Now Forming! the Campaign Hat Corps

[Joel Tunnah]

I just ordered Dirty Billy's 1898 enlisted version, in tan, with the snowflake vents. They happened to have one in my size, so it's shipping on monday.

I'll post photos when it arrives.

 

[Mojave Jack]

I just ordered Dirty Billy's 1898 enlisted version, in tan, with the snowflake vents. They happened to have one in my size, so it's shipping on monday.

I'll post photos when it arrives.

I'm looking forward to your review! I've been eyeing that thing for some time.

 

[deanglen]

I'm looking forward to your review! I've been eyeing that thing for some time.

Ditto!

 

[deanglen]

Found some new shots:

 

[Uncle Vern]

Great photos! Were they taken in Cuba?

 

[deanglen]

Great photos! Were they taken in Cuba?

Uncle Vern, These are enlargements from stereopticon cards being auctioned on e-bay as of this date, and since I can't link you there, the category is Militaria-Spanish-American War. Some are in Cuba, some in the Phillipines. The fifth one down is in Georgia, Chickamauga, I think. I really like these shots, too, they are so illustrative of neglected period of our history. Glad you like them. I check the net pretty often looking for new ones, and have found these great enlargements on e-bay the best yet! The hats are to die for, and I say it again and again, they offer new insights in fedora fashion, and perhaps were the inspiration for the later popularity of that hat style. And if not, no big deal, just great images!

Thanks,
Dean

 

[deanglen]

Some cabinet shots with hat details:

 

[jamespowers]

I keep looking at this one from Dirty Billy. Nutria with star or snowflake vent, $125. Looks quite stiff.

You mean a star vent like this:

Thsi is an old Stetson of mine and I have always wondered why it was there. [huh]

Regards,

J

 

[deanglen]

Jamespowers, That's a Star Vent alright! Do you have any shots of the other side? What history of the hat do you have? Noticed the two lines of stitching on the brim. That's a campaign hat of the Span-Am War period, or at least a repro or a design inspired by one! GREAT HAT!

 

[jamespowers]

Jamespowers, That's a Star Vent alright! Do you have any shots of the other side? What history of the hat do you have? Noticed the two lines of stitching on the brim. That's a campaign hat of the Span-Am War period, or at least a repro or a design inspired by one! GREAT HAT!

I knew someone would figure something out about that hat eventually. I am not really sure about its history. I found it and just had to have it. The hat has a simple bow on the other side and it is a Stetson. How old I really can't tell. The brim is stiffer than I am use to and it came to me as sort of a porkpie block. I fedoraized the crown. I'll see if I can get some shots of the other side and the inside this evening.

Regards,

J

 

[Uncle Vern]

I got to thinking that the US Army would have economized and tried to issue the same hats to lots of different troops. Behold the Buffalo Soldiers. Looks to me like Army regulations gave wide latitude to hat shaping!

 

[Joel Tunnah]

Dirty Billy's 1898 hat

My hat arrived from Dirty Billy's. 1898 enlisted, tan, with the snowflake vents.

I think this is pretty darn close to the photos deanlglen's been posting. Brim is 3", crown is about 6.5" when pushed out. I love the worn in look to it.

Having never held one, I have no idea if the felt is true to the originals - but I can tell you that it's damn stiff and rough. No dress hat here.
My big complaint is the way the ribbon is stitched on with fishing line. Why?!? It was very visible, and when I removed it, it left really big holes in the ribbon. I think the 1/2" ribbon width is incorrect though - it seems too small compared to the real hats - and I am going to replace it with a 5/8", sewn on with cotton thread.

Overall a good effort, but they could stand to be a little more true to the original design and materials.

Joel

 

[deanglen]

So that's a Dirty Billy repro up close....Hm-m-m-m..

Joel, I'd be dismayed by fishing line too, and I"d feel 5/8" grosgrain would be better, and I have some close ups of a snowflake vent that looks slightly different than that one, but that being said. It does have three rows of brim stitching, and the dimensions look good. The ribbon bow is classic, perhaps the ends could have protruded more, but now the fun of bashing begins. I would get out the steam and start playing with the pinch and taper to get the look I see in the photos. I hope you don't regret buying it, I think I might feel a bit guilty trying to gin everybody up on those hats only to find they hate them! [huh] I guess I just thought they looked good in the photos, since I've never held a real one. I hope to have pictures posted soon of my repro/cowboy hat conversions, to show you how I bashed them. The one cowboy hat I modified had at 6.5 inches in the crown, and I had to trim the brim about an inch to get in down to three. This shot I used to use as an avatar looks like a good model to work from based on your last picture taken in the mirror:

This guy kept the crown low, but kept a slight upturn to the brim. BTW is your hat wool felt or fur? The rough ness would seem to indicate wool felt.

 

[clevispin]

Ramblin'

Wool or Fur? What were the originals? The Dirty Billy Crown looks W A Y too tall compared to the originals. Given the period, I'd think all the uniform components would be understated and prim and a little plain. Come the 20th century and the Victorian bling was OUT. Little hats, little lapels, tight & compact etc. - At least for the men folk. Even in the old motion pictures they took little steps. Perhaps we were compensating for our imperialistic ambitions.

m

 

[Uncle Vern]

I like the Dirty Billy's hat, but I also think the crown is too tall. My Stetson "Man Mountain Dean" hat has a 4.5-inch crown. I might be able to get a tad more out of it. Dirty Billy's hat, especially with that block, looks more like a 40's or 50's era Stetson state trooper's hat.
The comment about smaller and less showy hats rings true.
I think that "Spanish-American-chasing Pancho Villa" Army hat is for all intent and purpose a 20th century fedora that just hasn't evolved quite far enough, but very close, and that mostly has to do with blocking. We can't help it if some of those soldiers insisted on walking around with those pointy crowns. Also, the felt on some of those enlisted men's hats looks awfully rough and lumpy, the way wool might look after it's gotten wet a bunch of times. Wool for the grunts and fur felt for the officers?
Does anyone know who had the contract to make those hats? I've always presumed Stetson made them, but maybe not.

 

[Joel Tunnah]

Wool or Fur?

Some kind of Nutria blend.

The Dirty Billy Crown looks W A Y too tall compared to the originals.

Not to me. It looks just right.

Deanglen - I don't regret the purchase at all. It's a great looking hat. I'm already planning to order a union blue kepi, which I've wanted since I was 12!lol

Joel

 

[clevispin]

Union Blue Kepi - I highly recommend this - EXCELLENT FOR TARGET PRACTICE.

m

 

[Joel Tunnah]

I like the Dirty Billy's hat, but I also think the crown is too tall. My Stetson "Man Mountain Dean" hat has a 4.5-inch crown.

1) look at the photos on page 2 and 3 of this thread again - you might change your opinion,

2) Your hat may have had a 4.5 inch crown after it was bashed, but this is meaningless, and no way did the original hats have a 4.5 inch OPEN crown. Those are 1950's dimensions, not 19th century.

 

[deanglen]

Joel, I am convinced that the enlisted men's hats were either wool exclusively, or some blend that the government determined it could afford. I've read comments that the hats did not hold up well in the elements, and the photos do show that they were the worse for wear. In the picture below, the fellow sitting on the far left has a bash style that I imitated for my repro/conversion and it looks just like it. The guy on the front of the white blanket has a style that reminds me of the hat you just received.

Glad to hear you're okay with the hat. Looking forward to some more pictures of you wearing it. Planning on modifying the crown? Or did it come open crowned? Is your kepi coming from Dirty Billy's? Officer or enlisted?

Dean

 

[Uncle Vern]

Deanglen, I pushed the crown of my Man Mountain Dean hat out and got it completely open. It measures 5.25 inches. Allowing for years of neglect and some settling, I'd still be hard pressed to make it be 5.5 inches as an open crown hat, although it might give a bit more if it was placed on an open crown block. Even the little TR photo you attach to your postings shows a much lower crown than the Dirty Billy hat, which, by the way, is a killer hat all on its own. I'm just posting what I'm seeing for the sake of discussion.