Civil War Uniforms: 7 Must-Have Tips on Suspenders
Believe it or not, you do not need suspenders to be authentic. But they do help to hold up your pants! So, if you have suspenders, here are some tips to help you be comfortable and authentic.
1. Note that suspenders vary because they were not issued by the government leaving the soldier to obtain them from civilian sources resulting in every combination of color and design.
2. I have noticed from examining many original photographs that it is not uncommon to wear your pants with no suspenders at all. If your pants stay up without suspenders, you can forego their use. See the pair on p. 104 TROIANI’S REGIMENTS AND UNIFORMS OF THE CIVIL WAR.
3. I reproduced a similar pair. If you know where to find the triple buckles and the exact cloth, let me know, so I can duplicate them exactly. To the best of my knowledge elastic suspenders did not exist and were not in use during the Civil War.
4. I would recommend metal or bone buttons on pants like the ones shown above. Bone buttons are strong and they are not affected by the salt or sweat.
5. I would stay away from shell and glass buttons because they might break from the stress. Metal buttons are good, especially brass which are not affected by the salt and do not rust. But remember metal buttons have the potential to rust and stain the fabric.
6. It’s a good idea to put a backer button on your pants, so the thread doesn’t pull through the waistband when you are wearing your suspenders. I would also put a substantial amount of thread on the buttons to hold them.
7. If you have the type of pants that have an adjustable buckle on the back, originals are easily found, sometimes even in a button jar. Some of the sutlers carry nice brass buckles.
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