Civil War soldiers fought in their shirts in summer heat. Confederate uniforms were heavy wool — jackets, frock coats, trousers all made for cold-weather military use — and in the hundred-degree heat of a July or August battle in Virginia or Mississippi the wool became unbearable. Soldiers stripped off jackets, rolled them up, stowed them in a knapsack, and fought in shirt sleeves with cartridge box, belt, and rifle. The practice violated regulation but commanders mostly tolerated it; a soldier who collapsed from heat stroke was no use to the line. At Cold Harbor in June 1864, both Federal and Confederate troops were observed advancing in shirt sleeves. The figure in this set captures that informal summer combat reality.

This W. Britain figure depicts a Confederate infantryman advancing in summer kit — stripped to his yellow cotton shirt, dark gray trousers, the broad-brimmed slouch hat, with the rifle musket held forward and bayonet fixed. The cartridge box, holstered pistol, and canteen on his belt are all that remain of his combat kit. The cross-belt for the cartridge box is visible on his back. The figure works in any summer-battle diorama — Cold Harbor, Spotsylvania, the Wilderness, second-day Gettysburg, Antietam — where Confederate soldiers fought in conditions that drove them out of their wool jackets. Pair this figure with Rebel Steel Confederate Charging for a full assault line; with Confederate Infantry Corporal Urging Men Forward as the NCO leading him; or with 1st Texas Flagbearer (3rd Issue) for the regimental colors.

Scale: 1/30 (60mm). Matte-painted metal. W. Britain model 31337. From the American Civil War range. Single foot figure, supplied painted and ready for display.