They carried a blanket, a fry pan for cooking, and a canteen for water. Soldiers carried their other gear in a backpack called a knapsack. Officers often had pistols and a sword to fight with. Some rifles had bayonets at the end that they would use for close combat. The typical soldier had a musket or rifle and possibly a knife or a sword for close combat. They also didn't have very good shoes and sometimes had to go without any shoes at all. They often wore combinations of what they could find and steal as well as their own clothes. Eventually they settled on a uniform that had a waist length grey coat and light blue trousers.ĭue to costs and a lack of materials during the war, many Confederate soldiers did not have adequate uniforms. At the start of the war, many Confederate soldiers just wore their own clothes into battle. The Confederate Uniforms were less standard than the Union's.

Other markings on the coat like piping or badges usually indicated the rank of the soldier. The coat often had bright buttons that sometimes indicated the rank of the soldier or what state they represented. They typically wore shoes that went up to their ankles called 'brogans'. The Union uniform consisted of a dark blue wool coat with light blue trousers and a dark cap called a forage cap. Eventually, the uniforms became more standard with the Union army wearing navy colored uniforms and the Confederates wearing grey. In some early battles soldiers often shot people from their own side. The lack of consistent uniforms led to confusion on the battlefield. The materials and styles were different too, depending on where a soldier came from. The north tried to get their soldiers to all wear navy blue uniforms, but they often ran out of blue cloth and had to use grey.

The materials, colors, and styles were all different. One of the things they weren't ready for was having uniforms for the armies.Īt first, uniforms were provided to the soldiers by the states and local cities. They weren't ready for a major war against each other.

When the Civil War first began, neither side thought it would turn into a major conflict. However, the uniforms weren't exactly 'uniform' at the start of the war. The Northern Union armies wore navy blue and the Southern Confederate armies wore grey. You've probably heard of the blue and the grey when people refer to the civil war sides.

Us civil war navy buttons