C.S. Four Button Jackets................................$200.00 The mysterious four button
jacket that has been found in dozens of images and existing examples
can be found across the nation, yet no one has yet identified which depot,
if any, they came from! This is a plain, four button jacket with
an exterior welted pocket. The entire perimeter of the inside is
overcast into place, and the jackets are fully lined in osnaberg or other
fine weave cotton. These are perhaps our favorite jacket to reproduce
and are a stylish way to break the monotony of the standard Richmond Depot
jackets in the CS ranks.
Five examples of this type of jacket survive
today, with most provenances of the jackets tying them to the Richmond area
in the last two years of the war. However, pictures of early war soldiers,
and soldiers serving in the western and trans-Mississippi theaters of war
have also surfaced, making the origin of these jackets even more difficult
to ascertain. Each surviving example is made from a slightly different
jean material, but the pattern and general construction remains the same,
suggesting some sort of depot origin. These jackets are also evident
in dozens of original pictures of soldiers, as further evidence of their
widespread use.
Our reproduction is based on an original in the Ross
County Ohio Historical Society collection. This particular jacket is
made from a low quality plainweave jeancloth, that was likely originally
light gray, but over time the cotton warp fibers have oxidized to a tan color,
giving the coat its current appearance. The jeancloth in our reproduction
was custom woven for us by Ben Tart and comes very close to replicating the
original material. Our reproduction jean is of a slightly higher quality
than the original cloth chiefly because it is impossible to find a weaver
willing to do as shoddy of a job as the original weaver did!
The original jacket features a unique construction style
which made construction easier for handsewing, but caused a small error in
the collar which we have replicated exactly. The original jacket currently
has two remaining buttons, a cast brass Louisiana state button and an "I"
shield federal eagle button. In the interest of versatility, we have
chosen the latter button for our reproduction. Finally, high quality
Ben Tart osnaberg fully lines all of the jackets.
Special thanks to Dave Chinnis and the Ross County Historical
Society for their assistance in researching this reproduction.
Detail showing the full one-piece sleeve.
Detail showing the plainweave jean.
Detail showing the pocket welt.
Detail showing the collar mistake of the original jacket compared to ours.