14th OVI - 3rd Arkansas Handbook

About this handbook

I have attempted to design this handbook for two different purposes. Most importantly this is for use for new or possible members to give them an idea of what we are about and to help them with their initial gear purchases. It will also serve them as a handy guide to answer some of the many questions they have as a beginning re-enactor. Second, it can serve both our current membership and our possible members as a reference to go back to throughout their reenacting career. I plan to continue to add articles as an appendix as I write them so this will continue to grow. Don’t let this handbook overwhelm you it is not made to intimidate, but to help. There won’t be a test at the end!

Welcome!

Welcome to the 14th Ohio/3rd Arkansas Volunteer Infantry Regiment. We are a very friendly; family oriented group of people who enjoy recreating the Civil War. We are a diverse group of reenactors who are bonded by friendship and a common desire to recreate life of the 1860’s. We do portray both a Union and a Confederate unit depending on the needs of a particular event to give us a flavor for both sides. I’m sure you have a thousand questions as you get started, the best thing you can do is to ask them! Even though we may be veterans now we all started just like you are now—rookies with no real idea of what to expect! Everyone in our camp is more than willing to be any help they can be. If someone doesn’t know the answer to your question they can point you to someone who does. Asking a question now may save you time, trouble and expense down the road.

We do parades, ceremonies, school talks, living history camps and battle reenactments. We participate in events from small living histories to huge national events that attract thousands of reenactors. Some of our members have participated in movies including Gettysburg and Gods and Generals, documentaries and local television and newspaper articles. We have also contributed funds and talents to local preservation efforts as well as volunteering at Gettysburg to work at the park. In 2002 we raised over $20,000 to help preserve two of Ohio’s original Civil War battle flags. If it has to do with the Civil War we’ve probably been involved.

We try to be as authentic as we can in bringing the life of a Civil War soldier to the spectators at our events. We don’t bring the lice, disease or rancid food but we do try to present as much as possible what it was like in the army of the 1860’s. It’s important that we are as authentic as we can be in our impression as many people have little idea what the Civil War was like. We would rather have the spectators go away talking about how we slept under the stars, wore a hot, wool uniform, ate hardtack, drank out of a canteen or tin cup, cooked over a fire, drilled and fought using Civil War tactics than the alternative—going away thinking it was easy to be a Civil War soldier because they drank out of pop cans, ate pop tarts and candy bars, ate at the sutlers, slept in a camper etc.

Our Civilian reenactors participate as well. They are involved in cooking, sewing, quilting, weaving, nursing and other various aspects of 1860’s life. We also have a Company Surgeon and a Chaplain for those not interested in or able to be a soldier.

In short, we try to offer something for the whole family in a friendly, fun atmosphere. If I can be of any help don’t hesitate to let me know.

Former Captain Bob Minton

Vocabulary

There are a million terms you will hear in reenacting but I will just include some of the basic ones here.

Authentic-Something done or made properly as it would have been done in the 1860’s.

A tent-A large, A frame tent

Battalion-A group of companies that form together into a larger unit for bigger events.

Campaign-Use only what you can carry on your back for the weekend.

Company-One group of reenactors.

Company Drill-Drilling as a company.

Dog tent-A small, shelter tent

Farb-Something not done or made right.

Fatigue Duties-getting water, firewood, camp chores

Galvanize-be able to do Union or Confederate

Hardcore-Someone who is very, very particular about their impression down to hand sewn uniforms as opposed to machine sewn. Not just into ‘dressing up’ but also into an authentic mindset in conversation and mannerisms including first person.

Living History-Camp life or an event that doesn’t include a battle.

Sutler-Someone who sells uniforms and equipment to reenactors.

Tactical-A battle that is not scripted.

Mission Statement

The goal of this handbook is to work as a set of guidelines for our unit. It can help you in several ways. You will find what to buy and where to buy it, how to use it, carry it and more. When people first get into the hobby they want to buy everything they can think of. Using this handbook can point you in the right direction and save you money. Lots of people try to get the cheapest gear they can. Later, they tend to regret it as cheap gear tends to wear out, or not look proper. Getting good quality gear, from sutlers you can trust will save you time and money in the long run.

Being a good reenactor is not just about gear. It is how we behave, eat, drill and more. It’s not that difficult to drink out of a canteen or tin cup or eat that modern food in your tent out of sight, to salute your officers and act like a soldier. Spectators see us and go away greatly influenced by what they see. To do justice to those men who fought so many years ago is very important to me. They are the reason I am in this hobby. To me, if we are glaringly farby in the impression we make, it does those brave men a great disservice. Some of us may have something that is not proper to the time period either in our tent or on our person, but we try to keep it to the bare minimum. Anything not proper to the period needs to be hidden at all times! Being the best reenactor you can requires a certain mindset. When you’re wearing the uniform whether you realize it or not you have put yourself into a role in a big play. Your acting can be the thing that turns someone on to the Civil War for the rest of their life. Your acting includes many of the things you will see in this handbook…how you cook, eat, sleep, talk, drill, salute etc. are all going to leave an impression on the spectators mind. And always remember the spectators will recognize and remember the one glaring item that shouldn’t be there more than the 1000 items that are right!

TYPES OF REENACTORS

This is a brief description of some of the different types of reenactors. The 14th OVI/3rd Arkansas has a mixture of several progressives and a lot of mainstreamers.

FARBS-This is the lowest level of authenticity. Farbs are more interested in dressing up and playing soldier than in doing things like they were done in the 1860’s. They may wear what look like Civil War clothes, but the resemblance ends there. They may be more interested in getting together with their buddies and drinking for the weekend than in actually trying to do things in an authentic manner. These types are fortunately in the minority in the hobby, but they tend to be very visible and don’t exactly cast our hobby in the best possible light.

MAINSTREAMER-This is the next level of being more authentic. Probably the majority of reenactors fall into this category including many of the members of our group. Mainstream reenactors wear stuff from the sutlers that is ok, but is not completely authentic. Their camps typically have a lot of A tents, cots and coolers and you will see other things that aren't

completely accurate but they are doing things ok.

PROGRESSIVE/AUTHENTIC-This is the next step in authenticity. Several of our members fall in this category. You will find people here who are interested in hand sewn buttonholes, proper materials and patterns and eating authentic foods. Their camp will typically have no tents but the men will use shelters or sleep under the stars. You won’t see coolers here either. These are reenactors who have done their research and are trying to do things as well as they can do them. Mainstreamers may be mixed in with them if the mainstreamer is trying to upgrade to this level.

HARDCORE-These are the highest level of authentic. They are probably only slightly higher than the progressive but they have a tendency to be very snobbish about it. Progressives will help others who are willing to learn but hardcores usually don’t want to be bothered with anyone less authentic than themselves.

GALVANIZING

Galvanizing is the concept of being able to wear either blue or gray at an event. We do all of our living history, ceremonies and parades as the 14th OVI. We do several or our battles as the 3rd Arkansas as part of the Independent Guard Battalion. We do also have a couple of battles as the 14th. Deciding which color we wear is based on our commitment to our battalion if they are in attendance, if the event has significantly more of one color we may switch to even out the odds. It would be silly for us to go blue if the event had 500 blue and 25 gray or vice versa. The number of events of each color may vary from season to season. We will always know before we go to an event which color we are wearing so we don’t have to take both uniforms or switch at the last minute.

ABOUT OUR IMPRESSIONS

These are some general thoughts on the units we portray to give you an overall idea on what they might have been like. Keep these thoughts in mind as you read the individual sections on gear

14TH Ohio-The 14th was a typical western Federal unit. They were probably wearing issue pants and basic sack coats. Hats were probably a split between forage and slouch. I imagine they were pretty plain looking overall. Blanket rolls or knapsacks would be appropriate. Civilian shirts would be common too I think. This was not a spit and polish regiment by any means. Food supply was probably pretty good and supplemented by liberal foraging of Rebel farms.

3rd Arkansas-The 3rd was part of Lee’s army of Northern Va. and was probably better supplied than the typical ‘ragged Rebel’ look many of us have heard so much about. They were supplied from the Richmond Depot with shell jackets and other needs. The 3rd probably wore mostly gray or gray faded to butternut, jean cloth jackets and matching pants with a very few Union ‘confiscated’ pants. I think butternut would have been jean cloth, not a wool material if it was worn in the 3rd. The men wore slouch hats, but a surprising number also seem to have preferred the forage cap. The only exceptions to being well supplied would have been fall 1862 after Antietam supply was not real good and the winter 1863-64 in Tennessee when supply was terrible. Scenarios based on these times could justify being ragged. Food supply was probably pretty hit and miss.

THE ORIGINALS

The originals are the Civil War soldiers themselves. While you are putting together your gear and working on your impression, they are the model. There is a trend in reenacting of looking at what other reenactors are doing or wearing and using that to form your impression. You shouldn’t do this! We should be basing our impression on research from books, letters, diaries, the internet etc., the info is out there, we just need to use it properly. Someone may have a camp set up, uniform or other item that you really think looks good, but take a minute to ask yourself “is he basing that on the original soldiers or his own comfort or opinion?” Keep in mind that the original soldiers had uniforms that were made in only 4 different sizes so their uniforms weren’t tailored for an exact fit. They did not have ready, daily access to a barber, laundrymat, dry cleaner and bath tub. In essence, they were wearing less than perfect fitting clothes that were probably far from spotlessly clean, maybe even were patched up at times, with less than perfect grooming. I am not saying they were slobs, but a large group of men away from home with limited access to water doesn’t lend itself to the spotless look. Keep these things in mind as you put together your impression.

GEAR

This section is going to be a piece by piece look at the gear we use. It will be geared to the things used in the 14th Ohio or 3rd Arkansas as opposed to a generic impression. At the end of each item there will be a list of sutlers to purchase these things from. I will include at least one mainstream and one progressive sutler for each item. The contact info, and any comments on the sutlers will all be listed at the end.

We do have a company equipment closet to loan gear from. This will help get you started. You may borrow gear for up to one year as long as you are making progress towards getting your own equipment. Newer members get preference if there is not enough gear to go around.

One word of advice on purchasing your gear: You will have the urge to try saving money, to get something a little cheaper etc. Don’t do this, as you will generally live to regret it! The few extra dollars is usually worth it for the better quality. Your uniform and gear will see hard service and cheap stuff will not last. I suggest getting shoes, pants, shirts, canteen and dishes first, as these things are the hardest to borrow and we have the least of them in our company equipment closet.

Maybe most importantly, don’t believe everything you hear from the sutlers or your pards. Research it for yourself, look at pictures and read about the actual gear Finally there are several different types of gear out there. Most of what is made by the sutlers you see at a typical event is roughly 60-70% authentic. For many of the items below I will list what is acceptable from the typical sutlers and then I will add a couple comments about what would make that item more authentic. This allows you to make the choice on how you want to proceed. Essentially, more authentic gear will cost more, but will be closer to what the soldiers actually used and in many cases is better constructed. Some of the things that make a piece of gear more authentic would be better material, hand sewn buttonholes, proper buttons, less machine sewing of the seams and the way a pattern is cut.

A word about sutlers

During the war a sutler was one who provided little extras and such to the troops. Food and other little odds and ends to make a soldiers life easier were the mainstays. They followed the army into the field on occasion, and often were considered cheats. Todays’ sutlers operate on the same principal but with uniforms, gear and a ton of other ‘junk’ for lack of a better word. The sutlers that will be listed thru this handbook are ones that I have dealt with and trust. You need to be very careful when purchasing gear, remember, the sutlers are looking to sell you something, just like at any department store. Anything you ask about, many of them are certain to tell you that ‘you must have that if you are going to reenact’. Going with the sutlers that are listed in this handbook will give you the benefit of other members experience. These sutlers are chosen not only for quality, but in many cases they are people that we see at several events a year and have built a relationship with that we know we can trust.

Shoes

The most common type of shoe worn by the Civil War soldier was the “Jefferson bootee”. It is black leather with a somewhat squared toe. Boots are not appropriate to an infantry soldier. It is important that you get a good, proper fitting pair of brogans or your feet will punish you for your failure! I recommend trying them on, and make sure you are wearing your reenacting socks, as they are different than modern ones. Don’t purchase brogans through mail order! The soles of these shoes are sometimes ‘pegged’ not sewn. The idea was that the pegs would wear at the same rate as the sole and not wear out like stitching. These should also have a horseshoe type heel plate installed for a few extra dollars.

1. Cedar Creek Sutler

Socks

Socks are typically either a gray wool or an off white color. They should be made of either cotton or wool. The big thing to beware of here is not to have elastic or stripes. Note: You may see people with their pants ‘bloused’ inside their socks. There is not a lot of evidence that this was done anytime, but it is certainly not appropriate for any dress affair.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek Sutler, Fall Creek Sutler

Progressive-Mickey Black

Drawers

I know the last thing many people want to do is wear drawers in the summer under that warm wool uniform, but they really should be worn. You might also be surprised as they cut down on some of the itch from wool next to your skin. They can also help keep you from getting a rash in some rather ‘delicate’ areas! Make sure you don’t get these in too tight a fit as they rip out easily. Acceptable: Drawers made of a white muslin material. They should have a button fly and tie at the cuffs. More Authentic: The actual issue drawers were made of canton flannel material with tin plated buttons and ties at the cuffs, or civilian drawers with either bone, wood, mother of pearl or tin buttons.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Chris Daley, his are one of the best combinations of price and quality out there.

Pants-Union

Acceptable: Typical kersey material, light blue pants sold at most sutlers. These should not be pleated or creased. The pants should have suspender buttons, and button fly with the buttons being tin. Pants should be somewhat loose fitting so you are not ripping them out with all the squatting, kneeling and sitting we do.

More Authentic: Pants should not fit like modern jeans do. They should be cut higher with the waistband just at or above the navel. They should also have a yoke in the back so that the back looks like it’s raised by 2-3 inches. Proper Union pants should also have a watch pocket in front (remember, no wrist- watches back then). Original uniform pants were made in only 4 sizes so if the fit is not perfect, so much the better for the look.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Orchard Hill Sutlery

Pants-Confederate

Acceptable: Typical gray wool pants, very similar to Union pants. More Authentic-many of the same things as Union pants, minus the watch pocket and with the possible addition of mule ear pockets. Like the Confederate coat, would look better in butternut jean of some type.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek,

Progressive-Orchard Hill

Suspenders (braces)

Not going to bore you with details on braces. Just going to list where to get them.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Braynard Leatherworks

Shirts

Here you have two choices, either a military issue shirt or a civilian shirt. Acceptable: A colored civilian type shirt. This should be a pullover type shirt with buttons at the collar/chest. Try to avoid the white (unbleached) muslin type shirts, as they really are not proper. These muslin shirts are essentially a cheap rip-off of the issue flannel shirt. I’ve not seen evidence that muslin shirts were made at all during the war. More Authentic: The military issue shirt was actually made of a flannel type material known as domet flannel and had 3, ½” diameter tin-plated buttons, one button at the collar and one at each cuff. Also of note, the issue shirt was made only in one size! Civilian shirts are appropriate, especially for Confederate or western Federals such as the 14th OVI. These can be made of cotton or flannel material. The preferred print would be checked not paisley. Paisley was available but not real common. The preferred button would be bone or mother of pearl for civilian shirts but wood or tin would be ok.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Family Heirloom Weavers, my shirts are made from their material, I’m quite happy with them.

Coats-Union

For your Union impression the best coat for field wear is a 4-button sack coat. This has 4 buttons down the front and very little style. It should be of a medium-dark blue. Frock coats are acceptable for the ball or a dress occasion but aren’t real proper for battle and drill for the units we portray. Some units did wear frock coats but these were special units such as the Iron Brigade. Greatcoats are available as well for winter wear but this is down the road a bit in your reenacting career. Acceptable: Typical sutler made sack coats either lined or unlined. Union should have ‘eagle’ buttons. More Authentic: Union sack coat should have medium sized eagle buttons. The coat should be lined with a lightweight brown flannel or jean material. Roughly 75-80% of coats were lined during the war. The percentage of lined Confederate coats may be a little lower due to a shortage of lining and materials in general. Care: Any of your wool clothing items should not be washed or put in the dryer. This may lead to significant shrinking! If you feel you must have your uniform cleaned I recommend dry cleaning. Make sure you tell them no creases in the pants! Given that soldiers generally had no change of clothes beyond a possible extra shirt or undergarments and very little chance to do laundry you should not worry too much about an immaculate uniform. NOTE: Being way too clean is an area where our impressions lack as the soldiers back then wore a uniform until it gave out with little time or thought for laundry.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Orchard Hill

Coat-Confederate

For your Confederate impression your best bet is a Richmond Depot Type II jacket. This is a shorter jacket that has a 9-button front. It also has a belt loop on each side and a cloth epaulet on each shoulder. This can be either a shade of gray or butternut with butternut (brownish, jean wool) being much better of the two. A sack coat would work as well but evidence indicates the 3rd Arkansas was issued the Type II shell jacket. The Richmond Depot Type I would be fine as well. Confederate jackets may have ‘CSA’ ‘I’ (for infantry) or Virginia State seal buttons. The preferred button for Confederate coats would be the ‘I’ for infantry as this was the simplest button to make.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Orchard Hill

Hats

There are several styles of hat to choose from. I’ll detail the hats first and then list which is best for which army. One thing to keep in mind, if you are getting a kepi or forage cap you should be paying around $30 minimum. For a slouch hat, you should be looking at closer to $40. If your hat costs less than this, you are probably not getting a very good hat. Finally, a poor hat really stands out, this is not an area you should try to get off cheaply.

Forage Cap-This is sort of a baseball style cap with a flat top. This has small to medium bill in front, which did little to block sun or rain. These were worn by both armies in the appropriate color.

Kepi-This is a smaller, dressier version of the forage cap, also worn by both armies. This has the small bill, which was not very popular. It also has a distinct circular look on top.

US Army (Dress) Hat-This is more of a pilgrim type hat. These are black with a high crown and a medium width brim. These were normally a dress hat but were popular with only a few units in the field, most notably the Iron Brigade. This is a Union hat basically but was not worn in any real numbers by the 14th.

Slouch Hat-This is more of a cowboy type hat. It can be one of several colors or styles with blacks and browns being most common. Both units we portray wore this type hat. Beware: Just because I use the term ‘cowboy hat’ this is not a cowboy hat. That is simply a descriptive term. Your hat also should not be hillbilly style like something worn by Jed Clampett!

More Authentic: The forage hat or kepi should have very little in the way of ornamentation. Period photos show very little in the way of hat brass, i.e. infantry horn, company letters or regimental numbers. The forage hat bill should not be duck-billed like modern baseball caps. Slouch hats also had little in the way of ornamentation such as hat cords, corps badges, brass insignia or God Forbid feathers! The slouch hat should have a sewn edge binding on the brim, some type of small ribbon and a sweatband and preferably be lined.

NOTE-The 14th OVI I think was about an even mix between forage caps and black slouch hats. The 3rd Arkansas was probably very close to that as well as they seemed to like the forage hat more than many Confederate units. If you get a slouch hat I recommend a black one as that is almost the only color seen in the Union army for slouches. These hats should not look like something bought at a department store that a cowboy would wear. If you look at pictures of actual soldiers the top and side have nothing like the big indentations seen on cowboy hats.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Clearwater Hats, Dirty Billy

Canteen

Again in this area you have several choices and in this case, there is much to beware of. The first choice is whether to get tin or stainless steel. Stainless steel ones are much more expensive but they tend to last forever. Tin ones are cheaper and may rust. Maybe most importantly, NO stainless steel canteens were issued during the Civil War. Acceptable: Stainless steel and tin are both acceptable with a cloth cover as purchased at the sutlers. A wooden canteen would also be acceptable for our Confederate impression. Your Union canteen will work both ways with no problem. More Authentic: Canteens can be made more authentic in several ways. Don’t purchase a ‘bullseye’ canteen. These have the noticeable rings in the outside. Of the 5 main depots supplying the Federal army, only 1 made this type canteen, and it did not supply much to the western armies at all. The canteen you should get is the model 1858. Replace the chain holding the cork with twine. 4 of the 5 depots used twine for this. (the metal band holding the twine should not have a hole in it, but this may be asking a bit much to fix) Check your strap, it should have a makers mark stamped on the inside. All Federal canteens after 1862 required this. Most importantly…..take that blue cover off! Canteens were covered with the cheapest material available, and kersey wool was not it! Almost all canteens sold today have either dark blue, light blue or gray wool covers. In reality the cover should be gray or brown jean cloth or they should have no cover at all. Finally, shorten the strap so that the canteen hangs between your waist and elbow. The strap can be cut and shortened, or tied in a knot. If the strap is left long, the canteen tends to bounce around if you have to move quickly. Bet you thought the canteen was going to be simple didn’t you?

Care: If you take your tin canteen after each event and empty it and then leave it stand upside down for a few days to completely dry it will last a long time with minimal rust. Always store it with the cork open to aid drying. A wooden canteen should be stored with water in it. I generally add a little vinegar to inhibit things growing inside. If you don’t keep it full of water the wood will dry and shrink.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-C & D Jarnagin

Cartridge Box

You should get black leather, M1855 cartridge box with leather sling. You may also want to get 2 tins for the inside. The tins were a safety feature to increase the likelihood that an explosion would be directed away from the body. Tins hold 10 rounds each in top and bottom or a total of 40 rounds. You may have an eagle breast plate on the strap and a US buckle on the outside flap of the box. Most pictures in the field show western troops did away with the breastplate. I’m not as sure about the buckle on the flap but most of the troops you see pictured are pretty plain. Confederate leathers are more of a russet brown, but a black box will work fine for both impressions.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-C & D Jarnagin

Haversack

The US issue haversack was a black canvas type bag with a buckle and an inner bag. The buckle should be on a leather strap and preferably riveted to the haversack itself. The size should be 12” X 12” or less. The material should be painted, or waterproofed. This will work for both impressions. You may also have a white cloth haversack or a carpet bag type haversack for your Confederate impression.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Haversack Depot, they make what I consider one of the best haversacks on the market.

Belt

The belt is black leather with a changeable buckle. The best buckles to get are either the “US” for Union or “CS” for Confederate. You may see other buckles, but I would stay with these basic ones. For Confederate you may also wear your US buckle upside down or captured as they say, but I think that is very overdone in reenacting especially when you can get a buckle for less than $10.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-C & D Jarnagin

Cap Box

The cap box is a black leather pouch, M1855 as the Cartridge box. It should have a flap, a sheepskin liner to help keep the caps in and possibly a cone pick loop on the inside.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-C & D Jarnagin

Rifle

There are two main types of rifles to consider. The first would be the 1861 model Springfield. This is probably the most appropriate weapon to carry in our situation of doing both blue and gray. It was the main weapon carried by Union troops. This was made in Springfield, Mass. in large quantities. It is a .58 caliber with 3-barrel bands and a bright steel barrel. The second type would be an 1853 Enfield Rifle. This was very common for Confederate troops and did appear in decent numbers in the Union army. The Enfield was imported from England. This also has 3-barrel bands but the barrel typically is ‘blued’ when you purchase it. There is some debate as to whether the Enfield should be blued or have the silver barrel. The Springfield is slightly more expensive and a little harder to keep rust free. There are many other rifles out there. I suggest staying away from anything ‘smoothbore’ as very few of these were used in the north. It is also mandatory that you not get a weapon with only 2-barrel bands. These are shorter and not as safe to use on the battlefield, in fact many events prohibit their use. For your progressive impression I should note that rifles can be ‘de-farbed’ by taking off improper modern markings. Ask me if you have questions on that.

Care: There is a complete section dedicated to rifle cleaning and care later in this handbook.

Mainstream-Adco Firearms, Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Bayonet

You will also need to get a bayonet and scabbard for your weapon. We use these to stack arms quite frequently. It is very important that you have your rifle with you when you purchase the bayonet! Not all bayonets fit every rifle so you will want to have your rifle with you to try the fit. There are slight differences in the Enfield and Springfield bayonet. The Springfield seems to be slightly longer and the indentations that run the length of the shaft seem less pronounced. The scabbards are also different. The Enfield scabbard is more straight down than the Springfield.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Glasses

The typical soldier did not wear glasses. That would be the preferred way to handle it today. If however you can’t do without your glasses I strongly suggest getting a pair of period glasses. Frames are sold by many sutlers today. Modern glasses are obvious to anyone from the general public as not being proper for the period we portray.

Jewelry/accessories

Evidence would suggest that the only jewelry worn by soldiers is possibly a wedding band. There is little evidence to suggest other rings or bracelets were worn. The only type necklace or chain would be something of a religious nature such as a cross or beads. One possible exception to the above would be something like a masonic emblem as there are instances of masons on opposite sides aiding each other. Wristwatches were certainly not worn! Earrings were not worn either.

Knapsack

This is a pack for carrying gear and personal items worn over the shoulders and on the back. This is a very handy item for storage at an event. You can carry blankets, gum blankets or poncho as well as extra clothes and any small items you need. Very nice if you are campaigning as you can store everything you need in here and put your food in a haversack and you are ready for the weekend.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Missouri Boot and Shoe, C & D Jarnagin

Poncho/rubber blanket

A gum blanket is a handy item that can double as a raincoat. A proper gum blanket should have small (roughly 3/8” diameter) brass grommets. This detail is usually overlooked. It is basically a painted or waterproof blanket. Typically the soldier was issued a gum blanket, not a poncho. Ponchos were issued for use in the cavalry. There were some ponchos in the infantry, but they are very over-represented in reenacting.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-C & D Jarnagin, it’s worth what you pay as it far exceeds any mainstream rubber blanket.

Blankets

Most issue blankets were wool or mixed wool/cotton and were either brown or gray. Union issue blankets had the large letters ‘US’ sewn in black into the center. There was also an ‘emergency issue’ blanket of more of a tan color with a brown stripe as well. I recommend getting an emergency issue to start with.

Sutler-Fall Creek makes a very good emerg. Issue.

Mess gear

Each soldier was responsible for carrying not only their rations but also the necessary dishes and cookware. This usually consisted of a plate, knife, fork, cup and possibly a frying pan and spoon. I have found that the best all around mess item is the canteen half. It is simply half a canteen with possibly a small wire bail attached. This is deep enough to serve as a bit of a bowl, strong enough to be used as a fry pan and takes up less room in a haversack than a full size plate. A knife and fork are indispensable, the spoon is optional. A typical fork had 3 tines and a wooden or bone handle. The knife had a very wide blade and also a wooden or bone handle. A large tin cup can serve to boil coffee or as a pot to make up soup or rice. As with the canteen, you want a tin cup, not a stainless steel one. Another option would be a fruit can with a wire attached for a handle. If you desire, a plate is fine. This should be flat, not like a modern pie tin. You may also want to carry a fry pan. Cast iron is acceptable, but the preferred is a little stamped metal one. This is much lighter than cast iron. A small diameter is plenty as you are only cooking for one or two not the whole family. Remember if you had to carry your pan, you would not want it to be cast iron. The pan also should not have any kind of folding handles. A small rag works wonders as a potholder/dish cloth as needed. There are two major things to avoid, spatterware and modern bandanas. There is no evidence to suggest Civil War soldiers wore or carried hankies like bandanas. They certainly didn’t carry bright red or blue ones so avoid these at all costs. Something as basic as a piece of scrap uniform material or muslin will work just as well and look that much better. ‘Spatterware’ or ‘Spackleware’ is that pretty red or blue dish that has the white speckles everywhere. This is cheaper than tin or stainless and cleans easier…and is absolutely inappropriate for a Civil War soldier. The evidence suggests it was not made until the 1870’s in Europe and that is was tremendously expensive. In either case, your Civil War soldier would not have been carrying it.

You may be able to pick some of these things up at antique stores.

Mainstream-Cedar Creek, Fall Creek

Progressive-Village Tinsmith

Tents

The proper tent for a common soldier was a dog tent. In reality, there would be 2 soldiers in a dog tent. Each would carry half and they would put them together when needed to form a tent. They do make end pieces to close the tent, but in reality these were not issued to the soldiers. Tent stakes are typically made of iron, but these also are not real proper as who would want to carry iron tent stakes all day. Sharpened sticks would be the best idea, but is hard work. Dog tent poles should be just basic forked limbs. These shelter tents, or just one half were probably rigged up in about any way handy at the ends of a days march. A couple differences in an authentic shelter half are smaller grommets that are hand sewn. Also, the weight of the material is much lighter in a proper half.

“A” tent

This is a much bigger tent that was used for more garrison style or winter camping. It would typically have been shared by several men. It is important that if you have an A tent you explain to those spectators who ask that this was not what soldiers used during active campaign times.

Campaigning

This is how most soldiers actually slept from early spring through late fall. This consists of using only what you can realistically carry on a march. That may be a shelter tent, a ‘shebang’ rigged up from your tent half or gum blanket or simply sleeping under the stars.

WEARING YOUR GEAR

Now that you have your uniform, how does it all go together? A properly dressed soldier would go as follows: First you should put on your drawers. I’d go with socks next and tuck the drawers into the socks. This way I have protection from bugs/dirt getting in my pants leg and even though the drawers have ties at the cuffs this keeps them from sagging down. Next would be the shirt. Then the pants, with the shirt tucked in and suspenders hitched. Follow this with your coat. Keep in mind that it was considered bad manners to be in seen in many public places without your coat on. One button should always be buttoned on the coat. It was also bad manners to be out without a hat on. Now for your gear: First the cartridge box should be put on over the left shoulder so that it rides on your right hip. This keeps it well located for you to get your right hand in there for ammunition. The belt should be worn over this to help keep it in place. The bayonet should be worn on the belt, riding on the left side of the body. The cap box is also worn on the belt, riding on the right front, very near the buckle for ease in getting caps out to fire. Your haversack should be worn over the right shoulder so it rides on the left hip, OVER top of your belt! Many re-enactors wear this under the belt but I feel this is wrong. The canteen should be worn over the right shoulder so it rides on the left side/back area. This is also worn over the belt. Grab your rifle and you’re ready for action.

Note: The main function of the haversack was to carry rations, not miscellaneous junk that the sutlers will try to sell you. Picture having 3 days worth of salt pork in there wrapped in little more than a piece of cloth. That alone would make me shrink from having valued personal items in there! Given that the haversack was mainly for food and mess gear consider this: If you were on the march and had the 10 minute break as prescribed each hour would you want to spend even a minute or two of that time having to take all your gear off to get to your haversack for those coffee beans or hardtack? If it’s worn over the belt you can get into it and not take anything off. Also, the soldiers were often billed for items they were issued above what the army thought they should use. If the haversack, which is made of canvas, is worn under the belt made of leather the belt will wear through the canvas from the friction and it’s time for a new haversack. Also note that the haversack and canteen were quite often worn with the strap shortened by sewing it to ride higher. This allows the soldier to move quickly with a minimum of these items bouncing all over the place. In essence, shortening the straps makes them ride tighter to the body. This is substantiated by period pictures and sketches. So keep that in mind the next time you see a re-enactor with the haversack under the belt and the canteen and haversack hanging to mid thigh or below. Finally, if you are wearing a knapsack or blanket roll the canteen should be over these so that you can access your drinking water readily.

CAMP LIFE

The camp will vary a bit depending on the event. At some of the more military style events civilians are not allowed to camp in the military camp but have there own separate camp. Some of the events will allow military and civilians to camp together. We try to lay our company street out for a combination of convenience and interpretation. The Captain will have a bedroll or tent set up at the end of the street. On one side at the end nearest the Captain the 1st Sergeant will be set up, the 2nd Sergeant will be set up opposite the 1st Sergeant. We will have dog tents on one side of the street and campaigners on the other side of the street. At the far end we will set up our A tents. This allows us to have mini-camps giving us the chance to explain the differences. I mentioned this briefly earlier but will elaborate a bit here.

Those in the dog tents can talk with the public about how the tent was two halves buttoned together and each soldier would carry a half. Then at night they would put them together for the tent. This also leads to conversation about how the men had pards that they would cook and share chores with.

Those campaigning can explain how on active campaign the soldiers often slept with no shelter but simply threw their blankets down on the ground and slept under the stars. This makes for easier set up and tear down of camp and is obviously less work.

Those in A tents can explain how they were used more commonly in winter quarters or while on garrison or stationary duty. These tents usually housed from 4-6 soldiers. These obviously can’t be carried when in the field.

This allows us to camp/sleep according to our health and well being needs (bad back etc.) and use it to our advantage by interpreting three different types of soldier camp for the spectators.

What should you bring to camp? We try to keep the camp as accurate to the Civil War period as we can on the surface. There will be a small number of non- period items you may need but these MUST BE KEPT HIDDEN at all times. Hiding items that are not appropriate to the period is not only done with respect to giving the crowd a glimpse of what it was like in the Civil War, it’s also done out of respect for other re-enactors. If someone is doing there best to eat hardtack and salt pork and sleep under the stars it is inconsiderate of them if you are sitting around the fire eating pop tarts and drinking a can of pop. Some groups forbid even bringing modern items with you to an event. If you wish to bring a stool (we discourage stools) keep it tucked in your tent if you’re not sitting in it. A stool you are sitting in is slightly noticeable, a bunch of empty stools around the fire when we are out drilling looks too much like a Wal-Mart furniture sale and not enough like a Civil War Camp! You’d be surprised how easy it is to sit on the ground on a blanket or gum blanket. For the record, hay bales are not acceptable either. Modern hay bales were not around during the war so resist the urge to pull one up as a chair.

Lanterns are much like stools. They aren’t bad to see lit up around camp in the evening. During the day however, they are pretty noticeable and something the soldier would certainly not carry around while on the march. Actually only lanterns that hold a candle are appropriate. Anything that burns a liquid fuel would be useless as where would you refill it? Also, any type of lantern or candleholder that has glass would be difficult to keep from breaking the glass. Many soldiers either had a very small candle lamp or used a bayonet as a candlestick.

Keep in mind that when on campaign the soldier had to carry all his equipment with him all of the time. Given that the soldier would travel as lightly as possible. Use that as a general rule when trying to decide what to bring or not bring and you will be fine.

GETTING READY FOR BED

This is not quite as easy as it sounds! If it looks like rain, you may want to rig a shelter. This can be done with a couple sticks and a bit of rope and a stake or two. You can rig it up as any basic lean to. You may also just tie your shelter half over you flat if you have trees situated in the proper spots for the corners. Assuming you have a gum blanket or poncho and some blankets here’s how it’s done: Pick a likely looking spot and get to work. Look your bed over and remove any rocks, large sticks and the like that you will surely ‘find’ the hard way in the middle of the night. If you wish to have straw, start by spreading it out in a comfortable fashion. A small amount of extra straw can work for a pillow, especially if covered by your extra shirt or coat. A canteen or piece of firewood with a shirt or coat over it will work for a pillow as well. Put your gum blanket on the bottom. You may also wish to put a regular blanket between you and the gum blanket. Any additional blankets can go on top. Loosen your suspenders so you don’t pop a button in your sleep. If you’re sleeping with no shelter throw your hat over top of your shoes to keep them dry. If I’m not setting up my shelter tent, my shelter half works well as an extra blanket. Pleasant dreams!

CHOW TIME

A big part of the soldiers’ life revolved around food, its preparation and transport. I have described earlier in this guide the proper dishes so I will not comment further on them here.

The typical daily ration consisted of 1 lb. of hard bread (10-13 pieces of hardtack), ¾ lb. of salt pork OR ¼ lb. fresh beef, 2.4 oz. sugar (brown or cone, not granulated) and 1.28 oz. Coffee. Rebel soldiers also got more than their fill of corn meal. Depending on the time of year and how active the campaign this might be supplemented with salt, beans, rice, potatoes, vinegar, desiccated vegetables, tea in place of coffee, and any other typical vegetables and fruit the soldier may have foraged for.

The salt pork you get packaged at a common grocery store today is not what it was in the 1860’s. The 1860’s version was completely salt cured so that no refrigeration was necessary. We do use modern salt pork, as that is the easiest available substitute. If the soldier was issued beef it was typically from a herd of cattle that had been driven behind the army. White granulated sugar was not available to the soldiers either. Coffee was issued in the whole bean commonly. I have heard that was to keep unscrupulous contractors from supplying the soldiers a ‘watered down’ coffee with cheaper items mixed in with the grounds. Also, when you get vegetables, don’t get the largest, fanciest looking ones you can find as many times the soldier foraged something not fully grown or ripened.

The food was stored and transported in the haversack. Muslin sacks of various sizes work very nicely for this. Small ones will hold your salt, sugar or other seasonings; medium sizes will hold beans, rice, and coffee while larger ones will handle hardtack. I typically bring more pork than beef to events. This I wrap in brown paper and tie with twine and store like that. Beef tends to be messier (bloodier) and can spoil all the contents of your haversack. Bacon, ham and salt pork make the least mess.

Fixing the meal is not as daunting a task as you would think, even for you guys that don’t know where the kitchen is at home! Any meat mentioned can be simply fried in your skillet with no trouble. You can also cut up ham, beef or salt pork and simply boil in your cup. A large cup, with a bit of meat thrown in and then supplemented by some sliced potato, carrot, green beans and a touch of onion makes a solid, warm meal that any soldier would be proud of. Rice or beans you can simply soak and boil. Corn meal can be mixed with a little water and fried/baked in the fire with a little grease in the pan to keep it from sticking. Coffee and tea also simply require a bit of boiling. Steve Wright made a great desert with a little ingenuity. Taking a little water, a piece of hardtack, some brown sugar and sliced apples or peaches and cooking together until soft is a great cobbler substitute. Boiled apples with brown sugar is also a tasty desert. I’m not talking Martha Stewart quality food here, but these are all simple, edible and surprisingly tasty meals that can be made with the contents of your haversack with just a little patience and ingenuity. The possibilities are endless; these are just some ideas to get you going. Going pards with a buddy splits the workload and doubles the camaraderie. It also increases the pressure for your food to be edible! You’ll be amazed at how quickly when you break out your little skillet and throw something on the fire the crowds will assemble around you and ask, “are you going to eat that?”

ROLLING ROUNDS

Rounds will be provided for recruits for the first event or two. After that, you will be responsible for your own rounds. To roll rounds you will need black powder, 2 or 3F, a powder measuring device and either paper to make your own tubes, or commercial tubes. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE GET PYREX POWDER! This is not safe or acceptable for our purposes. First, the easy method, using pre-made commercial tubes available from many sutlers. Set your measuring device for 60 grains of powder and fill to that setting. Pour the powder into the empty tube. Fold the paper flat from the edge of the power to the edge of the tube. Fold that ‘tail’ in half. Then fold the tail over at right angles to the powder. Tuck this tail into the overlay on the lower part of the tube and you are ready to go. You may also make your own tubes to Civil War specifications. Take a piece of medium weight newsprint or similar paper. Cut into a trapezoid with the base at 4.33”, one upright at 3” and the other upright at 5.25”. Connect the angled line between the 2 uprights and cut out. You will then need to roll this over a piece of ½ inch dowel rod. Leave about ¼ inch of the paper sticking over the dowel. Fold or tuck this to prevent spilling. Take out the rod. I then put in a piece of toilet paper folded and then rolled up to represent the space the minie ball would take in the cartridge. This also serves the purpose of keeping powder from spilling. Pour in your 60 grains of powder and finish as above. Adding the toilet paper (exactly 1 sheet) makes the rounds come out the proper size unlike those with only powder inside. Authentic rounds were actually tied off at the end over the minie ball which gave them a cone shaped look but that is much more complicated than I can explain here. Rounds were also issued in wrapped, tied bundles of 10 with a tube including 12 caps inserted. In essence, a little packet with enough caps and rounds to fire 10 shots. You can get labels at many different places to place on these representing different arsenals. A typical living history will require only maybe 50-75 rounds while a battle weekend may require 150-200 depending on the scenarios and size of the event. You will also need to purchase percussion caps. These come from several different companies. I personally recommend Navy Arms caps, which come in tins of 250. You may purchase caps at Wal-Mart or other sporting goods type places but I don’t recommend doing this. For one, they sell them in smaller tins making them more expensive. Different brands of these also tend to not work as well, put off a much louder ‘bang’ which your partner in the ranks doesn’t enjoy and other little annoyances.

SAFETY

This is only a brief primer on safety as there is much to learn. Maybe most important is never take a hit with a loaded weapon. You don’t want to be falling down when your gun is loaded. Never put your hands over the barrel, even if you think the gun is empty. After you fire, always leave the spent cap on the cone until after you have poured the next powder charge into the barrel. This serves to seal off the cone and prevent air from getting into the barrel and possibly prematurely igniting the next round. NEVER DRAW A RAMROD ON THE BATTELFIELD! We may, under very controlled circumstances use them for demonstration but never on the field of battle. If you ever have a question about if the round you are about to fire is safe, don’t fire it. Half cock of the hammer is the ‘safety’ and it should not be able to be fired in that position. Do not ever engage in hand to hand combat unless it is worked out before the scenario and approved by your commanding officer. Never touch an enemy units flag unless specifically told to do so by your commanding officer. You will work with an NCO on safety items before you are even allowed to put a cap on your weapon. Safety first is always a rule in our unit. Also, and this is not weapon safety, drink water constantly! You can and will overheat and succumb to heat related illness if you don’t drink plenty of water. Reenacting is very physically demanding and you are wearing a hot uniform.

WEAPON CLEANING

Once you have fired your weapon it is your responsibility to clean it. Your weapon will be inspected at least once each day I guarantee and probably twice or more. The officer in charge will inspect weapons for cleanliness and also to ensure that the safety features are in working order. To clean a weapon you will need water, patches, and a cleaning jag and a brush to fit your ramrod, some type of oil and a cone wrench and pick. Place a patch over the cone and place the hammer down to hold this in place. Pour water carefully into the barrel and let soak. Place your thumb over the end of the barrel and shake around gently. Empty and repeat a time or two. Place the brush on your ramrod and use this to scrape the inside of the barrel. Pour a small amount of water, shake again and empty. I then pull back the hammer, remove the patch and take out the cone. Pour water into the barrel and let run through the empty vent where the cone goes. Check the hole in the cone to see that it is clear and pick if necessary. Place the jag on your ramrod to hold patches. Run several patches into the barrel to dry and clean. Once dry replace the cone. I generally put a drop of oil on the cone threads for ease in getting out the next time. Now place a small amount of oil on a patch and run through the barrel to inhibit rust. Rub oil on the outside of the barrel for the same reason. You will occasionally want to remove the barrel to clean and also take the ‘guts’ out to oil and clean. Wait until you’ve spoken to an experienced pard before you try that. The above method will serve to field clean your weapon for the weekend and all you need to carry is a cone wrench and pick, jag and brush that fit your ramrod, patches and a small period container of oil. All of this except the oil will fit in the small pouch under the flap of a cartridge box with no trouble. I recommend cleaning your weapon right after the battle or firing as if you put it off the next thing you know it’s bedtime or time to fall in and your weapon isn’t clean.

RANK STRUCTURE

I want to put a brief spot in here about rank structure and how to recognize it. You will start out as a private. From there it proceeds up as follows:

Corporal

Sergeant

2nd Sergeant

1st Sergeant

2nd Lieutenant

1st Lieutenant

Captain

All these positions can be held at a company level. Each company may not have all these positions based on size. Rank then moves up to the battalion level as follows:

Sergeant Major

Adjutant (a Lieutenant)

Major

Lt. Colonel

Colonel

You will probably not see many generals at events we do so I won’t go there to add to the confusion.

Also to add to the joy, rank is marked by different insignia in the Union and Confederacy as well as by different color for different branches of service. Confused yet? Both armies are the same until you get to the officer positions.

First let’s go over what are known as “Non-Commissioned Officers” or NCO’s for short. These are the same in both armies and are denoted by some combination of stripes. Light blue stripes indicate Infantry, Yellow for Cavalry and Red for Artillery.

Corporal-two stripes or chevrons as they are called

Sergeant-three stripes

1st Sergeant-three stripes with a diamond

Quartermaster Sergeant-three stripes with the top closed off with stripes as well. This position deals with company equipment

Ordinance Sergeant-three stripes with a five-pointed star. This position has no military authority but is created to deal with weapons and ammunition.

Sergeant Major-three stripes with a loop or rainbow type insignia closing the top of the stripes. This is the highest-ranking sergeant in the battalion and is responsible for assisting in battalion drill.

Union officers:

2nd Lieutenant-Plain shoulder boards with no bars

1st Lieutenant-Shoulder boards with one bar on each side.

Captain-Shoulder boards with two bars on each side.

Major-Shoulder boards with gold oak leaves

Lt. Colonel-Shoulder boards with silver oak leaves

Colonel-Shoulder boars with silver eagles

Confederate officers:

2nd Lieutenant-one bar on the collar

1st Lieutenant-two bars on the collar

Captain-three bars on the collar

Major-one star on the collar

Lt. Colonel-two stars on the collar

Colonel-three stars on the collar.

Basic Duties of Rank

This is only a look at basic duties of rank at our company level.

Corporal-The corporal is placed on each end of the front rank in line of battle. Their job is to keep the lines dressed (straight) on the battlefield and aid in drilling the troops. In camp they are often the ones leading water and wood details and other work duties that need done in camp. They were to look after the general welfare of their men. May also try to ensure the men have clean weapons when inspection is coming!

Sergeant-The sergeants are used as guides to set the lines in drill. They also act as safety officers during firing and can command platoons as need be. They are in charge of assigning duties in camp, roll call and other administrative duties.

Captain-The captain is the company commander. He instructs the troops on the drill field and commands in battle. He delegates to the Sergeants and Corporals any work or other items that need taken care of.

Quartermaster Sergeant- This person keeps track of our company equipment and assigns it as needed for loaning. Issues rounds and caps for new members. Has no military authority, is more of a staff position.

SUTLER LIST

Most of these sutlers have catalogs available for a small fee. I have included websites where I have them.

They are also broken into mainstream(acceptable) and progressive(more authentic).

MAINSTREAM

I have dealt with the ones below, and trust them. Other than them, with mainstream sutlers I would be very careful.

Fall Creek Sutlery-They are a solid mainstream sutler. We will see them at many of our larger events.

765-482-1861

www.fcsutler.com

Cedar Creek Sutler-Another solid mainstream sutler that we see several times a year.

www.cedarcreeksupplydepot.com

423-317-7602

Adco Firearms-This is a Toledo business run by one of our former members and good friend of the unit. It’s good to have a local source for rifles to save shipping. Also, the owner of this business donated a new rifle to the unit for our equipment closet.

www.adcofirearms.com

866-460-4867

PROGRESSIVE

With any progressive sutler, make sure you ask about the wait. Many of their items are hand made and thus take a little longer. You will likely pay more for progressive items, but it is almost always worth the extra money. There are many more progressive sutlers out there than I have listed, if you would like more please let me know. Finally, with any of these progressive sutlers listed you are pretty safe to get any items they carry. In other words, these guys only carry the best.

HATS

Dirty Billy’s Hats

717-334-3200

www.dirtybilllyshats.com

Clearwater Hat Company

870-746-4324

www.clearwaterhats.com

LEATHERS, GUM BLANKETS

C&D Jarnagin-Good all around sutler, especially good for leathers and a really nice gum blanket.

662-287-4977

www.jarnaginco.com

SOCKS

Mickey Black

704-637-3331

SHIRTS

Family Heirloom Weavers carry excellent civilian shirts. They are worth every penny in my mind. Their info is listed under material and patterns.

DRAWERS

C.J. Daley

Anything you get from him will be excellent.

www.cjdaley.com

301-766-7112

MATERIAL AND PATTERNS

County Cloth/Charlie Childs for material and patterns

330-862-3307

www.bright.net/~crchilds/index.htm

cntyclth@bright.net

Family Heirloom Weavers for material

717-246-5797

www.familyheirloomweavers.com

UNIFORMS

I have listed only Orchard Hill sutler for these. I like the fact that they offer coats for a certain price, and then upgrades from there. There are a ton of excellent sources for uniforms.

www.orchardhillsutlery.com

518-875-9981

SHOES AND KNAPSACKS

Missouri Boot and Shoe has both

417-451-6100

HAVERSACKS AND TENT HALVES

The Haversack Depot

830-620-5192

SUSPENDERS

Braynard Leatherworks

RESOURCE LIST

This is a list of books and websites that will help with your impression. This is a very partial list to say the least.

For a wide range of articles on everything from gear, to speech, farming of the 1860’s and more, the best resource I have found is the

COLUMBIA RIFLES RESEARCH COMPENDIUM

As of Feb. 2003 it is available from

John E. Tobey

1065 Lincoln St.

Elmira, NY, 14901

tobeyje@aol.com

BOOKS

The Life of Johnny Reb by Bell I. Wiley

The Life of Billy Yank by Bell I. Wiley

Hardtack and Coffee by Billings

Corporal Si Klegg and His Pard by Wilbur Hinman

Echoes of Glory: Arms and Equipment of the Union

Echoes of Glory: Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy

The Echoes of Glory Books are full of close up color pictures and are probably the best reference work out there.

MAGAZINES

Camp Chase Gazette This is a reenacting magazine with how to articles, tons of advertising for sutlers and a calendar of upcoming events around the USA.

740-373-1865

www.campchase.com

Civilians Companion This is from the same place as Camp Chase but centers on civilian information.

The Watchdog This is a progressive quarterly with very in depth looks at how equipment should be made and reviews of gear made by different people. No advertising, just straight information.

Email at: watchdog@rust.net

WEBSITES

I could go on with these all day but am only going to list a couple.

14th Ohio/3rd Arkansas site (our site)

www.14thovi-3rdark.com

The Authentic Campaigner

www.authentic-campainger.com

This is a progressive site with a ton of 150 articles on how to improve your uniform, gear, tips on camping, drill, demeanor and anything else you can think of. Also has a large amount of original letters and diaries.

The rest of the handbook consists of articles I have written for our company newsletter.

MILITARY COURTESY

This is another area I feel we can upgrade (and not just because I’m the captain). Any military requires discipline and the public realize this. If they are in camp all day and never hear a yes, sir or see a salute they wonder why. Proper etiquette to officers, civilians and each other is a fairly easy task. When in public a soldier would never remove his coat. It was either worn buttoned, or with just the top button done. A vest was ok, but not just a shirt. Removing one’s hat in the presence of ladies is common courtesy as well. Referring to them by “ma’am” or Mrs. is more correct than by first name.

NCO’s are not to be saluted, but according to the book “Customs of Service” by August Kautz they are entitled to implicit obedience. It is their duty to ensure fairness in dealing with the privates, as partiality is not good for military discipline.

Saluting: All passages directly in quotes are straight from Customs of Service….”One of the first things a soldier has to learn on entering the army is a proper military deportment towards his superiors in rank. This is nothing more than the military way of performing the courtesies required from a well-bred man in civil life, and a punctual performance of them is as much to his credit as the observance of the ordinary rules of common politeness”

When carrying a weapon, the soldier out of the ranks should go to shoulder arms and then bring the left hand across the body, striking the musket near the right shoulder.

“When a soldier without arms, or with sidearm only, meets an officer, he is to raise his hand to the right side of the visor of his cap, palm to the front, elbow raised as high as the shoulder looking at the same time in a respectful and soldier-like manner at the officer, who will return the compliment thus offered.”

“A non-commissioned officer or soldier being seated, and without particular occupation, will rise on the approach of an officer, and make the customary salutation. If standing, he will turn toward the officer for the same purpose. If the parties remain on the same ground, such compliments need not be repeated.”

This is my favorite part: “The foregoing regulations should be strictly observed by enlisted men; and their faithful performance will add much to the military reputation of a company or regiment.”

“When soldiers are marching in the ranks, they do not salute, unless ordered at the time. If employed at any work, they are not expected to discontinue their employment to salute.”

“A soldier or non-commissioned officer, when he addresses an officer or is spoken to by one, salutes; on receiving the answer or communication from the officer, he again salutes before turning to go away.”

I absolutely HAD to include this part for my own merriment! “Soldiers should bear in mind that the officer has his duties to perform, and that they are more weighty and important than any soldier can have, and that his leisure time is limited, and they should therefore avoid, as much as possible, troubling him with unimportant matters, or, at least, not be disappointed if they receive short answers.” Sorry, couldn’t resist that one!

THE RICHMOND DEPOT AND THE ARMY OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA

I have spent a large amount of time researching the proper type of jacket and material for my mid-war 3rd Arkansas impression. I was quite surprised by what I found out about the supply of Lee’s army throughout the war and the number of myths that exist out there. I hope this article can shed some light on the whole subject.

When war broke out there was no central type of supply system in place for the Confederacy. The official policy at this time was called the Commutation System. Basically this called for the volunteer soldier to provide his own uniform and the government would reimburse the soldier for the expense.

Obviously this led to a wide variety of outfits in the early days of the war. Existing militia units might be very well outfitted while the backwoodsman or farmer might be just the opposite. It soon became obvious to the government in Richmond that a better system needed to be adopted.

In September, 1861 a Clothing Bureau was established in Richmond, Virginia under the command of Quartermaster Major Richard Waller. Similar bureaus were set up all over the south. It was hoped this would begin to bring a semblance of order to the uniform process. It is important to note that this was a clothing depot. This would primarily be a storage and dispersal point for clothing, blankets and shoes. Various arsenals were utilized for issue of arms and other acouterments.

With the establishment of the Richmond Depot the Commutation System was fazed out, officially being abolished in October, 1862. After this units in the Army of Northern Virginia were primarily supplied from the Richmond Depot. The notable exception to this were the troops from North Carolina who continued to be supplied at least in part by their own state, an example of states rights being carried perhaps a little too far. Rumors abound that at times when the Army of Northern Virginia was not well supplied that uniforms in North Carolina warehouses were not issued but rather kept for North Carolina troops exclusively.

The period of summer and fall 1862 saw the Confederates in Lee’s army at possibly their lowest point of supply. The Richmond Depot had not yet been able to catch up to the needs of the army. The battles of Second Manassas in August and Sharpsburg (Antietam) in September took a heavy toll on clothes to add to the difficulty. In the fall of 1862 and early 1863 great strides were made in catching up to the amount of uniforms needed. From this time on the Richmond Depot did a pretty good job in keeping up with the demands of the army.

In 1863 as many as 150,000 complete uniforms were made at the Richmond Depot. This number increased in 1864 but I couldn’t locate exact records for the year. Significantly, for the last 6 months of 1864 through January, 1865 the following were issued to Lee’s army:

104,199 jackets

140,570 trousers

167,862 pair shoes

74,851 blankets

157,727 cotton shirts

170,139 drawers

146,136 pair socks

These were field issues only and don’t reflect issues that may have been made to men in hospitals, exchanged prisoners or men on leave.

The maximum strength of Lee’s army during this time was around 70,000 men. Allowing for replacement of casualties and men returning or being transferred perhaps 85,000 were in and out of Lee’s army at this time. This would seem to dispel at least in part the myth of Lee’s army being ragged at this time. Getting clothes to the men may have left something to be desired at times so local shortages probably occurred but long term lack of uniforms in the Army of Northern Virginia seem to be greatly exaggerated.

Some sources think that post-war Confederates were looking for excuses as to why they lost the war and the idea of ragged clothing and poorly supplied troops seemed to take hold. Also the picture of a ragged Rebel begging or foraging at a local farm comes to mind. Of course if that same hungry soldier showed up in a pretty uniform as opposed to ragged, he was much less likely to be successful in his foraging!

Nobody really knows how the stories of terribly ragged soldier got so widespread, but the pictures and facts seem to indicate that these stories are greatly exaggerated.

Now that we have taken a general look at the depot and how Lee’s army was supplied let’s take a look at some of the specifics concerning the Richmond Depot.

As with many other things in the Confederate government, the depot system was modeled after the way things were done in the United States. The Richmond Depot was loosely modeled on the Schuylkill facility located in Pennsylvania which was a main part of the US army supply system.

The Richmond Depot was not a clothing factory or ‘sweat shop’ where clothes were actually made. The depot was an organizational, storage and supply place, not a factory.

The Richmond Depot employed roughly 30-40 professional tailors. These tailors would cut, package and issue cloth and keep the accounts. The result was what we would think of today as a ‘kit’. The kit was issued to a seamstress who would then assemble the item as a contractor who was paid by the piece. Probably 2-3000 seamstresses did work for the Richmond Depot.

A couple points need to be made at this juncture. These tailors used the same patterns, which may have been made of tin, so the cut of clothes made at this depot should be very similar. Notice I said the cut was similar. The garments were put together by a wide variety of seamstresses so slight variations in stitching, buttonholes and the like very possibly existed depending on the relative skill of the seamstress.

Another thought to consider is that the sewing machine was not widespread at this time so the work was almost certainly done by hand.

Cloth came in to the depot from a variety of mills located in Virginia and North Carolina. Some supplied mainly osnaburg and cotton drill for linings, some wool kersey or satinette but the vast majority of cloth that came to the Richmond Depot was jean cloth. The wool at that time was much lighter than the so-called ‘blanket wool’ that many people use today. We think of kersey wool as the light blue we make our pants from but in reality kersey could be dyed in various colors. Satinette also was lighter than todays wool and had a different backing. Jean cloth has a cotton warp and a woolen weft, essentially making it a blend, not 100% wool. Very, very little 100% wool was used by the Richmond Depot. The jean cloth tended to vary in color as well. Various dyes were used in hopes of making jean cloth gray but most of these had a tendency to fade into the various colors we call butternut, which is about any shade of brown.

Three distinct types of coat have been identified with the Richmond Depot and are now referred to as Type I, II and III Shell Jackets.

The Type I was common from late 1861 to early 1862. It had epaulets, belt loops, 9-button front and a tendency to have black piping on the shoulder straps, collar and sleeves. This was made of either kersey or satinette in most cases.

The Type II was made from early 1862-mid 1864 and is probably the most common Army of Northern Va. jacket. This jacket had the same characteristics as the Type I but lacked the black piping. This coat was in most cases, probably 90%, of jean cloth or cassimere of gray or brownish gray which tended to fade to a brown or earthy color.

Beginning in mid 1864 significant changes began to occur. Supplies of domestic cloth began to shrink as more territory was occupied by the Union and the Richmond Depot began to rely more and more on cloth brought through the blockade. This cloth was almost exclusively a blue-gray kersey wool. The Type III coat was made mostly from this material. Coats were also imported from Peter Tait of Limerick, Ireland.

The Tait jackets had a 5 piece body and only 8 buttons. Gone were the belt loops and epaulets. These coats had a linen lining, the front edge was machine stitched and the block “I” and script “I” buttons were very common on these.

These coats were probably issued the last 9-10 months of the war.

Pants were made out of the same materials as the coats. Your pants may not necessarily have matched your coat in color or type of material. This depended on which seamstress returned what garments and when. You may have been lucky enough to have gotten a close match or they may have been nothing alike.

It does seem though that if you served in the Army of Northern Virginia you were at least clothed in something adequate most of the time. Your coat and pants were probably of jean cloth or a light weight kersey wool, the coat was lined, probably with osnaburg or cotton drill, you had a shirt made of cotton or flannel with drawers of the same. This is by no means an all inclusive article but I hope it is a good start when it comes to picking out your uniform for the 3rd Arkansas impression.

Sources included:

Arms and Equipment of the Confederacy by the editors of Time Life Books

The GI Series, Johnny Reb: The Confederate Army 1861-65 by Leslie Jensen

A series of articles written by Les Jensen on the Richmond Depot Shell Jacket

Articles on the Stonewall Brigade Website

Articles on the Authentic Campaigner Website

WHAT’S IN A PICTURE?

One of the best sources we have for improving our impression is a period photograph. I took the time to study one and came up with a few interesting tidbits. In the Echoes of Glory: Arms and Equipment of the Union book there is a photo on page 8 of the 78th Pennsylvania. It is a group shot taken on Lookout Mountain in either the fall of 1863 or early 1864. This picture can be especially useful to use in reenacting the 14th Ohio, as these were troops from the western theater stationed very close to the 14th during the winter 1863-64. This makes it a fairly safe assumption that they would look similar as they were quite possibly being supplied from the same base. The picture contains roughly 40 soldiers but not all aspects of each soldier are visible due to the pose.

Here are my observations:

Only 4 of the soldiers are not wearing sack coats. 1 of those 4 is wearing a frock, the other 3 shell jackets. The one in the frock has the look of an officer although no insignia is visible. 1 of those in the shell jackets may be an officer as well.

All of the men have what I would characterize as short hair. There is some facial hair, but nothing more than a short beard or moustache.

20 have hats that are distinctly visible (they have taken their hats off and are holding them for the photo). Of the 20, 11 are forage, 9 are slouch and there are no kepis at all.

This means 55% are wearing forage caps and 45% are wearing slouch hats. More importantly, NONE of the forage hats have any visible brass at all. Of the slouch hats none have any insignia and only 1 has a hat cord. The 1 with the hat cord belongs to one of those I speculated was an officer. That means every man who was not an officer had a hat with nothing on them. Think about that as compared with our own impression. All of the slouch hats appear to be black.

Even though this is most likely a fall or winter picture only 4 of the men have vests and 2 of those are the probable officers. This means that only 5% of the non-officers have vests.

All of those with visible cap boxes are wearing them very close (within a few inches) to the belt buckle.

23 of the subjects have visible cartridge box straps. Of those 23, 3 have belt plates. This is about 13%

Significantly, none of the subjects are wearing corps badges at this time.

Interestingly 2 of the subjects are wearing boots instead of brogans. Ouch!

What can we conclude from this? It is obviously a very small sample of what is probably a full company of the 78th Pa. The thing I find the most striking about the picture is that all of the soldiers look almost identical! Not like brothers but in the fact they are all very non-descript.

The second thing is that they all look very, very plain. No ornamentation, nothing to stand out at all. I’ve read accounts where something like a hanky around the forehead or something on the chest led to that someone being shot to pieces. A specific instance of this was a Texas soldier who wet a hanky and wrapped it around his head at Devil’s Den only to receive several bullets to the head an instant later. I think these men tried to look plain because if an enemy were looking at the battle line for a target, the first thing that drew his attention would be where he would shoot!

This is certainly not the final say in uniforms in the Civil War, but it is interesting to me to see such a large group of soldiers in a fairly up close picture. Next time you see a picture, take a closer look, you never know what you might learn!