executed many years after it had become obsolete. Their 

 accuracy, however, indicates that the artist may well 

 have had an actual specimen from which to work.''" 



The only cap examined is that which came to the 

 Museum with the old War Department Collection. It 

 is of well-finished black leather and measures 20 inches 

 from side to side when folded, with a plain black patent 

 leather visor 3 inches at widest and 834 inches side to 

 side. The cap proper is of three-piece construction, 

 back, top, and front, with a triangular piece set into the 

 front, and constructed so that it can lie folded, the crease 

 running from ear to ear. The whole is pieced together 

 with round leather welting at the seams and at the base 

 of the visor. A sweatband, 1 J/j inches on the inside and 

 of the same material as the cap, has been .sewn to the 

 outside and turned under. A /a inch sliding chin strap 

 terminates at either end of the visor in regulation but- 

 tons. From the terminals of the chin strap a 1 J/t inch 

 band runs around the back of the cap. There is no evi- 

 dence of a hood ever having been attached, which in- 

 dicates that it was an infantrs' or artillery model. There 

 is no lining and no maker's name or inspector's initials. 



Although the cap was .somicwhat ungainly looking — 

 indeed, the cadets had to be warned as to the proper 

 way it should be worn "' — it seemed practical and du- 

 rable and was certainly an improvement over the earlier 

 patterns. The Superintendent of the Military Academy 

 noted in 1839 that the cap "though a most unbecoming 

 one, has great merit on the score of economy and 

 durability." "'' The line units, however, filed numerous 

 complaints as to its durability, especially in relation to 

 the allowance of one in every five years, and asked that 

 the allowance be increased.'"' The caps were also sold 

 by the Commissary General of Purchases to post sutlers 

 for resale to the troops, further evidence they were not 

 lasting the prescribed fi\e years. '^' 

 NOTES 



'■" Garland to Irvine, 1 1 July 1832, Cloth. Bur., LS, RG 

 92, NA. This pattern cap was forwarded on 10 Aug. See 

 Garland to Irvine, 10 Aug. 1832, Cloth. Bur., LS, RG 92, 

 NA. 



"-G.O. 53, H.Q. of the Army, 26 July 1834. RG 94, 

 NA. 



'-^ Irvine to Fayssou.x, 10 Apr. 1833, CG of P, LS, RG 

 92, NA. 



'^* "Comparative Statement of Cost of Clothing," 

 American State Papers, op. cit., vol. 4, p. 764, vol. 5, p. 

 448; Order No. 87, USMA, 23 July 1833, quoted in Todd, 

 "The Leather Forage Cap at West Point," op. cit. 



"' Garland to Irvine, 1 1 July and 10 Aug. 1832, Cloth. 

 Bur., LS, RG 92, NA. 



""Garland to Capt. Charles Thurston, 23 Apr. 1833; 

 Garland to Irvine, 10 Aug. 1832— both in Cloth Bur., 

 LS, RG 92, NA. 



"• Ir\ine to Wm. Morange, 3 May 1833, CG of P, 

 LS, RG 92, NA. See also Maj. D. Winder (?), 2d Drag., 

 to Maj. Levi Whiting (then head of the Cloth. Bur.), 

 16 Dec. 1840, Cloth. Bur., LR, RG 92, NA. 



'^^ General Regulations for the Army (Washington, 

 1834),op. cit.,p. 228. 



'^"Contract with Wm. Hill, 31 Jan. 1838, Cloth. Bur., 

 LR, tray 57, RG 92, NA. This contract called for dragoon 

 forage caps of Curacao Morocco at 75 cents. For the 

 cadet caps see Order No. 87, USMA, 23 July 1833, 

 quoted in Todd, "The Leather Forage Cap at West 

 Point," op. cit. Morocco leather is generally defined as 

 goatskin tanned with sumac, or any imitation thereof. 

 See Peter C. Welsh, Tanning in the United States to 

 1850, A Brief History, U.S. National Museum Bulletin 

 242 (Washington, 1964), pp. 88-90. 



"" Inine to Morange, 3 Mav 1833, CG of P, LS. RG 

 92, NA. ■ 



"' "Comparative Statement of Cost of Clothing," 

 American State Papers, op. cit., vol. 5, p. 447. vol. 7. p. 

 628. 



'^- Todd. "The Leather Forage Cap at West Point," op. 

 cit. 



"^ See T. F. Rodenbough. From Everglade to Canyon 

 with the Second Dragoons . . . (New York, 1875) , p. 17; 

 Forbes was born in 1839 and began to study art in 1857. 

 See also The Civil War, A Centennial Exhibition of Eye- 

 witness Drawings (Washington, 1961), p. 116. 



'" Todd, "The Leather Forage Cap at West Point," 

 op. cit. 



"■ Maj. Richard Delafield to Col. J. G. Tottcn, 20 

 Sept. 1839, quoted in ibid. 



""Garland to Irvine, 15 Apr. 1835, Cloth. Bur., LS. 

 RG 92, NA. In 1833, when the pattern caps were being 

 examined, Ir\ine stated that he thought they should be 

 made of a more durable leather such as cordovan: see 

 Inline to Garland, 5 Feb. 1833, Cloth. Bur., LR, tray 

 61, RG 92, NA. Obviously the line troops put their caps 

 to much harder usage than the cadets. 



"■ Brown and Earleth, sutlere at Sackets Harbor, to 

 Ir\-ine, 12 Oct. 1838, CCF (caps), RG 92, NA. 



39 



