An opportunity?

[Frenchie]

What's the certificate for, "Best Western Halloween Costume"? 

If I can get this to work, here's me in a Civil War seaman's white frock and blue trowsers, with belt, pistol, and cutlass. There's one glaring mistake, let's see who can spot it first.

[Wymore Wrangler]

Pictures fuzzy but I don't think that's a regulation gunbelt...

[Lone Gunman]

A seaman wouldn't have had a beard at that time.

WW, an old squid such as yourself should have known that.

[Grizzle Bear]

Shouldn't that pistol be in a flap holster?

Grizzle Bear

(With an IV and respirator, withdrawing from TFS.)

[Frenchie]

Pictures fuzzy but I don't think that's a regulation gunbelt...

Good eye, Wy, but it's a late war version with a japanned steel buckle, the early war had no buckle, just a hook. The mistake is much more obvious than that, maybe so obvious no one will see it 

[Frenchie]

The captain could allow the enlisted men to have beards, although officers were more likely to have them.

The holster is correct, it was called a "pistol frog" by the Navy and does indeed resemble a sword or bayonet frog more than a holster, and especialy with a cutlass on the left side the right side butt-forward carry is correct, but both types were issued and worn.

Axes were sometimes passed out to the boarding details when combat was imminent and boarding was contemplated, but that was more likely back in the day before revolvers and were quite "old school" by the time of the WotR. Even so, the Navy still had them right up to WW2 - we're such traditionalists 

No, the problem is that blue undershirt - Navy undershirts had a square head opening, not the modern rounded t-shirt type opening.

[Delmonico]

I thought there was somthin' wrong with the undershirt, could not lay my finger on it.  Thought Mathew Brady could help, din't find it quick.  But I did find somethin' I liked better.  This would beat them little closets that ships had for cook shacks (galleys) unless the weather was bad.  But a cosie on a drive still had ta cook outdoors in bad weather so it would work.

http://www.memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/I?cwar:1:./temp/~ammem_Dywr::displayType=1:m856sd=cwp:m856sf=4a39562:@@@

Course if'n that tin plated reb ship was about I'd want ta be indoors.

[Frenchie]

I couldn't get the pic, Del, but it must be the one of the Monitor crew cooking up some spotted dog or lobscouse up on deck, right?

[Delmonico]

Yep thats the one.  I just tried it, worked for me, but those LOC links seem ta be funny.  I posted one the other day that works when it wants to.  They also have been doin' some work there, the home page has changed.