Does your genealogy research include civil war ancestors? Why not dress yourself or your kids up in Civil War outfits this Halloween! Here's information on making a Civil War Soldier outfit.

First off, the shoes and pants. Those are easy. Union soldiers wore dark blue pants with a light blue stripe down the side. Confederates wore grey pants. In both cases just wear dark shoes or boots.

The jacket was a simple affair - blue for union, grey for confederate. The arms were straight, the center buttoned down with a series of gold buttons. You can see a variety of jackets and pants at this site, as well as buy ready-made outfits if you want!

Union and Confederate Soldier Uniforms

You can make most of the costume yourself, but having the perfect hat really makes the outfit shine. Here are a great collection of hats from the Civil War era.

Miller Hats

It can really help to watch Gone with the Wind and see the variety of outfits people wore during the Civil War. The movie is a classic in many ways!
Buy Gone with the Wind from Amazon.com

Thanks to guest writer Lisa Shea for this article. For those who are getting started in genealogy or need help in breaking down those brick walls, check out
my ebook Getting Started in Genealogy