The Richmond Depot, or the Richmond Clothing Bureau, was a clothing and equipment facility located in three primary facilities, in and around Richmond, Virginia, established late in 1861, that supplied uniforms, footwear, and other equipment to the Confederate States Army, primarily the Army of Northern Virginia, and the surrounding region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Richmond Depot uniforms were not issued to western or Deep South Confederates, such as the Army of Tennessee.
History
In April 1861 at the beginning of the American Civil War the Confederates States Congress turned to Prussian artist Nicola Marschall to design a new uniform for the Confederate military. Marschall's designs were inspired by the grey uniforms he had seen on a group of Austrian sharpshooters in Italy in 1857. Marschall's new uniform designs were approved and released as General Order #9 on 6 June 1861 to be applied to all Confederate forces. Early in the War the Confederate government had relied upon the "Commutation System" to keep its troops well supplied with clothing and equipment, but as the war dragged on into its second year of conflict, the system proved to be faulty. Early in 1862, the Confederate Government set new guidelines and developed the "Depot system", a series of federal government controlled facilities, that would have a steady supply of equipment to the soldiers and sailors of the Confederacy in the region of that depot. The Richmond Clothing Bureau was one of these such facilities, and was one of the more successful, keeping in operation from the early winter of 1861/62, to the last days of the Confederate States Army's control over Richmond, Virginia, in April 1865. It had two branches: the Shoe Manufactory under Captain Stephen Putney and the Clothing Manufactory under O.F. Weisiger, a civilian (until 1863 when he was made a captain.)
Produced equipment
The Richmond depot produced several variations of jackets, trousers, and caps; including militia styled uniforms authorized by the Confederate Government for construction and distribution. The most common items produced, are the Richmond Depot style shell jacket, the Trousers, and the Kepi. The materials used by the Richmond Depot, were produced by the Crenshaw Wool Mill, in Richmond, Virginia, near the Tredegar Iron Works, both of which were burnt down in mid-1863. The wool produced by this mill was a medium to bright cadet grey, often in 60 inch-wide bolts, with the blankets being produced in , probably of the same cadet grey material. Later in the war, imported dark cadet grey kersey, known as "English Army cloth", was being used in the domestically produced jackets, trousers, and caps, as well as the complete uniforms brought through the blockade by companies, such as Peter Tait of Limerick, Ireland. These uniforms started to become commonplace in the Army of Northern Virginia and the rest of the Confederate States Army later in the war. Battle flags were also produced by the depot from early 1862 to the end of the war in Virginia. These flags were made using captured red, blue, and white bunting stock from the captured Norfolk Naval yards. These fabrics were originally intended to be sewn into United States and other various flags.