but they were also poorly uniformed. Clad in woolen navy-blue blouses and sky-blue trousers, the troops roasted in the summer and, because their overcoats were too thin, froze in the winter. Footwear was so crude that the right shoe could hardly be distinguished from the left. Regulation hats fell to pieces quickly, forcing many soldiers to buy civilian headwear out of their meager salaries. Shirts were blue, gray, or checked as suited the wearer. Cavalrymen wore loose handkerchiefs knotted under the neck. Most either padded the seats of their trousers with canvas or donned canvas pants or
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