What do you put in your officer's haversack?

[50thGAInfantry]

Sorry in advance if this is a redundant thread. I searched throughout the AC for threads of the same topic but didn't find any. I'm curious to know what you put in your officer's haversack for a progressive/campaigner event. As of now I have pencil and (lots of) paper, a copy of our drill manual, a candle and some matches. Anything else you all recommend?

Thanks,

[AndrewGrim]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

You don't need the drill manual, but you do need your rations and everything in your enlisted haversack as well.

[Jeremy Bevard]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

Main area has the normal ration items. Such as food in sacks or wrapped in paper or cloth along with a fork/knife/spoon of some kind, boiler, and tin plate. An inside pocket usually has a copy of Coppee’s and any larger documents I might need. Front two flap pockets have other items. These include a small notepad, pencil, candle stub, matches, compass, blank paper, key to a desk, cord to check closed en masse distance, wrench for my pistols, and my commission letter. I think that is everything generally in there.

[CompanyWag]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

Personally, I rarely if ever carried food in my officer's haversack...aside from the occasional tin of sardines or other privately purchased delectable. A correctly sized officer haversack really doesn't carry all that much.

A lowly 2nd Lieutenant was allowed a monthly subsistence allowance of $36 to purchase food. In living history practice, our Mudsill company officers would band together in a mess and sometimes hire a soldier or civilian as a cook. By regulation, an officer's baggage and the officers' mess equipment was transported in the regimental wagons when on campaign, relieving officers of carrying food or bedding. This presents a dilemma for living history officers on campaign where wagons are not available. In historic practice, troops may arrive in bivouac well in advance of the trains... or worse, the trains get captured or destroyed, leaving officers both without baggage or food. I have read period accounts where officers were at the mercy of their men's haversacks, or simply did without. If the scenarios are later war where wagons were only allowed for ammunition trains, then I carried a blanket roll and sometimes an enlisted haversack for food.

[50thGAInfantry]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

Thank you all the insightful suggestions!

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

In the inside pocket of the flap a small writing portfolio with morning report forms and writing paper, perhaps an envelope of additional forms for the event, and maybe a copy of the Lieber Code for light reading.

In the main portion of the bag, a small tin cup with a bag of coffee & sugar and a period folding spork, some rags, matches, candle stubs, and iron rations (OK, ginger nuts & cheese).

In the two pockets outside the bag, first a "writing kit" consisting of a small (1.5" x 1.75" x 5") tin box with pencil stubs, two short handled pens, extra steel nibs, gum eraser, pen wipes, a piece of red tape, a strip of blotting board, and a Silliman traveler. Second, an extra pair of spectacles & penknife. Stuffed between, sometimes an extra cravat and collar studs.

In the small external pocket, name and contact info for next of kin.

[burke69nyv]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

Front pocket: glasses case, doughnut candlesticks, pocket watch & pen knife. Back larger section: Knife, fork, spoon, silvered plate, dress sash, gloves, collapsible cup, the Sam Brown strap for my sword belt and a small notebook.

[Tokala]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

I don't do an officer impression, but this is a very nice haversack. Does anyone know who made it? Thanks a lot.

[Captmort11th]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

Jeremy,
Im a fairly new Captain. Could you elaborate on the closed en masse cord? And a commission letter, where might I find a copy of that to carry as well? Thank you in advance for your help!
Respectfully
John Mort

[Charles W. Mood]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

NJ ****** was the manufacturer. This model is no longer made. I still have mine and I've never used it.

Chuck Mood

[Jeremy Bevard]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

John, in short and not to create this thread into a drill thread, the cord would measure the distance between the companies or divisions when closed en masse which is six paces. For the drill field to see if the Captains hit their marks of achieving the proper distance. While I carry this I will be honest to say I walk the paces instead of using the cord. The letter for the commission is one from Sullivan Press which I received at an event. Since it is fairly generic I carry it as it works for many impressions. I also have a commission document that was recreated from an original scan of one at the Michigan State Archives which we recreated for a mustering event. This I do not carry since it is very much a Michigan impression item.

[4vaadjutant]

Re: What do you put in your officer's haversack?

When I arrived at Wahatchie my officer's haversack contained all of the blank forms for the Confederate Brigade, which included company morning reports, battalion morning reports and brigade consolidated morning report forms (all researched for authenticity and printed on correct paper.). There also were ammunition expenditure report forms and requisition forms for replenishing ammunition expended. In addition to the paperwork I had a copy of the 1863 CS Army Regulations, a supply of writing paper for orders, several steel pens, several pencils, a gum eraser, a collapsible ruler (pre-war), a pair of scissors (pre-war), an ivory handled letter opener (pre-war), a pair of glasses, a well-used piece of cloth for cleaning pen nibs, and about ten feet of red tape on a paddle. I also had an envelope from the War Department in Richmond that contained several smaller patriotic covers for civilian use. A small leather letter writing kit contained some laid weave patriotic writing paper as well as my notice of appointment and orders from the War Department.

John, if you are still interested in a high quality officer's appointment notice, please contact me. I can also provide you with a paper that describes the process of commission officers that I wrote several years ago and might still be somewhere on the AC site.

Tom Williams
Indianapolis

Tom Williams