US Cavalry Question

[Argonor]

I have noticed that some of Foundry's 7th Cavalry troopers on their website have been painted with red shirts/jackets (notably the 'guidons', but also an 'old sweat').

Any references/regulations for that, or is it pure fantasy, please?

[Malamute]

They are painted as civilian shirts. I believe the standard army issue was a grey shirt during the 1876 campaign, but many of the troopers in the field wore civilian clothes including a vast array of civilian hats as the campaign hat was not very durable or popular.

[Galloping Major]

They are painted as civilian shirts. I believe the standard army issue was a grey shirt during the 1876 campaign, but many of the troopers in the field wore civilian clothes including a vast array of civilian hats as the campaign hat was not very durable or popular.

Spot on 

www.gallopingmajorwargames.com

[guitarheroandy]

Yes. Malamute is quite correct. the standard issue shirt in the 1870s was grey. Blue shirts weren't issued until the 1880s. Red wasn't an issue colour at this time. Many troopers wore civilian shirts, of which the hickory was popular. Black and white checks, I believe, from recent memory reading Robert Utley's books on the Indian Wars... I'll check later and amend if I remember that wrongly.

Hats were often not 'issue' ones either as the 1870s black issue ones fell apart after one good shower of rain! Most troopers and certainly officers bought their own, so you'd get a fair array of colour and style.

US cavalry on campaign were always a tad 'rough and ready' in their choice of clothing...

[Valerik]

Any references/regulations for that, or is it pure fantasy, please?

Pure fantasy.  & yet not so far off the mark...

Civil War 'Regulation' wool shirts were Domet flannel, varying from creamy to off white colour, soon dirty greyish.
That being said contractors woolen shirts were known in varied colours of grey, blue, and red. With millions purchased, & available, they were issued indiscriminately long after the war, as the QM Dept reported, until 1880.

the standard army issue was a grey shirt during the 1876 campaign, but many of the troopers in the field wore civilian clothes

Absolutely correct,  The regulations of 1872 & 1874 specified a gray flannel shirt.
Yet 10,000 blue flannel "of wool not suitable for blouses" were made into collarless shirts & issued.  This was repeated in 1877-78.  These are significant numbers for a small frontier army.
However the regulation shirt remained gray until 1881.

Citizens shirts, whether  cotton, wool, linen, or some blend were widely available, & could be any hue, or pattern.

All were to be worn UNDER the blue 4 (old) or 5 (new) button blouse, a sack coat.  
Photos are known of soldiers with their blouses tucked into their trowsers, appearing as if they are in shirtsleeves.

The Hollywood Cavalry Trooper in "Dirtyshirt Blue" is, by regulation, just that, HOLLYWOOD.

Still, frontier & campaign dress tended toward casual & comfortable, rather than parade ground uniformity.

Interestingly the regulations specified that if the troopers were on duty in a 'Summer uniform'
of blue blouse, white (canvas) pants and straw hats, they were required to buy those articles out of their pay.  
Their officers were enjoined to "in like manner conform"

& let's remember that lots more fighting, & many more campaigns, went on long after Custer's self-inflicted debacle.

Valerik

"Brave Rifles!!"

EDIT Grammar Police Warrant

[Argonor]

OK, so mostly a matter of looking at the actual model to spot whether it has a 'blouse' or plain shirt.

Thanks!

[NickNascati]

I've also been told that the type/color of hat depended on the theater of operation.  Troops in the North, ie Custer, tended to have black slouch hats, while troops in the Southwest had off-white.  Of course as has been pointed out, there were many variations from regulation.