Bent and Bush set up business in Boston in 1849 and carried on an extensive trade in military headgear throughout the Civil War period, even having contracts with the Marine Corps, etc. This cap follows the general style of a wartime “McDowell” pattern cap with a moderately tall crown and downturned curved visor with no edge binding. The dark blue wool exterior is excellent, with great color and no discernable mothing. The chinstrap and side buttons are in place, though they might be old replacements. The interior rates very good. The brown polished cotton lining is complete. The sweatband shows use and shows some lower edge losses along the back half. Someone may have used a little fabric glue to keep it in place along the back where the stitching was gone or the edge frayed. Nevertheless, it is mainly intact. The “Bent & Bush / Boston” maker’s name in subdued gilt lettering is very visible. The underside of the visor has a shallow “H” carved in it that is likely the owner’s initial.

The front of the cap has a gold bullion officer’s style infantry hunting horn insignia with lots of original gilt remaining, and with a false embroidered gilt “5” in the loop indicating a Fifth Regiment of Infantry. The blue wool base of the insignia matches the color of the cap very well and has just some light wear in one spot at top center. It does not appear to have had a jacqueron wire border, but once these come off they often leave no trace.

This cap would often be billed as a wartime cap, but we have seen quite a number with postwar Independent Corps of Cadets insignia, etc., on them and we think the letter font used for the maker’s stamp has a postwar feel to it. Hunting horn infantry insignia dropped out of federal use in the mid-1870s and that would be about right for this example. This is a very nice looking forage cap.  [sr]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THIS ITEM, AS WITH ALL OTHER ITEMS AVAILABLE ON OUR WEB SITE,

MAY BE PURCHASED THROUGH OUR LAYAWAY PROGRAM.

FOR OUR POLICIES AND TERMS,

CLICK ON ‘CONTACT US’ AT THE TOP OF ANY PAGE ON THE SITE,

THEN ON ‘LAYAWAY POLICY’.

THANK YOU!