By Paula and Coach McCoach http://www.civilwaruniforms.net

Civil War soldiers did not want to look "tattered." The custom was to look as neat and clean as possible. Remember, when they first got their uniforms, uniforms looked new. The soldiers of Civil War liked being tidy. If they had rips and tears in their uniforms, they would sew them up if they could. Being in "tatters" was not a sign of being "cool."

I recommend that you keep your Civil War Uniform looking as clean and trim as possible depending on what you want to portray unless you want to portray a particular campaign where they were ragged. If not I would want to keep my uniform in good shape, and I would not wreck my new uniform right from start. If you really want a tattered uniform, find one on a blanket.

Even at end of war, they were issued new uniforms. Lee's army looked better at surrender than at Gettysburg.

Remember you have invested a substantial amount of money in your Civil War Uniform. I am passionate about mine being accurate and a correct reproduction. I would not intentionally tear or rip my uniform to make it look worn. Why destroy your uniform after you have spent so much time and effort getting it "right?"

Putting a patch on your pants, jacket, shirt, etc. is an accurate way to fix a hole or tear. But, I am careful not to put too many patches on my uniform, as I don't want to look like a walking quilt! I suggest you keep an eye on number and size of patches you are putting on your uniform, to be sure it looks appropriate. I would not put patches on just for effect. The Civil War soldier would try to match patch to color of uniform fabric.

So you want to make or upgrade your Civil War uniform shirt, but you don't know where to start. What type of material do you use, should you use metal, porcelain or bone buttons, should you have a collar on your shirt, what about cuffs - how many inches are they supposed to be, should you hand stitch button holes, where should you put pocket on your shirt, Ahhhhh!

Your questions about making your Civil War uniform shirt authentic are answered in this shirt article and continue to be answered in 101 Tips for Your Authentic Civil War Uniform Shirt Course at http://www.civilwaruniforms.net/authenticshirts.htm

Here are some of tips for making Your Civil War Uniform shirt authentic:

4. To start, you could purchase a shirt that is already made that has machine buttonholes in it and rework buttonholes to make it look more authentic. Take a seam ripper and pick out buttonholes and handwork them.

5. I would pick out and redo by hand all exposed machine stitching. Someone can show you how to do that in about 15 minutes. You should have about 6-7 stitches per inch. You have just increased value of your shirt and made it more authentic.

32. "Pockets were not sewn on most shirts, and not at all on army-issued shirts. Heavier shirts had a breast pocket or two. The pockets were generally lower on shirt and larger than breast pockets on shirts today.

33. Buttons were metal, wooden or bone, or sometimes commercially made from other products, such as glass or ceramic materials. For Southern troops, different styles of buttons can be used, including bits of wood, bone, or even acorns. You can use dental floss to tie them on, but make sure modern materials are not visible.

38. Battle shirts are a bit controversial. Some troops, especially early-war Southern troops, had a tunic or heavy shirt instead of a wool uniform coat. It would fit over a regular shirt but was not as heavy or bulky as wool jacket. Before you get a battle shirt, make sure one is documented for your regiment's history, since they were not typical and are controversial.