Rawhide knapsacks

[Robby Stokes]

Hello all,
I tried the search function but could not find what I was looking for, if I missed it you can kindly point me in the right direction and I'll be on my way!
In cadet grey and butternut brown it references a letter from a soldier in the 95th I'll INF. The soldier, referring to Confederate prisoners from the battle of Corinth, describes their knapsacks as being made of rawhide with the hair on the outside.
This description causes me to think immediately of the Rev war British knapsack or oversized haversack if you will. That pack rather being outdated by the mid 19th century I can't help but wonder how these knapsacks were constructed. I would imagine a single bag knapsack with two shoulders straps like other regulation knapsacks but am I assuming wrong?
Any help is greatly appreciated especially if someone has an original image of one!

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Rawhide knapsacks

Hallo!

Since the words are inadequate to know what the knapsack were or we like...

In my Mind's Eye I would envision, on an unfounded WAG, that they may have been more "hard shell" or box type than the soft bag long haired goat fur of early British infantry or artillery knapsacks.

I would suspect, may be even expect, that the hard shell pack tradition of the previous fifty-some previous years (ex: "Mex War" knapsacks, militia, War of 1812, etc) could have served as a generic model to copy.

Not "sayin," just "talkin.'"

"Rawhide" itself as a word is often misused ranging from raw hides that had been fleshed and allowed to dry to what was once called "Indian dressed" or "half dressed." (Rawhide that has not been tanned, or smoked, dries hard and stiff.. and even if broken down it- when wetted it will revert back to being hard.)

Curt

[Robby Stokes]

Re: Rawhide knapsacks

Hmm I do see your point there. Hadn't thought of the hard pack or internal frame option. And the reason for my interest is I happen to have a whole cowhide that has been untanned and rather stiff. Never knew what I might do with it until now. Kinda thought the soft pack would be slightly more expedient to produce as the use of rawhide instead of properly tanned leather seems to suggest expediancy at least to me. For lack of any more info I may look at making a Mexican war pattern out of it. Since those pattern packs have been confirmed in use I can at least get as close to correct as possible!

[KevinBarnes]

Re: Rawhide knapsacks

My first thought is of European knapsacks that were fur covered like that. France and Germany used them I believe.

Like Curt said, its impossible to know what it could be but cowhide was often used in other countries up to World War 1. It could have been a locally made militia pack or even something imported from France. We'd never know. I also agree with Curt that a hard frame knapsack, and not the Rev war bag, is much more likely