At the very beginning of the war most Federal uniforms
were "frock coats." These were knee-length, somewhat styledcoats that were lined and way
too hot for summer usage. Other than insignia of rank, according to military
specifications, brass insignia was mostly on the leather goods associated with the
uniform. A cartridge box with a leather strap was hanging from the left shoulder, across
the chest, and resting on the right hip. This was kept in place by a leather belt. On
the cartridge box as a shiny brass oval with the letters US on it (for the regular army,
that is). On the front of the strap that crossed the chest was another shiny brass
circle with an eagle on it. As a belt buckle was another shiny brass oval with the
letters US on it. On the head gear would be a Jaegar horn (hunter's horn - a curved horn
which symbolized that the wearer hunted down the enemies of his country) along with a
brass letter and a brass number. These represented company and
regiment.
It didn't take too long for the soldier to
realize all this brass reflected the sunlight pretty well and created easier targets for
the enemy to shoot at. Thyerefore, as much of this stuff was removed as they could get
away with. Also, the stylish frock coat was soon replaced by a very common sack coat
which came in four sizes; size 1, 2, 3, and 4.
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