Confederate Memorial Tartan

[macwilkin]

I have to say I don't really care for it. I feel there's too much red. It just doesn't say "Dixie" to me...

The red is symbolic of artillery, being its branch-of-service colour. Blue signifies infantry, and yellow, cavalry.

T.

[gilmore]

I have to say I don't really care for it. I feel there's too much red. It just doesn't say "Dixie" to me...

You must not have seen pix of zouaves.

[macwilkin]

You must not have seen pix of zouaves.

Of course the Federal Army had Zouave Regiments as well, in fact more so than the South.

The 5th New York Infantry (Duryee's Zouaves), probably the most famous Zouave regiment, was known as the "red-legged devils":

http://www.zouave.org/

On the Southern side, Louisiana produced (naturally) the two most well-known Zouave regiments; Wheat's Tigers (1st La. Special Battalion) and Coppens Zouaves, which was well known for being terrors on (and off!) the battlefield.

To tie this into kilts, the French Army's zouaves developed quite the friendship with Highland regiments during the Crimean War whilst serving together at Alma, Inkermann, The Malakoff, etc.

Trivia question: the British Army maintained one "Zouave" regiment -- can anyone tell me which regiment it was?

Regards,

Todd

[Colonel MacNeal]

It is a tartan of sophisticated design and timeless quality - 'nuff said.

[English Bloke]

Lovely picture.

[thescot]

Like the tartan or not, the photo is terrific.

Thanks for sharing a good eye with the camera. . . . And a picture of a pretty lady. That's always in order.

[KiltedDawg]

Do you want my measurements now or later?

Seriously, a beautiful tartan and wonderful picture!

[Ozman1944]

At the risk of raising General Lee's ghost, I'm sorry, but to me it looks like a poor man's "Mc Tablecloth", and a bit dowdy at that....
I would expect something a bit more proudly stubborn from Dixie.

[macwilkin]

At the risk of raising General Lee's ghost, I'm sorry, but to me it looks like a poor man's "Mc Tablecloth", and a bit dowdy at that....
I would expect something a bit more proudly stubborn from Dixie.

The tartan's colours stand for the three major branches of service (artillery, cavalry and infantry) in the Confederate Army, plus the grey, which stands for the "standard" uniform of Southern forces (although just as many of them, if not more, wore "Butternut").

While I respect your right to your opinion, referring to a tartan with such symbolism to some as "McTablecloth" rubs me the wrong way. Two of my wife's ancestors served with Louisiana regiments during the Civil War, and even though I would never wear this tartan, I still respect the meaning behind it.

Regards,

Todd

[gilmore]

A necktie in Confederate memorial tartan is on sale on Ebay just now at http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=280307730783

Just in time for Confederate Memorial Day, April 26 in Georgia and Florida, the fourth Monday in April in Alabama, last Monday in April in Mississippi, May 10 in North and South Carolina, June 3 in Kentucky, Louisiana and Tennessee, last Monday in May in Virginia, and January 19 in Arkansas and Texas.

"It is a matter of history that Mrs. Chas. J. Williams, of Columbus, Ga., instituted the custom of decorating soldiers' graves with flowers, a custom which has been adopted throughout the United States...In March, 1868, she addressed a communication to the Columbus Times, an extract of which is, 'We beg the assistance of the press and the ladies throughout the South to aid us in the effort to set apart a certain day to be observed from the Potomac to the Rio Grande, and to be handed down through time as a religious custom of the South, to wreathe the graves of our martyred dead with flowers, and we propose the 26th day of April as the day.' "