One of my pet projects is the issue of gray uniforms. Specifically, the 'brigade uniform' meant for the 90-day infantry units as an inducement to reenlist. With much help, we now have several images of this coat. (Gray trimmed in blue; Don Troiani did a painting depicting a soldier of the 12th Ill.)

I know the 8th Ill. (Donelson vets) got them. I believe this is why they were fired upon at Donelson by a Kentucky Federal unit. I have two separate accounts of them receiving new uniforms (dark blue jackets, light blue pants) on March 13, 1862. Plus, the colonel wrote his bosses a few days before asking if he could stay put and issue newly-arrived uniforms to his regiment since they were wearing well-worn uniforms issued some 6 months earlier. I'd love to see more accounts, especially around the November time frame when they were tramping around SE Missouri wearing gray uniforms!

By the way, Peter Cozzens wrote in his article on the 9th Ill. that they changed out from gray to blue on the morning of Shiloh.

John Pillers