Then there was a dressy air about the Army of the Potomac that was wholly wanting in the soldiers serving west of the Alleghanies.
The Army, of the Potomac was always near to its base of supplies, always had its stores accessible, and the care of the clothing and equipments of the men was an essential part of its discipline.

A ragged or shabbily dressed man was a rarity.

Dress coats, paper collars, fresh woolen shirts, neat-fitting pantaloons, good comfortable shoes, and trim caps or hats, with all the blazing brass of company letters an inch long, regimental number, bugle and eagle, according to the Regulations, were as common to Eastern boys as they were rare among the Westerners.
The latter usually wore blouses, instead of dress coats, and as a rule their clothing had not been renewed since the opening, of the campaign -- and it showed this.

Those who wore good boots or shoes generally had to submit to forcible exchanges by their captors, and the same was true of head gear.

The Rebels were badly off in regard to hats.