Richmond Depot
Encyclopedia
The Richmond Depot is a Confederate
-issued shell jacket
to troops in the Army of Northern Virginia
during the American Civil War
.
.
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
-issued shell jacket
Shell jacket
The shell jacket is a garment used as part of a military uniform. It is a short jacket that reaches down to hip level. It was very common in the mid and late 19th century. The jacket was first created in Austria....
to troops in the Army of Northern Virginia
Army of Northern Virginia
The Army of Northern Virginia was the primary military force of the Confederate States of America in the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War, as well as the primary command structure of the Department of Northern Virginia. It was most often arrayed against the Union Army of the Potomac...
during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
History
Richmond Depot jackets were not issued to western Confederates or the Army of TennesseeArmy of Tennessee
The Army of Tennessee was the principal Confederate army operating between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. It was formed in late 1862 and fought until the end of the war in 1865, participating in most of the significant battles in the Western Theater...
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Design
Three types of Richmond Depot jackets were produced:- The Richmond Depot Type I was issued late in 1861 or the beginning of 1862. The Richmond Depot Type I, was a jacket with a six piece body and two piece sleeves, with an eight or nine button front, shoulder straps and probably belt loops. There were generally two buttons on the cuffs. The lining was probably a cottonCottonCotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective capsule, around the seeds of cotton plants of the genus Gossypium. The fiber is almost pure cellulose. The botanical purpose of cotton fiber is to aid in seed dispersal....
osnaburgOsnaburgOsnaburg was a coarse type of plain textile fabric, named for the city of Osnabrück . Originally made from flax yarns, it has been made from either flax, tow or jute yarns, sometimes flax or tow warp with mixed or jute weft, and often entirely of jute...
. The distinctive point about the first pattern jacket and the feature that distinguished it from the Type II, was that it was trimmed on the collar, shoulder straps and cuffs with either tape or piping-which appears to be usually 1/4" inch dark colored. Today, there are no surviving Type I jackets, but based on photographs, these details can be deduced. - In mid-1862, the Type I was phased out for the Type II. Due to scarce supplies, they were made of jeans (a mixture of wool and cotton) or satinette and cashmere. There are several extant examples of Type IIs throughout out the USUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, including in the Museum of the ConfederacyMuseum of the ConfederacyThe Museum of the Confederacy is located in Richmond, Virginia. The museum includes the former White House of the Confederacy and maintains a comprehensive collection of artifacts, manuscripts, Confederate imprints , and photographs from the Confederate States of America and the American Civil War...
. The Richmond Depot Type II jacket is characterized by a nine-button front, no buttons on the cuffs, top-stitched edges, shoulder straps, belt loops on each hip, an unbleached cotton osnaburg lining and interior pockets. It has a six piece body and two piece sleeves. Generally, it has no trim, although examples with partial trim do exist. - The Type II was phased out in mid-1864 for the Richmond Depot Type III. This was the last Richmond Depot jacket issued to the Army of Northern Virginia. Seven of these jackets have survived, and there are a number of identifiable photographs that show them in use. Since these jackets were produced over a considerable period of time, and because they were made from materials available at different times, variations in the coat material and the number of buttons have been noted.