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Over the up coming months I will be adding information to this page concerning the Civil War era Chasseur pattern uniform of the 14th New York State Militia Infantry, "14th Brooklyn". This information is based on my research notes gathered during my thirty years of association with the reactivated 14th Brooklyn regiment. This material is to advise, inform and be of service to the general membership of the various reactivated 14th Brooklyn companies in bettering the uniform aspects of their impression.
The first entry will be trousers and that information now follows.
The two pair of original enlisted man's 14th NYSM trousers I have had the privilege of inspecting were made
of a light weight madder red wool flannel and fully lined in unbleached cotton drill (approximately
an 8 oz. drill). The waistband facings, fly facings and pocket bags were likewise this same cotton
drill material. One of these trousers possessed five 3/4" in diameter pressed black cardboard
buttons (probably a civilian button of the era) on the waistband and had four small 1/2" in
diameter foral design (civilian) brass buttons in the fly. The second pair had five 3/4" black
(enameled) buttons (probably tin) on the waistband and five similarly patterned ones in the fly.
Both these trousers had two rear adjustment belts with a two-tine buckle for adjustment. One buckle
was natural colored brass and the second was black enameled steel.
Generally, both of these trousers were machine-sewn on the main seams and featured hand-felling
on the waistband and fly facings. However, one pair possessed a bit more hand-sewing in them by
having a hand-set/hand-sewn left side fly panel assembly, hand-felled inside pocket facings,
hand-sew top stitching on the outer fly panel edges and hand-top stitching along pocket openings.
It also had a portion or length of the lining in the rear of the trousers rolled under and hand-hemmed.
Both pair had hand-sewn buttonholes of course. The thread used to sew one of these trousers was an
unbleached or natural color cotton thread very similar to a light khaki color. The second pair
inspected likewise had what appeared to be a natural colored thread BUT, there was some solid
speculation that the thread used on this pair may have originally been dark blue. This speculation
was raised because the thread seemed darker in some areas or lengths as opposed to other areas.
This very same trait has been noted numerous times on original Federal issue trousers where the
thread was in fact dark blue in the beginning before it eventually faded.
Both 14th Brooklyn trousers were pleated in the waist and had two pleats per panel
for a total of eight pleats on the trousers (one pair had the pleats tacked down by hand). However,
I saw an original image of a 14th Brooklyn soldier wearing trousers with what evidently was three
pleats per panel. Of course such variations were not uncommon in the least. The main pockets were
the vertical side seam pattern and no watch pocket was evident on either pair. Cuffs were simply
rolled under and hemmed down by hand.
These two original enlisted man's trousers were mass produced items and possessed a "JOS.
JONES, N.Y." inspector's stamp. Inspector's stamps came into use in 1862 and Jones was an inspector
at the New York Depot located in Manhattan. No maker's or size stamps were noted (although one or the other may have
been there originally and subsequently faded.
Reproduction 14th Brooklyn trousers can be ordered off our homepage
(CLICK HERE), or via this
LINK as well.
Next up, JACKETS; so stay tuned....
Advance on PAGE 4 for the AUTHENTICITY GUIDE.
Retire to PAGE 2 for 14th NYSM REGIMENTAL HISTORY.