Every “Movember,” dudes worldwide grow mustaches (and more) to support the foundation dedicated to fighting prostate cancer. But in the history of military grooming standards, few cohorts can hang with that of the Civil War. Check out these looks that would make a modern-day hipster weep:
1. Gen. George McClellan
McClellan may have been timid with sealing the deal against the Confederacy at Antietam, but he was full tilt when it came to styling this ‘stache and soul patch combo.
2. Maj. Gen. Alfred T. A. Torbert
3. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart
4. Gen. George Armstrong Custer
Custer was known for his golden locks, mercurial disposition, and his killer ‘stache right up to the point when he took an arrow or two at Little Big Horn.
5. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman
Sherman was rocking his “rough night in Atlanta” look in this shot. His beard grooming technique was replicated by Bradley Cooper in “American Sniper.”
6. Gen. Lew Wallace
7. Maj. Gen. George Crook
8. Gen. Joshua Chamberlain
He came to the Army by way of a career as an educator, so it’s no surprise that Chamberlain cold schooled his fellow officers in ‘Stache 101 during his days as a Union general.
9. Gen. Ambrose Burnside
Burnside is the namesake of the — wait for it — sideburn. Pure genius. And that medal adorning his chest is most certainly for “visage gallantry in the face of extreme danger.”
