"Schuylkill Arsenal" Discription 1861 LONG

[Horace]

Re: "Schuylkill Arsenal" Discription 1861 LONG

This was the period when it became readily apparent to the government that Schuylkill could not possibly keep up with the new demand and spawned a network of clothing depots throughout the north.

It hadn't even occurred to me that the other arsenals weren't established at this point.

I read about arsenals shipping to each other occasionally to make up deficits. From what little I understand about it, it seems that there's no way to verify the practice one way or the other.

I just wonder about geeky stuff like whether a Hoosier would wind up carrying a McCombs shelter half or a Pennsylvanian being issued a Cincinnati Depot canteen, as the war progressed.

[RN_PAC]

Re: "Schuylkill Arsenal" Discription 1861 LONG

Altho' the thread has shifted focus (I'm not complaining; just acknowleging), here is a photo of some double bell tents in use at Camp Hamilton by the 5th NY that I posted here about 5 years ago. One can see where the journalist might describe the poles as being used to "keep the 'windows' up"...

[Hargis, G. 5 A-1]

Re: "Schuylkill Arsenal" Discription 1861 LONG

This news piece is a fascinating read.
The part about what was shipped where was doubtless read with interest in Richmond.
(Loose lips and all that sort of thing)

Hargis, G., 5 A-1

[RevWarTaylor]

Re: "Schuylkill Arsenal" Discription 1861 LONG

Tom

Those tents look really neat and thanks for sharing that images. They look very early 19th Century, Napoelonic or something.

Neal

[briangauthier]

Re: "Schuylkill Arsenal" Discription 1861 LONG

How many times have you noticed modern journalists screwing up in telling the details of a story? I would take some of the detailed specifics of this account only with a grain of salt, especially coming from a period newspaper account. I think the writer was trying to paint with a broader brush so to speak. Canton flannel shirts, footmen's pantaloons of plain bluish black cloth, ordnance coats trimmed in light yellow, etc could all be an outsider's incorrect assumptions or outright journalistic error. He did get enough of the details right, however.

Paul McKee

Paul,

Having done little bit of research into wartime journalism, I think you are very correct in assuming that the journalistic excellence we have come to expect was lacking in the 1860's. However, he does, as some have noted, hit the nail right on the head with some of his details. Would it not be prudent to assume that he, being probably more familiar with different types of flannel than most of us are, correctly identify Canton flannel in the Arsenal because he was used to seeing it elsewhere? I know that often times, newspaper men painted fanciful pictures to sell their stories (see Bohemian Brigade)
but I also know that more often than not, when a detail was of note to the trained eye, it could often be assumed to be correct. Why would he write a semi-fictional account of the inner workings of the SA? Just my two cents. Please don't take this as the gospel truth. Just wanted to add to the discussion.

Sincerely and apologetically,