CS Drum Canteen

[53rdNC]

Hey, I had a question about canteens. I recently got a drum canteen, and I was wondering if soldiers ever put covers on them. I did a little bit of research and I didn't find any with covers. Would it be accurate to have a cover on my canteen? Thanks a lot.

[Silas]

Re: CS Drum Canteen

I did a little bit of research and I didn't find any with covers. Would it be accurate to have a cover on my canteen? Thanks a lot.

In general, your research should determine what you do. You'll be hard pressed to get a definitive answer whether it is correct or incorrect to cover a tin drum. If you look hard enough, you might find evidence of originals which had covers applied sometime during the useful life of the canteens. You'll always find exceptions to general rules or practices ; however, you shouldn't ignore the weight of evidence. Think, jaguar pants. Well, maybe not that rare, but you get the idea.

When you want to perform some practice and cannot find support for said practice, maybe you shouldn't perform the practice. If you find someone in the regiment or company you portray primarily, it could easily be justified for you to perform a practice. But when everyone in your reenacting company performs the practice, you've made something unique into something common and created an inaccuracy out of something which had been accurate. Sometimes it's easier and more accurate to stick with the rule of PEC : plain, everyday and common.

[roundshot]

Re: CS Drum Canteen

Cloth covered CS drum canteens are not unknown and are frequently see in images and museum collections. There is one on Jim Mayo's fine site: http://www.angelfire.com/ma4/j_mayo/cscanteen.html
Several other examples are in McDonnell and Sylvia's "Civil War Canteens." If anything, I would opine this is an item that is way under-represented and that we should see more of. You can see another example here: http://www.historicalimagebank.com/g...m62/?g2_page=2

[FloridaConscript]

Re: CS Drum Canteen

There are images of Johnnies with covered tin drum canteens. most are early war ( like most studio images). Theo. Luckie of the 6th florida comes to mind.

[53rdNC]

Re: CS Drum Canteen

Alright, Thanks for your help! I appreciate it a lot.