The owner of this coat returned home, but roughly 52,000 of his fellow New Yorkers perished fighting for the Northern cause.
Introduction: The 1880s barn coat and trousers were donated to the Shippensburg University’s Fashion Archives by Time Traveler Trunks, 323 Indian Creek Drive, Mechanicsburg, PA, in May of 2021. The identity of the original owner is believed to be Nelson James Pratt. Pratt, along with his brother Edwin Thomas Pratt, both served in the Civil War (1861-1865).
Story: Nelson James Pratt served as a private in the 100th Regiment of the New York Infantry during the Civil War. Men from New York who volunteered to fight for the Union totaled around 500,000. The 100th New York Regiment subsequently fought in the Seven Days’ Battles, the assault on Fort Wagner, and the Appomattox Campaign. The owner of this coat returned home, but roughly 52,000 of his fellow New Yorkers perished fighting for the Northern cause. It is easy to imagine the dramatic impact the Civil War had on Nelson. Following the war, he and over 400,000 of his fellow veterans attended Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) events. Nelson likely wore this coat and these trousers to these events. Although not an official uniform, Nelson mimicked his former uniform by applying New York state buttons. For him, these buttons could have represented not only the pride he felt for his state, but also his pride in fighting for the Union’s cause. GAR events provided veterans with an opportunity to spend time with others who shared similar experiences, while also supporting charities and causes important to veterans. Events continued to be held until 1956, when the last known Union Army veteran passed away. The buttons are the most remarkable piece of the outfit and represent the story of a man who survived the Civil War. Which of your “buttons” of would you choose to tell your story?
Description of Coat & Trousers: The coat has a circa date of the 1880s and is made of blue wool. It has four buttons on the front and two smaller cuff buttons on each sleeve. There is one pocket on the inside left of the coat. There is a hook and eye inside the coat at the bottom of the waist. The manufacturer’s label reads: “Latest Style.” No specific information has been obtained regarding the particular company that used this label.
Profile view of the trousers, c. 1880s, donated to the Fashion Archives & Museum
The trousers also have a circa date of the 1880s and are made of blue wool as well. They are lined with cotton and have one white/cream wool stripe on the outside of the length of each leg. The trousers have four buttonholes in the front that fasten with four tin black buttons. The waistline front has five buttons and one button at back, of which three are missing. The trousers have a strap on the back to adjust the fit as well as a pocket on each side.
Manufacturing of Wool in the 1880s: The textile industry grew tremendously in the United States following the Civil War, and in 1880 New York ranked first in the country for having the largest population as well as first in the number of manufacturing companies. The Army’s Pattern 1874 sack coat was single-breasted with five brass buttons in front and one on each cuff; it was made of dark blue wool with branch colored piping on each cuff and on the edge of the fall collar. Coats that were worn to GAR events may very well have been fashioned after the design of uniforms that were being used by the army at that time. In addition, the new style bore sufficient resemblance to the sack coats the soldiers wore during the war that the style would have been comfortably familiar.
Pattern 1874 style Army Stack Coat Fashion Archives’ 1880s Barn Coat Cuff detail of the barn coat.
Background of Blue Dye: The tradition of blue uniforms for the Union dates back to the American Revolution, when blue was worn in contrast to the British redcoats. The United States continued to wear blue uniforms in the Mexican-American War, and the outbreak of the Civil War left little time or inclination for change.
The dark blue of the coat was likely achieved with natural indigo. Natural indigo was in high demand in the 19th century, and was a rather expensive dye (especially in comparison to the South’s logwood, butternut, and walnut dyes). Ironically, domestic sources of indigo had been mostly in the South, although by the time of the Civil, the United States imported most of its indigo, and the South had shifted its agriculture away from indigo as a staple cash crop. It is a labor-intensive crop, and the dyeing process can be difficult and even dangerous—enslaved persons in the American South handled every step of this process, from the mid-1600s up to the Civil War, when indigo production declined. The use of legal slave labor in the United States finally ended in 1865, with the ratification of the 13th Amendment. Slave labor continued to be used in other parts of the world during the production of indigo, such as in India, the world’s largest producer of indigo at the time. By the early 20th century, most blue dye would be synthetic, as this was a cheaper alternative.
Coat Buttons: On the front of the coat are four buttons that feature the New York State Seal. There are two smaller buttons on each sleeve that also feature the New York State Seal. These buttons were made by the Scovill Manufacturing Company between the 1870s and 1920. This company originated in 1802 and was located in Waterbury, Connecticut. It was the largest and best known of all American companies that manufactured military uniform buttons. Scovill buttons were worn on U.S. military uniforms in every American war during both the 19th and 20th centuries. In 1850, the company expanded into product lines such as brass lamps, munitions, fuses for artillery, some of the earliest cameras and plates, and also coin blanks for the U.S. Mint. On the coat buttons themselves, New York’s State Seal is displayed prominently on the front. The words SCOVILL MF’ Co and WATERBURY are etched into the back of the buttons. There is a star both before and after the word WATERBURY.
Front Back
Grand Army of the Republic (GAR): Nelson James Pratt’s great-great grandson (currently serving in the military 2023) believes Pratt wore the coat and trousers to GAR events. Following the Civil War, there was a desire among soldiers to continue the camaraderie that had developed, and many reunion events were organized across the United States. Seeking to unite “all honorably discharged Union veterans” the Grand Army of the Republic was created in 1866. The GAR grew in popularity, amassing over 7,000 posts and over 400,000 members at its peak in 1890. The organization also rose in prominence, and included five presidents (Grant, Hayes, Garfield, B. Harrison, McKinley) among its members.
The GAR was dedicated to “fraternity, charity, and loyalty,” and forbade talk of politics at local posts. However, they soon became associated with the Republican Party–it was said no Republican could be elected president without the support of the powerful GAR voting bloc. They also emerged as one of the most powerful lobbying groups in United States history, playing an influential role in the development of soldier pensions, and what is today Memorial Day. Politicians opposed the GAR at their own peril, as President Cleveland learned, when he vetoed a pension bill, only to lose the Election of 1888. President B. Harrison signed the bill into law in 1890.
GAR uniforms varied by post, but generally consisted of a blue coat with bronze buttons, modeled after Civil War uniforms. GAR members wore badges like the one shown above. The clasp featured an eagle with crossed cannons and ammunition. The ribbons varied, but most featured a thirteen-star American flag. On the center of the badge, Lady Liberty shakes hands with a soldier and sailor.
GAR Badge (first used 1869) GAR Post 168, Southbridge, MA
References
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Unidentified Civil War Veterans of Grand Army of the Republic Post #168, Southbridge, Massachusetts. United States, None. [Between 1900 and 1910] [Photograph] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2018652945/
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