The Havelock and Tepi
An extremely useful item given to Civil
War soldiers
on both sides was the havelock, a cap cover made popular by a British officer
name Sir Henry Havelock. Made out of white linen or cotton, the havelock was
supposed to be worn over the soldier's cap with its long tail covering his
neck. The havelock was supposed to protect men who were fighting in hot
climates
from sunstroke. But the Civil War soldiers found that it actually made them
hotter because, they said, it didn't allowing air to circulate around their
head
and neck. Many Civil War soldiers didn't use their havelocks as cap covers, but
as coffee strainers, dishcloths, gun patches and of course it proved super handy
for foraging.
Army Issued Head Gear
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