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U.S. Sharpshooter Forage Caps by Mike Anderson
http://www.berdansharpshooters.com/usssbb/viewtopic.php?f=92&t=271
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Author:  BrianTWhite [ Wed Sep 05, 2012 6:24 pm ]
Post subject:  U.S. Sharpshooter Forage Caps by Mike Anderson

Friends,

Below is a photograph of the first run of reproduction George Hoff contract U.S. Sharpshooter caps by Mike Anderson. Mike has been providing my company with headgear for several years and does outstanding work. Caps and kepis are Mike's primary area of research and he has personally viewed over 100 original examples and has a full knowledge of the materials, methods, and patterns used. The U.S.S.S. caps were developed by me and based on a small number of original examples worn by Sgt. John Schermerhorn, Co. H 1st (Milwaukee Public Museum), Pvt. Leonard Small, Co. D 2nd (John Gunderson Collection), and the "Sample/Sealed Pattern" cap (Smithsonian).

Each cap is made from imported Hainsworth rifle green "facing cloth" which is exactly what was used for original caps; it is a tightly woven, plain-weave cloth with a fine finish. The lining is tan polished cotton while the sweatbands are dark brown leather that are applied in the "turned" method which completely hides the hand stitched application. Chinstraps and visors are hand cut and finished with an original varnish recipe. The visors seen here are the same as the original USSS caps produced by Geo. Hoff and are straight sides with a round front, applied to the cap body at a slight angle which covers the eyes well and can also be flipped upward (a popular way of wearing the forage cap by soldiers of the period). The chinstraps on the caps pictured here are without buckles as per the Schermerhorn and Smithsonian examples, and also supported by a large number of original photographs, and are attached to the caps with original domed pin-shank Goodyear buttons. These buttons are now sold out and unavailable for future caps, however I plan on reproducing small Goodyear eagle buttons for any future caps. Each cap is finished with a hand-designed contractor and size label pasted to the inside crown lining.

The kepi at center was a custom order, however these as well as other private purchase styles can also be had for an increased price. Kepis and private purchase forage caps with flat visors seem to have been popular among the enlisted sharpshooters, with the McDowell style forage caps being more common with officers throughout the war.

Inquiries can be made to me directly at brian@wwandcompany.com. The cost per "Type 1" Geo. Hoff forage cap is $105 (shipping included). These caps are part of a larger project to get quality replica U.S.S.S. items into the hands of reenactors and living historians, and are the culmination of years of research and careful materials sourcing.

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