|
CIVIL WAR FIELD GRADE OFFICER’S
DOUBLE BREASTED FROCK COAT – RHODE ISLAND BUTTONS:
The classic uniform coat for all officers above the rank
of captain, this frock coat was the style worn during
the Civil War 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 frock coat was very well made
and the tailor incorporated some very interesting and
unique features. The inside of the collar is lined with
black velvet and there is an inside breast slash pocket
on left side of the coat. The body of the coat is fully
lined with black polished cotton cloth
and the sleeves are fully
lined with white cotton cloth.
An interesting feature of
the lining incorporates a 1 5/8” wide belt, made of the
same cloth as the lining, which fastens with a brass
two-piece clasp. This belt would cinch the waist of the
coat, emphasizing the physique of the officer and
presenting him with a very tailored appearance. The
split tail of the coat is very nicely detailed -
decorated with four of the brass State of Rhode Island
buttons, and including two deep slash pockets – one in
each of the two rear tail pieces – that are accessed by
a finished vent in the edge of the seam. The coat
measures 37 ¼” long from the top of the standing collar
to the bottom hem.
Sewn to both shoulders are the two-piece
mounting hardware sets for attaching the officer’s
“Russian” insignia knots, commonly worn by senior
officers. The two brass attachment loops on each
shoulder are nicely covered in matching dark blue wool,
evidence of a special effort on the part of the tailor.
All of the buttons on the double breasted front, the
cuffs and on the tail bear the seal of the State of
Rhode Island. All the buttons are present and all of
them are full form with no depressions or other
damage.
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
with the exception of
some wear to the lining at
the inner openings of the arm holes, and some wear and
seam separation at the lower point of the arm hole,
right at the point where the seam would be chaffed by
the arm pit - all evidence that this coat was worn
regularly over a period of some duration. Otherwise the
lining in the body of the coat is in excellent
condition. The wool is very solid with no damage except
the points noted as follows.
There are two ½” holes
(seen in photos below) immediately to the left of the
center rear split tail, which appear to have been caused
by wear. There is some light, minor mothing to the
right side of the rear skirt tail and some minor
tattering to bottom edge of the coat. There is some
very small – pin hole size – scattered mothing.
None of these faults are significant
issues and in spite of the risk of discouraging a
perspective buyer, I want to provide you with a fair and
complete description. As most of us are familiar with a
time where 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 in the parlor.
This is a very attractive Civil War
officer’s frock coat, and being double breasted as worn
by the senior officers, is one of the less commonly
encountered patterns. In addition, Rhode Island related
pieces are relatively less common than items from the
larger, more populated states. (0303) $3,000
|
