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The Myth of the White Canvas Haversack
By Scott Cross
Originally Published in “The Company Wag”, Volume 7, August 1993, p. 13
Updated December 9, 2005
My original intention when I started writing this article was to document original specimens of the smaller white haversack, which many Civil War Living Historians had commonly referred to as ‘Rice Bags’. I was also hoping to show evidence of their use in the field by Federal soldiers. As the title of this article suggests, I discovered just the opposite.
About 1983 these small white haversacks began to appear in the ranks of Thomas’ Mudsills. At that time we believed that soldiers used to store their spare shirts, socks, tobacco, and personal items in these so-called ‘Rice Bags’. We also thought that these were carried in addition to the regulation black tarred haversack. This myth was perpetuated when several of us began reproducing them from the originals in our own collections…myself included.
I began by examining three original artifacts. All of them have the same basic dimensions: 49” strap, 10” deep, 10” wide. They are all constructed out of the same heavy canvas, machine stitched, hand worked button holes, two bone buttons securing the flap, two small bone buttons to secure the liner (sometimes also referred to as a rice bag), and a 1” herringbone tape along the inside edge of the flap.
What bothered me was the fact that one of the haversacks was clearly stamped, “STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, PASSED AND ACCEPTED.” Another specimen had part of this same stamp legible, while the other one is unmarked. One had an exterior identification to a Rhode Island unit, and one recently on the market was identified to a New Jersey unit. These same types of haversacks appear on collector’s catalogs for sale as “State of Massachusetts Militia Haversacks.”
But I had to ask myself the question, “what about the usage of white canvas haversacks in the that were used by Federal Armies?” A photograph of Company C, 84th Illinois Infantry, IV Army Corps, taken in 1864 just prior to the Atlanta Campaign, definitely shows some of them wearing white haversacks. However, close examination shows that these are much larger than the Massachusetts haversacks. These look like regulation haversacks without the tar. Lieutenant Wilbur F. Hinman, in his popular book, “Si Klegg and his Pard Shorty,” wrote:
“There were haversacks and then there were haversacks… Some of them were white; that is to say, they were white when new. By the time one of these had been in use for a few weeks… it took on the appearance of a printing office towel. The only superiority of the haversack made of the black material lay in the fact that the effects were not so plain to the eye.”
After examining all the facts, it becomes quite evident that carrying one of these Massachusetts Militia haversacks is as authentic to a Federal impression as carrying a Zouave Rifle. Authentic Campaigners’ rule of thumb has to be, “If you can’t document it, don’t use it!” There is even a question as to whether they were used in the Eastern Theatre of the war except by a few state militia units. So what do you do with your extra shirt, socks, cards and tobacco? Do what they did. Throw it in your knapsack; roll it up in your blanket roll and stuff the rest of it in your pockets. You may look a bit lumpy with your pockets bulging…but so did they.
Since the publication of the original article in 1993, more evidence has come to light. Long time researcher, author, and Civil War historian Larry Strayer came upon documentation that these small white canvas haversacks were indeed contracted by the state of Massachusetts in the 1870s! These alleged Civil War Haversacks continue to appear on the collector’s market as authentic Civil War artifacts, collecting a premium price. I will try to post this documentation in another post.
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