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mwmoore10261
02-04-2010, 09:45 AM
What uniform was General Lee wearing at Gettyburg? I know he preferred a Colonel's frock coat with button pattern. He sometimes wore gold brocade on his sleeves as on his surrender coat, but was he dressed differently for battle and field operations?
Mike Moore, 10261

tony
02-05-2010, 10:22 AM
Mike, I believe General Lee was wearing his frock coat with just the 3 stars on each side of the collar indicating rank of a Colonel. I also read reports that he was wearing a straw hat at Gettysburg, instead of his usual grey slouch hat.

Thanks,
Tony Virando
Jeff Davis Legion C.S.A.
COMP3 10652V

Scott Kurki, 12475
02-10-2010, 10:53 PM
Was he wearing his brown pants? :P

mwmoore10261
02-22-2010, 02:21 PM
I think Scott is making an inference as to a rumor of Lee having diarrhea during the battle. Although he may indeed have been wearing brown pants. There are only 2 surviving examples of General Lee's uniforms. One is his dress surrender uniform with full brocade and the other is a brown jean wool uniform known as his Maryland uniform that was given to him by citizens of Maryland. Was he wearing the Maryland uniform during the battle or another cadet gray frock with no brocade. The statues of Lee are no help as referance as most sculptors used photographs with Brady's back porch studies being the most famous and reproduced.
Michael Moore,10261

Mike w/ 34th
02-23-2010, 11:08 AM
Michael,

I thought his Colonel's frock coat survived, too, and was in the Museum of the Confederacy. Do you know which collection the brown jean uniform is in?

Cheers,

Mike

mwmoore10261
02-23-2010, 12:42 PM
I was mistaken in that Lee's Maryland uniform is a medium gray color. It is kept by the Maryland Historical Museum. The frock coat in the Museum of the Confederacy is the surrender coat I was talking about with Generals ensigna (Gold stars within a wreath) sewn directly onto the collar and gold brocade on the sleeves. I think that the coat may be on loan to another museum at the moment. There is discussion as to moving the Museum of the Confederacy to another location or locations since floor space in the the current building allows only a small display of their collection. Parking is also shared with the University of Medicine in Richmond. The next door White House of the Confederacy shares the same parking problem plus looking out of place tucked between brick and glass 20th century buildings.
Michael Moore, 10261

Mike w/ 34th
03-02-2010, 01:23 AM
Okay, took a bit of looking. Lee's colonel's coat is shown on P. 102 of Arms and Equipment of The Confederacy, and the photo credit for the coat lists the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond, as the collection where it resides. I don't know if it's still there, but that's where it was in 1991.

mwmoore10261
03-03-2010, 08:41 AM
The coat on page 102 Echoes of Glory, Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy is the Maryland Coat with three 6 sided stars on the collar and regular 7 button colonel configuration. Don't know if it is on loan to the Maryland Historical Society. All his other uniforms in wartime photos show a colonel rank on collar (no wreath) but have the 8 button in groups of 2 general officer configuration.
Michael Moore, 10261

David K. Fox
05-29-2010, 09:17 PM
While Lee tarried at Cashtown 1 July, an eye witness described Lee wearing a white duster and a straw hat made by a female admirer. In his hand was a small, leafy bush he used to switch flies off Traveler. The observer stated Lee looked like a prosperous farmer.

Bob Huntoon
06-04-2010, 10:34 PM
Forget the exact sources, but it was remarked in several contemporary sitings that he was wearing an OVERCOAT through most of the battle.

Considering the well documented heat during the battle - this would cause people to notice.

Several historians have suspected Lee suffered a heart attack after Chancellorsville. May have been a cause - in addition to Jackson's death - why Lee was not as "up to snuff" at G'burg.

Mike McDaniel
07-05-2010, 10:56 PM
Interesting. Lee certainly made some questionable decisions at that time.