The original jacket was worn by Private George W. McDill, Company “C” 9th Infantry Regiment Tennessee Volunteers. He served from July 1st , 1861 and was among the soldiers paroled at Greensboro, North Carolina on May 1st, 1865. Most Likely this coat came from the Quartermaster in Georgia or the Carolinas. Our reproduction is made from variated, or “banded” jean cloth, cut on bias, like the original on display at the Mud Island reproduction, in Memphis Tennessee.
This type of garment also known as a Confederate 4 button Shell Jacket, is a coat or jacket type that was used throughout the war in all areas, although probably never in large numbers it is a coat (or jacket) that most experts are not entirely sure of the origins as it appears in modest numbers everywhere through the entire war.
Made of variated jean cloth with much hand stitching, including the buttonholes, this coat has 2 outside pockets, with wooden buttons. If you can only have one Confederate coat or jacket or are just starting out in reenacting, this is a good choice. In my opinion. However, if you are joining a group talk to them before buying anything.
The debate about what to call this garment arises from the fact that it appears to be a “sack coat “from the front side while in the back side it is cut and assembled like a “shell jacket.” This style of Coat or Jacket is known to have been in used in various places from Cumberland Gap to Petersburg.
Photos of the original can be seen on Adolpus Confederate Uniforms website.