Search on line for "Early Detroit images Burton Historical Collection" Once there search the photos for "artillery" and you will find two images of the Loomis Battery while they were in Detroit. I have not yet bought copies of these photographs.The images can be enlarged and you will see good details of the uniforms. I looked again at both and I feel they are blue,but gray is still possible. At about this time gray uniforms for the 4th Infantry Regiment were made in Detroit. The issue is that the gray infantry uniforms were probably cadet gray and cadet gray photographs as being fairly light. There is a color wheel to use when studying Civil War era photographs, remember modern color wheels will show colors differently. This process is not an exact science and outdoor light can effect the image.

The term "gray artillery uniforms" could indicate gray 9-button jackets. The Coldwater Artillery pre war gray fatigue uniforms probably were roundabout jackets so it is possible the photograph shows this uniform. Citizens of Coldwater could have made additional gray pre war fatigue uniforms for the many men who joined the battery for the war. The Loomis Battery were to be part of the 1st Infantry Regiment and all companies of the regiment but one were without uniforms, the newspapers did not include the Coldwater Artillery uniforms in this account, as they had yet to arrive. Some of the infantry men probably wore their pre war uniforms, but the remainder of the company were in civilian clothing. I am guessing the same would hold true for the artillery men. Cities promised to made uniforms for their companies, but once it was known that the State would provide uniforms, the offered uniforms were not made.

I could send you a good quality phots of the dark-blue uniform for comparison. I am interested in the information about the 22 gray artillery uniforms. is it possible to get a copy of that information? I am thinking of writing an article on the uniforms of the 1st infantry Regiment's uniforms and would love to include the Loomis Battery, even though they were detached from the regiment, if I can find enough uniform information on them. If I do include them I will purchase the images from the Burton Collect and study them in depth. I know some authors who write books on Civil War uniforms and they are good at this type of study.

Bill Carr