the haversack

[PogueMahone]

Re: the haversack

Well, I can tell you, if I'm going to be putting fresh fish in my haversack as part of an impression at an event, I'm borrowing someone else's haversack or making up a cheapy version I can toss post-event. My gear smells bad enough without adding dead fish to the mix.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: the haversack

Here's a random bit of something:

One dictionary definition of the word haver relates to food

Haver
Hav"er\, n. [D. haver; akin to G. haber.] The oat; oats. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.]

Haver bread, oaten bread.

Haver cake, oaten cake. --Piers Plowman.

Haver grass, the wild oat.

Haver meal, oatmeal.

In that context, the references to a bag meant to hold foods make sense... it would be interesting to see more references outside of a hunting/fishing experience.

I agree, living history refugees do not often have adequate hauling equipment, and cannot always portray some of the variations on the experience with as much accuracy as they (we) would like.

[Drygoods]

Re: the haversack

I just don't see actual refugees packing like reenactors do.

Mr. Smotherman,

I'd agree with that, although I look at it from a different perspective. I think many would agree that the campaigner refugee is rather a tired impression. Why not pack like one going on a trip? Pack what would be essential to your comfort. Naturally, your trunk of clothing, perhaps something to read, your favorite coffee cup/dishware and utensils, I mean you never know what you might find served to you at those inns! Plus some of your favorite foods, in my case, good coffee. I mean, this is the day before we found coffeemakers, TV sets, pillows and sheets, and hair dryers in our hotel rooms, so try to imagine what you would wish for your own creature comforts, plus those things that you'd take when visiting relatives &c. Maps, coach and train tickets are a must. Sorry, this might not be what you had expected, or wanted to hear, but I cannot see the point of running out of the house without a thought ahead of time, most folks knew the war was coming.

[Hank Trent]

Re: the haversack

I'd agree with that, although I look at it from a different perspective. I think many would agree that the campaigner refugee is rather a tired impression. Why not pack like one going on a trip? Pack what would be essential to your comfort. Naturally, your trunk of clothing, perhaps something to read, your favorite coffee cup/dishware and utensils, I mean you never know what you might find served to you at those inns!

Serious question: what do you do during the event?

Do you mean portraying the refugee after he/she has arrived safely? Linda and I have done that at Shaker Village Pleasant Hill in Kentucky a couple times, where we could rent a bed-and-breakfast type room and other reenactor(s) could portray the homeowner who was our host. The setting is about 15 miles from the battle of Perryville in real life and the days just following the battle were being portrayed. Perfect opportunity, that rarely comes about. Barring luck like that it seems the options are...

--Also buying a period vehicle to haul the trunk and dishes

--or having period transportation on site to haul them for you

--or deliberately planning to abandon most of it along the road and/or get stranded when you can't haul it further (such as the impression Terre Lawson did at ITPW), which is really just another variation of the refugee on foot.

What are you picturing a reenactor doing with the trunk and dishes during the event?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[PogueMahone]

Re: the haversack

I've been reading some interesting stuff this morning that makes me realize that being a refugee labeled you to some extent. It became your status in society. You might be transient or you may have relocated to a temporary home, but either way, you were a "refugee".

All of these quotes were found on the state run Tennessee Civil War Sourcebook, running a search for "refugee".

Here is an example of a family moving the entire household to safer lands:

Yesterday afternoon, we noticed a family of humble refugees from rebel tyranny, "stowed away" in one of the piles of cross ties on Broad Street, near the wharf. They had stretched canvass over it to ward off the rain, and, with their household plunder, had gone in for comfort. A parcel of children were abed asleep, a couple of half grown girls sat diligently arranging their sable locks, while a youth of about fifteen looked on without concern. Two men stood by, a mother sat in a chair with a youngster in her lap, whilst "grand ma" and her "specs" and pipe, looked the very picture of don't-care-a-copper comfort. Thus far on their journey north, they take a resting spell, awaiting transportation to the land of milk and honey, where "yankee soldiers" grow. With all their humility, these poor people love freedom too well to live willingly under the rule of the Jeff Davis despotism.

Whereas, these folks don't seem to be fairing too well in their journey:

UNION REFUGEES
Are daily arriving from the interior of Georgia and Middle Tennessee in large
numbers. Here they are dependent upon the bounty of the Government until
arrangements are completed for sending them North. The picture of destitution and suffering presented by all of them is truly heart-rending. They are almost naked, and the traces of gradual starvation are visible upon their gaunt forms, that resemble walking skeletons. Mothers with sickly children, with scarcely enough rags to cover their nakedness, are forced to listen to their cries for bread, and press them to their bosoms in the embrace of death; sons are to be seen supporting the trembling forms of parents as they faint beneath the fatigue of travel and starvation, and are unable to quench their hunger. Could your philanthropic men and women of the North witness the ray of joy that lights their countenances, and behold the grateful look as the sunken eyes of these starved loyalists are raised to heaven in mute return of thanks to God for the Government rations distributed to them, they would in the distribution of their bountiful supplies, remember this class of their fellow-creatures, upon whom the war has fallen with crushing weight. One circumstance, however, strikes the spectator as a little singular. Many of these refugee families arrive with their negroes' children, for whose welfare they seem as much concerned as for that of their own flesh and blood.

An example of how a man was "labeled" a refugee, but had obviously taken up some form of residence temporarily:

About three months ago, Mr. William Scruggs, who resides. . . fourteen miles from town on the Hillsboro Pike, hired a refugee named Nash to work upon his farm.

Another example of temporary residence:
A note to Gov. Johnson regarding refugee squatters in vacant houses in Nashville:

I have the honor to state that there are a number of refugee families residing in this village-nearly all of whom are in very destituted circumstances-who are threatened by persons claiming to own the premises occupied by them-(or to be the agents of such claimants)-with forcible ejection from their homes. In many cases this would be a great calamity to these people, as it is quite impossible for them to procure other houses.

and a description of the inmates in one house by the same writer:

In connection with the enclosed general statement, I wish to call your attention to two particular cases.
A house formerly used as a Hospital by our troops is occupied by two families.
They found the building empty & moved in it. One of these families named
Jenkins in unable to go by reason of the serious illness of one of its members.
Jenkins is an Employee of the Govt. The other is a family from Jasper, Tenn.
The mother recently died. The step-father named Beck, said to be a drunken,
worthless vagabond, has abandoned them entirely. There remains an old
grandmother who is bed-ridden—a young woman, Miss Tipton, & two young
children, all dependant upon Miss. T. for support. She is a person of more than ordinary intelligence, and it making earnest exertions to support the family thus left upon her hands.

Not all refugees were white. Some were contrabands.

A register and time-table of the negroes employed on the fort will be kept by the engineer in charge or by some one under his orders, giving the name and description of the negro, whether a slave or refugee, and the name of master, that a fair and equitable settlement may be made at the "end of the war."

Day before yesterday (5th) a girl came to school who had just the look and complexion of a snuff-dipping refugee. She, also, like them, wore a dress of the same color, derived from some kind of bark. Her manner was as listless and her expression as vacant. Wishing much to know whether she could claim our superior race as her own, or whether a few drops of the black blood in her veins had procures perhaps from her father and master the fiat-"only a niggar!" I made known my curiosity to one of the teachers, with my perplexity as to how I should obtain the coveted information, without wounding her feelings.
"Oh! You need not fear for that," was the reply, "They're used to it, and expect to be asked whether they're niggars or not."
I could not do it, however, without considerable circumlocution; and
commenced by asking if she could buy herself a book, whom she lived with,
&c. After some time the questions eliminated the fact that though she didn't
know whether she was free, or a "refugee," her own second name, or the age,- she did know that she had lived most of her life in Texas, where she had always worked out of doors, had hoed corn, and ploughed-that she lived with the same people now-that her father she had never heard anything of-that he mother was black, "though not really black," and finally that she herself was a "niggar,"— which nobody else could have told her by her features or complexion.

Not that any of this has anything to do with haversacks ...

[PogueMahone]

Re: the haversack

--or deliberately planning to abandon most of it along the road and/or get stranded when you can't haul it further (such as the impression Terre Lawson did at ITPW), which is really just another variation of the refugee on foot.

What are you picturing a reenactor doing with the trunk and dishes during the event?

All this refugee discussion, and this particular line of thought, makes me think of a lady I used to work with several years ago. To talk to her, she was very quiet, very reserved and seemed "nervous". It took a long time to get her to talk about it, but she had fled Afghanistan during the time the Taliban were taking over the country. Her husband was a high ranking politician at the time. They were Christians and lived a modern western lifestyle. To give you an idea of their personal wealth, they each had a limousine and personal driver and she was a stay at home mom and housewife. One night a friend came to them late and told them the Taliban were coming for them in the morning and they must leave NOW. She said they packed up some clothes and grabbed things like photo albums and jewelry, loaded the kids in the largest car and drove to the border. At the border, the Taliban guards recognized them and, after some tense moments bribing the guards, agreed to let them walk across the border with what they were wearing on their backs and nothing else. They did, no argument. She said she looked back to see the guards looting the car and setting much of their baggage on fire.

As refugees in this country, her husband was working in a retail store and she was working as a clerk.

Fortunes change in the blink of an eye. Surviving is the goal.

[Spinster]

Re: the haversack

Both Hank and Joe touch on essential parts of a 'refugee' or 'traveler' impression.

For Into the Piney Woods, that little trunk abandoned by the path was full of 'eatables' that required no cooking. I considered every piece of crockery in that wicker trunk to be 'expendable'--I did not expect to get them back undamaged--and the possiblity of finding and plundering of that trunk was known to two officers. Thus, I had intended to abandon or lose control of that trunk, though not quite in the manner I did so :D

Right now I'm assembling a container full of dishes to the express purpose of being shattered or stolen or buried.

And portable wealth is often the salvation of those refugees who have it--be it gold, diamonds, or silver tablespoons........how the army goes about finding it within period parameters is their problem.

I'd like to see a few more of 'grandpa's things' --1812 War or Creek War , very well used packs or sacks, with the dust of the attic still clinging. For some men in the hobby, the items they were issued during the Mexican War is also a possibility.

[ElizabethClark]

Re: the haversack

Even with prior notice of troop movements, the refugee accounts I've read thus far have indicated a leaning toward "what personal goods can I take with me", rather than just household goods. If I can locate Sarah Morgan in the boxes and boxes of books I must comb through this weekend, I'll try to transcribe a few bits, describing what she physically removed in various refugee moments. Since she was generally seeking refuge with family, and was not head of a household, she was not overly concerned with things like crockery, and didn't tend to treat the adventure like packing for a picnic. :)

[Horace]

Re: the haversack

I had made the assumption, and it's only that, that haversack-type bags would be found in a nonmilitary context.
They're easy to make, easy to get things in and out of and convenient to carry. If a farmer needed to carry his dinner into the fields, a haversack-type bag would be the clear choice over a satchel, knapsack, 'wallet' bag, pockets, etc.
It's been mentioned that the only documented mention of civilian haversacks that are turning up are in connection to hunters and fishermen. In a rural context there would be at least one of these in just about every home.

[Hank Trent]

Re: the haversack

I had made the assumption, and it's only that, that haversack-type bags would be found in a nonmilitary context.
They're easy to make, easy to get things in and out of and convenient to carry. If a farmer needed to carry his dinner into the fields, a haversack-type bag would be the clear choice over a satchel, knapsack, 'wallet' bag, pockets, etc.
It's been mentioned that the only documented mention of civilian haversacks that are turning up are in connection to hunters and fishermen. In a rural context there would be at least one of these in just about every home.

Since they were presumably so common, could you find us some images of civilians carrying them in non-military, non-hunting/fishing contexts? Farming activities were common subjects in genre paintings and lithographs. Here's one where they've used a bucket to carry food or drinks, for example. In these images of refugees posted by Heidi Presse, bundles and baskets seem to be the most common carrying methods. If haversacks were the clear choice, why are there not more images of people carrying them?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Rob Murray]

Re: the haversack

Hank and Joe,

I don't claim to know much about 19th century civilian stuff, BUT if there is a market for India Rubber haversacks, books.google.com/books?id=ZTQNAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage#PPA30,M1I would have to imagine cloth haversacks are pretty PEC.

[PogueMahone]

Re: the haversack

Rob, Todd,

Like Hank says, where is the documentation? It is all conjecture that civilians used haversacks in any normal everyday activity. That question is why I started looking around for some proof.

If I could find images or some sort of daily farm journal that included references, I would agree wholeheartedly because I, too, think it is obvious.

Until we can document something so obvious, a civilian in a haversack that does not have a special purpose (either the civilian or the haversack) is just not NUG.

The rubber goods catalogue in a prior link had ads for air and water mattress, diving suits, gloves, horse covers, and so on. But unless I had a need for those things (or any faith that they would work) I wouldn't have a thought to order one. Just because they had doesn't mean they used it!!

[Rob Murray]

Re: the haversack

Joe,

I get your frustration. After making that post, I realized I had made a huge assumption. I've been pounding the keyboard, using my feeble search skills trying to find anything. So far, nothing.

[Horace]

Re: the haversack

I'll let Harriet Tubman, the original badass, speak for me on this.

[Jefferson Guards]

Re: the haversack

What is the source for the rendition of Harriet Tubman?