13050 U.S. Marine Dress Uniform 1859

This Marine is in the full dress uniform as he might appear at the Washington Navy Yard prior to the American Civil War. The full length frock coat is made of blue broadcloth with red piping, something that lives on today with the U.S. Marine full dress “Blues” and was inspired by French military fashion. All enlisted ranks wore brass scale epaulettes, similar to those of the U.S. Army Dress uniform. The shako is also of a French pattern made of fabric covered pasteboard, trimmed with leather with woolen Pom-pom above a brass plate. He is armed with an M1855 .58 caliber rifled percussion musket, one of the first three U.S. arms specifically designed for the use of the Minié ball (bullet), mounting an 18-inch long steel socket bayonet.