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PATTERN 1851 COLONEL’S FROCK COAT
= COMPLETE WITH BOTH ORIGINAL SHOULDER STRAPS – AN
EXCELLENT EXAMPLE: The
classic uniform coat for all officers, this frock coat
was the style introduced in 1851, worn through the Civil
War, and then on to the post-Civil War frontier until
being replaced in 1872. As described in the
Regulations for the Uniform and Dress of the Army of the
United States, of 1857 “All officers shall wear a
frock-coat of dark blue cloth, the skirt to extend
two-thirds to three-fourths of the distance from the top
of the hip to the bend of the knee; single-breasted for
Captains and Lieutenants, - double-breasted for all
other grades.”
This specimen is a prime example of the
realities of officers’ uniforming, particularly as these
surviving uniforms present in the form in which they
were actually worn. When viewing officer’s uniforms and
equipment in the context of the 19TH Century,
it is necessary to keep several points in mind. First,
the officers received no issue of uniforms from the
government; rather they were expected to provide their
own uniforms and equipment at their own expense.
Secondly, while the army uniform regulations were quite
specific, a certain amount of latitude was not only
tolerated, but in some cases was encouraged in
practice. An officer was only limited by the depth of
his pocket book when it came to selecting a uniform
provider and purchasing his uniforms. An officer from a
wealthy family, or who enjoyed the generosity of a
benefactor, could afford a much higher quality wardrobe
than could an officer from humble origins or without any
outside source of income. This financial burden
continued to be a concern throughout the officer’s
career as service in the field took its toll on his
clothing or, a promotion required the purchase of
different uniform components such as hats, coats, and
insignia. In a dynamic environment such as the Civil
War or service on the frontier, it is conceivable that
an officer could be repeatedly promoted as vacancies in
the ranks of senior officers occurred as the result of
casualties. To an officer of modest means who depended
solely on his army pay such rapid and unplanned
advancement could threaten him with imminent
bankruptcy. And finally, while most collectors are
familiar with a modern era when soldiers have a variety
of uniforms ranging from dress blues to camouflaged
fatigues, its worth pausing to remember that these frock
coats were not a dress uniform, but instead were
the uniform and it was worn on the field of
battle as well as on duty in garrison, and in the parlor
during social functions.
While the regulations called for field
grade officers to wear a double breasted frock coat, the
colonel who chose to continue wearing this single
breasted coat after his promotion out of the company
grade officer ranks likely did so because the coat was
still presentable, and in far too serviceable condition
to be discarded simply because he had advanced in rank –
in all likelihood, he was a man of the same frugal New
England Yankee stock I knew in my childhood. It is also
possible it was a question of personal preference if the
colonel found a single breasted coat more comfortable
than a double breasted coat – and he was of sufficient
rank to exercise such a preference.
While this coat has survived in very
good condition, as it was not strictly regulation in
accordance with his rank, it stands to reason that he
wore it for his day to day duty assignments whether in
garrison or in the field, and he reserved his double
breasted coat for more formal dress occasions. An
excellent example from the wardrobe of an officer who
was “there”, this colonel’s frock coat illustrates the
reality of the officer’s daily wear.
As it presents,
the entire coat exhibits a high level of expertise in
tailoring, and the special features and appointments
suggest that this coat was definitely one of the higher
grades of uniforms available at the time. The body of
the coat is fully lined with green polished cotton cloth
which is intricately quilted on the front panels of the
torso area, and the sleeves are fully lined with pin
striped cotton cloth. There is an inside breast slash
pocket on left side of the coat, and a horizontal breast
pocket on the interior of the right side. The split
tail of the coat is very nicely detailed and includes
two deep slash pockets – one in each of the two rear
tail pieces – that are accessed by finished vents in the
edges of the tails. The coat is decorated with matching
regulation US Army Staff Officer buttons – seven down
the front, four on the coat tails, and three smaller
buttons on the cuff of each sleeve. All the buttons are
present and all of them are full form with no
depressions or other damage.
The coat measures 38 ˝”
long from the top of the standing collar to the bottom
hem.
Sewn to the shoulders are the matching colonel’s rank
straps, measuring 4 ˝” long and 1 ˝” wide, which have
survived in truly excellent condition. Each strap bears
the fully embroidered silver bullion eagles signifying
the rank, on a dark blue wool field indicating the
colonel served in a staff assignment. The wool fields
are fully intact without any wear or mothing.
Surrounding the field is a very pronounced border of
3/8” wide embroidered high quality gold bullion. The
bullion eagles and borders are tarnished, but they all
still retain some of the original gilt and sparkle, with
no tears or wear points, and the embroidery is still
firmly attached to the base. Along the inside and
outside edges of the embroidered bullion borders is a
fine border of fully intact jaceron, the thin bullion
bead characteristic to well made shoulder straps from
the 19TH Century.
While a
staff officer's shoulder straps might not create the
same exciting mental images as those worn by a cavalry
or infantry officer, these staff officers preformed
critically important functions such as the General
Staff, Ordnance and Engineers, and many of the staff
departments were commanded by a colonel, such as at one
time, the Chief of Ordnance.
This frock coat is in very good
condition with the dark blue wool material retaining its
strength and integrity. All of the seams are intact and
the wool is very clean with no damage or mothing except
the points noted as follows: there are two holes (shown
in the photos below) less than 1/32” in diameter on the
left breast which are on a horizontal line and appear to
be where the officer had some badge or insignia pinned.
There are three other similarly sized holes, perhaps
smaller, which honestly look to be holes caused by hot
embers dropped from his cigar or pipe. None of these
holes stand out, nor do they detract from the appearance
of the uniform.
Finally, there is some very
minor fraying to the bottom edge of the skirt,
concentrated at the rear of the coat where the colonel
would have sat on the coattail when seated in a chair or
when mounted on a saddled horse. The bottom edges
of these coats were not finished with a hem, rather they
were cut from the bolt of cloth in such a way to take
advantage of the bias of the weave for the bottom raw
edge of the skirt. The exterior of the coat is
otherwise in very good to excellent condition, and it
presents very well.
The pin striped lining of the sleeves is
intact and shows only the expected minimal wear and
soling towards the cuffs. Both of the inner arm holes
are solid and show none of the common tearing or
material weakness in the armpit area. The lining of
the body is complete except as noted as follows: There
is an angled tear, approximately 1” on a side, just
inboard of the left arm hole which appears to have been
caused by the wear from a metal hanger. The tear is not
large or particularly noticeable being up in the
shoulder area, and there is no loss of material. There
is some fraying of the lining in a horizontal line along
the left rear of the coat which would have been directly
where the officer’s sabre and pistol belt would have
been fastened over the exterior of the coat, and the
wear to the lining would have been caused by the weight
and friction of the belt against the material. This
wear spot is concentrated to the one area and the cloth
is not further weakened nor is the fraying continuing to
open.
None of these points of wear are
significant issues, however in spite of the risk of
discouraging a perspective buyer, I want to provide you
with a fair and complete description.
This is a very attractive Pattern 1851
Officer’s Frock Coat, and one which includes the
significant added value of retaining the original
colonel’s shoulder straps. Presenting as it was worn by
a senior officer in the course of his daily assignments,
this coat is one of those which was “there”, yet
survived in very nice condition, and it is one which
would display well with a grouping of officer field and
garrison equipment. (0450) $4,250
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