USA HISTORY

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR(1861 1865)

THE EMANCIPATION PROCLAMATION

[SOURCES]
Commonly, the Union soldiers uniforms were ____

(A) Red

(B) Grey

(C) Brown

(D) ** Blue

EXPLANATIONS BELOW

Concept note-1: -The Northern Union armies wore navy blue and the Southern Confederate armies wore grey.

Concept note-2: -Why did the Union wear blue and the Confederacy wear grey during the Civil War? Old hunters and Indian fighters of the pre-Civil War era wore blue or light gray so they would not stand out at a distance. This tradition was carried over into the selection of army uniform colors.

Concept note-3: -Confederate soldiers 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 Union soldier consisted of a blue forage cap with black leather visor (a Hardee hat is shown here), a dark blue sack coat (flannel), blue wool trousers, and leather brogans. He carried a knapsack, which contained half of a two-man tent, a groundsheet, an overcoat, and his personal effects.

Concept note-5: -The Union soldier’s blouse and trousers were wool and dyed a dark blue until 1862 when the trouser color was altered to a lighter shade of blue. The floppy-crowned forage cap, made of wool broadcloth with a leather visor, was either loved or loathed, but universally worn by most soldiers in the Army of the Potomac.