kanemono Posted August 24, 2020 Share #1 Posted August 24, 2020 Here is another Civil War Kepi. However this one is not identified. It is in excellent condition and very late in the war. I had it checked out by the late Gary Leister who had one of the best if not the best Civil War hat collection in the country. Gary confirmed that the kepi was real but very late in the war and possibly never worn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skypilot6670 Posted August 24, 2020 Share #2 Posted August 24, 2020 Beautiful Kepi , thanks for posting. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stratasfan Posted August 24, 2020 Share #3 Posted August 24, 2020 Thanks for sharing! Super cool! Not really seen originals! Out of curiosity . . . since you have it in hand . . . are they lightweight? They always look like they'd not weigh a lot. Kind of an old-fashioned version of a baseball cap! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanemono Posted August 24, 2020 Author Share #4 Posted August 24, 2020 The kepis are not heavy. A little more than a baseball cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted August 24, 2020 Share #5 Posted August 24, 2020 Thats a fine looking cap👍🏻....mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12thengr Posted August 25, 2020 Share #6 Posted August 25, 2020 As someone a bit ignorant of Civil War insignia, I understand Co. M but 5th Reg. or perhaps Battalion and the bugle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huntssurplus Posted August 25, 2020 Share #7 Posted August 25, 2020 As someone a bit ignorant of Civil War insignia, I understand Co. M but 5th Reg. or perhaps Battalion and the bugle?I’m fairly certain the Bugle was the branch indicator for Infantry.Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katieony Posted August 25, 2020 Share #8 Posted August 25, 2020 A real beauty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M24 Chaffee Posted August 25, 2020 Share #9 Posted August 25, 2020 Outstanding example! From what I understand these types of kepi were private purchase and usually by officers. Your kepi has general service strap buttons with no “I” for infantry so maybe a private purchase by an enlisted man with some extra cash? Or would an officer’s kepi sometimes not have the lettered buttons? Frank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxrobot Posted April 22, 2021 Share #10 Posted April 22, 2021 During the Civil War, anyone who could afford it would privately purchase a cap and discard the ugly issued one. That would be the one the veteran took home with him. Also, it was never called a kepi. It is simply a cap. Similarly, we never wore "tunics" they were coats or jackets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted May 6, 2021 Share #11 Posted May 6, 2021 On 4/22/2021 at 1:53 PM, Maxrobot said: During the Civil War, anyone who could afford it would privately purchase a cap and discard the ugly issued one. That would be the one the veteran took home with him. Also, it was never called a kepi. It is simply a cap. Similarly, we never wore "tunics" they were coats or jackets. Actually that was a pre- Civil War issue and reaction to the M1851 cap (shako). Dissatisfaction with the M1851 in the field, led to the development of both the M1858 Army hat (Hardee hat) and the M1858 forage cap (bummer/ kepi). Here is a good document from the Smithsonian that addresses US Army headgear: https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/handle/10088/2429/ssht-0030_lo_res.pdf?sequence=2 Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maxrobot Posted May 6, 2021 Share #12 Posted May 6, 2021 I have that book and it is terrible by modern standards. They show private purchase caps when the topic is Army headgear. The issue M1858 forage cap was not as snappy as the private purchase ones. At the time a fancy made cap was about $2.50 whereas the Federal Govt paid 59¢ each. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottiques Posted May 6, 2021 Share #13 Posted May 6, 2021 3 hours ago, Maxrobot said: I have that book and it is terrible by modern standards. They show private purchase caps when the topic is Army headgear. The issue M1858 forage cap was not as snappy as the private purchase ones. At the time a fancy made cap was about $2.50 whereas the Federal Govt paid 59¢ each. What exactly is wrong with the document? It documents Army headgear (including some popular private purchase items that influenced official headgear) using the Smithsonian Collection as its base. The document draws from official descriptions, official correspondence, uniform board proceedings and contemporary criticism of the headgear. Was "not as snappy" a contemporary criticism? What is your recommended source for information? Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAW Posted May 7, 2021 Share #14 Posted May 7, 2021 Personally, I prefer forage caps to kepis. The kepi pictured looks like it may be made of satinette, which is a nice detail to me. Generally speaking, they are usually private purchase items. Anyone with the cash could buy one if they chose to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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