A pretty rare survivor- a Civil War privately purchased raincover, made of tarred (or “painted”) canvas with narrow round flat top to fit over a military kepi or forage cap and short cape to shield the wearer’s face, neck and upper shoulders. This is in very good condition, with no holes or tears. It is fairly stiff from lying flat for the past 160 years, but might become more malleable with judicious use of a hair-dryer or mild heat source, and still retains its two lace ties at the lower front. The top would sit about 3-1/2 above the visor of the cap and, when flat, would be about 6” in diameter. The body is one-piece, with the edges turned under and measures about 14” from the center rear edge of the top piece to lower edge of the cape. The lower edge is curved, as are the sides of the opening for the face, which would be about 9” long from the point where it sits on the brim of the cap to the bottom front corners of the face opening, with the ties positioned on either edge about 2” from those bottom corners.

See Langellier and Loane, US Army headgear, p. 110, and Woshner’s book on India-rubber and gutta-percha Civil War era products for similar examples, as well as John Tobey’s article in in the Columbia Rifles Research Compendium. The army, overwhelmed by the numbers of new volunteers, was pretty good about supplying overcoats for warmth (though not mittens or gloves,) but only got around to deciding every soldier should have a waterproof blanket in November 1861, with private purchases and perhaps some state issues filling the need in the meantime, though most did without the full poncho that had initially been authorized only for mounted troops, relying upon “blanket pins” and commercial button hooks to fashion some form of water proof cloak. A waterproof hat cover seems to have been a step too far, though the blanket could be arranged so as to form a hood.

Ex-Texas Civil War Museum collection. [sr][ph:L]

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