Soldiers Wore Warmest Clothes but Suffered from Cold While on Winter Campaigns in Montana

by GRACE STONE COATES     Author of "Mead and Mangel-Wurtzel" and "Black Cherries"

Isabella L. Bird, a noted western traveler of 1873, tells the girls just what they must wear to be correct half a century ago. "For the benefit of other lady travelers, I wish to explain that the American Lady's mountain dress consists of a half-fitted jacket, a skirt reaching to the ankles, and full Turkish trousers gathered into frills falling over the boots - a thoroughly serviceable and feminine costume for mountaineering and other rough travel."

Travel for pleasure, among the "toplofters" as they were dubbed, could be abandoned whenever rough weather set in. But the U.S. cavalry had to keep at it, summer and winter, in good weather and bad, facing sun or blizzard, and they worked out a soldier's costume as characteristic as Mrs. Bird's "American Lady's Mountain Dress."

Their great difficulty was to keep their feet, knees, wrists and ears warm. A foot soldier could stamp his feet and throw his arms about to warm them, and clasp his hands over his ears to protect them from freezing. But a cavalryman had to sit in his saddle and guide his horse. His first necessity was proper dress for his feet. He drew on first a pair of long lamb's-wool stockings reaching to the knee. Over these came Indian mocassins of buckskin reaching high on the leg, warmer and lighter than the government shoes issued by the quartermaster. They wore cork soles with the mocassins and overboots of buffalo hide with the hair in. These overboots extended the whole length of the leg, and were open on the side, with buckles, something like the breeches Mexican vaqueros wear. The overboots were soled, heeled and boxed with well-tanned leather.

Some officers preferred a separate leggin, so they could use the government overshoe. The advantage of the government shoe was that it could be taken off when they made camp, and enabled the wearer to walk around in comfort as soon as he dismounted. Their disadvantage was that they were so clumsy it was hard to get them into a stirrup.

The customary underwear was two suits, one merino, one perforated buckskin. Over these came a heavy blue flannel shirt, double-breasted, and a double-breasted blouse of Mission or Minnesota blanket, with large buttons. Instead of the blanket blouse, some used a coat ofheavy kid lined with heavy flannel. The men soon learned that when a blizzard struck them on unsheltered plains, nothing could keep out the cold but an overcoat of buffalo hide, bear skin, or beaver; although many of the men wore coats made in St. Paul, canvas lined with the heaviest blanket, strapped and buckled about the waist.

Cloth caps with fur pull-downs were preferred, with fur coat collars to protect the neck, mouth and nose; and the hands and wrists were protected with wool gloves and over-gauntlets of beaver or muskrat.

On rainy days each man protected himself and mount by two ponchos sewed together. These were clumsy, and were discarded wherever possible except for beds. Bedding was plentiful and always included a buffalo robe for each man. Over the Indian rubber ponchos spread on the ground came a mattress of clipped cork one inch thick. The cork was sewed transversely, to enable the mattress to be rolled more easily. Then came the buffalo robe, then blankets or cotton comforters. Old wise-heads had small bags of buffalo hide for their feet, and small canvas cylinders not more than eight inches across, to lay over the top of the bed for holding extras; socks, handkerchiefs, underwear, or valuable papers that must be carried. Yet with the best of equipment, a winter campaign was no pleasant matter. Captain John G. Bourke, of the Third U. S. cavalry used to say, "If you are considering whether to make a winter campaign or stay at home, just apply the advice Punch gave about getting married - DON'T!"