Civil War Oddities #17

Despite the neat phrase, which has come down to us, “The Blue and the Gray,” uniforms of the armies were fantastically varied, and often perplexing.

When the war opened, federal troops were often clad in “Standard Gray.” The 3^rd New York, the 1^st Vermont and almost all Indiana troops wore gray with black facings, just as did Confederate troops from Georgia.

The 1^st Iowa dressed like troops from Louisiana. Men of Maine, Kansas, and Nebraska wore Gray.

A New Jersey battalion of cavalry wore blue and yellow, and was known as “The Butterflies.” A Polish regiment from New York wore traditional native caps, square, and blazing in red and white.