Vendor List

[Frenchie]

Listen up! T'other day Bristow Kid asked me for sources of high-quality uniforms and I told him I'd post something for everyone to see. Well, as things like this go, it got to be a list that included just about every place I think is worth seeing on the 'Net, so instead of rearranging it into sections or whatever, I've decided to just give you most of my Favorites list and indicate which are the best sources of uniforms. Just look it over and ask questions if you got them.

Vendors and Sources of Information – Reenacting and Living History
by Guy 'Frenchie' LaFrance
Saturday, October 28, 2006

NOTE: Those with whom I've had direct contact and/or can personally recommend are marked with an asterisk (*). The most highly-recommended ones have three asterisks (***). No description means the name says it all or it's a typical "mainstream" vendor who has some good stuff - caveat emptor.

* AoP (Army of the Pacific) Press – modern and period manuals for military living historians http://press.armyofthepacific.com/index.htm

*** Atlantic Guard Soldier's Aid Society – probably the best civilian living history outfit for the CW period http://www.agsas.org/

AzRA Historical Resources and Pair-O-Dice Mercantile – www.USHist.com and www.19th-century-us-history.com

* C & D Jarnagin – http://www.jarnaginco.com/

Carrico's Leatherworks – cavalry equipment http://www.carricoleather.com/

Carter & Jasper Mercantile – highly spoken of http://www.carterandjasper.com/index.html

* Citizen's Companion, the voice of civilian reenacting http://www.citizenscompanion.com/

Civil War Artillery – http://www.civilwarartillery.com/default.htm

*** Civil War Historian Magazine – if you only read one magazine, this is it http://www.civilwarhistorian.com/

*** Civil War Reenactors Discussion Forums – the best online, period http://www.cwreenactors.com/forum/index.php

Civil War Reenactor's World – big site, most of it is mediocre or worse, but there are a few gems http://www.christianreenacting.com/44va/

County Cloth / Chas. R. Childs – excellent source of materials, uniforms, blankets, etc. http://www.crchilds.com/

* Civil War Field Fortifications – great source of info http://civilwarfortifications.com/introductory/introductory.html

* Dell's Leatherworks – high quality leather gear http://civilwarfortifications.com/introductory/introductory.html

*** E.J. Thomas Mercantile – highly recommended! http://www.ejtsutler.com/

Fall Creek Suttlery – mainstream with a few high quality items http://www.fcsutler.com/

First Maryland Volunteer Infantry (US) – Maryland "homespun Yankees" http://www.firstmdus.org/

Flags of the Confederacy – for you Rebel vexillologists http://www.confederateflags.org/index.html

Ft. McHenry – home of the Star Spangled Banner http://www.nps.gov/fomc/index.htm

Genteel Arts Academy – instruction on the history of period clothing and teaching students how to accurately reproduce it via hands-on seminars or lectures http://www.genteelarts.com/

Happy Friends – serious comedy relief, unless, of course, you see yourself there http://www.geocities.com/happyfriends1/index.html

*** Hesson Clothiers – historical navy uniform reproductions http://www.hesson-clothiers.com/

James Country Mercantile – better than average http://www.jamescountry.com/

* Jersey Skillet Licker – high quality http://www.skilletlicker.com/servlet/StoreFront

Jonah World! - The World Wide Web Home of Jonah Begone,
Scourge of Civil War Reenacting (just read it) http://wesclark.com/jw/

Mason-Dixon Sewing Co. – high quality period clothing http://www.mason-dixonsewing.com/

* Military Books: Rare and Out of Print on Military History Bought and Sold http://www.rwmilitarybooks.com/

* Military Images Magazine - http://www.civilwar-photos.com/index.html

Military Warehouse - http://www.milwarehouse.com/

*** N.J. Sekela / Historic Clothiers – very highly recommended! http://www.njsekela.com/

Orchard Hill Sutlery – http://www.orchardhillsutlery.com/

Period Leather – very high quality http://www.periodleather.com/products.cfm?CatID=2

* Quartermaster Shop - http://www.quartermastershop.com/

Ragged Soldier Sutlery and Vintage Volumes - http://www.raggedsoldier.com/

* Silas' Library of Links – get lost for a few hours http://www.zipcon.net/~silas/links.htm

* River Hills Depot eBay Store - http://stores.ebay.com/River-Hills-Depot_W0QQsspagenameZdomainQQtZkm

* River Junction Trade Co. - http://www.riverjunction.com/

*** Ship's Company - http://www.shipscompany.org/

Stony Brook Co. – Federal Army trousers (click on the graphic in the upper left corner) http://www.bridgemicro.com/msullivan/catalog/

* Sullivan Press – printed material for living historians, highly recommended! http://www.sullivanpress.com/index.htm

* Sykes' Regulars – click on the links at the bottom of the main page http://www.sykesregulars.org/

* The Columbia Rifles - http://www.columbiarifles.org/

* The Drill Network – drill manuals and regulations up the kazoo http://home.att.net/~Cap1MD/Drill.htm

* The Gentleman's Page – read this and get yourself some couth http://www.lahacal.org/gentleman/index.html

* The NCO in the Frontier Army - http://www.bar-w.com/frontier-nco.html

* The Old Army Association – "... Regulars, by God!" http://www.theoldarmy.com/

*** 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, The 'Old Guard' – my boyz, my posse, my peeps http://www.thirdusinfantry.org/home.html

* The Regimental Quartermaster - http://www.regtqm.com/

The Winchester Sutler – send them your musket lock for tuning http://www.winchestersutler.com/

Tombstone Outfitters - http://www.tombstoneoutfitters.com/store/civilwarhome.htm

*** TP&H Trading Co. – high quality period hats by Tim Bender http://www.benderhats.com/products.html

Tremont Nail Co. – period-correct nails for your gun cart or whatever http://www.tremontnail.com/

* The Frontier in American History http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/TURNER/

Upper Mississippi Valley Mercantile – the Books section is especially interesting http://www.umvmco.com/books.htm

* US Regulars Archive – of it ain't here, you don't need to know it http://www.usregulars.com/

* Union Army Uniforms and Insignia of the American Civil War 1861-1865 - http://howardlanham.tripod.com/newindex.html

* US Navy Uniform Regulations, 1864 - http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq59-8.htm

* US Army Center of Military History – name says it all http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/

* US Army Quartermaster Museum – photos of Regular Army enlisted men's uniforms as of 1866 http://www.qmmuseum.lee.army.mil/1866uniform/in.html

Walton and Taylor – high quality clothing 1866-1876 http://www.waltontaylor.com/welcome.html

*** Wambaugh, White and Co. – high quality uniform items http://www.wwandcompany.com/

Wooded Hamlet Designs – pour les belles femmes http://www.woodedhamlet.com/

[Bristow Kid]

Thanks Frenchie  It'll give me plenty to look at and think about.

[US Scout]

Frenchie,

Post this information on the Barracks as well.

Thanks.

US Scout

[Fox Creek Kid]

Hey Frenchie, where's the Wahmaker clothing? 

[Cherokee Slim]

Thanks for the info.  It took some work to put that together.  Cherokee Slim

[Kid Raven]

Very nice list Frenchie

[Guns Garrett]

I've had experience with AzRa Historical/USHist - I got some Span Am War leggings that are great, and fit per the measurements I provided.  A hat I orderd was unuseable - the visor was damaged and skewed off-center from the crown.  They do seem to have a slow delivery, and I think they are the middleman, and get their stuff from other vendors.  I am NOT giving them an unfavorable review, just giving my experience.
Guns Garrett

[Frenchie]

You're right, Guns, AzRA is a middleman supermarket vendor, a Wal-Mart for reenactors. Their stuff is hit-or-miss and they shouldn't be fussy when you want to exchange something you're not happy with. Slow delivery is not unusual either. Ya pays yer money, ya takes yer chances. OTOH, often the very best-quality vendors can be awfully slow too - I sent a money order to one vendor for a top-of-the-line outfit in March and may well not see it before New Year's.

[Frenchie]

Hey Frenchie, where's the Wahmaker clothing? 

Actually, I just remembered something about Wahmaker, just personal experience. I got one of their red brocade silk ties through MidwayUSA and am not too happy with it. One corner is dog-eared, and the stitching in two places looked like it was done by someone in a great hurry using as little thread as possible. One set of stitches unraveled with a very slight pull and the other was not nearly as long as it needed to be. The overall shaping is best described as casual. I'm glad I got it at a clearance price.

[Delmonico]

Wahmaker lets a few items slip by once in a while that lack a bit in quality.  They also make some very good as far as PC clothing and they make some not so PC.  Like anything the choosing of it for PC outfits means that one either has to have a good knowledge of what is correct or one has to shop at a places where the salesfolks have a very good knowledge of what is PC. 


Frontier Classics also makes some veryt good and some not so good as to PC, again one just needs to know the differance or shop where they do.

Neither of course makes much in the way of Military Uniforms.

A good source for pics of course is the Brady collection, here is a link to a lot of it.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/cwphtml/cwphome.html

Also:

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/browse/ListAll.php


Scroll to Civil War, there are several more collections vital to anyone with interest in The Civil War.

[Silver Creek Slim]

Thanks, Frenchie.
I thinking about joining the following group. This will help to get my outfit together.
http://www.1stwisconsincav.org/
My GGGGreat uncle was in Co. M of this Regiment.

Slim

[Frenchie]

Slim, that is really cool! A big reason some people join a particular group is because they had an ancestor serving with the original unit that the group reenacts. The more you know about the unit's and your ancestor's service, the closer you'll get to understanding how things were in their times. Digging for information on him and the unit can bring up fascinating facts.

Just took a quick look at the Web site. Looks good, but...

Weapons for new troopers
If horse and equipment is already owned, weapons should be obtained in the following order.
1.) 1-2 pistols (or more)

Well... those who know more about cavalry and are further along on the path to historical accuracy than I will most likely tell you to carry one revolver. Two is less easily supported by the historical record and three or more (!) is definitely frowned upon. Ditto for "cylinder pouches" on your belt. The history simply doesn't support these things. By 1863 and especially by late 1864, just about every cavalryman had learned that the saber charge was almost useless on the wooded, broken terrain found all over the country. A cavalryman's main weapon was his carbine, used from behind field fortifications or for skirmishing. Most mounted units that still had their sabres hung them from the saddle and left them behind when they dismounted to fight - many got rid of them altogether.

On the other hand, it isn't the place of any outsider to do more than respectfully point out if and where your unit is not following history. All I can do is suggest you work to find out what the 1st Wisconsin actually did and used, and maybe you'll become the expert that the unit depends on for the straight skinny. Depends on a lot of things. As a member of NCOWS you have a basis for collecting documentation that shows the real history and to help the unit move forward toward a more accurate portrayal. They may not want to, and you may not want to when you're with them; you may want to be as accurate as possible only for NCOWS events, and that, too, is cool. The main things are, stay safe, have a good time, look good doing it!

And remember the old infantryman's refrain: "Whoever saw a dead cavalryman?"