61st Georgia Infantry

Note: Hover over each image to see the filename. The gallery is sorted according to filename in ascending order. Each file is named according to the document type, year-month-day of document (if known), regiment, and company. Example: A Form No. 40 signed by the commanding officer of Company F on 3 September 1863 will appear as No40_630903_61stGA_CoF. There are cases of two separate forms being signed on the same date by the same officer. If you identify a duplicate or incorrectly identified document, let us know!

By May 1864, the Army of Northern Virginia was well-equipped and ready to commence the imminent campaign against the Union Army’s incursion across the Rapidan River. The preceding months had been spent drilling, inspecting, filing requisitions, and issuing new clothing and equipment. Gone were the days of threadbare commutation or depot uniforms cladding the dusty and destitute columns that had swept through Maryland and Pennsylvania. Our research, much of which has been evidenced by the original documentation already shared with you, shows that the officers of the 61st Georgia were quite busy over the months of August through November 1863. Company commanders were tallying needed clothing for their men and requisitioning it through the Commissary Officer. The latter was also making larger requisitions during this time and, in early 1864, also filed abstracts of issued clothing and supplies for the months of April through June.

The numbers prove that a good chunk of the regiment was coming into 1864 with lightly used if not nearly new uniforms, most of which were noted on paperwork as “English jackets” and “English shoes”. This is further corroborated when the supposedly higher cost of English materials is confirmed as still producing a jacket that costs $12 – the same price as domestic materials when cross-referenced with “Butternut Brown and Cadet Gray”. Specified colors of pants also appear as company commanders call for “blue pants” and “gray pants” for their men. Even a number of “English caps” are requested, though these appear in smaller bursts of 2-5 at a time and not nearly as frequently as shirts, drawers, pants, and shoes (especially pants and shoes). As such, it is surmised that the majority of the regiment was wearing brimmed hats of the British import and citizen varieties. The state whose troops often wore black hats earlier in the war would no doubt gravitate to a similar look, especially as British-made black hats arrived through the blockade.

Beyond the obvious proliferation of British import goods in the ANV immediately prior to the Overland Campaign is the impact Georgia’s supply chain had on their troops specifically. While the appearance of an “English jacket” on original paperwork gives us a solid indication as to that jacket’s material and range of color, the request for 100 “gray jackets” on a larger requisition in August 1863 leaves one asking whether that resulted in the issue of English or Georgia jackets. The State of Georgia still had a powerful clothing production operation and was shipping decent quantities of jackets (albeit simpler than their earlier jackets with signature black facings and scalloped cuffs – see the Gallaher, Grizzard, Thorp, and Young jackets for examples of later Georgia jackets) to Virginia in the fall and winter of 1863. These bursts of state clothing issues would be taken into account when other issues of clothing were prepared by the Confederate Government. If a Georgia soldier had been issued an article of clothing via the state relief effort, the equivalent article in a central government issue was not and its cost credited to the soldier in a clothing fund that could accrue in value over time. It is thought that this explains the bursts of “English caps” throughout the fall and winter of 1863 going into 1864; men of the 61st Georgia were using credited funds to draw a smart-looking cap as a point of military pride.

Due to the prevalence of specifically-English items in contrast with the support of their home state, the overall appearance of the 61st Georgia immediately prior to and during the Battle of the Wilderness is presumed to be as follows: many should be in jackets made with English Army Cloth with most of those being Richmond “Type 2” jackets. There is documentation of EAC making it through the blockade in Wilmington, North Carolina and suggestions that some of it may have been sent to Georgia for use in the manufacture of its clothing. This allows for the possibility of seeing a late pattern Georgia jacket made with EAC during the fall and winter of ’63. Just as many jackets in the ranks could be a mix of Richmond “Type 2” and late Georgia patterns made from varying domestic cloth. None of these should be the earlier Georgia jacket or frock with black trim and scalloped cuffs, as they would have all been used up between the Maryland and Gettysburg Campaigns (if you already own one of these and want to remove the black facings and trim, you’d be left with a plain Georgia jacket). There are multiple accounts of seeing the Army of Northern Virginia’s impressive level of uniformity at the outset of the Overland Campaign.

A single requisition for just one company (the “Montgomery Guards” of Company E) listed 80 knapsacks. Whether that requisition was filled in its entirety or all 80 were actually intended for just the men of that company begs questioning. Regardless, if you take to the field (or rather woods) with Company E – a knapsack is highly encouraged. There is also evidence in George W. Nichols’ memoir recounting the capture of Federal prisoners and his comrades in Company D taking their knapsacks.

Finally, a point of clarification with regards to these original documents and the event itself: several requisitions show that the 61st Georgia equipped itself with more than 20 fly tents, cast iron spiders with lids, “water buckets” (which could be argued as pots or kettles), and other camp gear. As such, an accurate portrayal of this regiment when encamped would entail a slew of proper 20’ x 12’9” hand-sewn fly tents. However, we will not be recreating a regiment of the Army of Northern Virginia encamped along the Rapidan, waiting for Grant to move (which has already been impressively done by others). We will be recreating this regiment’s experience during the Battle of the Wilderness. That means these boys, who marched at the head of Early’s Division up the Orange Turnpike, have stepped off the narrow backwoods roads and into The Wilderness, leaving their wagons behind. The experience for those turning out as the 61st Georgia will be light marching order: knapsacks with limited personal effects and spare clothing, haversacks with two days of rations cooked the evening prior, and nothing else. Bring only what you can carry from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon.

HEADGEAR
Preferred: British import or citizen’s brimmed hat (a plus if black, but not required), English Army Cloth kepi
Acceptable: Domestic cloth kepi if that is all you have
Discouraged: Forage caps of any kind, wheel caps, top hats, abundance of hat cords
Defarb: No badges, pins, letters, animal parts, etc.

JACKET
Preferred: Richmond “Type 2” jackets in English Army Cloth or domestic cloth
Encouraged: Late pattern Georgia jackets in domestic cloth or English Army Cloth
Discouraged: No earlier (trimmed and scallop cuffed) Georgia jackets or frocks, Richmond “Type 1” or “Type 3” jackets, commutation jackets or frocks, battleshirts, Tait jackets
Defarb: No clownish patchwork repairs (repairs were and should be discrete), pins, badges, or devices, etc.

PANTS
Preferred: Richmond pants in either domestic jean or imported royal blue cloth
Encouraged: Georgia relief pants in domestic cloth
Acceptable: English Army cloth pants if “ditto duds” are your desired look
Discouraged: No Western Theater or US issue pants
Defarb: No clownish patchwork repairs, no civilian (i.e. plaid, windowpane, striped) pants

SHIRT
Preferred: CS-issue or British import shirts
Encouraged: Georgia relief shirts
Acceptable: Issue or import flannel shirts
Discouraged: US-issue shirts, civilian homespun shirts
Defarb: No patchwork shirts, wild civilian patterns, etc.

FOOTWEAR
Preferred: English or CS-issue shoes
Encouraged: Cloth shoes (natural or painted) – we will be moving… opt for wooden soles at your own risk!
Acceptable: Quality brogans if that is all you have
Discouraged: Short/calf boots
Defarb: No knee-height boots

MANUAL OF ARMS
Hardee’s Revised (1862)
Kentucky Swing for stacking arms

WEAPON
Preferred: P53 Enfield (3-band) rifled-musket with bayonet
Encouraged: M61 Springfield or Richmond rifled-musket with bayonet
Acceptable: M55 Springfield rifled-musket with bayonet
Discouraged: M42 smoothbore, M16 Harpers Ferry and other conversion pieces
Defarb: No flintlocks, 2-band short rifles or muskets, civilian firearms, lever guns, breech-loaders, carbines, extraneous pistols, etc. No leather barrel guards.

BELTS
Preferred: Painted cloth or leather roller buckle
Encouraged: Leather Georgia-frame or forked tongue, British snake-hook in black leather
Acceptable: Civilian belt or British snake-hook in buff if that is all you have
Discouraged: CS oval plates, upside-down US oval plates
Defarb: No large belt knives, extraneous pouches (i.e. watch pouch), etc.

ACCOUTREMENTS
Preferred: Quality leather CS or English cartridge boxes, cap pouches, and bayonet scabbards
Encouraged: Painted cloth or leather CS box slings, scrap leather CS cap pouches
Acceptable: Boxes worn on waist belt instead of sling
Discouraged: Box and/or sling plates
Defarb: No US or Western Theater items

CANTEEN
Preferred: CS tin drum on leather, cloth, or webbing sling
Encouraged: Reissued US corrugated on split sling
Acceptable: Wooden CS canteens
Defarb: No US smoothside, US inspector-stamped cloth slings, kidneys, drinking gourds, wicker-wrapped bottles, etc. No wildly-colored wool canteen covers.

HAVERSACK
Preferred: Quality white/natural cloth haversack
Acceptable: CS painted cloth, GA ticking, English import haversacks
Discouraged: US painted or rubberized cloth haversacks
Defarb: No carpet bags, market wallets, etc.

BLANKET
Preferred: British import, Georgia relief, or quality citizen blankets in wool or jean
Acceptable: Coverlets, Quality US-issue if that is all you have
Defarb: No quilts, low-quality repro, or MILSURP blankets

KNAPSACK
Preferred: Kibler or single-bag knapsacks, English S. Isaac Campbell & Co.
Encouraged: Horse collars/blanket rolls
Acceptable: Well-worn US double bags in limited numbers
Discouraged: French import knapsacks (no indication of these on documents), blanket carriers with hobo rolls, etc.
Defarb: No early-war US, framed, or militia hard packs

OTHER
Tin cup
Tin plate or bowl
Eating utensils (you can technically get by with just a spoon)
Pocket knife
Small fry pan to be shared with mess (optional)
Canteen half (optional)
Handkerchief or huck towel (useful in hot weather)
Spare shirt or drawers (a spare shirt in flannel makes for a good sleeping layer)
Sleeping cap (optional)

OFFICERS
Rank: Sewn directly to collar (if worn)
Discouraged: single-breasted frocks highly discouraged – opt for jacket if this is all you own, boots discouraged if you’re a company officer (lots of officers invoiced new shoes against their accounts in the spring of 1864, no officers will be mounted due to nature of terrain and accounts of 61st GA field & staff dismounting before going into combat)
Defarb: no patch rank
Notes: Consider your rank, social status, availability of materials, weather, etc. in deciding whether to wear double-breasted frocks, jackets, sacks, or paletots

NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICERS
Rank: Proper wool tape sewn directly to sleeve (if worn)
Discouraged: leg stripes
Defarb: No patch chevrons
Notes: Make sure you have musket tools to service your troops

FINAL NOTES
Make sure everything fits, can be worn properly, and is positioned/adjusted correctly. If not it can cause issues when drilling, performing as a soldier, and make you uncomfortable. Between this and not “looking the part”, it will take away from an otherwise quality impression!

Below are samples of group buy products offered by K. Windahl & Co. Please note that orders are placed via a Google Form (button below).

The following are group buy options offered by Hutzell & Co. Orders must be placed by contacting directly on Facebook and referencing product codes to indicate you are purchasing as part of this group buy. Failure to use product codes will result in full pricing. Prices do not include shipping.

Two types of hats are being offered by Goober Grabber Headwear: CS-made kepis in EAC and English import hats. Contact Goober Grabber Headwear directly on Facebook for pricing and to place orders.

For those who would like to participate in an ammo group buy, Gimcrack & Bunkum is offering a %10 discount code running through January 31! Enter “Springfield” at checkout.

The cutoff to purchase from the group-buy page on his site is 30 Days prior to the event. Ammunition will be delivered to the event, not shipped. If you do not attend to receive your ammo, you will be refunded as loaded ammo cannot be shipped.

Feel free to contact Gimcrack & Bunkum via DM or through my business page if you have any questions!

Austin Williams is offering stamps for those who wish to properly mark their own arsenal packs! For $35 you will receive one rubber stamp and ink pad. Payment is accepted via PayPal at [email protected]. Please include your shipping address when you send money on PayPal.

Fundraising swag!
Want to show off your support for the 61st Georgia AND help raise money for battlefield preservation? Well, look no further! Check out the page below for clothing honoring the boys being represented. Currently there are t-shirts and hoodies with more swag like hook and loop patches being worked on.
All profits from the sale of these shirts will be going to the Friends of Wilderness Battlefield as a donation for battlefield preservation. Order rather the link below and the shirts will be printed up and shipped directly to you!

Personal notions!
These men were more than the uniforms they wore. Whether it’s little extras in your haversack to make rations more palatable, correspondence from home, your latest issue of pay, or a pack of smokes – all of this can round out both your impression and experience!

‘Sutler package’ $35
Handed to you in a period container, this package will supplement your issued fare for the weekend. Included is real coffee, sugar, salt, pepper, a can of peaches (period correct can that you can reuse as a boiler) and matches.

‘Mail Call’ $10
A period correct letter to be handed to you during a mail call at the event. The letter will contain a handwritten note in period correct ink, on correct paper and possibly even inside of a late war envelope (made from wallpaper, newspaper, etc)!

‘Currency Set’ $10
A set of reproduction 1864 series confederate notes including a 50 cent, $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, $50 and $100 note. If you are an officer at the event, you may be able to actually spend these!

‘Cigarette’ (indicate domestic or import with order) $15 / pack of 15
“Our Brigade cleaned out the sutler in the 10th Illinois today. The way they made the beer kegs and cigarettes etc. fly was a scene.” – John W. Bates

Contrary to popular belief, there were plenty of cigarette factories in operation during the Civil War, tons were imported into the north and south, and tons more were produced domestically. Cigarette wrappers even became collectible and U.S. tax records show us that significantly more cigarettes were sold in the U.S. during the war than cigars. By 1864, period accounts indicate that they were available to troops in the field. 1860s cigarettes didn’t look like your modern smoke and they weren’t packaged in ‘packs’ like today. Embrace the historical experience and smoke period correct tobacco for the weekend! Indicate preference for imported or domestic cigarettes. Research assisted by Craig Schneider.

Add an enhancement to your included ration for the weekend, or to your historical experience with one of the sundry or ephemera options available exclusively to attendees of A Devilish Entanglement. Please include the quantity and italicized title with your PayPal payment (I.e. 1 Sutler package, 2 cigarette domestic).