Slouch hat colors

[hawkeye2]

In most of the photos I have seen the slouch hats appear to be a light color, can any be documented in black? I have a black hat with the right crown shape and it only needs the brim cut down a little. What is an average brim width?

Thanks

[jbarber]

Most of the slouch hats worn by Union troops were, in fact, black,because they were the issue Hardee hat modified by individual soldiers to suit their personal tastes. They usually did away with the eagle pin-up escuthceon and left the brim flat all around. Also, the flower-pot crown was often creased or indented. In the later war period these were usually worn without much adornment - maybe a hat cord and company letter at most. The elite Iron Brigade was an exception to the foregoing, wearing their full-dress Hardees w/plume until they virtually sacrificed themselves at Gettysburg.
Western troops, in particular, favored the slouch style, and any period photo will reveal a wide variety of shapes and colors. If you were looking at pictures of Confederate soldiers, as you noted, most hats were light in color - probably tan.
The brim on a Dirty Billy Hardee is 3 and 3/8 inches measured from the outside of the crown to the edge. This hat is an exact duplicate of the original Hardee. Jon Barber 110th OVI