WARREN LETTER: WHAT DID A TIGER LOOK LIKE?

" By the time Major Rob had gotten the Tiger Rifles put t'gether, the 

State of Louisiana was jes' about outta uniforms and fixins for the new 

so'jers. The fellars in Co B were given a punkin chucker (Model 1841 Mississippi 

Rifle .54 Caliber),  a belt with a brass buckle, a box for carrying 

cartridges and a little one for carrying percussion caps. The State of 

Louisiana also gave em all a palmetto type straw hat with a black band.

The day afore they was going to be moved from N'awleans up to ol' Camp 

Moore the fellas took to puttin mottos on those black bands.  The motto's 

were full of brag and swagger ... there was all kinds of little ditties ....

"Tiger in search of a Black Republican"

" Lincolns Life or a Tigers Death"

"Death to Lincoln"

"Tiger off to burn Washington"

"Dixie Born, Tiger Bred"

"Tiger by Nature"

Anyway, the Tiger Rifles marched through the streets of N'awleans on 

the way up to ol Camp Moore.  Now they wasnt real so'jers so to speak 

but bein that most of em was one form of rascal or another they made 

a grand sight and showed they was full of dash and pluck.

As it turned out some of the local businessmen swelled up with 

patriotism for Dixie went out to talk to Major Rob about outfittin these 

fine Louisiana fellas with some type of proper costume (uniform).  

Major Rob designed up a costume that was pretty snappy.  According to 

grandaddy it was based on stuff Major Rob had seen when he was fightin 

over in Italy with Garabaldi. The outfit consisted of a lightcollarless 

jacket made of a blend of cotton and wool. It was dyed with indigo (which

 there was plenty of in South Louisiana).  These jackets were lined and had

 a bit of red trim on em.  They wore a heavy (likely wool flannel) collarless

 shirt that was blood red. These shirts were long goin half ways down the

 thigh or longer. The reason was these were to be used as a night shirt 

around camp. Their britches 

were pinchbecks (baggy pantaloons) made of pillow ticking. This pillow 

ticking had a wide blue stripe, with a red and yellow pin stripe (teazel) ,

 this was symbolic of the Louisiana  Republic Flag. The wore white spats

 with japan (white porcelin coated tin) buttons. There was a set of stripped

 socks that went up to the knee. They were issued a red skull cap with a

 blue or yellow tassle (Fez). These skull caps were mostly wore around 

camp as they was a stupid piece of headgear. They didnt keep the sun out of 

a sojers eyes and grandaddy complained that the tassle would flop down in 

his face and annoy him.  He also said it wasnt worth a hoot when he was 

shootin his punkin chucker at yankees as it didnt shade off the glare. This 

was pret' much the uniform 

they left ol' Camp Moore with when they headed up to Virginny.

Grandaddy wore a belt that he dressed up with the fur offn a ringtailed 

cat, his buckle wasnt a pelican one like a lot of the fellars wore ... 

it had a eagle and a wreath on it (per a family tin type this appears

 to be a model 1851 federal belt plate). His brother admired that belt 

an stole it off him after they was transfered to Hayes (Late 1862).  

His brother was wearin the belt when he was kilt at Gettysburg on the 

evening of the 1st day. He wore a ivory handled dagger down in his spat .. 

called it his tiger tooth (this is an ivory handled period dinner knife 

with the blade clipped .. the blade is crudely engraved "look away dixie .. 1861". 

 He also carried a set of knuckle dusters (cast iron knuckles common to 

1850's New Orleans).  He said that a number of the fellars carried 

wicked ol' corn knives.  Grandaddy said there was knives everywhere 

as a lot of the fellars had come up from the docks and from his 

thinkin they mostly were born with knives in their 

hands. 

  He said some of the fellars carried pepperbox pistols and the like.  

He said that the Tiger's clanked from all the hardware they took up to 

Virginny. Grandaddy said that the pinchbecks, stockings and straw hats

 didnt hold out well and started wearin out while they was up at Camp

 Florida (Centerville Virginia). The pinchbecks and spats were purt 

near shredded amongst the briar and bramble that growed in Northern 

Virginny. By the Spring of 62 most of the fellars was wearing britches 

of all sorts, shirts they could get from home or about, all sorts of 

hats. The jackets were special .. this was the survivin piece of uniform 

that set them apart as one of Wheats Tiger Rifles. The jackets fared 

some better than the rest of the uniforms, however due to bein fired 

on a couple times (once at Manasas and several times on picket duty) 

by their own fellars Grandaddy said they had bolied the jackets 

in a concotion of potash, water and vinegar to get rid of the indigo

 color leavin the jackets the color of an over-ripe peach with some 

blue mottlin here and there. The red trim fading to a pink-   (this 

accounts for the reference of a Federal Balloonist describing Tigers 

on the Penninsula as wearing "butternut" jackets.)'62 was tough for 

the Louisianans and state equipment became very difficult to come by. 

 By the time Major Rob was killed at Gaines Mill, most of the Tigers 

had transformed into raggamuffins most indistiguishable from 

other rebs except for a few peach colored tiger jackets, corn knives

 and the prized pelican belt plates (though many of these had been 

lost as well).'62 was a rough year for the State of Louisiana and it

 become purt near impossible to keep the Tigers in the uniforms