USA HISTORY

Commonly, the Confederate soldiers uniforms were ____

(A) Red

(B) Brown

(C) ** Grey

(D) Blue

Concept note-1: -Gray was chosen for Confederate uniforms because gray dye could be made relatively cheaply and it was the standard uniform color of the various State Militias.

Concept note-2: -Because the United States (Union) regulation color was already dark blue, the Confederates chose gray. However, soldiers were often at a loss to determine which side of the war a soldier was on by his uniform. With a shortage of regulation uniforms in the Confederacy, many southern recruits just wore clothes from home.

Concept note-3: -The Confederate states wanted to keep slavery and to limit the role of the federal government in state government. The Confederate soldiers wore gray uniforms, and the Union army wore blue uniforms. This led to the war being referred to as the “Blues vs.

Concept note-4: -The typical uniform of the Confederate soldier was a forage or slouch hat, gray or butternut wool shell jacket, gray, butternut, or blue trousers, and brogans. A haversack was used to carry personal items.