The nature of the warfare along the border made the regular gray Confederate uniform unrealistic. Out of necessity the guerrillas adopted a uniform consisting of a large and comfortable blouse that usually had two broad breast pockets. They were immediately recognizable, a distinguishing mark of these men. These guerrilla shirts also demonstrated a kind of flamboyance, pride, and esprit de-corps. In battle the soldiers would open their jackets to reveal the bright colored shirts and themselves as partisan rangers.

Guerrilla shirts were collarless and worn over homespun banded-collared shirts. They all had the same general pattern and cut. Long-waisted, they were gathered about the waist with either a pistol or knife belt. Where a collar would have been, many adoring mothers and sweethearts added patterns and designs of the individuals choosing. The shirts were also highly functional and practical. Designed for close pistol combat on horseback, they were made large enough to be nonbinding. The two large breast pockets were sewed at an angle, without pocket flaps, so the wearer could extract or dispose of extra pistol cylinders without difficulty. The prescribed uniform of the guerrilla was a black felt hat, the left brim of which was cocked and fastened to crown by a gold or silver crescent pin to which was suspended by a small cross; this pin also held in place a large black plume, which hung gracefully over the back rim; a red, black or any colorful over-shirt, the breast cut V shape and embroidered in colored flowers; the pants worn were of any dark material, the bottoms being stuffed inside cavalry boots; on the heel of each boot was buckled a Mexican spur.

Even though the Missouri guerrillas were fighting a classic guerrilla war, they  tried to adhere strictly to the rules of war. For guerrilla units to be recognized as accepted combat units, they had to meet certain criteria to be treated as prisoners of war if captured. Gen. Thomas Hindman was in charge of the district of the Trans-Mississippi Department, which included Missouri. The original wording of the Confederate Partisan Ranger Service Act stated that: Guerrilla soldiers must wear a fixed, distinctive sign recognizable at a distance. This was the stickiest point of all. Because the Confederate supply service in the Trans-Mississippi Department did not supply uniforms to partisan units they instead took advantage of the practicality of wearing scavenged Union uniforms. This served many purposes. They were able to operate behind the lines and could easily deceive the enemy. Oftentimes with Federal uniforms tied on the backs of their saddles whenever the enemy was sighted they would put on their uniforms and ride right up to enemy forces and shoot it out at close range. At other times when the anticipation of open combat offered itself the guerrillas would cast aside their Federal uniforms revealing their brightly colored "guerrilla shirts to distinguish friend from foe in the "fog of war." Oftentimes Missouri guerrillas would have their photographs taken in the Federal uniforms which were often captured in open combat and worn as trophies of war.

(Thank you Paul Petersen for this valuable information. Emory Cantey, Jr.)