Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

[GWagner]

From Phillip Katcher's "The Army of Robert E Lee:"

“Very few of them carry a knapsack, but most a haversack and blanket…many of the blankets are made of old carpet, with very gay colours and almost all have a hole in the middle, through which a man inserts his head when the weather is cool, or when it rains….and the effect is marvelously picturesque, especially when you see them lying or squatting down in groups round a fire cooking their meals.”

This was written by an Austrian Officer visiting the ANV in late 1863.

Thoughs?

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

I have long felt that ingrain carpets used as blankets are very underrepresented among reenactors, farb, mainstream, progressive, and hardcore alike. This simply underscores that fact, as well as giving some new perspectives on the practical ways that blankets, as well as clothing and equipment, were modified for practical reasons by gents with a lot of horse-sense.

The reason for the under-representation is simple:
Every price out a $ection of carpet?

http://www.familyheirloomweavers.com/ingraincarpetpatterns.html

[GWagner]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

I thought the part about almost all having a hole for the head...like a poncho... was interesting.

Has anyone ever seen any photo evidence of this?

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

I thought the part about almost all having a hole for the head...like a poncho... was interesting.

Has anyone ever seen any photo evidence of this?

Nothing photographic, but it sure seems like there is a sketch somewhere that shows this. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find something.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

The quote is from FitzGerald Ross's Cities and Camps of the Confederate States.

[markj]

Jackson, Mississippi, "Weekly Mississipian," 12 November 1862

An Appeal to the Ladies of Jackson and surrounding Country.

The following named gentlemen have been appointed agents of the Government to aid in procuring covering for our soldiers. They therefore earnestly appeal to the ladies to cut up their yarn carpets, 2 1/4 yards in length [81 inches], 1 1/2 [yards] [54 inches] in width, bind, hem, or whip the edges, to keep from raveling, whipping is most easily done. Send them to the house of Geo. Fearn & Co. with the name attached, where the party will be liberaly [sic] paid. Thread will be furnished there to those who may not have it. We want blankets and comforts, and must have them, or our men must suffer.--
Will all the ladies again go to work and [at] that immediately?

T. W. CASKEY,
GEO. FEARN,
W. P. HARRIS,
C. B. DICKSON,
THOS. GREEN,
REESE HATCHER.

(note: I'm working from memory, but Jackson, Mississippi contributed companies to several ANV regiments including, as I recall, the 13th Mississippi)


************
(extract from undated newspaper clipping in my collection--probably from the 24 February 1862 Lafayette, Indiana "Daily Courier." The following describes POWs of the 32nd and 41st Tennessee, captured at Fort Donelson, upon arriving in Lafayette, Indiana to be temporarily interned there)

HOW THEY LOOKED.

The majority were young men—pale, beardless youths—mere boys. Each had more or less equippage [sic] of the second hand variety store pattern, and nearly all were provided with quilts, horse covers, pieces of carpet, or some sort of apology for a soldier's blanket. A few had overcoats. Butternut jeans, faded, soiled and seedy, was the only attempt at uniform, save a dozen or fifteen, who had on blue frocks with buff colored cuffs, the training day uniform of some holiday soldiery while on peace footing. They were remarkably well shod. There were hats of all styles and rimless caps were without number. Every third man had among his traps an old-fashioned skillet of the hoe-cake pattern. One fellow had a pet kitten. Hereby hangs a tail, but it was a very short one. A part of it, he said, was shot away at the siege of Fort Donelson. Running an old saw, the fellow remarked, with dry humor, that he would have the kitten retailed at the first opportunity.***

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[Utley]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

The sketch that immediately came to mind for me was the sketch of the Confederates taken prisoner following the fall of Fort Donelson. I always thought it was very interesting the way most of them are wearing their blankets in "poncho" fashion, even that early in the war.

[zeked45]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

where would be the next best place to purchase carpet instead of from family weavers. their product looks excellent and i would love to get it from there but its just a little out of my price range.:wink_smil.

[rogue]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

In some old issue of Military Images there was a photo of American prisoners taken by the Mexican army during the Mexican War. Several of the Americans were wearing what appeared to be the ingrain carpet ponchos. I cannot lay hands on this issue now, but it does show use of the carpet as a blanket some decades before Civil War use.
S.Sullivan

[PanzerJager]

Here's a few examples of blankets being worn as ponchos in the camp douglas photo here:

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/10434.html

There are probably more but I just did a quick scan as I;m at wokr at the moment.

regards,

[Busterbuttonboy]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

JR Burrows & Company offers some carpeting as well.

http://www.burrows.com/index.html

Drew Gruber

[csuniforms]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

From Cadet Gray and Butternut Brown p. 75, "Carpet Blankets were also manufactured by the Quartermaster Department. An 1863 ledger entry for the Atlanta Depot stated 20, 559 yards of carpeting were in storage for making blankets."

CSuniforms
Tom Arliskas

[Busterbuttonboy]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

A provost guard of the 9th Corp commented on Johnnys taken prisoner on March 25th after their assault on Ft Stedman. "These looked brown and athletic, but had the most matted hair, tangled beards and slouch hats, and the most astounding carpets, horse-sheets and transmogrified shelter-tents for blankets, that you ever imagined." Pg 352. The Last Citadel.

Most Respectfully
Drew A Gruber

[swankgreg]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

These are from "Eyewitness at the Battle of Fort Donelson" by David R. Logsdon, and speak more to the array of coverings used by the surrendering confederates.

Col. Charles Whittlesey, 20th Ohio
" Their clothing was thin and ragged, grey and butternut predominating, but all the colors of Joseph's coat were seen. For blankets they carried square pieces of carpet, comforters and coverlets, from many a home...Some who were destitue of these carried feather beds on their backs."

These quotes come from Charles Coffin who was a war correspondent for the Boston Journal.

" Some were wrapped in old patched bedquilts which had covered them at home. Some had white blankets, made mostly of cotton. Others wore bright bocking, which had evidently been furnished from a merchant's stock. One had a threadbare piece of carpet."

"There were all sorts of uniforms, brown colored predominating, as if they... had been rolled in tobacco dust. there was sheep gray, iron gray, blue gray, dirty gray, with bed blankets, quilts, buffalo robes, pieces of carpeting of all colors and figures, for blankets."

I thought the mention of feather beds and buffalo robes to be interesting!

[LWhite64]

Re: Interesting Quote on Blankets in the ANV

There is a good sketch of Fort Donelson POWs and it shows them. A copy can be seen on page 30 of Cadet Gray and Butternut Brown.

Lee