| Photographed by Hooven, Photographer, Grove
City, PA. Robert Ford was born in 1841, and served in the Civil War. He married Margaretta Ramsey Cummings, the widow of Robert Kerr Cummings, on 2 Apr 1874. They became the parents of four children: Robert, Belle (Mrs. William Dunlap) and Charles. Photo courtesy of www.familyoldphotos.com , James and Barbara Weaver Family |
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Pvt. Robert Ford was a member of Company A, Lawrence Zouaves of Lawrence County, PA. In 2004, James and Barbara Weaver of Flourtown, PA donated Ford's complete uniform to the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, PA the announcement of which is linkable below: http://www.nationalcivilwarmuseum.org/Pressreleases/pressrelease17.html
The uniform is in surprisingly good condition for it's age and CJ Daley Reproductions, an independent sutlery from Virginia did a study on the uniform and took a good number of closeup photographs as shown below. The narrative below by CJ Daley http://www.cjdaley.com/newsletter/May05.htm gives a good history of the uniform of the 76th Pennsylvania Voluntary Infantry, "Keystone Zouaves":
Uniform Study: Keystone Zouaves
Robert Ford was mustered into the 76th Pennsylvania on October 1, 1861, and trained in Harrisburg. The unit was sent to South Carolina and participated in battles around Charleston, including an attack on Fort Wagner, when Ford was wounded. Included in the artifacts donated to the Museum is the bullet removed from Ford’s shoulder.
The 76th
Pennsylvania was later transferred to Virginia and fought in the Siege
of Petersburg. Ford mustered-out with the regiment on November 28, 1864,
and returned home. He died in 1915 at age 74 and was buried in Woodland
Cemetery in Pine Township, Mercer County, PA.
The uniform was donated by John Weaver in 2004 to the National Civil War
Museum in Harrisburg. The uniform is in great shape.
The uniform is made
by the Schuylkill Arsenal. The jacket is made from sack coat flannel,
trimmed in 5/8" wool trim and lined with several different wool dress
materials. While marked as being produced at the S.A., the jacket does
exhibit some machine sewing to attach the trim and tombeaux.
The fez is blue felt with a blue tassel. The sash is the most unadorned
zouave sash I've ever seen. It's a 80" X 12" rectangle cut from blue
sack coat flannel without finished edges.
The trowsers are similar in cut to the traditional French pantaloons and
are identical in construction to the 5th NY pantaloons. These trowsers
are also marked SA and are completely hand sewn. The belt loops are (I
believe) post war additions.
Photos of Robert Ford Uniform:
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Closeup: inside of false vest |
Closeup: inside of false at pocket |
Closeup: back of zouave jacket |
Sideview of zoauve jacket with veteran service stripe on sleeve. |
Closeup: tombeaux on front of zouave jacket |
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Closeup: inside of jacket at several different wool dress materials |
Closeup of overall jacket detail, sewn at Schuylkill Arsenal, PA |
Closeup of blue sash (sackcoat wool flannel) |
Baggy Trousers Detail cut in traditional french pantaloons style identical in construction to the 5th NY |
Baggy Trousers Detail |
|
Closeup: Gaitors |
Zouave jacket on manikin for fit |
Closeup of Fez with Tassel |
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Websmith Note: Of interest is Robert Ford's burial in the same cemetery (Woodlawn Cemetery in Grove City, PA) as my great great grandfather, Col. Norman J. Maxwell of the 100th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry, "The Roundheads". Robert Ford died in 1915, Col. Maxwell in 1929. --David L. Welch