Infantry Soldier: Tools of the Trade

 
Man in infantry soldier's dress
Man in infantry soldier's dress

NPS

Brogans Fatigue Cap Cartridge Sling Bayonet Sling Waist Belt

Uniform and Insignia

The uniform of the infantry soldier was a light blue wool jacket with wool pants. The cap would bear the infantry insignia which would be an infantry horn.

The jacket would have white piping or kerseymere around the collar. A corporal would also have a double striped chevron on his coat and a white stripe on his pants, a sergeant would have a three striped white chevron on his coat and a double white stripe on his pants.

Infantry uniform and equipment included the following:

  • Brogans - made with leather-black and square toed.
  • Dress Jacket - used for dress parades and guard duty. Dark blue with white piping and double breasted row of buttons.
  • Shako - tall hat, made of wool with white cotton plume. Used as part of the dress uniform.
  • Neck Stock - a black band of leather worn around the neck. It helped (somewhat) to protect the soldier from saber wounds to the neck.
  • Fatigue Cap or Wheel Cap - made of wool with leather visor-the everyday cap of the soldier.
  • Fatigue Jacket - made of wool-sky blue-with white piping
  • Fatigue Trousers - plain, sky blue, wool-sergeants and corporals had stripes on their pants.
  • Cotton or Flannel Undershirt
  • Bayonet Sling - made of white leather. Holds the bayonet.
  • Bayonet - a metal spear-like weapon, detachable, and affixes to the ends of muskets and rifles. Used in hand-to-hand combat. Also used unofficially by privates as a spit, a tent peg, or a candleholder.
  • Cartridge Box - made of black leather. Used to hold cartridges. Cartridges were cylindrical tubes of paper that contained a charge of black powder and a bullet or ball.
  • Cartridge Sling - made of white leather. Used by the infantry to carry their cartridge boxes.
  • Waist Belt - made of white leather. Goes around the waist and has a belt buckle attached.
  • Whisk and Pick - used to clean black powder residue out of the pan and the touchhole of the musket.
  • Musket - a long smoothbore weapon. The muskets used at Fort Scott were flintlocks.
 
 

 

Last updated: May 25, 2022

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Fort Scott, KS 66701

Phone:

620 223-0310

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