Forage Cap
The forage cap was commonly worn by soldiers during the Civil War. The wool forage cap was mass produced in 1861, with visors of roughly cut pieces of leather that rapidly assumed a curved shape. The sides collapsed so that the top tended to incline forward. Soldiers who wanted to determine the possible line of fire at their trench walls would hold their guns above the trench walls with their hat resting on the muzzle. If a rifle was fired at what appeared to be their heads, soldiers would know it was not safe to move about the trenches.