sewn at home by a mother, wife, or sister and great care was put into the making of a shirt. Some of the best sewing I have seen, has been in shirts.
1 Civilian shirt, entirely hand sewn, feld inside seams, plain white cotton, plaid or checked, striped, osnaburg wool flannel. Could be half lined or partially lined on the inside. With or without outside pocket. Could have single button closure or three or four buttons of glass or possibly bone. No fireman bib shirts. No paisley. Button holes should be vertical. Cuff button should be off center, No "X" stitch at bottom of facing on button hole side of shirt. There are some nice examples of surviving shirts out there. Many small details set these shirts apart from sutler row shirts.
2 CS issue shirt, similar characteristics as above, but made of osnaburg or other plain cotton. Again, several different surviving examples with a little variety, but usually consistent in fabric.
3 Federal Issue Domet Flannel shirt, single button closure, tapered sleeves, entirely hand sewn, tin paper back buttons. Very warm shirt, but scratchy.
Headgear Again, records show that the Maryland troops were receiving caps or kepis throughout the war. For some reason, the MD troopers and infantry seem to prefer the kepi. There are many photos of troops with civilian slouch hats; therefore, a good civilian slouch hat or kepi are correct for a MD trooper impression. A hat should not be a floppy or unlined cowboy hat. A good hat that fits correctly does not need a string to hold it on. No stampede strings.
1 High quality civilian slouch hat, many colors to choose from, should be lined, silk or cotton ribbon on hat and brim, leather band on inside of hat,
2 High quality kepi, jean cloth, satinette, or 100% wool. painted cloth visor not bent like a baseball hat, leather chin strap, lined in polish cotton or similar material.
Shoes and Boots Boots are over-represented in the reenacting world for CS cavalry. Returns show the 1st MD was receiving shoes throughout the war. See Ridgely Brown's request from the beginning of this page. That being said, there are many photographs and diary accounts of men acquiring boots in different ways. John Gill in his diary mentions "liberating" a pair of cavalry boots from a Federal officer he had just killed. Pvt. Charles Kettlewell in a letter dated March 23rd, 1863 mention that he "paid 43 dollars for a pair of boots." This tells us that there should be a mix of shoes and boots in the 1st MD. While we have evidence that they had acquired boots from a small number of sources, the were receiving a large number of shoes. There are a lot of incorrect boot and shoe makers on sutler row. Please look for a reputable maker of shoes and boots.
1 CS issue brogan
2 Federal issue brogan or bootees
3 English import brogans, late war
4 Civilian riding boots, one-piece fronts, square toes, pegged or stitched soles.