The Guerrilla Shirt:

A Labor of Love and the Style of Rebellion in Civil War Missouri

            This journal references several notorious rebels in the Missouri region and points out specific reasons why the guerrilla fighters wore these flamboyant, sometimes even referred to as feminine shirts.  Many of the guerrilla fighters wore these very elaborate shirts to signify their relationships with the women that made them and to indirectly reflected there demeanor.  These shirts became known as “guerrilla shirts.”  Most of these shirts were hand made by family, loved ones, or women they encountered along their travels.  These shirts became a direct representation of each individual’s connection to a woman and were used as a way for the guerrilla’s to stand out amongst their peers.

            Everything about the guerrillas’ attire was very deliberate and served a functional purpose.  Most guerrilla shirts were homemade from a fairly thick wool material that held up well to the elements and rough terrain.  These shirts typically had two large pockets on the chest which were used for easily accessible ammunition and powder, and were long sleeve to help protect against mosquitoes.  Guerrilla shirts were decorated with brightly colored sewn flowers and vines.  It is estimated that most of these shirts would have cost between 15 and 20 dollars to make, which was extremely expensive for the time.

Most of the guerrillas wore these “guerrilla shirts” as an under layer so that they would not stand out from a distance.  They were generally covered by some type of overcoat, most commonly a union soldier’s coat they would have acquired after killing a soldier of similar build.  The guerrillas used the union overcoats to fool soldiers into thinking they were on the same side until they were close enough to attack the union soldiers.

The most notorious reference of a guerrilla shirt was photographed on the dead body of “bloody” Bill Anderson.  His body was stripped of his outer layers of clothing before being displayed to the public.  The shirt he was wearing at the time of his death was notably the most elaborate guerrilla shirt ever seen.  It was decorated with numerous very elaborate and colorful flowers.  His body was displayed publicly to mock the guerrilla society and show how unrefined and rough of characters that they typically were. 

 Beilein Jr., J. M. (2012). The Guerrilla Shirt. Civil War History, 58(2), 151-179.