Where to Wear Your Haversack & Canteen?

[Silas]

The ten mile march rule

Nothing shakes down your traps like a ten mile march. If your canteen or haversack bounce against your leg with every step, your straps are too long.

I use different haversacks depending on persona for the weekend and whether I'm carrying a knapsack or blanket roll. Slightly longer straps are welcome with the blanket roll as my total girth increases due to the rolled blanket and other things stowed therein.

You may be able to carry a blanket, shelter half and gum blanket, but could you do without one of those items? Before events, I'm always trying to decide how much is enough gear verses how much is too much.

I see you're with one of the 79th units. Which one? If you're with the Oregon unit, you'll learn something about weight as they undertake a 24 mile march to Ft. Stevens every Labor Day Weekend. Did it with them once during my early campaign days. Hard road the entire way. I was the only guy in brogans who did the entire march.

[JohnnyReb42k]

Another Question

Here is a question that might need to be answered on the position of the haversack. We all know that it should be worn above the waist. Now is it to be worn under the cartridge box sling and over the belt? Or is it to be worn over everything and then the knapack/blanket roll? This I have always wondered.

It seems to me that a full haversack needs to be secured from flopping all over on the march. And at the double quick it can be known to bounce about. Just a few observations.

[The Pigman]

Re: Were to wear-Haversack & Canteen?

I have said it before.

You would wear your equipment the way your sargent told you to not how you liked.

Remember you are in the Army.

Thanks,
Mark C. Foster
9Ky co C

[Jimmayo]

Re: Were to wear-Haversack & Canteen?

Put all your stuff on and take a 5 mile walk. You will arrive at the same conclusion as the original soldiers did. Wear it however it feels good and works for you. You will learn some lessons on this little stroll. Wear your canteen where you can easily take a drink. You don't need frequent access to your haversack so wear it under your canteen and out of the way. Height is up to you on both of these items. The cartridge box will find its way around your body and somewhere on your right butt, out of the way for marching where your arm will not hit it. If going into battle, it would be adjusted for easy access. Belt is usually worn high but photographic evidence shows some wearing it low. If you wear a knapsack or blanket roll you can adjust these as well.

Bottom line is to look at existing pictures of soldiers in the field. There is a great variation in the way equipment is being worn. It was up to the soldier.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Were to wear-Haversack & Canteen?

Before any one else posts "I like mine like this" or "I'm more comfortable with my haversack at my ankles", go to the link that Mr. Utter provided. It will tell you a lot about how these should be carried.

Also, if you wear your haversack strap under your belt, it sure makes it hard to get into when taking a break on the march. Yes, it may bounce around when full, but you have to take into account that we go into a weekend expecting to run, fight, fall down etc. That wasn't the case during the war. I would think it would be more important to get to an apple in your sack during a rest on the march than to worry about the potential that it might bounce against your hind-end if you had to double-time.

[Clark Badgett]

Re: Were to wear-Haversack & Canteen?

I have said it before.

You would wear your equipment the way your sargent told you to not how you liked.

Remember you are in the Army.

Thanks,
Mark C. Foster
9Ky co C

I don't seem to recall having read this type of sentiment from any American veteran, from any conflict. Also photo examination would easily render this statement false.

[Radical Unionist]

Cup on the haversack

What is the basis for the practice of strapping the cup to the front of the haversack? What and how much evidence is there for this practice?

Jeff Boorom

[RyanBWeddle]

Re: Cup on the haversack

What is the basis for the practice of strapping the cup to the front of the haversack? What and how much evidence is there for this practice?

Jeff Boorom

Check out some of those haversacks w/ cups....


From: LOC
TITLE: [Petersburg, Va. Federal soldiers removing artillery from Confederate fortifications]

IT WAS DONE! Imagine that.......
It is probably overdone by the mainstream reenacting community...

[markj]

Re: Cup on the haversack

Hi,

Look carefully at the famous Library of Congress image, showing three Confederate POWs posing by fence rails at Gettysburg, that you've seen a million times. The man on the left, who is apparently wearing a Federal issue shirt (!), has a large tin cup tied to the strap of his haversack. I might also add the man immediately to his left (your right) seems to be wearing army shoes with the heels cut down. I can't send an attachment right now to this forum but maybe some other kind soul will provide an enlarged section of the photo featuring these. If all else fails, you can e-mail me at:

markj@purdue.edu

and I'll send you a closeup of the photo in question.

Here's the bottom line. Simple logic indicates that if you carried a cup, you normally kept it where it would be easily accessible; especially since troops frequently boiled coffee during rest breaks while on the march. There is also plenty of evidence showing that troops frequently strapped cups to the rear of their knapsacks (lip down).

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[justthemiller]

Another Source of Information...

Hello All,

Another source to consider would be Billing's "Hardtack & Coffee." Although the author doesn't spell it out in so many words he basically states that indeed the cup was carried on the outside of the haversack, when it was full of several days rations. If you look at the photos that both Ryan & Mark spoke of you will see that the haversack is at least partially full of rations. It is when the haversack was less than full did the cup migrate to inside of the haversack in order to keep it at least somewhat clean from outside dirt and grime.

[Radical Unionist]

Re: Cup on the haversack

Well thanks guys,

I think the the Billings reference must be where the notion comes from. This must be one of the most blindly accepted practices in reenacting. I remembered a sketch of a small cup on a canteen stopper keeper, but that was all I could come up with off the top of my head. In some circles the practice was stopped years ago, but all I remember about that reason was that "we didn't want to sound like a bunch of tinkers coming down the road".

Jeff Boorom

[Silas]

Gilham's mentions attaching cups, but not on haversacks

In addition, every man should be supplied with a tin plate; quart cup with the handle well riveted on, so as to serve the soldier for making his coffee, etc., in case of necessity, as well as for an ordinary drinking cup; knife, fork, and spoon. The plate may be carried in the knapsack, or on the outside of it under the straps, or all the plates of the company may be packied in the camp-kettles; the cup may be carried on the waist belt, or on the knapsack strap and the knife, fork, and spoon should be carried in a leathern sheath which slips on to the waist felt, to be worn in front, and on the left of the centre of the body.

p. 643; para. 762.

Clearly cups were hung from haversacks, but when hung, they accumulate dirt, flaura and fauna. They keep cleaner when stuffed inside the haversack. Shove some of the haversack's contents into your cup so that the cup is not a complete space waster in that small bag.

[bonniegreenflag]

Re: Cup on the haversack

Well, your cup does collect dust but when mine gets dusty and full of crud, a srince of water works fine for me. I agree that the cup on the haversac is probably overdone. Of course this brings up another point-many reenactors are afraid of stuff in thier food or drink-IT WONT HURT YOU. Most people reading this have the same opinion-pick that worm and mud out and your ok.

Andrew McQuillen

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Cup on the haversack

The biggest problem I have with the cup on the haversack trick, is that it wraps against the knuckles and musket of the man in the next rank.

[marlin teat]

Re: Cup on the haversack

A very important motivation for a lot us on the authentic side is to not only look like the soldiers we represent, but to think like them. As well documented as their lives are, there are going to be times when we have to put ourselves in their shoes. This is one of the prime reasons for immersion events.

Take a correct haversack and fill it with the correct items, including cup and rations. You will be surprised how little room there is until you've consumed some of the rations. I have a Cavanaugh haversack and a W.V.M. cup that I use for late war Fed. The cup handle isn't connected at the bottom making it impossible to hang from my haversack. I got tired of stuffing a poke bag of rice, etc., in the cup then in the bag only to drag it out every time I needed my cup. I took a square nail, punched a hole in the handle and looped some string so I could hang the cup from my belt, blanket roll, or haversack. I have absolutely no documentation on this but it works.

In short what I'm trying to say is that we should make full use of the wealth of information that is available. But there are going to be times that we have to say to ourselves, based on research and experimentation, "This is how I would have done it."