Lecture: “Shoddy, “Negro Cloth", and Clothing the USCTs in the Lowcountry"

This summer, Reconstruction Era National Historical Park will launch a summer lecture series highlighting research by park staff and partners on a wide variety of topics exploring how the people who lived and worked around Beaufort experienced the Reconstruction era. These presentations are free and open to the public.

The first of these presentations is entitled “Suitable for Wear by Blacks”: Shoddy, “Negro Cloth", and Clothing the USCTs in the Lowcountry' and will be presented by Dr. Robert W. Novak. And it will take place on July 29 at 6pm at 913 West Street in downtown Beaufort.

The 1st South Carolina Volunteers made their first public appearances wearing bright red pants, distinguishing them from the rest of the Union Army in the area. Dr. Robert W. Novak will share the story of how the Union Army acquired and distributed clothing to the Black soldiers and surrounding community during the Port Royal Experiment.

Check out our calendar at https://www.nps.gov/reer/planyourvisit/calendar.htm for other lectures in this series on 8/12, 8/26, 9/9, and 9/23.

Image: Courtesy of Marvin-Alonzo Greer, A man stands on a porch in a civil war era United States military uniform with a blue jacket and red pants.