This regulation US Civil War Model 1858 forage cap is complete, all original, and in excellent condition. It came to us from a Maryland family who were not collectors and knew only that it had been passed down from their grandfather. We have not yet developed a personal identification for it, but there may be other material yet to come from the family that will reveal the soldier’s identity. We can say, however, that the brass insignia has been on the cap forever and one of fastening prongs passes through the maker’s paper label on the underside of the crown, which any collector trying to dress up a cap would avoid.

The original label inside the crown reads, “G. & S. / No. 4 / N.Y.” This reflects the standard U.S. army sizing system for headgear. The maker has not been conclusively identified, but is thought to be William C. Griswold and Son. Griswold was a New York hatter and had US army contracts for headgear with Thomas Murphy as Murphy and Griswold, but is also known to have undertaken contracts on his own with the NY Depot for blankets and canteens. He does not seem to have had federal contracts on his own for caps, but to have sold either on state contracts or commercially to individuals, middlemen, and on the open market to states who did not have enough in-state producers. A number of his caps are known, including an identified example with corps badge and insignia belonging to a member of the 3rd Delaware (Troiani, Civil War Soldiers, p.126.)

This follows the standard Model 1858 forage cap, worn at some point in the war by just about every Union soldier, most of whom likely went through several. The wider crown and flat visor have been designated the “Type 2” by collectors to distinguish it from a version with a narrower crown and slightly down-turned visor. The condition is outstanding, with excellent color to the blue wool body and complete lining with visor and chinstrap in place. We had a short opening along the rear seam professionally resewn and a couple of very small moth nips closed up, otherwise the cap is untouched.

The brass insignia on the top of the crown shows some original gilt and has a uniform patina. It consists of a large company letter “F” over an infantry hunting horn insignia with a smaller regimental number “1” inside the loop. The original chinstrap is in place and is secured on either side by small general service eagle buttons. The strap uses a sliding loop on one end and a fixed friction buckle on the other, rather than a floating buckle, a variation noted on some Murphy and Griswold marked caps.

The visor is firmly in place and bears some fragments of newspaper adhering to the underside of the brim from storage. The thin sweatband is complete and in place with tight stitching and no tears. The buckram stiffener around the base of the crown between the cap body and the lining and sweatband is present. The polished cotton lining is also in place and complete, with no holes, tears, or shredding. The sweatband shows some minor wear and just some crackling to the surface at folds.

This is a very strong example of the iconic piece of Civil War headgear and it displays wonderfully. [sr][ph:L]

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