Ground cloth usage

[CompanyWag]

Re: Ground cloth usage

Regarding whether it is more correct to carry only one wool and one gum blanket, consider this...

My old pard, Scott Cross, long ago had mentioned a reference he came across while researching his history of the 5th Kentucky Infantry. In it, an officer from one of the brigades of the old 20th Corps recalled an order issued at the beginning of the Tullahoma Campaign limiting each man to carry only one blanket...either the wool or rubber. That officer also related that those who elected to carry the rubber blanket instead of the wool were thankful as they found it easier to stay dry and warm during that campaign.

Just a little food for thought.

Paul McKee

[WoodenNutmeg]

Re: Ground cloth usage

Union Infantryman - 1862

[Silas]

Re: Ground cloth usage

That corporal looks like a thin verson of Si Klegg "ready for the march."

[Rhinevalleylad]

Re: Ground cloth usage

Bryan,
beside the packed Knapsack with the gumblanket on top -
there is an interesting Haversack.
I can not see any roller buckle closure.
Any ideas about what modell it is ??
Is this an identified pic?

Regards

Ingo Rolletter
5th Va Inf (Germany)

[WoodenNutmeg]

Re: Ground cloth usage

I am afraid I have no more information other than what the photo's caption reads, which is: "Union Infantryman - 1862". I agree that the haversack is an interesting one; if there is a roller buckle, it's internal. It is a photo that I have always had on my desk, as something about the image draws me deeply.

[CompanyWag]

Re: Ground cloth usage

The haversack in the above photo strikes me as a commercially-produced officer model made of oil cloth with cloth edge binding...though the size seems a bit larger than most officer models. The strap and buckle on some commercial haversacks is often located under the outside flap. Nice image.

Back to the original question: an old pard of mine took to the habit of carrying 2 gum blankets in addition to the wool...and sometimes 2 shelter halves. Though I admit there were times the extras came in handy in particularly foul weather, I've always felt the practice was excessive and completely a reenactorism...especially considering the Tullahoma Campaign reference I cited above.

Paul McKee

[ScottCross]

Re: Ground cloth usage

Regarding whether it is more correct to carry only one wool and one gum blanket, consider this...

My old pard, Scott Cross, long ago had mentioned a reference he came across while researching his history of the 5th Kentucky Infantry. In it, an officer from one of the brigades of the old 20th Corps recalled an order issued at the beginning of the Tullahoma Campaign limiting each man to carry only one blanket...either the wool or rubber. That officer also related that those who elected to carry the rubber blanket instead of the wool were thankful as they found it easier to stay dry and warm during that campaign.

Just a little food for thought.

Paul McKee

Comrade McKee is correct. The quote comes from Letters of Captain Henry Richards of the 93rd Ohio Infantry, Wrightson & Company: Cincinnati, 1883, pp. 15. Richards notes that on June 30, 1863, that while at Manchester, Tennessee, knapsacks were ordered to the rear and that the men were allowed only, "one blanket, either woolen or rubber. All chose the rubber, and you may rest assured that many a poor fellow in this army has reason to bless the one who introduced them." Richards' letters are wealth of litle hints to soldiers and provide great insight to what a soldier should cary.

If anyone has carried a single blanket, rubber blanket, and shelter half on a twenty mile march, as some of us have, they will know that the load is plenty without adding more to it. The veteran's accounts are overwhelming in that regard.;)

[OldKingCrow]

Re: Ground cloth usage

The rubber blanket seems logical for June Tennessee weather.

I am not certain the choice would of been the same say in December or February.

[Silas]

Re: Ground cloth usage

That lingering pair of questions is on the mind of any veteran campaigner : (1) How much is enough? (2) How much is too much?

My next event is Piney Woods. Although I'm going to bring a blanket, gum and shelter to the event, I'm likely only to carry two of the three items. A gum by itself would be great in June, the time of the Tullahoma Campaign. However, Piney Woods is March which has a somewhat different weather pattern. Although I'll bring all three to the event, the final decision on which two will certainly be made at the last second. If it's dry, it's cold. The wool blanket supplemented by some canvas will be more in need. If it's wet, it's warmer. I'll have less need for the wool and will carry the gum plus some canvas instead. Or then again, mayby I'll carry the wool plus canvas like I did last time.

As much as I like the versitility of gum blankets, they are heavy on the march. Last time, I carried a blanket and a piece of canvas. I was fine for all but one night when I - and just about everyone else - froze.

I posted a link to the results of the experiment on knapsack weight because it presents a pretty good idea about what folks carried when they commenced the campaign and what they possessed after completing the campaign. The returns from the various quartermasters immediately after the campaign are worth their weight in gold to campaigners today.