Civil War Wiki
File:Union soldier 1858.jpg


The Uniform of the Union Army was widely varied and, due to limitations on supply of wool and other materials, based on availability and cost of materials during the United States Civil War. However it shows heavy French influence.[1]



Hiram Berdan in the double-breasted frock coat worn by officers. Unusually the uniform he and his men wore was dark green similar to the elite Napoleonic rifle units.


Garibaldi guard wore slouch hats and blue frock coats with red facings

The standard U.S. army uniform at the outbreak of the war had acquired its definitive form in the 1858 regulations.

It consisted of a campaign uniform, a parade uniform, and a fatigue uniform.

Described in general terms this uniform consisted of:

Service and campaign[]

The Service and Campaign Uniform consisted of the following:

A) Headgear: A black felt slouch hat with one brim being hold up and secured by means of a metallic eagle after the U.S. coat of arms of the day.

B) Coat: In Prussian blue, tight fitting and almost knee length, trimmed in arm of service piping for NCOs and other ranks. Cavalry and mounted artillery used a short jacket instead, more practical for riding. General officers wore a double breasted version with black velvet collar and cuffs.

C) Greatcoat: In sky blue, with standing collar and french cuffs and a fixed short cape. Officers could wear this or a dark blue variant.

D) Trousers for enlisted men were sky blue. NCOs had a vertical stripe in arm of service colors. Officers wore the sky blue trousers with or without piping or a dark blue one for Staff Officers and generals.

Parade order[]

The Parade uniform consisted of the following:


B) Coat: The same described (frock or short shell-jacket) with metallic epaulets resembling scales. Officers wore french-type epaulets and a sash.

C) Greatcoat: As described.

D) Trousers: As described.


The Fatigue uniform consisted of the following:



C) Greatcoat: As described.

D) Trousers: As described.

In general terms, as the war went on, the service uniform tended to be replaced by the cheaper and more practical fatigue uniform. Anyway it is not uncommon to see pictures of soldiers combining items of all orders (i.e. frock coats and forage caps, elaborate tailor made versions of the sack-coat...).

File:Goslin Zouave, 95th Regt, Pv.jpg

Pvt James Thomas from the 95th Pennsylvania in state-issue shell jacket.


Private Francis Brownwell of the 11th New York Volunteer Infantry regiment-in Zouave Uniform


Ft Brady Va-Company C 1st CT heavy Artillery. Gun crew wearing the late-war sack coat. The officer's private purchase blue wool jacket is based on a typical civilian style. The soldier with his back to the camera has a pair of riding boots and several of the men wear civilian hats

File:American Civil War Chaplain.JPG

Chaplain leading prayers-69th New York Infantry Irish Brigade. Note the use of civilian hats by the men.

National Guard/Militias[]

The state militias (the modern National Guard) usually wore versions of the aforementioned uniform in medium grey, which was gradually replaced by the standard blue uniform. As a general rule, Union soldiers wore some sort of blue, usually a dark blue with the following items:


Uniform coat[]


Marines with their leather shakos, 1864. This is the full dress uniform consisting of a double breasted coat with red piping, epaulettes and inverted yellow rank stripes for NCOs. In the field a single-breasted coat similar to the type used by the infantry was worn, with red rather than sky blue piping

File:Band of the 10th Veteran Reserve Corps. Washington, D.C. April, 1865.jpg

10th Veteran Reserve Corps bandsmen in sky blue jackets April 1865

File:Monitor officers2.jpg

Officers of the USS Monitor

  • Single-breasted dark blue frock coat with sky blue piping for infantry or red piping for US Marines and heavy artillery.
  • An identical coat in rifle green was issued to Berdan's Sharpshooters as an early form of camouflage. These had black rubber Goodyear buttons that would not reflect the light and give away the sniper's position.
  • The cavalry, artillery and troops from Ohio or New York were equipped with dark blue shell jackets with shoulder straps and 12 small brass buttons down the front and colored tape around edges denoting their branch of service. The Veteran Reserve Corps were issued a similar pattern but in sky blue with navy blue tape. Wealthier soldiers especially NCOs would have shell jackets custom made for them by local tailors. The number of buttons on these coats varied between 12 and 8. Some had shoulder straps, belt loops and piping while others did not. One of the more unusual shell jackets was worn by the 79th New York. It resembled the doublet worn by the 79th Highlanders in the British army and was worn with a Glengarry cap, sporran and kilt for full dress or tartan trews and a kepi when on campaign.
  • Buttons featured the US eagle and originally had letters denoting the soldier's branch of service: I for infantry, C or D for Cavalry and A for artillery but due to the size of the army this was done away with early in the war to cut costs, although officers in the artillery, infantry and cavalry continued to use them well after the Spanish-American war.
  • Later in the war soldiers of all branches were issued loose-fitting blue sack coats with 4 brass buttons, based on the civilian work jacket, which remained in service during the Indian Wars. By mid-war volunteers were issued a lined version of the sack-coat.
  • Officers - as it was customary with all armies of the era- had to purchase their own equipment, and thus tended to wear tailor-made uniforms. The frock coat had epaulettes (nicknamed sardine boxes by the men) and was first issued during the Mexican War when they replaced the War of 1812 era tail coat (relegated to full dress by 1861). These coats were single breasted for lieutenants and captains and had between seven and nine buttons. It was double breasted for senior officers and generals with black velvet facings and buttons placed in orders of twos and threes according to rank. On campaign many officers, including Ulysses S Grant wore sack coats, either private purchase or of the type issued to enlisted men with shoulder boards from the frock coat added to show rank. This was to make it more difficult for enemy snipers to pick off the officers as well as being cheaper to replace after the harsh campaign conditions.
  • The regimental padre wore a long black military-style frock coat with cloth buttons and epaulettes with a cross. Chaplains often carried a sabre and revolver for self-defence. When conducting Mass they wore a cassock, vestments and Biretta.
  • Sailors in the US Navy wore short double breasted blue peacoats, based on a Napoleonic-era design. These were worn with matching flared trousers, striped shirts and neckerchiefs. In tropical weather a white jumper and canvas trousers were worn. Headwear consisted of a peakless cap or straw hat. Officers wore double-breasted frock coats with an open collar, buttons featuring an anchor, epaulettes and rank insignia on the cuff.
  • Shirt - The most common color for the army-issue shirt was grey, followed by navy blue or white. The shirt was made of coarse wool and was a pullover style with 3 buttons. It was often replaced with civilian clothing such as a white linen or plaid flannel shirt sewn by the soldier's wife, mother or sister. Bright red overshirts were often worn as uniforms by volunteer regiments early in the war, modeled on the shield-front shirt worn by Victorian firefighters.
  • Overcoat - Single breasted for infantry, double breasted for cavalry with a rain cape. On campaign this was sometimes replaced with a rubber poncho that doubled as a groundsheet. Officers' greatcoats were made of dark blue wool and had black braid on front and on the cuffs.


File:US Army Cavalry Sergeant 1866 (Bis).jpg


  • Early in the war the M1839 forage cap which was officially phased out in 1858 was still in use among some regular soldiers.




  • Jefferson Davis Boots - Black, rough side out with hobnails and heel irons. Recent research suggests smooth side out boots were equally common for volunteer regiments.

The enlisted infantry uniform was completed with a black leather belt and oval buckle with the letters US. Troops from Ohio and New York had belts marked with OVM (Ohio Volunteer Militia) or SNY (State of New York) and their particular state seal on the brass plate of their cartridge box rather than the US eagle used by the rest of the army. Officers, NCOs and cavalry troopers were equipped with a sword belt with a rectangular buckle with eagle motif.

Rank insignia[]

Officers' rank was displayed on their epaulettes (dress occasions) or shoulder boards (other occasions): no bars for a second lieutenant, one bar for a first lieutenant, two for a captain, gold oak leaf for a major, silver oak leaf for a lieutenant colonel, a silver eagle for a colonel and one, two or three stars for a general, depending on his seniority. Individual officers would sometimes add gold braid Austrian knots on their sleeves but this practice was uncommon as it made them easy targets and risked friendly fire as this was the standard insignia for Confederate officers.

Officer Rank Structure of the Union Army
100px 100px 100px 100px 100px 100px 100px 100px 100px

Enlisted Rank Structure
Sergeant Major Quartermaster Sergeant Ordnance Sergeant First Sergeant
80px 80px 80px 80px
Sergeant Corporal Musician Private
80px 80px no insignia no insignia

Other points[]

File:The Storming of Ft Wagner-lithograph by Kurz and Allison 1890.jpg

USCT regiment in action


While blue dominated, it was not unusual for some units to wear other colors:

  • Quartermasters issued the Veteran Reserve Corps light rather than dark blue uniforms as light blue wool was much cheaper in the 1860s.
  • The 1st and 2nd Sharpshooter Regiments wore a Dark Green.
  • Cadets and the National Guard wore grey.
  • Camouflage - blue was a poor choice as a camouflage, however at the time the notion of camouflage was unknown, with many commanders refusing to allow the construction of field fortifications in fear that it would turn their men into cowards. It was not until the Spanish-American War that the United States Army instituted a khaki uniform.


Regrettably, the use of wool meant that the uniforms were not suited to warm summer climates, and manners of the day meant that many soldiers wore them even on hot days. As a result, many Union soldiers suffered from heatstroke on long marches.


Unscrupulous contractors, looking to make a quick profit from the war, would sometimes turn in uniforms of sub-par or shoddy workmanship. This resulted in some unfortunate troops seeing their uniforms fall apart after the first rain.




Another distinguishing feature was the use of eagles throughout - the "Jeff Davis" hat being pinned back by eagle badges, cavalry officers being adorned with eagles, belts with eagle motifs, all based on the Great Seal of the United States.


Zouave units wore identical uniforms to their French counterparts

European and civilian influence[]


Leather stocks based on the type issued to the Napoleonic-era British army were issued to the regular army before the war. These were uncomfortable, especially in hot weather, and were thrown away by the men at the first opportunity to be replaced with cotton neckerchiefs, bandanas or (in the case of officers) neckties or cravats.

The late-war sack coat was copied from the fatigue jacket worn by the 19th century Prussian army.

The Hardee hat was inspired by the headgear of the Danish army.

As many of the upper echelons were War of 1812 veterans, many were keen to avoid British influence on the uniform. However, during the US War of Independence, the French Army had aided American forces. As such, it was decided that the uniform would be based on French uniforms.




See also[]

  • United States Civil War
  • Union Army
  • Uniforms of the Confederate Military

sv:Gradbeteckningar i Förenta Staternas armé under det amerikanska inbördeskriget och indiankrigen