The sources of supply for the arms and accoutrements of the Confederate States Marine Corps have unfortunately not been well researched, despite books on the Marine Corps being published in the past.
This blog post is intended to shed some light on which sources were used to supply arms and accoutrements to the Corps. This study will include CSMC units outside the James River Squadron, as some of them were eventually transferred to the James River Squadron, bringing their arms and accoutrements with them. Please note, this is not to address supply from within the Corps with transfers, but which sources outside the Corps were producing the items or supplying them to the Corps.
The earliest record we have is from May 24, 1861. At this time Captain George Holmes, commanding Company A, purchased 36 canteens at New Orleans, Louisiana. In June 1861 and the receipt of 34 percussion muskets, 34 bayonets, 34 bayonet scabbards, 34 cartridge boxes, 34 waist belts, 34 waist belt plates, and 34 cap pouches from Captain Hypolite Oladowski, Chief of Ordnance and Artillery for the Confederate Army in Pensacola, Florida, by Captain George Holmes, commanding Company A, then at Pensacola. (This is in addition to 51 percussion muskets, 51 bayonets, 51 infantry cartridge
boxes, 51 bayonet scabbards, 51 waist belts, 51 waist belt plates, and 51 cap pouches which he had received from First Lieutenant H.S. Ingraham than same month. Also note, that by the end of June 1862, Holmes' company only had 3 percussion muskets on hand, the rest being replaced by Enfield rifles from an unknown source before that date.)
In mid December 1861, the Marine Guard under Lieutenant R.H. Henderson aboard the CSS Northampton received 1,500 cartridges for English rifles with caps from Naval Store Keeper James A. Mahone.
Our records then jump to mid October 1862 with Holmes' receipt of 22 knapsacks and 20 canteens from Captain J.P. Jones of the Confederate Army.
Records of sources of the supply of arms and accoutrements are murky at best until the first quarter of 1864 at which time we have surviving records from Major Algernon S. Taylor, Quartermaster of the CSMC.
In early January 1864 Taylor received 50 canteens without straps from Captain O.W. Edwards, Military Store Keeper at the Confederate Army Ordnance Store House in Richmond.
In early March 1864 Taylor received 4 drums and 4 pairs of drum sticks from Major William G. Bentley, Quartermaster in charge of the
depot for the receiving and issuing of clothing, tents, garrison and
camp equipage to the armies in the State of Virginia and the manufacture
of tents and camp and garrison equipage for the same of the C.S. Army
in Richmond.
Later that same month Taylor received 50 waist belts, 50 canteens, 50 knapsacks and 50 cartridge boxes from Edwards.
S. Sutherland was paid $25 for a non-commissioned officers sword by Taylor for Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Edward Wallace. S. Sutherland was a "Southern Importing Establishment" operating as early as 1861 selling "guns, pistols, gun materials, fishing tackle, walking canes, &c., &c., and finer descriptions of cutlery" from their store at 132 Main Street in Richmond, Virginia.
Also at the end of March 1864, Taylor received the only recorded evidence of arms and accoutrements from the Confederate Navy. From Lieutenant R.L. Minor at the Naval Ordnance Works in Richmond, Taylor received 40 cap boxes, 40 waist belts, 40 cartridge boxes, 69 bayonets, 40 scabbards and 69 muskets. However there is no record of the 69 muskets being issued that quarter and none are listed as being on hand at the end of the quarter, nor do they appear on the 2nd quarter ordnance return.
In mid April 1864, Taylor received 3,200 .58 cal rifle cartridges in 4 boxes and 3,840 percussion caps from Captain W.N. Smith, Military Store Keeper in the Laboratory Department of the Richmond Arsenal.
In mid June 1864, Taylor received 100 percussion .58 cal rifle muskets, 100 waist belts, 50 canteens, 100 knapsacks, 100 cartridge boxes, 100 bayonets and 100 scabbards from Edwards.
On July 8, 1864 Holmes received 16,000 rifle ball cartridge, 2,500 musket ball cartridges and 18,000 percussion caps from Major Benjamin Sloan, Chief of Light Artillery and Chief Ordnance Officer to General Whiting. (On July 18, 1864, these rounds were turned over to S.P. Schisane, Gunner C.S.N., without having been opened, less 125 percussion caps which were expended.)
In mid July 1864, Taylor received 4,000 rifle cartridges and 4,800 percussion caps from Smith.
In late September, 1864 Taylor received 100 canteens with straps and 150 haversacks from Edwards.
While this is not as complete a look at the sources of supply for the arms and accoutrements as historians may have hoped to find, it does shed an interesting light on the fact that from the beginning of January 1864 through the end of September 1864, a period for which we have the complete records for the Quartermaster of the CSMC, the main source of supply of arms and accoutrements for the Confederate Marine Corps was the Confederate Army Ordnance Department and their Ordnance Store House in Richmond as well as the Richmond Arsenal.
A future entry
will cover the clothing and camp equipage in similar detail.
All Rights Reserved.
Friday, April 8, 2016
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Navy Yard Opposite Rocketts - Marine Corps Uniforms, Arms and Accoutrments
This is the second in a series studying the
uniforms and accoutrements of the CSMC at specified yards and stations. This study deals with the James River Squadron and specifically with the Marine Guard at the Navy Yard Opposite Rocketts in Richmond.
The first CSMC supply records for the Navy Yard Opposite Rocketts come from Second Lieutenant Nathaniel E. Venable who had been serving there since October 24, 1862.
In mid February 1863 Lieutenant Venable received 4 Enfield rifles, 4 sword bayonets, 4 infantry cartridge boxes, 4 waist belts, 4 cap pouches, 4 sword bayonet scabbards, 4 bayonet frogs, 4 gun slings, 4 knapsacks, 4 haversacks and 4 canteens from Company A at Drewry's Bluff.
The next supply record comes from Second Lieutenant John S. Van de Graff who was serving at the yard since March 17, 1863 aboard the storeship Gallego.
In mid June 1863 Lieutenant Van der Graff received a total of 4 Enfield Rifles, 4 cartridge boxes, 4 cap pouches, 4 waist belts, 2 cartridge box belts, 2 sword bayonets, 2 sword bayonet scabbards, 2 sword bayonet frogs, 2 Enfield rifle bayonets, 2 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbards, 4 knapsacks, 4 haversacks, 4 canteens with straps, 2 gun slings, 160 Enfield rifle cartridges from Company C at Drewry's Bluff. A few days later Van der Graff received 1 Enfield rifle, 1 cartridge box, 1 cap pouch, 1 waist belt, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbard and 40 Enfield rifle cartridges from the same company.
In mid July 1863 Van der Graff received an additional 1 Enfield rifle, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbard, 1 cartridge box, 1 cap pouch, 1 waist belt, 1 frog, 1 knapsack and 40 rounds ball cartridge from Company B at Drewry's Bluff.
In early October 1863 Second Lieutenant Samuel M. Roberts received 1 Enfield rifle, 1 sword bayonet, 1 infantry cartridge box, 1 waist belt, 1 waist belt plate, 1 cap pouch, 1 sword bayonet scabbard, 1 bayonet frog, 1 gun sling, 1 knapsack and 40 rounds rifle ball cartridges from Company A at Drewry's Bluff. the next day Roberts received 2 cartridge boxes, 2 cap pouches, 2 waist belts, 2 Enfield muskets, 2 Enfield musket bayonets, 2 Enfield musket scabbards, 2 frogs, 2 canteens with straps, 2 haversacks, 2 knapsacks and 80 rounds ball cartridges from Company B at Drewry's Bluff and 1 Enfield rifles, 1 cartridge boxes, 1 cap pouches, 1 waist belts, 1 sword bayonet, 1 sword bayonet scabbard, 1 sword frog, 1 knapsack, 1 haversack, 1 canteen with strap and 40 Enfield rifle cartridges from Company C at Drewry's Bluff.
An additional 1 Enfield rifles, 1 cartridge boxes, 1 cap pouches, 1 waist belts, 1 sword frog, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbard, 1 knapsack, 1 haversack, 1 canteen with strap and 40 Enfield rifle cartridges were received by Roberts in mid December 1863 from Company C at Drewry's Bluff.
In mid January 1864, Roberts recieved 7 haversacks from Major Algernon Taylor, Quartermaster for the Marine Corps with office and stores located in Richmond followed at the end of the month with 12 canteens with straps and 1 knapsack from Taylor. Clearly in an effort to fill needs in the Marine Guard, in early February 1864, Roberts received 1 cartridge box from Taylor.
In mid February 1864, Roberts received Enfield rifle, 1 sword bayonet, 1 infantry cartridge box, 1 waist belt, 1 waist belt plate, 1 cap pouch, 1 sword bayonet scabbard, 1 bayonet frog, 1 gun sling, 1 knapsack, 1 haversack, 1 canteen with strap and 40 rifle ball cartridges from Company A at Drewry's Bluff. The following day Roberts received 1 Enfield rifle, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 cartridge boxes, 1 cap box, 1 waist belt, 2 Enfield rifle scabbards, 1 frog, 1 canteen with strap, 1 haversacks, 1 knapsack and 40 rounds ball cartridges from Company B at Drewry's Bluff and 1 Enfield rifle, 1 cartridge box, 1 cap pouch, 1 waist belt, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbard, 1 knapsack, 1 haversack, 1 canteen with strap and 40 Enfield rifle cartridges from Company C at Drewry's Bluff.
The only surviving information of ammunition transfers to the Marine Guard, other than the 40 rounds associated with transfer of each individual Marine and his firearm, occurred in late April 1864 when Roberts received 1 box of ammunition containing 960 caps and 800 cartridges from Taylor.
Second Lieutenant Henry Harrison McCune took over command of the Marine Guard in late May 1864 and in early August transferred 1 Enfield rifle, 1 sword bayonet, 1 infantry cartridge box, 1 waist belt, 1 cap pouch and 1 sword bayonet scabbard to Company A at Drewry's Bluff while at the same time receiving 1 knapsack and 1 haversack from the same company.
Perhaps in a effort to provide the detachment with weapons in a better state of order, in early August, McCune sent 20 rifles, 20 rifle bayonets and 20 rifle bayonet scabbards to Taylor and 3 days later received 21 rifles, 21 rifle bayonets, 21 rifle bayonet scabbards, 1 cap box, 1 waist belt, 6 canteens with straps and 1 cartridge box from Taylor. Four days later Roberts received and additional 2 rifles, 2 rifle bayonets, 2 rifle bayonet scabbards, 3 cap boxes, 3 waist belts, 2 canteens, 3 knapsacks, 4 haversacks and 3 cartridge boxes from Taylor and 1 canteen with strap, 1 haversack and 1 knapsack from Company B at Drewry's Bluff. These items from Company B were returned to that company at the end of September 1864.
As part of the expedition to Wilmington in the 3rd quarter of 1864, 5 canteens with straps and 4 haversacks were lost through negligence.
Uniforms for the Marine Guard at the Navy Yard Opposite Rocketts first appear in late July 1863 when Lieutenant Van de Graff issued 8 pairs of shoes, 1 cap and 1 pair of cotton drawers to the men of the Marine Guard.
Clothing records for the Marine Guard continue in early September 1863 when Lieutenant Roberts issued 15 pants, 7 coats, 3 pairs of shoes, 38 pairs socks, 3 caps, 21 blankets, 12 pairs of flan[nel] drawers, 7 pairs of cot[to]n do[drawers], 8 overcoats, 1 knapsack, and 1 pair of leather shoes to the Marine Guard. In early October 1863, Roberts issued 19 pants, 8 coats, 0 canvas shoes (listed here only to show this interesting note in shoe type in the original invoice), 12 pairs of socks, 25 caps, 5 blankets, 29 flan[nel] drawers, 2 cott[o]n drawers, 3 overcoats and 17 pairs of leather shoes to the Marine Guard.
In Mid January Roberts received 40 cotton shirts and 4 woolen drawers from Taylor and at the end of that month received 4 uniform pants, 5 pairs of shoes and 20 fatigue frocks from Taylor. That same month Roberts issued 8 pants, 5 coats, 10 pairs of shoes, 1 cap, 8 flannel drawers, 40 shirts and 19 tunics (listed as a "fatigue frock" in Taylor's quarterly report) to the Marine Guard.
In mid February 1864 Taylor received 5 uniform coats and 4 uniform pants from Taylor.
In April 1864 Roberts received 6 uniform coats and 13 uniform pants from Taylor and issued 14 pants, 6 uniform coats, 1 tunic (listed as a "fatigue frock" in Taylor's quarterly report)and 1 flannel drawers to the Marine Guard.
When McCune took over the Marine Guard in late May 1864 he received 8 pairs of shoes from Taylor, followed in early June with an additional 3 uniform caps, 3 uniform coats, 13 uniform pants, 33 cotton shirts and 33 pair cotton drawers from Taylor.
In late June 1864 McCune received, 1 uniform cap, 1 uniform coat, 2 uniform pants, 3 cotton shirts and 4 pairs of woolen drawers from Taylor followed in late July 1864 with an additional 8 uniform caps, 1 uniform coat, 9 uniform pants, 6 cotton shirts, 15 pairs of shoes, 2 blankets and 2 cotton drawers from Taylor.
The final record for the Marine Guard come from the 3rd quarter of 1864. In mid September McCune received 4 uniform caps, 4 uniform coats, 16 uniform pants, 10 cotton shirts, 15 pairs of shoes, 7 blankets and 15 woolen drawers from Taylor. During that same quarter McCune issued 13 uniform caps, 3 uniform coats, 16 pairs of cotton and woolen drawers, 23 uniform pants, 14 cotton shirts, 36 pairs of shoes and 7 blankets.
Officer uniforms for the Marine Guard are a bit more difficult to deduce, but luckily we do have records of the private purchased of quartermaster supplies for part of 1864.
Second Lieutenant Samuel M. Roberts, who initially served on the storeship Gallego and then as commander of the Marine Guard until May 31, 1864 purchased 1 1/2 yards cambric, 2/20 oz sewing silk and twist, and 2 yards serge alpaca from Taylor in early February 1864. Towards the end of that month he purchased an additional 1 1/2 yards of blue cloth from Taylor. And finally in the end of April 1864 before his transfer, Roberts purchased 2 yards cambric, 10/12 oz sewing silk and twist, and 2 yards serge alpaca from Taylor.
For Second Lieutenant Henry Harrison McCune we can go back before his assignment to the Marine Guard on May 24, 1864 knowing that his uniform would have remained unchanged. In early March 1864 McCune bought 2 blankets and 1 1/2 yards blue cloth from Taylor. Then in mid March 1864 McCune bought 1 tunic (listed as a fatigue frock in Taylor's quarterly report) from Taylor. In mid May McCune bought 1 pair of shoes from Taylor and then in early June 1864 he bought 40 yards cotton cloth which had been received from Adderly & Co. (Nassau), and 2 yards blue cloth from Taylor.
Also in the case of Second Lieutenant Richard Henry Henderson we can go back before his assignment to the Marine Guard in October 1864 knowing that his uniform would have also remained unchanged. In late March 1864 First Lieutenant Fergus McRae bought 1 tunic (listed as a fatigue frock in Taylor's quarterly report), 1 1/2 yards blue cloth, 8/20 oz sewing silk and twist for Henderson, then in Wilmington, from Taylor. In early July 1864 Henderson bought 40 yards cotton cloth which had been received from Adderly & Co. (Nassau) from Taylor. In early August 1864 Henderson bought 1 cap from Taylor and then a couple of weeks later Henderson bought 1 1/2 yards blue cloth, 2 yards cambric, 2 yards gray cloth, 1 hank linen thread, 1 oz sewing silk and twist, and 2 yards alpaca serge from Taylor. The last purchase he have for Henderson was in mid September when he bought 2 yards cambric, 2 yards gray cloth, 10/20 oz sewing silk and twist, and 2 yards alpaca serge from Taylor.
From notes, to soon be published in another blog entry, the blue cloth is associated with Marine uniform pants, and blue gray army cloth is associated with Marine uniform coats. Thus the blue and gray cloth bought by Roberts, McCune and Henderson can be associated to the private tailoring of different uniform items for each of these officers.
And while perhaps not as complete as the records for the Marine Guard at the Rocketts Navy Yard, hopefully this look at the Marine Guard Opposite Rocketts has proved a useful insight into the uniform, arms and accoutrements of the Confederate States Marine Corps. Future entries will cover other detachments in the Richmond area in similar detail.
All Rights Reserved.
The first CSMC supply records for the Navy Yard Opposite Rocketts come from Second Lieutenant Nathaniel E. Venable who had been serving there since October 24, 1862.
In mid February 1863 Lieutenant Venable received 4 Enfield rifles, 4 sword bayonets, 4 infantry cartridge boxes, 4 waist belts, 4 cap pouches, 4 sword bayonet scabbards, 4 bayonet frogs, 4 gun slings, 4 knapsacks, 4 haversacks and 4 canteens from Company A at Drewry's Bluff.
The next supply record comes from Second Lieutenant John S. Van de Graff who was serving at the yard since March 17, 1863 aboard the storeship Gallego.
In mid June 1863 Lieutenant Van der Graff received a total of 4 Enfield Rifles, 4 cartridge boxes, 4 cap pouches, 4 waist belts, 2 cartridge box belts, 2 sword bayonets, 2 sword bayonet scabbards, 2 sword bayonet frogs, 2 Enfield rifle bayonets, 2 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbards, 4 knapsacks, 4 haversacks, 4 canteens with straps, 2 gun slings, 160 Enfield rifle cartridges from Company C at Drewry's Bluff. A few days later Van der Graff received 1 Enfield rifle, 1 cartridge box, 1 cap pouch, 1 waist belt, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbard and 40 Enfield rifle cartridges from the same company.
In mid July 1863 Van der Graff received an additional 1 Enfield rifle, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbard, 1 cartridge box, 1 cap pouch, 1 waist belt, 1 frog, 1 knapsack and 40 rounds ball cartridge from Company B at Drewry's Bluff.
In early October 1863 Second Lieutenant Samuel M. Roberts received 1 Enfield rifle, 1 sword bayonet, 1 infantry cartridge box, 1 waist belt, 1 waist belt plate, 1 cap pouch, 1 sword bayonet scabbard, 1 bayonet frog, 1 gun sling, 1 knapsack and 40 rounds rifle ball cartridges from Company A at Drewry's Bluff. the next day Roberts received 2 cartridge boxes, 2 cap pouches, 2 waist belts, 2 Enfield muskets, 2 Enfield musket bayonets, 2 Enfield musket scabbards, 2 frogs, 2 canteens with straps, 2 haversacks, 2 knapsacks and 80 rounds ball cartridges from Company B at Drewry's Bluff and 1 Enfield rifles, 1 cartridge boxes, 1 cap pouches, 1 waist belts, 1 sword bayonet, 1 sword bayonet scabbard, 1 sword frog, 1 knapsack, 1 haversack, 1 canteen with strap and 40 Enfield rifle cartridges from Company C at Drewry's Bluff.
An additional 1 Enfield rifles, 1 cartridge boxes, 1 cap pouches, 1 waist belts, 1 sword frog, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbard, 1 knapsack, 1 haversack, 1 canteen with strap and 40 Enfield rifle cartridges were received by Roberts in mid December 1863 from Company C at Drewry's Bluff.
In mid January 1864, Roberts recieved 7 haversacks from Major Algernon Taylor, Quartermaster for the Marine Corps with office and stores located in Richmond followed at the end of the month with 12 canteens with straps and 1 knapsack from Taylor. Clearly in an effort to fill needs in the Marine Guard, in early February 1864, Roberts received 1 cartridge box from Taylor.
In mid February 1864, Roberts received Enfield rifle, 1 sword bayonet, 1 infantry cartridge box, 1 waist belt, 1 waist belt plate, 1 cap pouch, 1 sword bayonet scabbard, 1 bayonet frog, 1 gun sling, 1 knapsack, 1 haversack, 1 canteen with strap and 40 rifle ball cartridges from Company A at Drewry's Bluff. The following day Roberts received 1 Enfield rifle, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 cartridge boxes, 1 cap box, 1 waist belt, 2 Enfield rifle scabbards, 1 frog, 1 canteen with strap, 1 haversacks, 1 knapsack and 40 rounds ball cartridges from Company B at Drewry's Bluff and 1 Enfield rifle, 1 cartridge box, 1 cap pouch, 1 waist belt, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet, 1 Enfield rifle bayonet scabbard, 1 knapsack, 1 haversack, 1 canteen with strap and 40 Enfield rifle cartridges from Company C at Drewry's Bluff.
The only surviving information of ammunition transfers to the Marine Guard, other than the 40 rounds associated with transfer of each individual Marine and his firearm, occurred in late April 1864 when Roberts received 1 box of ammunition containing 960 caps and 800 cartridges from Taylor.
Second Lieutenant Henry Harrison McCune took over command of the Marine Guard in late May 1864 and in early August transferred 1 Enfield rifle, 1 sword bayonet, 1 infantry cartridge box, 1 waist belt, 1 cap pouch and 1 sword bayonet scabbard to Company A at Drewry's Bluff while at the same time receiving 1 knapsack and 1 haversack from the same company.
Perhaps in a effort to provide the detachment with weapons in a better state of order, in early August, McCune sent 20 rifles, 20 rifle bayonets and 20 rifle bayonet scabbards to Taylor and 3 days later received 21 rifles, 21 rifle bayonets, 21 rifle bayonet scabbards, 1 cap box, 1 waist belt, 6 canteens with straps and 1 cartridge box from Taylor. Four days later Roberts received and additional 2 rifles, 2 rifle bayonets, 2 rifle bayonet scabbards, 3 cap boxes, 3 waist belts, 2 canteens, 3 knapsacks, 4 haversacks and 3 cartridge boxes from Taylor and 1 canteen with strap, 1 haversack and 1 knapsack from Company B at Drewry's Bluff. These items from Company B were returned to that company at the end of September 1864.
As part of the expedition to Wilmington in the 3rd quarter of 1864, 5 canteens with straps and 4 haversacks were lost through negligence.
Uniforms for the Marine Guard at the Navy Yard Opposite Rocketts first appear in late July 1863 when Lieutenant Van de Graff issued 8 pairs of shoes, 1 cap and 1 pair of cotton drawers to the men of the Marine Guard.
Clothing records for the Marine Guard continue in early September 1863 when Lieutenant Roberts issued 15 pants, 7 coats, 3 pairs of shoes, 38 pairs socks, 3 caps, 21 blankets, 12 pairs of flan[nel] drawers, 7 pairs of cot[to]n do[drawers], 8 overcoats, 1 knapsack, and 1 pair of leather shoes to the Marine Guard. In early October 1863, Roberts issued 19 pants, 8 coats, 0 canvas shoes (listed here only to show this interesting note in shoe type in the original invoice), 12 pairs of socks, 25 caps, 5 blankets, 29 flan[nel] drawers, 2 cott[o]n drawers, 3 overcoats and 17 pairs of leather shoes to the Marine Guard.
In Mid January Roberts received 40 cotton shirts and 4 woolen drawers from Taylor and at the end of that month received 4 uniform pants, 5 pairs of shoes and 20 fatigue frocks from Taylor. That same month Roberts issued 8 pants, 5 coats, 10 pairs of shoes, 1 cap, 8 flannel drawers, 40 shirts and 19 tunics (listed as a "fatigue frock" in Taylor's quarterly report) to the Marine Guard.
In mid February 1864 Taylor received 5 uniform coats and 4 uniform pants from Taylor.
In April 1864 Roberts received 6 uniform coats and 13 uniform pants from Taylor and issued 14 pants, 6 uniform coats, 1 tunic (listed as a "fatigue frock" in Taylor's quarterly report)and 1 flannel drawers to the Marine Guard.
When McCune took over the Marine Guard in late May 1864 he received 8 pairs of shoes from Taylor, followed in early June with an additional 3 uniform caps, 3 uniform coats, 13 uniform pants, 33 cotton shirts and 33 pair cotton drawers from Taylor.
In late June 1864 McCune received, 1 uniform cap, 1 uniform coat, 2 uniform pants, 3 cotton shirts and 4 pairs of woolen drawers from Taylor followed in late July 1864 with an additional 8 uniform caps, 1 uniform coat, 9 uniform pants, 6 cotton shirts, 15 pairs of shoes, 2 blankets and 2 cotton drawers from Taylor.
The final record for the Marine Guard come from the 3rd quarter of 1864. In mid September McCune received 4 uniform caps, 4 uniform coats, 16 uniform pants, 10 cotton shirts, 15 pairs of shoes, 7 blankets and 15 woolen drawers from Taylor. During that same quarter McCune issued 13 uniform caps, 3 uniform coats, 16 pairs of cotton and woolen drawers, 23 uniform pants, 14 cotton shirts, 36 pairs of shoes and 7 blankets.
Officer uniforms for the Marine Guard are a bit more difficult to deduce, but luckily we do have records of the private purchased of quartermaster supplies for part of 1864.
Second Lieutenant Samuel M. Roberts, who initially served on the storeship Gallego and then as commander of the Marine Guard until May 31, 1864 purchased 1 1/2 yards cambric, 2/20 oz sewing silk and twist, and 2 yards serge alpaca from Taylor in early February 1864. Towards the end of that month he purchased an additional 1 1/2 yards of blue cloth from Taylor. And finally in the end of April 1864 before his transfer, Roberts purchased 2 yards cambric, 10/12 oz sewing silk and twist, and 2 yards serge alpaca from Taylor.
For Second Lieutenant Henry Harrison McCune we can go back before his assignment to the Marine Guard on May 24, 1864 knowing that his uniform would have remained unchanged. In early March 1864 McCune bought 2 blankets and 1 1/2 yards blue cloth from Taylor. Then in mid March 1864 McCune bought 1 tunic (listed as a fatigue frock in Taylor's quarterly report) from Taylor. In mid May McCune bought 1 pair of shoes from Taylor and then in early June 1864 he bought 40 yards cotton cloth which had been received from Adderly & Co. (Nassau), and 2 yards blue cloth from Taylor.
Also in the case of Second Lieutenant Richard Henry Henderson we can go back before his assignment to the Marine Guard in October 1864 knowing that his uniform would have also remained unchanged. In late March 1864 First Lieutenant Fergus McRae bought 1 tunic (listed as a fatigue frock in Taylor's quarterly report), 1 1/2 yards blue cloth, 8/20 oz sewing silk and twist for Henderson, then in Wilmington, from Taylor. In early July 1864 Henderson bought 40 yards cotton cloth which had been received from Adderly & Co. (Nassau) from Taylor. In early August 1864 Henderson bought 1 cap from Taylor and then a couple of weeks later Henderson bought 1 1/2 yards blue cloth, 2 yards cambric, 2 yards gray cloth, 1 hank linen thread, 1 oz sewing silk and twist, and 2 yards alpaca serge from Taylor. The last purchase he have for Henderson was in mid September when he bought 2 yards cambric, 2 yards gray cloth, 10/20 oz sewing silk and twist, and 2 yards alpaca serge from Taylor.
From notes, to soon be published in another blog entry, the blue cloth is associated with Marine uniform pants, and blue gray army cloth is associated with Marine uniform coats. Thus the blue and gray cloth bought by Roberts, McCune and Henderson can be associated to the private tailoring of different uniform items for each of these officers.
And while perhaps not as complete as the records for the Marine Guard at the Rocketts Navy Yard, hopefully this look at the Marine Guard Opposite Rocketts has proved a useful insight into the uniform, arms and accoutrements of the Confederate States Marine Corps. Future entries will cover other detachments in the Richmond area in similar detail.
All Rights Reserved.
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