Primer wires on headgear?

[FlatLandFed]

Ok, steady, lads -- working under the assumption that I have NOT found photo evidence, I am assuming thie following practice to be a reenactorism. If so, I would like to gently ask a friend in the ranks to cease and desist from doing this.

Here goes: Is there historical evidence that an infantry soldier, or even an artillery soldier, would affix the wire from a used friction primer to his cap? I have a friend who has wrapped these around each of the buttons on his forage cap -- proudly displaying the fact that he helped serve on a cannon crew at a couple of events, although he's principally a foot soldier in a mainstream infantry group.

Am I all wet, or is he being "inaccurate?" I remember the discussion a while back in which we discussed different styles of buckles on the chin straps of forage caps, whether the buckles were centered and even evidence that at least one soldier was photographed with more than one buckle on his cap.

But these wires? Help me out, red legs -- is this strictly modern, to give guys a momento, or is this intended to become part of a guy's kit? I'm not wanting to offend, just curious about this.

Obliged,
Paul Hadley
P.S. -- I have the primer wire which was presented to me after I helped with the federal flying gun at Chickamauga 99, my first big event. But this artifact is stowed with post cards and souvenirs from various living history "campaigns," not dangling from my headgear.

[plankholder]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

I have one, that I kept from the School of the Piece at Stones River several years ago. It makes a handy vent/nipple pick. It is convieniently stuck in the ribbon around my hat. Its very practical, and falls under the rule of common sense-however, I have no documentation that the practice existed. It was never intended to be a permanant thing-I really don't know how I have kept up with it for these years, it was just handy and has proved very useful on several occasions. The only original application of primer wires that I have ever personally seen was a pocket watch chain at the Nashville Civil War Show a decade or so ago. It was a documented piece of an estate. You might present this to him as an alternative to making "Mr.T" like jewelry out of them. He can still hang on to his keepsake, and display them in a more practical, less gawdy fashion. I hope this suggestion has helped in some way. -ELI GEERY-

[toptimlrd]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

I would chalk this up to being a reenactorism, I have not seen any photographs or read any written accounts of this being done. As far as carrying one as a cone pick or some such maybe, but as ornamentation there is not a lot if any evidence it was done.

When you apply the common sense theory: When you think about it, over the course of an enlistment, how many of these things were there? Once fired these became trash and were usually left where they lie. How many hundreds or thousands would an artilleryman use in the course of his enlistment? To them these were the equivalent of an infanryman's percussion cap and I don't see manyof us saving the fired caps.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Hallo!

IMHO, sometimes assumptions can be correct, until proven not... ;)

I believe the modern reenactor fad of primers hat devices have replaced the previous raccoon penis bone hat device.

;)

Curt

[Charles Heath]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Paul,

We are in The Sinks and starting to dig.

By the time that feller gets a couple of coon peter bones, a half dozen spent friction primers, a handful of corps badges, a lift ticket or two, and a collection of brass harps on that hat, he'll be ready for nomination to the Happy Friends website. If you want a digital image of such a reenacting train wreck, email Kevin O'Beirne for a copy of a wonderful Western New York image gracefully named "Der Uberfarben." Prepare to be amazed, but notice the squirrel tail collection hanging from the Hawken. Hooooooooooooooooooooooboy! Ahem.

If you exceed the GVWR of your headgear, expect to be pulled at the next DOT weigh station. "Don't try this at home, Little Jimmy."

By looking carefully, you can find instances of CW soldiers putting all manner of decorations, issue and otherwise, on their headgear; however, few appear to have become FOD magnets.

[toptimlrd]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Charles, I was wondering how long it would take for you to offer your unique insight.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Hallo!

Can I still wear my Greenfield Village Muzzleloaders' Festival participant badge from years past on my cap?

It is always polite sink etiquette to shovel in some dirt when one is done. Unless one has running water as at "Andersonville."

Curt
Looking for his original spent and unspent primers from Winchester, VA Mess

[1stMaine]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Hey Curt,

How 'bout some of those reenactment participant medals? Some fellers could add so many to their caps they'd look like those Persian women with the coin veils.....

Yessiree....

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Hallo!

Now were did I put my Antietam 135 participant dog tags?

Curt
SINKing Fast Mess

[westcoastcampaigner]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

All,

There is a guy who has been around for awhile (I won't mention names) in the Federal artillery side of this hobby that actually collects friction primer wires AND event medallions and wears them with pride at every event he attends. The friction primer wires are all the way around his hat cord so that the only red you can still see is the tasle in the front and that has faded to a pink and hat the brass...my god in heaven the hat brass, you name it and he's got it letters, numbers, crossed cannons and the ever popular irish harp and so tarnished it looks like originals dug up from White Oak Church. The medallions (about 10 in all) he wears on you standard dog tag chain on the outside of his shirt or jacket. I know this guy exists because YES I do fall in with a mainstream artillery unit from time to time and go to the mainstream events with them. He is not in the unit I fall in with but I've seen him and I've cried.

I'm in agreement with the folks here that say this is a reenacterism, however, Mr. Heath made a good point in saying there are instances of soldiers putting all matters of things in the caps. I don't agree with primer wires being put in the cap especially if you are portraying a branch of service outside the artillery. When portraying anything other than a cannoneer I would think that by wearing primer wires in your cap you are just creating more work for yourself in having to answer a whole other list of questioning that might be asked by a spectator at your next living history event some of which you might not know the answers to if presented with and then your presentation that had thus far been successful starts to go downhill.

Stick to your impression and leave the hat or cap alone. Just my $0.02

Josh Sawyer
Liberty Rifles
Hardtack Society

[1stMaine]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Josh,

Yes indeed. I have stood and gazed upon the actual, honest-to-goodness image of a Maine soldier wearing 5 buckles on the chinstrap of his forage cap. No kidding. Placed evenly across the front, and not a mention of it in any of his letters, etc.

Goes to show that if you look hard enough, you can justify anything once. Of course, that impression only works for that Maineiac prior to his wounding and being invalided home.

Respects,

[redleggeddevil]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Well, I can tell from some of the responses to this thread that something as relatively tame as primer wires causes a fuss in some regions. Come to the Deep South and you will see things that make that seem like Government Issue!

My particular favorite was the cannoneer at an event on Dauphin Island, Alabama who wore a garland of human teeth around his neck. Now THAT gives the spectators something to talk about!

[prestontoprail]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Ok, just to add my observation to the mix (considering this is being toted around as reenactorism), I always thought that the artillery reenactors who did this are just giddy about how many times they have fired their big gun and love collecting the momentos from each occasion. However, when you consider that a real artilleryman back in the day would have fired a cannon hundreds to thousands of times.........why the need to brag? You don't hear anything about infantrymen adorning their hats with hundreds of percussion caps to show how many times they have fired their musket.

I can't even form a period logic of why you would be bragging and showing off how many times you have pulled a lanyard.....who cares? Would an artilleryman be able to pass inspection with a bunch of spent pieces of government trash on his hat? And the fact that you never see it in a photograph does say alot considering how many photos there are of federal artillerymen throughout 61-65 in all theaters. I'm sure it might have been done, but surely there was a practical reason (i'm still thinking on that one) rather than just showing off. I mean, we are talking about arimes comprised of hundreds of thousands of individual men with individual personalities, so some things as mundane as that could possibly be buried in time. Even though I do go to the "right" events, I do occasionally go to "wrong" events for my own kicks and I tend to see this far too often with artillery groups. Sometimes it is represented as if it was common knowledge that most artillerymen picked these things up and collected them. Weird.

[FlatLandFed]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Thanks, gents,

I will reformat these responses into a firm but polite suggestion so as not to offend my misguided comrade's delicate sensibilities. I don't mind overlooking most of his group's less-progressive ways, but this habit has always puzzled me. As he often gives talks at schools and helps out at monument dedications in which I'm involved, I'd rather our guests focus on what's right about his kit and attitude and not on what's questionable.

Much obliged,
Paul Hadley
What Would Si Say Squad

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Re: Primer wires on headgear?

Is there historical evidence that an infantry soldier, or even an artillery soldier, would affix the wire from a used friction primer to his cap?

So, who's going to start a hardcool trend of affixing used percussion caps to a hat or jacket?

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