| Occasionally we must report our adverse experiences in dealing with Civil War sutlers - passing on from the "school of hard knocks."
We ordered a book about the manufacture methods of Civil War footware from "In Touch With History, Civil War Bootmakers" at a price considerably more than $100. After numerous phone calls and many messages (including one to "all customers" pleading patience for the "slight delay" in filling orders), this company announced that their bootmaker departed and that they would not honor prior obligations to deliver goods contracted or refund payments made in advance as they required.
Another alert for the wary purchaser. When butternut shell jacket, pants, slouch hat, and shirt were ordered from Mercury Supply Company accurate measurements and standard "off-the-rack" size equivalents were provided. The shell jacket arrived late and oversized (size 48 vs. ordered size 42)with the sleeves sewn on the wrong sides; the shirt ordered as a brown and white check size Large arrived as an XXL dirty mustard and black hound's tooth check; the slouch hat arrived in a box marked "Indiana Jones Hat" and could not be reshaped. Mercury replaced the "Indiana Jones Hat" with a butternut kepi which arrived too small and falling apart, which was returned for a refund, but Mercury made no effort to "make good" on anything else. The 37th has received at least one other similar report.
Caveat emptor. |
