Blankets with Points

[Charles Kaiser]

Hallo Kameraden,
are blanket with the smal stripes for Quality from the Mountainmen Area still produced ore used in Civil war times? I own a Blanket replika, Red with two black stripes an the 3 Quality Stripes( Three point blankets, or Trade Blankets) and so my Question: Farby or not Farby

[roundshot]

The red blankets with black stripes issued to the 1st and 2nd Rhode Island Volunteers in early 1861 were described as "point blankets."

[AZReenactor]

A more productive approach to that question would be "I am portraying unit XYZ at this specific time and place, what type of blanket would be most appropriate."

Trying to match gear you happen to own to an impression almost invariably leads to those farb-o-licious justifications of how the particular item is appropriate if you squint real hard and don't ask too many questions.

[Milliron]

Hallo Kameraden,
are blanket with the smal stripes for Quality from the Mountainmen Area still produced ore used in Civil war times? I own a Blanket replika, Red with two black stripes an the 3 Quality Stripes( Three point blankets, or Trade Blankets) and so my Question: Farby or not Farby

Not farby if you can document their use. Chances of doing so: slim. Considering you are in Germany and probably don't have the U.S. resources you would need available to you, I suggest finding a different blanket. Don't build your immpression around your gear, build your gear around your impression.

[Charles Heath]

Christof,

The good news is you can find documentation for these blankets. The bad news is the documentation is not as common as you'd probably like. Take a few minutes to try out the forum's search feature for somewhat related blanket threads, such as the one listed below. While the blanket threads shine some light on the subject, they'll give you a broader idea of where people are coming from in terms of their responses to blanket questions.

North Carolina Blankets (http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=12716)

Over time, you'll find various references to trade type blankets, and event those colorful Hudson Bay Blankets by name. The bigger question is whether or not these blankets are appropriate for the unit, place, and time you are portraying during a particular event.

[Charles Kaiser]

Hallo Kameraden,
thanks for your answers. Normally I wear a blueish- grey blankets with 2 black stripes
and a stichted US like in the compendium. I know that the Unit we potray here in Germany never wore this blankets. My Question was more generaly Interesting, than carrying the blanket on an Impression, where they are Farby. With my limited research posibilities here in Germany, I Think its better to portray a Typical Soldier of the US- Infantry, you can see on many Photos, portraying unknown units than a Fantasyoutfits . I wear J.T. Martin Sack- coat and Trouser, a 1842 Musket, Waist belt, Bajonett Frog and Cartridge box sling made of Buff leather. But I am everytime looking around to defarb my Impression. (I am campaign sine August last year, and made my first steps to Authenticy since then.
But another Question are there books availible in the States about the 17th Mo. Vol. Inf
(Or Western Turner Rifle)?

[Charles Heath]

But another Question are there books availible in the States about the 17th Mo. Vol. Inf

Christof,

You probably already have this info, but for what it is worth, the links below may prove useful. My first stop for bibliographical info used to be the USAMHI website, and it has gone through some horrendous permutations since USAHEC gobbled it up. This data is 17 years old, but here is their bib:

RefBranch
la Apr 90

17th Missouri Infantry Regiment

Dyer, Frederick H. A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion. Vol. 2. Dayton, OH:
Morningside, 1979. Ref. See pp. 1329-30 (2 photocopied pages) for a concise summary of the regiment's service.

Missouri. AGO. Annual Report...for 1865. Jefferson City, MO: Emory S. Foster, 1866.
UA43M82.1865. See pp. 170-73 (2 photocopied pages) for a brief regimental history and roster of officers.

The following pertinent personal papers are in the Institute's Manuscript Archive:

Brehe, Henry - CWMiscColl (Enlisted man's biographical information; Letters, Oct 18, 1861- Apr 5, 1863; Unit history & roster) Dorweiler, Paul - CWTIColl (Enlisted man's translated typescript of diary, 1861-63)

A link to the Missouri (US) section is here:

http://ahecwebdds.carlisle.army.mil/awapps/main.jsp

One of the FFD member units has a nice reading list here:

http://www.17thmissouri.com/reading_list.html

The AG's report mentioned above:

http://home.earthlink.net/~turnerbrigade/ag17moi.htm

This barely scratches the surface, and the good news is a number of Missouri scholars are on this forum, and would be well worth contacting them to exchange information.

[Curt-Heinrich Schmidt]

Hallo!

Herr Charles...

Just an aside.
Those small stripes are not "quality" stripes or marks but rather a somewhat "standard" system of overall blanket sizing used in the Fur Trade.

NUG (Normally, Usually, Generally) the wide pair of end stripes on military blankets were visualization markers that helped allow the blankets to be cut and torn between the stripes when the blankets were dispensed from a large woven roll.

Tschuess!

Curt

[Edwin Carl Erwin]

Cast an eye on this site: www.pointblankets.com for an explanation of the point blanket world.

Regards,

[Charles Kaiser]

Hallo Kameraden,
now I have uploaded my gate to Internet, and I will check your links. Thank you for your helpfull Informations

[Charles Heath]

Being neither here nor there, but in the general range of blanket talk, Joe "Carthgenian" Caridi passed this along recently, and it fits well with this conversation. I believe it is from Musselman's 47th Virginia volume in the H.E. Howard series, since that has been the topic of discussion lately. Joe will be along directly to correct me if I'm incorrect.

Joe said, "The men of the 30th Virginia at the time (October of 1861) were at Camp Holmes around Brooke Station, located in Stafford County close to the Aquia Creek batteries (where Co.I was)."

Here is the blanket quote:

"A member of Company D wrote home on October 8, pleading for pants, a coat, and at least three or four shirts. He had plenty of money - having just been paid, but shirts couldn't be gotten for mere money. Someone had sent him a pistol, for which he offered perfunctory thanks, but clothes were what he really was wanting. The arrival of
660 English blankets in late October (at $2.75 each) was a bonanza."

(Co. D was from Spotsyvania County and existed as a pre-war militia company.)

Tantalizing.