1861 U.S. Sanitary Commission Red Wool Flannel Undershirt
One of the first garments to be supplied to soldiers by the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the summer of 1861 were gray and white wool flannel undershirts. The construction specifications of this garment were distributed through published circulars that reached communities across the nation. As the war continued into autumn of that year, the construction specifications of these undershirts were further expanded. In addition to clarified instructions, a certain detail stood out—they were to now be constructed of red wool flannel for “rheumatic patients.” This color was not chosen for aesthetics, but rather because of the believed medicinal value of the vegetable dyed red wool flannel. An 1860 dated Medical and Surgical Reporter states the medicinal value of red wool flannel as having “two purposes—protecting the body against cold and changes in temperature, while it acts at the same time as a counter irritant.” Irritants that red flannel was thought to counter, included rheumatism associated symptoms.
In the U.S. military, rheumatism was the fourth leading cause of medical discharges, not counting gunshot wounds. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers suffered from types of rheumatism during the war, and the most likely causes were lengthy bouts of rheumatic fever and reactive arthritis after experiencing dysentery. Rheumatic associated symptoms were also attributed to being related to soldier health concerns such as scurvy and malaria.
While rheumatism was a frequently encountered illness, it was also described as one of the easiest to fake by “malingerers” who were seeking a medical discharge. This apparently became so problematic that by the spring of 1863, the Bureau of the Provost Marshal directed only symptoms related to rheumatic illness visible through examination by a physician would exempt a soldier from military service. For those suffering with rheumatism who continued to serve their country, it was believed that red wool flannel undergarments would be of benefit.
The 1861 Red Wool Flannel Undershirt pattern offered by Civil War Patterns is based directly on U.S. Sanitary Commission specifications and in-depth research on civilian men’s undershirts from the mid-19th century. It is offered both in its original size of a 42-inch chest (36 to 42-inch chests were meant to be in one size, similar to U.S. issue military shirts) and in larger sizes graded from the original pattern specifications.
As this shirt was made on the home front utilizing a wide range of sewing skill levels, this garment is an ideal candidate for being replicated by home sewists with little to moderate sewing experience, by using our digital pattern with 93 pages of instructions.
Print-On-Demand Option:
Planning to print the A0 size file from your digital pattern? We can do it for you with this option! Here's a link to consider adding this to your order:
Fabric, Thread , and Notions Required:
- 2 to 2 ¼ yards of 56-inch-wide red wool flannel fabric, here's a link for specific amounts required
- One button (the specific type of button is not listed in the specifications, but a blackened bone button, brown stained bone button, or metal button would be a good choice)
- One spool of Gutermann cotton quilting thread for machine sewing, or one spool of hand sewing thread in linen or cotton