At the start of the war, the Confederate Army had dress that actually resembled uniforms. However, they didn't have the cloth manufacturing capability, so most confederate soldiers received their supplies from home. Soldiers were writing home requesting clothing. Southern folks back home were sewing feverishly away to make clothes. The result was that every man looked different.Toward the end of the war, they were not even wearing clothes the color of Confederate gray, which was actually a very expensive dye.
Southern soldiers marched with very little baggage to slow them down. One soldier recalled:
"I wore a cartridge box and bayonet holder on my belt. Extra cartridges were placed in pockets. Around my shoulder hung my wool blanket and a captured Yankee gum (poncho) in which I wrapped my few belongings- a comb, toothbrush and powder. I also had a haversack in which my plate, knife, spoon and fork rested with what few meager rations we received. I tied my coffee boiler to my canteen to be ready to scoop up water at the first well or creek we passed."
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