Havelock, Made in U.S.A.

Description

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. It was supposed to protect men who were fighting in hot climates from sunstroke but 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. A great piece for EARLY-war impressions.

Made in the U.S.A.