The 1st Texas Infantry will serve as one of the principal Confederate regimental portrayals for the 165th Anniversary Antietam Campaign.

The regiment will operate under the overall command structure of the Confederate forces while maintaining its own internal field-and-staff organization, company structure, authenticity standards, and participant communications.

Participants registering with the 1st Texas will be assigned through one of the approved companies listed below.

 

Regimental Command & Staff

Lieutenant Colonel
Cameron Wilcox

Major
W. Debord

Senior Captain
R. Kearns

Adjutant
J. Thompson

Sergeant Major
R. Gibbs

Commissary Sergeant
K. Barnes

 

Regimental Organization

The regiment will be organized into eight companies, divided between a Right Wing and Left Wing.

 

Right Wing

1st Company
Captain Holt

2nd Company
Captain Vito

3rd Company
Captain Sprague

4th Company
Captain Elrod

 

Left Wing

5th Company — Color Company
Captain Lemmons

6th Company
Captain Thompson

7th Company
Captain Larson

8th Company
Captain Helms

 

Regimental Structure

The 1st Texas portrayal is being organized as a functioning field regiment rather than a loose collection of individual companies.

The regiment will consist of eight companies organized into two wings, with the colors positioned with the 5th Company near the center of the regimental line.

Participating companies will retain their own internal identities and leadership while operating under the 1st Texas regimental command throughout the event.

The intent is to create a coordinated Confederate regiment capable of executing historically appropriate drill, formations, maneuver, camp routine, guard duty, and battle scenarios throughout the Maryland Campaign experience.

Participants should communicate first through their company commander regarding company organization, impression requirements, and preparation for the event.

Click HERE for the 1st Texas Facebook Page

 

Registration

Registration for the 1st Texas Infantry will be conducted through the regiment's dedicated registration link.

Participants should register through this page to ensure they are properly assigned to the 1st Texas and their selected company.

REGISTRATION LINK:
Coming Soon

Uniform and Equipment Standards

The 1st Texas Infantry will follow all Homespun Historical Ventures event-wide authenticity standards, with additional requirements intended to accurately portray the regiment during the Maryland Campaign of September 1862.

These guidelines are based upon extensive individual and group research into the Texas Brigade, including research previously compiled concerning the brigade immediately before Antietam.

The 1st Texas impression should represent veteran Confederate soldiers who had already endured months of campaigning and hard service before reaching Maryland.

Their clothing should not appear new. Their equipment should not appear as though every soldier received an identical issue. Their personal baggage should be remarkably limited.

Above all, participants should look like men who had marched hard, fought hard, discarded unnecessary possessions, and were living with what they could carry.

All clothing, arms, and equipment must be high-quality reproductions constructed from correct period materials using historically appropriate methods.

Items below are listed in order of preference.

Uniform

Coat / Jacket

Preferred — Plain Grey Jean-Cloth Frock Coat

Plain, untrimmed grey jean-cloth frock coat.

Ideally, these garments should exhibit significant natural wear appropriate to a veteran soldier on campaign.

Preferred — Richmond Depot Type I Jacket, Logwood Jean

Richmond Depot Type I jacket constructed from yarn-dyed logwood jean cloth with:

• Black-trimmed collar
• Black-trimmed cuffs
• Black-trimmed epaulettes

Accepted — Richmond Depot Type I Jacket, Grey or Brown-Grey Jean

Richmond Depot Type I jacket constructed from appropriate grey or brownish-grey jean cloth with a black-trimmed collar.

Civilian Clothing

Participants wishing to wear civilian coats, jackets, or other civilian outer garments must contact regimental staff for approval.

Trousers

Preferred — Richmond Clothing Bureau Trousers

Constructed from yarn-dyed logwood jean cloth.

Accepted — Confederate Military Trousers

Appropriately constructed Confederate military trousers in grey or brown jean cloth.

Accepted in Limited Numbers — U.S. Army Sky-Blue Kersey Trousers

Captured Federal trousers should be represented within the ranks, but only to a limited extent.

They should contribute to the overall impression rather than dominate it.

Civilian Trousers

Participants wishing to wear civilian trousers must contact regimental command for approval.

Shirt

Preferred — Confederate Issue Shirt

Cotton osnaburg Confederate issue shirt.

Accepted — U.S. Army Issue Shirt

Federal issue shirts representing clothing captured from the stores at Manassas are acceptable.

Accepted — Plain Civilian Shirt

Appropriate civilian shirts constructed from:

• Wool flannel
• Printed cotton

Participants should avoid the heavily overrepresented checked-cotton "homespun" shirt whenever possible.

The objective is a documented mid-19th-century appearance rather than the stereotypical modern interpretation of Confederate clothing.

Headgear

Preferred — Civilian Hat

An appropriate period civilian hat should predominate within the regiment.

Accepted in Limited Numbers

A small number of extremely worn:

• Ellet contract forage caps
• Weisiger/Richmond contract forage caps

These should appear old, heavily used, and consistent with equipment that had already experienced considerable campaign service.

Not Accepted

Headgear outside the documented options above is not acceptable for this impression.

Footwear

Accepted

• Confederate military shoes
• U.S. Army shoes
• Appropriate civilian shoes
• Appropriate civilian or military boots

Footwear may appear in varying states of repair.

Broken-in, repaired, worn, and campaign-used footwear is entirely appropriate.

Baggage

LIGHT MARCHING ORDER

This is one of the most important elements of the 1st Texas impression.

Travel light.

The Texas Brigade had an opportunity to store excess baggage at the Texas Depot in early August and was traveling remarkably light by September 1862.

By the time these men reached Sharpsburg, few possessed the collection of spare clothing, blankets, shelter, and personal comforts commonly carried by reenactors.

Participants should resist the temptation to bring everything they own simply because it is period correct.

A soldier carrying a knapsack containing a blanket, oilcloth, captured shelter half, spare shirt, spare socks, and numerous personal items has too much baggage for this impression.

Conversely, a soldier carrying little more than a piece of carpet or blanket, perhaps a captured gum blanket rolled over his shoulder, with a toothbrush and small personal items in his pocket, is much closer to the desired appearance.

Period correct does not automatically mean impression correct.

For the 1st Texas, less is better.

Blanket

Accepted

• Confederate military blanket
• Imported blanket
• U.S. Army blanket
• Appropriate carpet blanket

Participants using civilian coverlets should exercise particular care.

Many modern reproductions and antique coverlets commonly brought to reenactments are inappropriate representations of Southern-donated coverlets or items that could reasonably have been acquired during the Maryland Campaign.

Participants considering a coverlet are encouraged to research documented period patterns or contact regimental leadership before bringing one.

Modern "old-timey" thrift-store quilts or stereotypical grandmother-style quilts are not acceptable.

Ground Cloth

Accepted

• U.S. Army gum blanket
• Appropriate oilcloth
• None

Going without a ground cloth is completely appropriate for this impression.

Shelter Half

Preferred — None

Participants should generally not carry a shelter half.

Accepted in Limited Numbers — Captured Federal Shelter Half

A small number of captured U.S. Army Type IIA shelter halves are acceptable.

Their use is particularly appropriate when shelter, blankets, or ground cloths are being shared between messmates.

Knapsack

Preferred — None / Bedroll

A knapsack is not necessary for this impression.

Traveling with a properly constructed bedroll is strongly encouraged.

Accepted — Captured U.S. Army Knapsack

Federal knapsacks representing equipment captured at Manassas are acceptable.

Accepted

• Richmond/Clarksville Ordnance Harness Shops knapsack
• "Kibler"-style knapsack
• "Mexican War"-style knapsack
• Appropriate imported British knapsack

Not Accepted

• Hardpacks
• Miscellaneous undocumented knapsack patterns
• Other inappropriate packs

Participants should use one of the approved options or carry a bedroll.

Again, do not fill a correct knapsack with an incorrect amount of baggage.

Haversack

Accepted

• Confederate haversack
• U.S. Army haversack

Both are equally acceptable.

Confederate haversacks must be:

• Plain cotton, or
• Painted cloth

They should be copied from an original example and appropriate to 1862.

Canteen

Accepted

• Confederate tin drum canteen
• U.S. Army canteen

Both are equally acceptable.

Federal canteens must represent appropriate early-war Philadelphia or New York patterns.

Arms & Accoutrements

All arms and equipment must be high-quality reproductions in both construction and materials.

Waist Belt

Preferred — Leather Belt with Frame Buckle

A leather belt fitted with a frame buckle, particularly the "gutter-back" style, is strongly encouraged.

This pattern appears in numerous photographs of Texas Brigade soldiers dating from late 1861 and 1862.

Accepted in Limited Numbers — Texas Plate

Leather belt fitted with an appropriate rectangular Texas plate corresponding to documented examples such as Mullinax #321 or #323.

These plates are supported by photographic evidence and archaeological finds from the brigade's 1862 camps and battlefields.

Their presence should nevertheless remain limited.

Accepted — Imported British Belt

Accepted — U.S. Army Belt with Sewn Keeper

Federal belts must have a sewn leather keeper.

Not Accepted

• U.S. belts with brass keepers
• Undocumented or inappropriate Texas belt plates
• Texas plates other than the approved documented patterns

Participants should avoid using a Texas plate simply because they are portraying a Texan.

Cartridge Box

Preferred — Confederate Cartridge Box

A Confederate cartridge box is preferred.

Boxes fitted with the particularly narrow leather sling visible in photographs of Texas Brigade soldiers during 1862 are especially encouraged.

Accepted — Imported British Cartridge Box

Accepted — U.S. Army Cartridge Box

Not Accepted — 1864-Pattern Federal Cartridge Boxes

Cap Box

Preferred — Confederate Cap Box

Accepted

• Imported British cap pocket and/or ball bag
• U.S. Army cap box

Bayonet Scabbard

Preferred — Confederate Bayonet Scabbard

Accepted — Imported British Frog and Scabbard

Accepted — U.S. Army Two-Rivet Bayonet Scabbard

Not Accepted

• Seven-rivet Federal scabbards
• Eight-rivet Federal scabbards

Arms

All firearms and bayonets must be maintained in EXCELLENT working condition.

Weapons shall be:

• Clean
• Safe
• Properly functioning
• Mechanically sound
• Maintained throughout the event

Rifle Musket

Strongly Preferred — M1855 Springfield Rifle Musket

Participants possessing an appropriate Model 1855 should bring it.

Preferred — P1853 Enfield Rifle Musket

Accepted — M1861 Springfield Rifle Musket

Model 1861 Springfields should represent weapons acquired from captured Federal stores at Manassas.

Accepted — M1842 Springfield Musket

All weapons must otherwise comply with event and regimental safety requirements.

Campaign Appearance

The 1st Texas should not appear as a uniformly equipped Confederate regiment wearing identical grey jackets and carrying identical equipment.

Nor should it resemble the stereotypical "ragged Rebel" assembled from random civilian clothing and theatrical Confederate accessories.

The impression should instead reflect a veteran regiment of the Texas Brigade after months of campaigning.

Participants are encouraged to use:

• Naturally faded garments
• Worn jean cloth
• Patched or repaired clothing
• Frayed cuffs and edges
• Worn trousers
• Broken-in footwear
• Weathered hats
• Period field repairs
• Equipment showing genuine use

Artificially destroying good clothing or equipment merely to make it appear old is unnecessary.

Naturally worn equipment is always preferable.

Modern Items

Modern items shall not be visible within the historical area.

The following are prohibited from view:

• Modern eyeglasses
• Modern beverage or food containers
• Cell phones
• Modern tobacco products or packaging
• Modern watches
• Modern clothing
• Modern footwear
• Other obviously modern personal items

Required modern medications may be carried but must be completely concealed within appropriate period containers or otherwise hidden from view.

Grooming & Personal Appearance

Appropriate period grooming standards are required.

The following are not acceptable when visible:

• Obviously modern hairstyles
• Ponytails or other clearly modern hair arrangements
• Visible modern tattoos
• Modern jewelry
• Modern clothing or accessories

Participants with tattoos that would otherwise be visible must keep them appropriately covered throughout the historical portions of the event.

The Standard

The 1st Texas impression should immediately communicate veteran Confederate infantry deep into an active campaign.

Civilian hats should predominate.
Grey jean clothing should predominate.
Captured Federal equipment should appear naturally within the ranks.
Clothing should look worn.
Weapons should be exceptionally well maintained.
Baggage should be minimal.

Most importantly:

TRAVEL LIGHT.

These men had already discarded or stored much of what they did not absolutely need.

Do not judge your impression by how much period equipment you can carry.

Judge it by how little a Texas soldier who had been campaigning since early August could realistically still have on his back when he reached Sharpsburg.