A double-breasted frock coat in Confederate enlisted hands usually had a story. Confederate regulations specified single-breasted enlisted coats and double-breasted officer coats, the same as Federal regulations. But Confederate uniform supply was scattered enough that enlisted men sometimes ended up in double-breasted coats anyway — captured Federal officer coats, dyed gray; hand-me-downs from a relative who had been an officer; coats made at home by a tailor who copied the more fashionable double-breasted civilian cut rather than the regulation pattern. The figure in this set wears a double-breasted coat that does not match the rest of his kit, suggesting one of these origins. The tan color is consistent with domestically dyed Confederate cloth.

This W. Britain figure depicts a Confederate infantryman in mid-loading motion — rifle held vertical, hands working at the muzzle area, head turned toward the action. He wears a tan double-breasted frock coat (an unusual style for an enlisted Confederate, possibly captured or home-tailored), light gray trousers with visible wear and patching at the knees, and a dark blue forage cap. The cartridge box is on his belt. The bedroll crosses his back. The figure works as an enlisted soldier in any Confederate advance-and-load diorama. Pair this figure with Confederate Infantry Ramming Cartridge for the same loading sequence; with Confederate Infantry Reaching for Cartridge for the first motion of loading; or with Confederate Corporal Urging Men Forward as the NCO directing the advance.

Scale: 1/30 (60mm). Matte-painted metal. W. Britain model 31361. From the American Civil War range. Single foot figure, supplied painted and ready for display.