This is a wonderful, identified Civil War officer’s slouch hat that belonged to Francis H. Reichard, who served in three different units and was wounded in action at Cold Harbor in 1864. Formerly in the collections of the Texas Civil War Museum, the hat is in very good condition and typical of officers’ slouch hats seen in many Civil War photos. The hat is black, has a bound brim, and a narrow black ribbon around the base of the crown. The crown is fairly tall, but was worn pushed in and creased fore and aft. (Reichard was photographed as a Major during his service with the 188^th PA infantry wearing the same style hat, but with an infantry bugle mounted on it.) This has a nice, large artillery officer’s embroidered bullion insignia on the front, showing two large crossed cannon with the barrels in gold and the astragals in silver, with a central bullion embroidered oval with a “3” in the center, the whole on a velvet ground with a jaceron wire border. Reichard’s hat cord is still in place, woven black and gold with netting over the slide and the tops of the acorn ends. The body of the hat is solid and has good color with no holes or tears though the edge binding of the brim does show wear and rubbing, with loose threads and has opened up along the front edge. The interior is very good. There is no lining, but the black sweatband is complete, in place, and fully intact. The insignia is very good, the gold muted by natural oxidation, but not the gray-silver so often encountered.

Given that both of Reichard’s first two enlistments were as an officer with a “Third Artillery,” he could well have worn the hat in both. He was born in Bavaria in 1832 and emigrated to the U.S. with his family about 1849, settling in Philadelphia. He was a needle manufacturer, still living with his parent, when he enlisted in 3^rd New York Artillery Battalion, known also as the German Artillery, enrolling as 2^nd Lieutenant of Company B, which was recruiting in Philadelphia, on Sept. 1, 1861. The unit consisted of five companies of heavy artillery, left New York on December 19, and during Reichard’s service manned Fort Lyon, Va., near Alexandria, part of the general Washington, DC, defenses. He resigned for reasons unknown about April 11, 1862, and returned to Philadelphia to work as a clerk, before enlisting again, this time in the 3^rd Pennsylvania Artillery, getting a commission as Captain of Co. M on February 10, 1863. This was an interesting unit based on the Peninsula at Fortress Monroe that had some wide ranging and varied experience. They were organized around a two-company battalion of marine artillery, and were drilled as infantry, light artillery and heavy artillery, sending out companies and detachments to serve where needed. We find Reichard posted with his battery at Fort Delaware in May 1863 and by August at Portsmouth, Va.

Along with several other officers from the regiment, Reichard received a promotion and transfer the 188^th PA Infantry on April 1, 1864. The regiment was organized around a large group of surplus recruits for the 3^rd Artillery who were gathered at Camp Hamilton, near Fortress Monroe. Many were veterans and perhaps unpleasantly surprised at a sudden change from heavy artillery to infantry service. All were likely surprised at how quickly they were sent into combat, joining the 18^th Corps, Army of the James, at Yorktown on April 25, moving to Bermuda Hundred on May 4, and then under fire in May, losing two men killed and several wounded at Proctor’s Creek, near Drewry’s Bluff on May 10 and on May 13 and 14. Reichard was credited in the Official Records for leading a charge of three companies of the regiment on May 13 to drive back a Confederate force that had pushed back the brigade skirmish line from a brick farmhouse and outbuildings: “At this point a re-enforcement of three companies of the One hundred and eighty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers, under command of Major Reichard, was sent out. A charge was instantly made and the enemy driven back to his former position in rear of the brick house. This timely move checked the enemy when he least expected it. In this charge the One hundred and eighty-eighth Pennsylvania Volunteers sustained a loss of 1 sergeant killed and 4 privates wounded. The command maintained this position during the night.”

In the heavier fighting at Drewry’s Bluff on May 16, they lost 11 killed and 60 wounded, and on June 1 the regiment moved with the corps to reinforced the Army of the Potomac, taking part in the assaults of June 2 and 3 at Cold Harbor and then suffered ten days of trench warfare, during which Reichard was wounded on June 4. Reichard’s wound does not seem to have sidelined him for long. The Official Records list him as the commanding officer of the 188^th until the end of the year (June 30, 1864, (OR 40.2.554;) August 31, 1864, (OR42.2.621;) October 31, 1864, (OR42.3.468;) and Dec. 31 (OR42.3.1125.)  This places him in the field with them for the continued operations against Petersburg and Richmond, fighting at Chaffin’s Farm in September, losing 60 killed and 100 wounded, the Battle of Fair Oaks in October, and then more duty in the trenches at Petersburg. By the end of the war they had lost 124 officers and men killed in action or mortally wounded alone, a brutal indication of some hard service, and most of them before Reichard’s resignation on January 17, 1865. As is fitting for army bureaucracy, he had been promoted to Lt. Colonel as of July 1, 1864, but had not been mustered in before his resignation took effect.

Reichard returned to Philadelphia and we find him in city registers as a notary public in 1865 and 1870, but he seems to have kept his manufacturing interests, listing himself in the 1870 census as a bolt manufacturer, and must have been doing well, listing real estate worth $7,000. He does not seem to have married, and died in Philadelphia in 1875 at age 43.

This would be a great addition to a Civil War Artillery display, Civil War headgear display, or one devoted specifically to officers’ gear and uniforms.    [sr] [ph:L]

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