Friday, July 24, 2015

Confederate Soldier Picture of the Day: Infantryman With Kepi and Bayonet

This young Confederate soldier is wearing  a kepi hat and a frock coat (a long coat).  The epaulets on his shoulders indicates an early war uniform.  The color of the trim might have been blue, designating infantry. (Red was for artillery, yellow for cavalry).

You can see his bayonet scabbard on the left side of the picture (his right).  The white strap that extends from his left shoulder to his right waist holds his haversack.  A haversack was a square bag used to hold miscellaneous items and supplies.

2 comments:

Anita Moore said...

OK, dumb question. I've always associated the kepi with Union soldiers. Did Confederate soldiers wear it throughout the war?

Stogie Chomper said...

Confederates also wore kepis, but they were less popular as the war wore on. Slouch hats were more practical for keeping sun and rain off one's head, and most Confederates were wearing slouch hats by war's end. A lot of these old photographs were taken early in the war when kepis were more common.