US Civil War Glengarry

[Mael Coluim]

Well not a kilt but a Glengarry was worn by this Civil War re-enactor at yesterday’s preview of the Civil War’s sesquicentennial in Richmond. To see the video click here.

[Nighthawk]

Interesting! I like the little artist girl- being a graphic designer myself, she's a kid after my own heart! As an aside, I went to Fort Garland, Colorado last summer, wearing my Colorado state tartan kilt. They have an excavation going on there of a section of the fort that caught fire. When I got there, I started chatting with a couple people involved in the dig, and they were excited to tell me that they had recovered a Glengarry and some kind of heavy wool "plaid" cloth from the burned section. They didn't know what the hat was called, so I of course took the opportunity to tell them what it was, an explain tartan and all that. And it was interesting- the tartan looked like it was maybe Gordon, but the colors were odd- really dark! I assume it was because of the fire and being in the ground for 100 years or so. But the hat was in really good shape! The colors in it had held up well- at least to my eyes. That hat being worn by the gentleman in the video could well have belonged to his great uncle if they all hold up as well as the one in Ft. Garland.

[figheadair]

Well not a kilt but a Glengarry was worn by this Civil War re-enactor at yesterday’s preview of the Civil War’s sesquicentennial in Richmond. To see the video click here.

If I recall correctly the 79th New York Highlanders wore Glengarries. There's one in the museum at Manassas.

[kiltimabar]

Regrtably, the interviewee wearing the glengarry did not explain his reasons for this non-regulation headgear. The 79th did indeed wear glengarries during the war, and they were in the Petersburg/Appomattox campaigns, but I don't believe they entered the city of Richmond.

[Slag101]

The use and wear of Glengarrys by the 79th is debatable. It can be documented that they were worn pre war time, and at the start of hostilities, but I don't think there is any solid documentation that they saw field service, sort of like the myth of then wearing kilts or tartan trews to battle. The evidence is contrary to these assumptions. This being said, I could be wrong, but I have never seen or read documented proof of the it, although, I would love it if it is and was true. The only reference I can site at the moment is Don Troiani's Regiments of the Civil War. There is very little description, but a wonderfully artists rendition of what a soldier in the 79th would have looked like equipped with tartan trews and Glengarry. He does state that the tartan trews did not see field use during battle.

[kiltimabar]

The use and wear of Glengarrys by the 79th is debatable. It can be documented that they were worn pre war time, and at the start of hostilities, but I don't think there is any solid documentation that they saw field service, sort of like the myth of then wearing kilts or tartan trews to battle. The evidence is contrary to these assumptions. This being said, I could be wrong, but I have never seen or read documented proof of the it, although, I would love it if it is and was true. The only reference I can site at the moment is Don Troiani's Regiments of the Civil War. There is very little description, but a wonderfully artists rendition of what a soldier in the 79th would have looked like equipped with tartan trews and Glengarry. He does state that the tartan trews did not see field use during battle.

Don Troiani is a wonderful artist, and is very meticulous about his depictions of uniforms and equipment, but I would not assume that just because he did not depict something in a painting that it never happened. The 79th was in service during the entire war, and many changes in uniforms and equipment took place during that time, as well as confusion concerning the pre and post war uniforms. No one depiction of a single point in time can account for all the possibilities.

"The regiment received new glengarry caps in 1864 when they returned to New York (page 472, 79th history)." The regiment was then reorganized, as the original members had completed their enlistments, new recruits enlisted, and the regiment was sent to Petersburg, VA. The quote is from "History of the 79th New York Cameron Highlanders 1859-1876," by William Arley Beard III, Regimental Historian of for the 79th New York, Co. A East Tennessee Chapter, Living History Unit, and the page reference is to William Todd's "The Seventy-Ninth Highlanders, New York Volunteers" 1886, Albany.

Most of the time, the 79th wore kepis, but excavated finds of the insignia known to have been worn on the glengarries suggest that they were worn at least some of the time. In any case there seems to be more myth, confusion, mystery and inaccuracy concerning the uniforms of the 79th than any other regiment.

In discussing the Civil War I generally follow the rule "Never say never--never say always.""

[Lachlan09]

Is this the Don Troiani painting ?



I seem to recall an account of the 79th on the march on the country roads of Virginia in July 1861 en route to Manassas. One 79th officer did wear his kilt and in attempting to liberate a local chicken, jumped a split rail fence to the huge amusement of other passing Union troops. He was so roundly guyed that he soon put away his kilt and donned more conventional garb.


After the battle, prisoners were kept in Castle Pinckney, Charleston SC. A photo shows Charleston Zouave Cadets on the battlements looking down into the fort at prisoners of the 79th NY and 11th NY Fire Zouaves. Close scrutiny of the photo shows 79th men to be wearing their doublet as the Troiani picture above (with the 3 buttons in a slashed cuff on each cuff). They are either wearing dark blue trousers or tartan trews. It’s difficult to determine which.

[Slag101]

Don Troiani is a wonderful artist, and is very meticulous about his depictions of uniforms and equipment, but I would not assume that just because he did not depict something in a painting that it never happened. The 79th was in service during the entire war, and many changes in uniforms and equipment took place during that time, as well as confusion concerning the pre and post war uniforms. No one depiction of a single point in time can account for all the possibilities.

"The regiment received new glengarry caps in 1864 when they returned to New York (page 472, 79th history)." The regiment was then reorganized, as the original members had completed their enlistments, new recruits enlisted, and the regiment was sent to Petersburg, VA. The quote is from "History of the 79th New York Cameron Highlanders 1859-1876," by William Arley Beard III, Regimental Historian of for the 79th New York, Co. A East Tennessee Chapter, Living History Unit, and the page reference is to William Todd's "The Seventy-Ninth Highlanders, New York Volunteers" 1886, Albany.

Most of the time, the 79th wore kepis, but excavated finds of the insignia known to have been worn on the glengarries suggest that they were worn at least some of the time. In any case there seems to be more myth, confusion, mystery and inaccuracy concerning the uniforms of the 79th than any other regiment.

In discussing the Civil War I generally follow the rule "Never say never--never say always.""

I did not base my statement on the painting, but the caption next to the painting. I also stated it was the only reference I was able to site at the time I posted. I also said there was no evidence that they wore the Glengarry or tartan trews into battle. There is evidence that they wore the Glengarry on the march to Washington, D.C. (at least that some men of the 79th did). There is no hard evidence from pictures, paintings, literature, dig sites, or soldier's letters to support the wearing of the same in battle. I also said I could be wrong, but that there is no hard, fast proof of it.

It would be nice if people actually read things instead of assumed from glancing at two words of an entire post.