Mosquito nets

[Dale Beasley]

Re: Mosquito nets

Michael,

I may have, I may have propped it up by folding it. I only carried a blanket to sleep on. I carried and slept under a light cotton sheet, mostly for protection. Slept near a river tooo many times.

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Mosquito nets

Friends,

There is an orignial mosquito net identified to an officer from the 12th Maine Infantry being sold by the Horse Soldier. I tried reproducing one based on this original but could not locate the exact type of thin cotton material that comprises the net. It's essentially a gauze cloth "box" measuring 85" by 25", edged with tape along the edges. A 100-foot long section of 1/8" hemp cord was fitted along the upper edge of the netting and tied to some kind of frame or bracing support which gave the netting shape.

The photographs aren't great but here they are with a description for those who are interested. It's the last item on the page.

http://http://www.horsesoldier.com/c.../g0015028.html

[Marine Mike]

Re: Mosquito nets

Brian link went off to lala land when I tried it. Check this folder at THE HORSE SOLDIER
Identified Items
Type: Miscellaneous Personal Items
and it's still at the bottom.

[pirateCSA]

Re: Mosquito nets

There is an original in th eNational Civil War museum in harrisburg, PA. I found material that works great for a mosquito net. There is a photo in Commanders of the Civil War by William C. Davis and Russ A. Pritchard of two federal officers sitting infront of an "A" frame tent in the field. Inside the tent is a makeshift bed out of logs with uprights on each corner. The whole bed is draped with a sheer plaid material. I have made a bed just like it for when Im on Division Staff. I would say the mosquito net could be any material that dosent smother you while you sleep. The uprights are a must.

Bobby Small

[Michael Comer]

Re: Mosquito nets

Here in SE Missouri along the Mississippi the mosquitoes are atrocious and were more so then since the area swamps still existed. I did find a newspaper illustration of a bushwhacker being captured here in the New Madrid area. He was depicted being caught while in his bedroll. The illustration showed basically a very large net with nothing but a rope or heavy twine between two bushes to serve as a ridgepole. The netting in the illustration was very large so I suppose it could be used to fit a number of different instances and locations.