Knapsacks & Blanket Rolls Redeux

[Michael McComas]

Re: Asbestos Groundcloths

Yep, and mesothelioma. You don't want to breathe the stuff. The problem with asbestos insulation was that it was sprayed in, and readily became an airborne dust. I don't know if asbestos cloth poses as great a risk, but it has largely been supplanted by man-made fire-proof fibers, like Zytex.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Asbestos Groundcloths

Mr. Jerram

Excellent post!

Yes it does cause cancer, I had a former coworker that retired in late November die a few days ago due to cancer caused by asbestos. When he hired out on the railroad in his late teens his job was to replace asbestos bricks in the fireboxes of steam locomotives.

Does anyone have any information on the manufacture of asbestos cloth? My understanding is that it is woven from a clay.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

Tarnished buttons, What CS jacket should I wear for X, and defarbed muskets are a couple of mine.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Two gum blankets??

What Troy and I are trying to do here is keep the historical documentation coming and the "If they had it they would have used it" mentality posts to a minimum.

Keep the historical accounts coming.

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

The tarred, oiled or enameled cloth questions.

[Becky Morgan]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

Blanket roll how-tos
Children's clothing
Ladies' shoes

As you say, they're not dumb questions, only repetitive.

--Becky Morgan

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Two gum blankets??

I tried to answer a simple question with a simple answer, but I should have known better. There are no simple questions or answers and the simplest inquiry leads immediately to a consideration of one's entire philosophy of reenacting.

When we try to determine whether a particular aspect of an impression works for a scenario we need to consider both specific and general documentation. Specific documentation in this case would include a QM return for the unit you are portraying relevant to the event you are attending, a contemporary journal entry, or an equivalent objective original source.

But we don't always get that lucky, so how do you draw the line between doing something because it's right or just because you want to? Or how do you decide that what you want to do is probably right?

In the case of the original question in this thread, here are some thoughts relevant to a Federal impression:

The principal depots purchased about 3.4 million rubber or painted blankets and ponchos during the war (OR, Series III, Vol. 5, p. 285). These were not issued during the entire war -- they did not become a regular item Federal QM issue until late in 1861 at the earliest (Woshner's book excerpts a letter from Meigs to Stanton on the question from, I believe, November). From the citation earlier in this thread, it's clear that some western units didn't get them until late in 1862.

The total of 3.4 million does not include state or personal purchases. Some volunteers in 1861 had state-provided rubber or gutta percha blankets (and knapsacks). Some soldiers purchased them on their own (William Clayton in A Damned Iowa Greyhound writes home for one in 1862; interestingly, he records the first issue of shelter tents in June, 1863 -- with poles, but more than a year after eastern units received the tent d'abri).

We do not know how many of the 3.4 million rubber/painted blankets/ponchos wore out in service, were lost or stolen, or ended up in Confederate hands. The raw production numbers and the period over which they were issued give me the impression that having more than one would not be uncommon for a Federal soldier later in the war somewhere near a railhead.

If you're a veteran volunteer, just returned from your 30 day furlough home, having banked the first installment of your $400 Federal reenlistment bounty (and maybe up to a thousand from your state and locality), you might have all sorts of goodies, at least for a while.

If you're in garrison or winter camp you will probably have more than if you're on the march.

You will probably have more on you at the beginning of a campaign than at the end, although as you get further into a campaign and more people die, you may be able to get more of their stuff, if you have the money to buy it and think you can carry it.

You will probably have more if you're on the Overland Campaign in mid-64 than in the Carolinas in early '65, unless in the latter case you're coming in from the coast.

So the decision of what to carry must be based on who, when, and where you are. It will also help if you make the decision based on some first-hand experience with actually carrying and using the stuff. The important thing is that you as a living historian know why you have what you have and how you got it. There's probably nothing less authentic than to make that decision based simply on someone else's opinion. If you do your homework, that won't be an issue.

[Charles Heath]

Re: Two gum blankets??

Folks,

Resist the urge. You know you want to post it as bad as I want to post it, but resist the urge.

[toptimlrd]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

Would xyz article of clothing be correct for MY impression. (Question a unit should answer)

Is there any documentation for my obscure habit of carrying a (fill in the blank). (Usually trying to justify what they are already doing that is not PEC nor well documented)

[Charles Heath]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

The whole genre of "how popular wazzit" questions.

[paulcalloway]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

The whole genre of "how popular wazzit" questions.

Ah yes, good point. Perhaps even a general treatrise on "if they'd a had it they'd a used it".

[Chris Suppelsa]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

Who makes the best X?

[paulcalloway]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

FAQ crazies:
Aren't those clothes hot? Were you in the Civil War? Which side are you on? Are those guns real? Are we there yet? Who's Will? Fire in the hole?! You mean you slept on the ground with just a blanket? Who won? If they are cavalry then where are the horses? Nobody will know the difference will they?
mike boyd redroosterinalabama

Right before or while on Picket Duty...Do we get to shoot the musket? Are we raiding the the other camp? What are we suppose to do?

Hold up - we're going in the wrong direction now. We're looking for questions that reenactors ask when they first join this forum and/or the progressive movement.

We'll leave the general reenacting FAQ to our good friends at cwreenactors:

[Spinster]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

Paul,

I've had to literally do the "this is a needle, this is the end you thread, this is how you thread it" talk on more than one occassion, for a feller with a perfectly good , well made, well stocked housewife in his hands. Usually happens with the Hardcore for Christmas sort of feller.

A FAQ on proper hand sewing threads and needles, how to do a running stitch, how to do a period mend, how to sew on a button would be a good thing.

Bust the 'ragged rebel' sort of thing yet another time as well--no man with the means to fix his clothing, and the time to do so would have gone around with the knees out or the shoulder ripped for more than a day or so. This skill was common knowledge of the time, and we should expect that knowledge in our own ranks, just as surely as a man should know how to load his weapon and cook his rations.

[JimKindred]

Re: Frequently asked questions that drive you batty

How do you ship a musket through UPS or the USPS?

This question comes up on this forum about every six months and I feel at times that I have written what could amount to a book on it explaining how it is done over the past few years.