Rank and Distinction

• Like military uniforms throughout history, a goal of Union uniforms was to differentiate soldiers of various ranks and backgrounds. Soldiers wore a dark blue flannel coat, light blue wool trousers, and a blue forage cap with a black leather visor. Officer uniforms uncluded various additional stripes, insignias and patches, as well as modifications in length of the coat, layout of buttons and shape of the hat. Uniforms such as those of non-commissioned officers had colored stripes and tassels.
  
  

Production

• Wartime industry necessitated the goals of minimal cost and efficiency of production. According to the 1861 regulations written by the adjutant general, enlisted soldiers were supposed to wear dark blue pants but in fact wore pants of a light, sky-blue color. The lighter blue was much cheaper to manufacture and were supplied by the quartermaster general. Officers purchased their custom uniforms from military tailors and outfitters.
  
  

Style and Color

• A major goal of military uniforms of the period was to uphold the honorable reputation of a noble soldier. The dark blue color had been used since the Revolutionary War in which many American soldiers wore dark blue to contrast with the "Redcoats" of the British soldiers. The idea of camouflage had not developed. Most battles were fought in large open areas where soldiers walked bravely and exposed. Hiding in camouflage would have been seen as hiding and cowardly.
  
  

Practical Use

• Full wool uniforms were worn even in the heat of battle.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  A goal of the uniforms was durability and practical use. They were made mostly of wool, which was durable and kept soldiers warm in the winter. In hot weather, unfortunately, soldiers were traditionally required to wear their full uniforms, and thus heat strokes were common. Uniforms also included practical outer garments such as a rolled blanket, a haversack for food and knapsack containing half of a two-man tent.