A very nice condition, very strong example of the regulation Civil War US navy seaman’s cloth cap. These are instantly recognizable, made of thick blue cloth with wide, soft crown, and no visor. The top is relatively flat and about 10-3/4” in diameter, which increased noticeably in postwar years, and became quite a bit flatter. The band around the base is about 1-1/2” tall. The condition is very good, with just a couple of very small moth nips on the top near one edge and some wear around the lower edge from use. The interior lining of the top is brown polished cotton and complete, showing some rubbing from wear, but no holes or tears. The brown sweatband is in place and complete, but does show some bends, wrinkles and cracks, with some small losses around the lower edge from legitimate period wear.

Also in place is a wide black ribbon tied in a bow and sewn in place- not extending all around the base band- and sporting five white buttons on the knot, which has two, short, forked-tail ends hanging down. The cap is also fitted with a blue cloth disk sewn in the center of the top bearing a white, embroidered, five-pointed star, traditionally taken to be applied by sailors to keep comrades in the fighting-tops of ships from firing down on them in close-quarters boarding actions.

This was formerly on display in the Texas Civil War Museum and would make a worth addition to any Civil War collection, whether focused on the navy, US uniforms in general, or Civil War headgear. We show some well a known image of a Civil War USN gun crew with some of the top badges visible and also a photo, perhaps a bit prewar, of a sailor with the silk knot very visible.  [sr][ph:L]

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