This is a just about mint condition M1858 Army Hat, perhaps better known as the Hardee or Jeff Davis hat. These derived from a pattern adopted by the new cavalry regiments of 1855, with dragoons and other branches of service retaining the shako until 1858, when this new pattern was adopted army-wide, with the forage cap intended for fatigue wear. Constructed of stiffened black felt, this one retains its original black color and good surface when many have oxidized or faded toward brown, or dried out and become cracked or brittle from exposure or long storage in a hot attic. It also shows no holes, tears or deep creases that often result from careless recent handling- pinching the sides to pick it up by the crown, creasing the brim, etc.

This still has its narrow black ribbon around the base of the crown and shows no nicks or bites out of the edge of the brim, which shows the characteristic two lines of stitching running around the circumference near the edge as a reinforcement. The tall, red Morocco sweatband is in place with the stitching around the bottom secure. The underside of the top has the black stiffener in place, showing some minor wrinkles along the edge, but no missing pieces or cracks. The embossed label is fully visible and completely legible, showing a eagle with raised wings craning its head downward toward a curved row of thirteen stars while holding the staff of a U.S. flag that flows out above and behind it. Underneath that logo is “U.S. ARMY. / No. 4” in slightly greenish letters that are likely oxidized gilt, with the number “4” being one of the army standard size designations.

The hat has a set of issue stamped-brass crossed sabers on the front, secured inside by a wire between the two lower loops, along with a regulation stamped-brass company letter “K,” and deep orangish yellow worsted wool cavalry had cord with tassels intact encircles the base of the crown. These are original insignia, but clearly added to the hat for display by a collector, who fortunately did not want to risk damaging the brim by pinning it up on one side with a regulation eagle side-plate, which is fine since some troopers are photographed with the brim down. We have left the insignia in place as the hat came to us. It looks good and can be left on, removed, or replaced to represent a different branch of service. The loops on the insignia are simply pushed through narrow slits. The only issue with the color we see are two small light brown stains on the brim near the base of the crown on the front that look like something dripped on it. These could be colored or simply covered by spreading the tassels of the hat cord.

Up to the Civil War centennial Hardee hats could still be found in the stocks of the old surplus dealers like Bannerman and Stokes-Kirk, but those days are long gone and many, perhaps most, of those that did come out at that time, have suffered over the intervening sixty years making this a rare find today. These were a colorful, regulation piece of army headgear and this one merits a place beside the forage or fatigue cap in any uniform or cavalry display. It would be tough to find one nicer.  [sr] [ph:L]

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