This is perhaps the showiest piece of Civil War headgear out there- the plumed Model 1858 Army Hat, better known by its nicknames as the Hardee or Jeff Davis hat. Derived from the pattern adopted by the new cavalry regiments in 1855, this was adopted by all branches of service in 1858, with the forage cap, essentially the 1851 shako with the stiffening removed, designated for wear on fatigue duty. It got mixed reviews. Some liked it for its resemblance to the Belgian Chasseur-a-pied hat and it also resembled the Kossuth hat, named after the popular Hungarian revolutionary. Others likened it to the plumed hats of 17^th century cavaliers, for better or worse. Certainly, there was no denying it grabbed attention.

Constructed of stiffened black felt, now oxidizing to a brown from iron used in the dyes, this shows all the classic elements of the hat and is in excellent condition. The sides and top have not been pinched in by careless handling, and the brim has no tears, creases or missing pieces. The double row of stitching along the edge, used to stiffen and reinforce it, is fully in place. The narrow black ribbon around the base of the crown is in place, and the hat bears an original lemon yellow worsted wool cavalry hat cord with one set of tassels a slightly lighter shade than the other, something common in original examples from the use of different and often unstable  dye lots in their production. On the inside, the tall, red Morocco sweatband is complete, securely in place, and has nice color and a good finish showing just a few tiny rubs, but not tears or missing pieces. The black stiffener on underside of the top is fully intact and the gilt embossed “US ARMY / [eagle with shield, flag, & arms] / EXTRA / MANUFACTURE / 3” is fully legible, with no chipping or losses. (The “3” is one of the standard army sizes.)

The hat has a set of original issue stamped-brass crossed sabers on the front, secured inside by leather wedges inserted in the loops, as are the large company letter “C” and smaller regimental numeral “1.” The right side of the brim is turned up, as is regulation for a cavalry hat, and secured with an original stamped brass eagle side plate. A black ostrich plume, as is correct, is also tucked between the upturned brim and the body of the cap.

This hat would have been regarded as exceptional for condition even when surplus dealers had stacks of them. (We have seen at least one taken from such a stack that carried with it the upper part of the halt below stuck inside.) These usually suffer from careless handling or storage, with the fabric suffering from moisture or heat. This one rates as mint and would be hard to equal.  [sr] [ph:m]

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