3rd Missouri Infantry

1862/2012

Mid-War Missouri Brigade Impression

The 2012 reenacting year will see events for the 3rd. Missouri Infantry at Shiloh, TN - Jefferson City, MO - Kingston, MO - Pipestone, MN - Camdenton, MO - Vicksburg, MS - Prairie Grove, AK and others. All of these events are 1862 mid-war Missouri Brigade / Army of the West Impression events. This impression will be the guideline for all 2012 events in Missouri and outside the state. All military members are requested if possible to have some piece of the White Wool "Ice Cream Suit" uniform if possible for all events in 2012. The mid-war Confederate Missouri Brigade / Army of the West impression is that of the Western Thearter Confederate Infantryman. The men of the early war Missouri State Guard are organized into the First Missouri Confederate Brigade in Osceola, MO December 1861. In April 1862 following the March 7-8 battle of Elk Horn Tavern ( Pea Ridge, AK ) the Brigade is transferred east of the Mississippi River. In Sept. of 1862 the Brigade is reorganized and Gen. Cockrell takes command after the death of Gen. Little during the battle of Iuka. The men of Cockrell's Missouri Brigade go on to fight in the battles of Corinth, Port Gibson, Champions Hill, Big Black, and finally the Seige of Vicksburg in May 16-July 3, 1863. The White Wool "Ice Cream Suit" uniforms issued to the Missouri Brigade men in Arkansas on March 1-2, 1862 just prior to the battle of Elk Horn Tavern are the impression guidelines for 3rd. MO Infantry military members in 2012. Below is info on this uniform.

Pvt. John T. Appler / 4th Missouri Infantry / 1st Missouri Brigade

Pvt. John T. Appler lived in Hannibal, Missouri, when the war broke out. In 1861, he was among those who answered pro-secessionist governor Claiborne F. Jackson's call for troops by joining the Missouri Volunteer Militia before joining the 4^th Missouri Infantry (Confederate) in early 1862. Appler fought in several engagements in Mississippi, including the Battle of Corinth, where he was wounded in the shoulder and taken prisoner. Appler escaped, rejoined his unit, and participated in the Vicksburg campaign. He was badly wounded at Champion Hill and left for dead on the battlefield. On again, he was captured and hospitalized but recovered from his wounds. After the war, he moved to St. Louis, where he worked as a printer for the Republican. He was active in Confederate veterans' organizations for many years and died at the age of 80. Appler's butternut uniform shows evidence of the wounds he sustained during the war.

The picture to the right show Pvt. John T. Appler wearing this Missouri Brigade uniform later in life circa 1895

Pvt. John T. Appler Uniform

Missouri History Museum Collection in St. Louis Missouri

This uniform, both jacket and trousers, is of white wool/jean and probably similar to what was issued to the Missouri Brigade in Arkansas on May 1-2, 1861 just prior to the Battle of Elk Horn Tavern ( Pea Ridge ). The uniform pictured to the right is of a butternut or brown color and this is due to years of wear and exposure to light inside museum display. This uniform is described by Pvt. Ephraim Anderson in the “First and Second Missouri Brigade” as follows:

"Our regiment was uniformed here; the cloth was of rough coarse texture, and the cutting and style would have produced a sensation in the fashionable circles: the stuff was white, never having been colored, with a goodly supply of grease - the wool had not been purified by any application of water since it had been taken from the back of the sheep. In pulling off and putting on the cloths, the olfactories were constantly exercised with a strong odor of the animal. Our Brigade was the only body of troops that had these uniforms issued to them, and we were often greeted with a chorus of ba-a-a’s, and the salutation, ‘I say, mister, do you ones belong to Mr. Price’s company? ‘The last had been picked up in the country by a squad of the boys, who had been asked the question by a venerable Arkansas dame, and it had become a very common saying in camp. Our cloths, however, were strong and serviceable, if we did look and feel somewhat sheepish in them"

The lining of both the jacket and trousers is of muslin. The jacket has a nine button front and horizontal slash pocket on the left breast. All eight remaining buttons are federal eagles. There is a patch pocket added on the inside left breast, of course, dark brown wool/jean material. The collar stands 1 ¾ inches in the back and slopes down to 1 inch at the front. The sleeves are of one piece construction with the seam on the under-side. The back waist comes to a point at the center seam, and there is no trim or piping on either the cuffs or collar.