Confederate soldiers modified their issued uniforms in the field. Shoulder straps got cut off because they snagged on cartridge box slings; belt loops removed because soldiers preferred a different belt position; regulation buttons replaced with civilian or homemade ones when the originals fell off; pockets added where the regulation pattern had none. The Confederate Quartermaster eventually noticed the practice and, in the last Richmond Depot pattern, simplified the jacket by leaving off shoulder straps and belt loops from the start — saving cloth, labor, and the soldier's pocket knife the work of removing them. The figure in this set wears one of those late-pattern simplified jackets. Cheering with cap raised was a standard Confederate response to a passing officer or rumor of victory.

This W. Britain figure depicts a Confederate infantryman on the march in the late-pattern simplified Richmond Depot jacket — no shoulder straps, no belt loops, gray cloth, gray trousers. He is cheering, cap raised in his left hand, rifle held vertical in his right. The cartridge box and holstered pistol ride on his belt; the bedroll crosses his chest. The figure is a foreground piece for any Confederate column or review-passing scene. Pair this figure with Confederate Infantry Marching with Knapsack Wearing Depot Jacket for a matched depot-jacket pair; with Confederate Infantry Marching and Cheering for a paired cheering scene; or with General Robert E. Lee as the commander whose appearance draws the cheer.

Scale: 1/30 (60mm). Matte-painted metal. W. Britain model 31444. From the American Civil War range. Single foot figure, supplied painted and ready for display.