PolishandProud
Marksman
So a new era that I have gotten into lately is the post US Civil war, pre Spanish American War years of the Indian campaigns. There was a lot of experimenting going on with uniforms and equipment by the U.S. army, and it’s this great time period we start to see some of the things that are icons of the “Wild West”, such as cartridge revolvers, cartridge belts, and the like. I really like the look of the 1876 time frame as it is just an absolute hodgepdoge of new and old stuff. And in keeping with my general like for infantry, I have an 1876 and 1880(ish) infantry man set up, and an 1876 cavalryman. Most of the uniforms and equipment are battlegear toys, with a few modifications. The leather cartridge belts are theirs, but I took some strips of leather and wove it through the belts to make the loops for the cartridges. The haversacks the infantrymen carry are both battlegear Spanish American war haversack that I have painted the flap of and added the white U.S. and cloth sling to, to give the outward appearance of a model 1874 haversack. The 1876 infantryman and cavalryman both wear civil war sack coats, as these were still numerous in number and cheaper to use and ruin than the new issued 1872 and 1874 jackets.
