Civil war pictures: hand in jacket?
I’m reading a Smithsonian article about the Civil War (or War of Northern Aggression, if you prefer). In nearly all formal pictures of the men of the time, the man has his right hand tucked into his jacket or tunic. What is the basis of that custom?
Blame it on Napoleon. At the beginning of the Civil War, the “classic” models of war were almost exclusively influenced by Napoleon. Gen. Lee was a devotee. Gen Grant eventually pushed the style of combat to the “industrial revolution” slaughter the war eventually became. However, the affectation in question was distinctly Napoleon’s.
