Original Item: One-Of-A-Kind. This is a stunning example of an Pre-Spanish American War era M1889 style Officer’s Campaign Hat worn by a member of GAR, the Grand Army of the Republic, who had served with the 3rd Division, 19th Corps during the Civil War. The Hat is a typical 1880’s & 1890’s produced hat, made of black fur felt with a 3” wide brim that is now upturned on all sides, a great detail of the age. The hat still retains its original brown Moroccan leather sweatband which is securely affixed to the interior of the hat and is embossed U.S.A. with an attached size tag for 7 1/8. The original silk hat band is retained with a bow on the left side. There are three rows of stitching along the edge with the rows overlapping on one side.

The hat features a stitched bullion hat badge for the 3rd Division, XIX or 19th Corps. XIX Corps was a corps of the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent most of its service in Louisiana and the Gulf, though several units fought in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. In April 1863, the corps was involved in the actions at Fort Bisland and Irish Bend. It operated the Siege of Port Hudson from April 27–July 9, 1863, the fall of which, along with that of Vicksburg, Mississippi, closed off the Mississippi River to Confederate shipping. XIX Corps also gained measure of distinction for being the first Federal unit to use a large number of colored troops in action, particularly against Port Hudson, with Banks giving them due credit for their valiant contributions to the siege.

In spring of 1864, the corps took part in Banks' disastrous Red River Campaign, under the command of William B. Franklin, who was wounded at Mansfield. After its conspicuous role in the failure, two divisions under William H. Emory were sent to Virginia to join Phillip Sheridan's operations in the Shenandoah Valley against Jubal Early (see Valley Campaigns of 1864). These troops took part in all of the major engagements of Sheridan's campaign, most notably at Opequon, where they lost some 2,000 men killed or wounded (mostly in Cuvier Grover's division).

After this, the corps was sent Savannah, Georgia, where it remained until the end of the war. The XIX Corps was officially disbanded on March 26, 1865, but the corps took part in the Grand Review in Washington, and some of its units remained in Savannah and Louisiana until 1866.

To the front is a stitched GAR Grand Army of the Republic hat badge which is now missing some stitching on one side. The interior of the hat is lined with red silk which is now a frayed mess, with a faint stamp on the interior crown reading:

AMERICAN
MANUFACTURE

This is surrounded by a patriotic motif with flags and more but it is hard to make out due to the heavy fraying. Behind the leather sweatband is a tag for the United Hatters of North America (UHU), a labor union representing hat makers. This dates the hat to after 1896.

The combination of the size 7 ⅛ sweatband, U.S.A. embossing, United Hatters label, XIX Corps division badge, GAR insignia, original silk band, and patriotic interior marking makes this a particularly interesting veteran-associated campaign hat. Rather than being a Civil War-period piece, it is best understood as a late-19th-century GAR veteran hat incorporating insignia that commemorated the wearer’s earlier service with the 3rd Division, XIX Corps.