Coolest A-Tent In The War!

[GreencoatCross]

I was scouring the LoC collection during a study of Federal issue trouser pocket variations and ran across this seriously awesome image of a cobbled-together A-tent.

At first glace it appeared to be a regular old A-tent but upon closer inspection I noticed that this particular tent is actually made from a number of shelter tent halves. The most detail can be seen in the over-lap area towards the top front of the tent; you can make out huge hand stitches where the shelter halves have been attached to one another. Also visible are corner reinforcements, buttons (all over the A-tent), buttonholes, and a grommet or two.

The sides of the tent seem to be two shelter tents sewn together at the top, while the tent has yet more shelter tents sewn to the bottom of the sides to act as walls (see third image).

Could this A-tent be one of the ultimate ways to end boredom in camp? Maybe a good use for condemned shelter tent halves? It doesn't seem that a manufactory would actually produce an A-tent made from rejected shelter halves so perhaps this thing is the fruit of someone's careful eye and a lot of labor.


Also notable is the wool knit shirt that the African-American servant is wearing. Original shirts of this style that I have viewed all have white silk or polished cotton plackets but I have never seen an original with a collar, which the shirt in the image appears to have. The appearance of the knit material seems to be a sheep's gray or loomstate mixed gray wool.

Brian White
Wambaugh, White, & Co.
www.wwandcompany.com

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Brian, that is one of the most awesome images from the war that I've ever seen, for both reasons you mention. I've read several accounts of shelter tents being used with semi-permanant hutments or shacks, and one account of several halves being buttoned together to form one uber-tent, but never completely sewn together. It doesn't appear to be a quick hackjob either, as the seams are pieced together much as the specs call for with common tents. Its hard to tell by just the small part of the image you blew up, but the seams that show in the front are sewn in much the same manner that a tent from a government tent loft. I remember reading from the Columbia Rifles Compendium that common tents were handsewn (after sewing my own I can see why with the multi layers of canvas to get a needle through), so I believe quite a bit of thought and effort went into the construction of the one in your image.

[edwardwatson]

What image is this, I'd like to see the whole thing. Great image!!

[boozie]

Outstanding image Brian. That definitely took some thought and planning, I wish we had more information on it's construction.

[GreencoatCross]

Here's the link to the image information page. Download the uncompressed TIFF and you'll get a good look at the entire tent as well as the subjects themselves.

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ils:9:./temp/~pp_MNpc::

Regarding the knit shirts, I have found dozens of images showing Federal soldiers wearing shirts similar to the one that the servant is wearing as well as others that look very similar to modern long-sleeved polo shirts with knit cuffs.

Brian White
Wambaugh, White, & Co.
www.wwandcompany.com

[GreencoatCross]

Here's another image of a group of officers from the same regiment, 114th Pennsylvania Infantry, that shows the same tent or a similar one (on the left).

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ils:27:./temp/~pp_hWky::

Brian White
Wambaugh, White, & Co.
www.wwandcompany.com

[confederal]

Awesome find you have there! After looking at the entire image, do you think it was likely that the tent next to it, or more than that were constructed the same way? Maybe that was done due to a shortage of tents? I would like to know any more facts or peoples opinions on it because it would be interesting to know how popular this method might have been.

Evan Isaacs.

[edwardwatson]

The link to the full picture is bad now, can you post the LOC item number? I tried a search on 114th Pennsylvania and couldn't find that image. I found the poker image.

[Moonshine]

Looks to me as though the servant has something on underneath the undershirt. It's an "under-undershirt" with the darker one going on top. I think that's interesting!

James Ross

[edwardwatson]

Mr. White:

Can you post the LOC item number for the original image? I'd like to see the entire image again. Thanks!

[GreencoatCross]

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/D?ils:7:./temp/~pp_USWu::

TITLE: Petersburg, Virginia. Officers of 114th Pennsylvania Infantry

CALL NUMBER: LC-B817- 7144[P&P]

REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-cwpb-03881 (digital file from original neg.)
No known restrictions on publication.

MEDIUM: 1 negative : glass, wet collodion.

CREATED/PUBLISHED: 1864 Aug.

NOTES:

Title from Civil War caption books.

Caption from negative sleeve: Officers of 114th Pennsylvania Infantry in Front of Petersburg, August, 1864.

Forms part of Civil War glass negative collection (Library of Congress).

SUBJECTS: United States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865.

FORMAT: Glass negatives 1860-1870.

REPOSITORY: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

DIGITAL ID: (digital file from original neg.) cwpb 03881 http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/cwpb.03881

CARD #: cwp2003006339/PP

Brian White
Wambaugh, White, & Co.
www.wwandcompany.com

[ephraim_zook]

Look at the shoes worn by the guy on the left -- strap and buckle closures, and the high lace-up shoes on the man on the right. Also, the man on the left wears no visible rank but he has what appears to be officer's braid on his pants, and braiding on his sleeves as well. The sleeve braiding is dark. You have to look hard to see it.

Ron Myzie