OHIO Militia Captains jacket Questions

[gunbb]

I posted this under Civil War and got only  answers saying the buttons were post CW. Someone said the jacket  was 1880's Militia. However I found out the buttons are in fact Civil War era. I googled "Ohio Militia" and all I got was a bunch of yahoos marching around today with plastic guns . Can anyone identify this jacket as either CW or post CW and / or give me a reference to the OHIO militias of the 1880's so I can research them , and what they did I'm looking for pictures or drawings . Thanks. 

[gunbb]

You mean to say , no one knows anything about this jacket ?? I thought this was the forum for answers. 

[MilitariaScienta]

I'm not a civil war expert, but it looks similar to officers and high ranking individuals from civil war photographs I've seen.

[suwanneetrader]

Those are most likely original buttons (sewn on by jacket maker) so button back marks would date the jacket.  Richard

[gunbb]

I was hoping to find someone who knew about OHIO Militia in the CW and after . There are names inside.  

[ludwigh1980]

The techniques used in the Jackets construction is going to determine if it in fact dates to the Civil War. Even the Federal Army used surplus Civil War buttons into the late 1870's. Does the coat have hand stitched buttons versus machine stitched button holes. Is the jacket completely hand stitched or is there some machine stitching. While there was sewing machines available during the Civil War the sewing the produced it a bit more crude (un-even) than later machines. A lot of factors must be considered before positive Civil War attribution can be made. First observation from the photographs it appears to have been cut down from a tunic or frock coat. As far as researching individual states militia or national guard units uniform histories, unfortunately the best source still is an actual state history books or state archives. In the case of Colorado, a lot of images of early Colorado Militia Units is available online in a searchable database put out by the Denver Library.  Ohio might have a similar database and a formal inquiry with the State's Historical Society might help though sometimes these are filled individuals that are less than enthusiastic about some aspects of history.  Its worth a shot. If it was from Colorado I could add more. Still a great old garment. 

Regards,

Terry

[suwanneetrader]

Why I suggested backmarks on buttons would help is  --  1. if bm is post CW then you would know jacket is not CW production   -- 2. if bm is CW era then you would know jacket could be 1860s - 70's. Then to narrow down further you have to research the name or names written inside.  Someways are the Ohio State Library, Census Records, Newspaper articles, Obituaries, and as many state militia units were Federalized the National Archives records related to those names in jacket that may have CW Roosters from Ohio info,  There are other reference possibilities but takes time and patience which you have to do.   You can not usually just go on a Forum and get someone to do that for you.  Richard

[jasbrenner]

From what I can tell from the photo, the jacket is a private purchase item as the three rows of buttons do not conform to Army uniform regulations. I also agree that it looks like it has been cut down/shortened as the back looks unfinished. and extremely short. As for historical reference/source material, your best bet (short of a trip to Columbus) is to go on Hathi Trust and search for Ohio Executive Documents. In them you will find the annual reports of the Adjutant General which will give you some very good insight into the history, organization, and equipment of the Ohio Militia/National Guard. The annual reports sometimes also reference the various militia acts, so look also on Hathi Trust for Revised Statutes of Ohio. The Acts are important because - simply - the General Assembly decided on appropriations and they determined what they would and would not spend money on. here is also a revised regulation from the late 1870s, but I have not been able to get my hands on a copy.

 

Having said all that, here are my thoughts on your jacket based upon research, observation, and items in my collection. To begin, the buttons are almost certainly not Civil War era, but I would be very interested in your source that says they are. As background, the 1859 Regulations for the Ohio Militia (also available on Haithi Trust)  describes the seal of Ohio (also referred to as the coat of arms) and provides an illustration of it. Generally speaking, the seal in one form or another remained standard on buttons until replaced in 1902 when the US seal made all state seal buttons obsolete. The 1859 version of the state seal called for a sheaf of wheat, 17 arrows, and 13 rays emanating from the sun, with a flatboat/canal boat on the Ohio/Scioto River in the foreground. The regulations go on to state that all uniforms should be IAW with regular Army patterns except buttons which were to have the state seal.  Interestingly, there's no mention of OVM plates and buckles, although they exist. Anyway, there is no invoice/contract that I've found in the Ohio History Center ordering state buttons and I have yet to come across a state button with known CW provenance. 

 

After the war, the state ignored the militia, but again decreed that the militia uniforms should conform to that prescribed by Army regulations, except - again - for the buttons. (In 1866, the OM consisted of 307 officers and men). There were a couple of volunteer companies that only had a semi-official relationship to the state. The Cleveland Light Artillery was one (see photos on Western Reserve Historical Society website) and they designed, paid for, and wore their own distinctive uniforms. It's possible that they wore state seal buttons, but I do not know for sure. One of their uniforms is on display in Sheffield Lake, Ohio, but it's been closed since COVID struck. About 1880, with the expansion of the ONG because of labor unrest, the Adjutant General began ordering uniforms from M.C.. Lilley (Columbus) and Pettibone (Cincinnati) and a couple of other out of state suppliers. Buttons were typically ordered separately probably to save the cost of sewing them on. The buttons included the canal boat because I have Major Charles Dick's pillbox hat (of Dick Act fame) from the Akron City Guards in 1884 and the buttons (M.C. Lilley BM) have the boat. I also have Henry Gayer's overcoat from the 8th Regiment, ONG, (enlisted 1894) and the buttons have no boat. Of note, it's not clear who made either the coat or the buttons because there is no maker's label and the back mark is plain gray metal. So based just upon the buttons, I think the coat dates to about 1880, give or take a couple of years.

 

More compelling is the fact that it is a cavalry jacket. The Ohio Militia (emphasis on militia, not US volunteers) had no cavalry units throughout the CW and, in fact, authorized none until 1876. In that year, Ohio authorized the creation of volunteer cavalry troops in addition to three ONG troops, The ONG troops wore regulation Army uniforms , but Cleveland City Troop A, created in 1877, wore a hussars-type uniform. (See Company of Military Historians plate). 

 

So, with all that as a long lead in, I believe that your jacket began life in one of the volunteer artillery companies or cavalry troops as a private purchase item. and may or may not have been an officer's coat. At some point, it was converted into an undress jacket as evidenced by the shoulder boards, and possibly the shortened body. but retained the original button arrangement. The fact that the buttons are staff  buttons and not general service is , I think, significant. By the way, is there any indication that there was once braid and/or piping on the jacket that has been removed? 

 

If you have the name of the individual, that will narrow down the date. The Annual Reports sometimes, but not often, include a roster of all officers and EMs. If your guy isn't listed, you'll have to contact the Ohio History Center.

 

I hope this helps a bit.

 

James Brenner

[gunbb]

That is great info. Thank you very much .

[jasbrenner]

I came across this picture in History of the Ohio National Guard and Ohio Volunteers (Cleveland: Plain Dealer, 1901) and it seems like your coat began life with Cleveland's Troop A. 

 

[gunbb]

Thanks so much for that. 

[MAW]

This jacket is from the 1880s or so. The buttons date to that time as well.  3 piece construction...(the dome of the button, the rim, and the shank)...indicative of that time period.

 

It is a jacket...not the same uniform as in the photo posted above.  

 

If you have a name, that would be the best chance to gain additional information.

 

 

 

[gunbb]

5 hours ago, MAW said:

This jacket is from the 1880s or so. The buttons date to that time as well.  3 piece construction...(the dome of the button, the rim, and the shank)...indicative of that time period.

 

It is a jacket...not the same uniform as in the photo posted above.  

 

If you have a name, that would be the best chance to gain additional information.

 

 

 

Here are pictures of what's written inside the jacket. Thanks.