American Civil War Military Suggestions

Confederate Generic--C19 in tan, brown, gray, or black. This has a distressed, or broken in look, commonly referred to as a beehive. (I coined this term a long time ago as a euphemism for the distressed look. Boy, what a mistake!) Stay away from forage caps. Try for an agricultural look.

Federal Generic—US20 LJ&I forage cap or a plain, unadorned Hardee hat (US8). Stay away from the kepi or the civilian look, as these are not issue or regulation. Officers, too, had guidelines but much more latitude in their choices. But then, by the time you’re an officer, you should have enough knowledge of your impression to know what to choose.