Cover or Not?

[Pvt. Middleton]

I have been reading lately and trying to search for pictures of canteens. However I am still unassure of one question:

Were the majority of canteens carried by soldiers covered or simply left uncovered?

I mainly do an A.O.T impression and currently trying to get my equipment in line and up to par. I'm starting here, with my canteen. I've seen numerous pictures with them left uncovered and other with them covered. But what would be more predominate?

Any help, references, or pics are greatly appreciated.

Thank you all for your time,

Steve Middleton

[tsgalloway]

Re: Cover or Not?

Are you speaking about a US issued canteen such as the 1858 Smoothside?

[Pvt. Middleton]

Re: Cover or Not?

Yes and a C.S Issued Tin Drum canteen as well. What would be more appropiate? I've seen photos of the US 58' Smoothsides with covers but were they also without covers as well? And the photos of C.S Tin Drum Canteens I've seen largely are without a cover.

I'm just wanting to know what would be the best choice for either canteen.

Thank you

[Jimmayo]

Re: Cover or Not?

Fed canteens were supposed to be issued covered. Not so with the CS tin drum. I have seen several covered but they were likely private purchase. You can see them on this page.

http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/j_mayo/cscanteen.html

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Cover or Not?

Steve,
I have only seen 2 CS tin drums with covers (though I know there are more). There is a photo of one on these boards somewhere posted by the lads at WW and Co. The other one is in Brasseys uniforms of the confederacy. PVt Theophilus Luckie of the vaunted 6tH Florida is pictured with one. There are far more uncovered than covered, and would be more PEC.

As far as Federal goes, the canteens were issued with a cover, however many pictures of confederates show uncovered 1858s. Whether these were battlefield pick ups, cpatured US supplies that got issued through the CS depot system, or are a CS knock off is it not yet known to me.

[WoodenNutmeg]

Re: Cover or Not?

If it's your impression you're concerned with, only you can truly decide on how to carry your canteen; you can exemplify both covered and uncovered images, so ultimately the choice is yours.

[Pvt. Middleton]

Re: Cover or Not?

Thank you all so far for your imput and help. Jim I have viewed that particular website before and seen the canteens that are on that page. I was very particulary interested in the Tin Drum at the bottom of the page. And from what I've read and researched from this website along with other websites and read in books that the C.S Tin Drum wasn't covered. But I just wanted to see what would be the best to choose.

Thank you very much!

[fedcampaigner]

Re: Cover or Not?

Mr Middleton,

If you can, get ahold of quartermaster records for the particular unit you portray. This may shed some light on what was issued. Good luck in your research.

[Pvt. Middleton]

Re: Cover or Not?

I shall try to do that, Thank you very much!

[forrestcav]

Re: Cover or Not?

Federal canteens called for a cover of cheap kersey or jean. It is my understanding the dye was somewhat unstable and faded rather quickly to a brown color. Also remember it would have worn on the march and was also a readily available source of uniform patching material.

[PogueMahone]

Re: Cover or Not?

Mr Middleton,

If you can, get ahold of quartermaster records for the particular unit you portray. This may shed some light on what was issued. Good luck in your research.

And when he goes to an event where his "particular unit" was not present, will that research still be relevant?

Guidelines for the higher quality events are typically based on the units being portrayed during the portrayed timeframe. This requires a bit of flexibility on the part of the cph reenactor.

My advice to Mr. Middleton is to obtain well made reproduction canteens and covers and needle and thread. If his next event recommends canteens with no covers, then he can remove or leave off the cover. If it recommends covers, he can stitch it back on.

I am reminded of a high quality event that had unit specific guidelines and a registered participant showed up wearing a very expensive, well-researched, well-documented early war impression that had no hint of conforming to the event guidelines. He was asked to change into a conforming impression or leave. He had to escorted from the site. I doubt a tin drum canteen with a wool cover would get Mr. Middleton escorted from an event site, but the example represents how a unit specific impression fails the participant for some events.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Cover or Not?

Hallo!

Federal canteen covers can br a study by themselves.

While the canteen body and spout was subject to federal inspectors, for some odd reason the covers were not.

Perhaps solidfying practice, the 1865 Quartermaster regs called for the covers to be "...a coarse cheap woolen or wollen and cotton fabric.

Many of the early canteen covers were of satinette. As the pressing demands of the start of the War made shortages, cheaper materials were substituted even to the point of uniform wools and even striped furniture upholstery fabric.

Surveying surviving original canteens, roughly 75-80%ish are covered in jean dyed gray but sometimes faded into tans/browns likley due to cheap logwood dye.

The uncovered Federal canteens are interesting and probaqbly way underrepresented in the Hobby as they do show up in Period images. Whether that was inspector oversights or wink-and-nods, or possibly covered canteens that were uncovered is not known.
At any rate, IMHO, go with what research and documentation shows for the unit, time, and place of the impression.
(Failing that, choose form historically-correct options.)

And, of course, the Hobby has a bias against any dark blue, light blue, or striped etc. upholstery covers at all.

;) :)

Others' mileage will vary...

Curt

[Pvt. Middleton]

Re: Cover or Not?

Thank you all for the great information...I am currently in the process of procuring a Tin Drum canteen, but because of finances at the moment, I'm having to put it on hold.

Thank you all for the info!!