Confederate Infantry Marching Waving Cap Wearing Depot Jacket

The Richmond Depot jacket, commonly used by Confederate soldiers throughout the entire Civil War are known to exist in various styles. In 1861, the jacket very closely resembled a “cadet” style with a trimmed, nine button front, shoulder straps and probably belt loops as well. Sometime in 1862 it changed to an untrimmed coat with a varied number of buttons on the front and retained the shoulder straps and belt loops. These jackets would have been seen until war’s end and probably constituted most of the Confederate jackets made. Soldiers’ practice of removing shoulder straps and belt loops may have been the impetus behind production of the last known produced depot jacket now lacking shoulder straps and belt loops altogether.