Did Civil War veterans wear military surplus items?
Jean Philippe Reynier
Montpellier, France
We know the veterans returning from the war continued wearing parts of their uniforms until they were worn out. Old West photos reveal that they wore just about anything they could get their hands on. Three-piece suits were popular. Some even wore used tuxedos. In some cases, ex-Confederates wore Union clothing—although some of the rebs who acquired U.S. buckles wore them upside down in protest.
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Marshall Trimble is Arizona’s official historian and the Wild West History Association’s vice president. His latest book is 2018’s Arizona Oddities: A Land of Anomalies and Tamales. Send your question, with your city/state of residence, to marshall.trimble@scottsdalecc.edu or Ask the Marshall, P.O. Box 8008, Cave Creek, AZ 85327.
