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I am General Grant's height, weight and body style, so when you see me, you're looking
at General Grant. I'm the first person to hold the rank of Lieutenant
General since George Washington. President Lincoln actually had an act of Congress to
resurrect the rank of Lieutenant General. Now, allow me to take off my coat.
Since wristwatches weren't invented until 1896, if you could afford a watch - and very
few men could afford a watch - you had a pocket watch.
Now you know it as a vest, but it was called a waistcoat.
Belt loops weren't invented until during or after the Civil War, so you had to have suspenders
to hold your trousers up. Now, suspenders were considered part of your
underwear and it was unthinkable for a man to be seen in public with his suspenders exposed.
I have on cavalry boots. It protects your leg from branches and sticks as you ride through
the brush. They're also not right or left. They're straight.
Right and left shoes did not come into existence until at the end of and after the Civil War.
This is very heavy-grade wool - 100 percent wool and yes, it does get hot.
So my uniform is absolutely authentic. General Grant could wear this uniform.