Civil War beards

The photo of Stonewall seems to have vanished. I'll post another

There are several reasons why beards such as these were common then.  Certainly fashion was one, but one main reason was, to shave meant using a "straight razor".  I don't know if anyone here has ever used one, or has tried to use one, but I have.  I can attest to the fact that even a well honed and "stropped" straight razor is a true test of ones ability to withstand pain.  And that was on a relatively smooth skinned face, which leads to another reason.  Many men of that time had scarring from diseases such as SmallPox.  Letting your beard grow not only saved you the pain and problem of shaving, but covered the scars as well.

Soldiers with badly scarred faces sometimes wore false beards (attached to spectacles) until the real one was thick enough

George Greene

William Hoffman


Edited by Nick1986 - 12-Dec-2012 at 14:49

John P Hatch - the inspiration for Colonel Sanders' beard?
http://badasscivilwarbeards.tumblr.com/post/29403575276/kfc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFy-yzj02FE

Since they only had straight razors then, obviously that was the only option for generations before Civil War soldiers grew beards. Is the whole "Civil War beard" style only called that because that's the first generation who were photographed with bushy beards?

Isn't it just as likely that as many Revolutionary soldiers, for instance, had big beards and scarred faces, but it's just that fewer portraits survived from their time?

Or was it really more of a style?

Location also probably played a part. Folk living in isolated areas (like fur trappers) would have allowed their beards to grow, unlike town and city dwellers who had access to barbers.

US Surgeon-General Clement Finley