Campaigners tips, tricks, and techniches

[bluebellybugleboy]

pards:
this thread is for everyone to post a trick tip or techniqueson campiagning. it can be anywhere from keeping warm , to keeping powder dry. let's keep it reasonable also. no campers or the such.

Mytips: If it get's cold at a reenactment , and you've already used all your blankesand great coat, use your poncho

[paulcalloway]

If it get's cold at a reenactment , and you've already used all your blankesand great coat, use your poncho

I appreciate your post and I think you've got a good concept here... but I'm not sure that this "Trick" you've noted is really much of a trick. It sort of strikes me as something even the most dimwitted amongst us would have figured out years ago.

But I'll play along, here's my trick:

If you ever get your ramrod firmly stuck down your barrel, find someone with a cloth canteen strap... wrap the cloth canteen strap around the threads of the ramrod tightly, have someone hold the stock of the rifle. Grasp the canteen straps between both hands and you should be able to pull the ramrod loose.

[Tom Ezell]

But I'll play along, here's my trick:

If you ever get your ramrod firmly stuck down your barrel, find someone with a cloth canteen strap... wrap the cloth canteen strap around the threads of the ramrod tightly, have someone hold the stock of the rifle. Grasp the canteen straps between both hands and you should be able to pull the ramrod loose.

To amplify on Paul's comment, most rammers get stuck down there because of a dry patch, friction, and not a wholr lot to pull on. Pour a little water down the bore and work the patch back and forth... She'll usually come right on out.

Tom

[hireddutchcutthroat]

My tip for keeping warm is to stand next to a fire.

[TeamsterPhil]

Here's my tip:

If you're driving the supply wagon and you are convinced that the Critters are galloping behind you to steal Dom's food - give your team their heads, yell "get up" real loud and cuss a whole lot. If this is done properly, you won't spill any of the beans that are soaking in the kettle in the bed of the wagon.

A tip for those that may be in front of this wagon: Unless you have an artillery piece, get out of the way - we're bigger than you and we'll run you over.

Phil Campbell
Head Teamster, Crabby's Kids

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

A note on keeping warm by a fire. As anyone who spends alot of time camping or in the outdoors with a campfire probably knows...A good small fire will keep you warmer than the bonfire we might otherwise be inclined to build. "If you start to sweat and have to back way off the campfire, you'll suddenly become very cold."

Paul B. Boulden Jr.

RAH VA MIL '04

[Matt Woodburn]

OK, here's a few:

ALWAYS keep one pair of dry socks tucked away to put on before you go to bed. You'll sleep better.

Actually wear a sleeping cap, even in warm weather. Our ancestors knew something here. I was surprised how much better I slept.

Never put your tin cup in the fire without liquid in it. The heat is transferred to the liquid instead of the cup. Without the water, the solder will melt and you cup will fall apart. Good laugh for me, bad deal for you.

For crossing a stream: take off your shoes and socks, roll up your pants and drawers. Put just the shoes back on and cross the stream. The shoes will keep your feet from getting scraped up. Once on the other side, take off the shoes, dump the water, put your dry socks back on and you're on your comfy way.

A small red coal from the fire dropped in a pipe bowl will usually keep your pipe lit better and longer than a match or flame from a stick.

Always keep some "perforated paper" tucked away somewhere. You can find some in period looking wrappers. A friend told me of tearing off half of his nice $90 hand sewn shirt as pricy butt wipe. That shirt has got to be drafty now. I still laugh.

Bacon rind and other fat can be used to "oil" down your musket and bayonet to keep the rust off.

Unbearably hard hardtack will make great dumplings when boiled.

A candle stuck in a bayonet for a candle stick might be a nice sight, but wax left inside the bayonet opening can make it very difficult to fix your bayonet. Have fun scraping the wax out with a stick, fork, your finger nail, etc. Instead, light your candle, drip some wax the size of a dime on a rock or log, etc. then hold the candle in the wax for 15 seconds while it dries. Much better solution.

Learn how to take apart the internal pieces of your gun's lock and put it back together. Understand how they work. If your lock stops working at an event, you'll know how fix it. The most common problems are broken sear springs or a worn sear or tumbler. It's not as complex in there as you might think. If your life counted on your rifle working you'd learn how to do this very soon after enlistment.

And last, none of your gear is really fireproof. Don't put it in the fire.

Best Regards,

[GreencoatCross]

In a rain, if there is nothing to sleep in but mud, try to find some fence rails. Put a few next to each other on the ground, put your bedding down, and sleep! The rails will also work well in a downpour, just lay one end on the lowest horizontal fence rail you can find (still on the fence of course) and the other end on the ground; cover up with a gum blanket and the rain will roll right off

Keep your water handy during marches. Don't wear your canteen under everything, wear everything under the canteen!

Spooning with your comrades is nothing to be scared of and it's a real life-saver at times...just do it if it's bitterly cold out!

Carry an extra pair of socks or two, and an extra shirt in your knapsack just in case it gets wet or cold out.

Massage your feet before you go to bed. I used to have chronic ice-cube feet at night until I gave them a rub-down before turning in.

Consider where you carry your blanket and gum-blanket in your knapsack. The often-seen blanket stored between the flaps can get wet real fast in a storm and the best place for it, IMO, is in the "inner" knapsack bag, the one closest to your body (that's where govt. clothing goes anyway). The gum-blanket can go between the flaps so if it's starting to look like you'll need it all you need to do is reack back and pull it out instead of stopping and rooting around for it.

"One may reap healthy benefits from wearing a red shirt or band close to the body."

You'll figure out a lot more as you go along.

Brian White

[HOG.EYE.MAN]

Hydrate yourself before attending events, and don't eat too much toast! (Very important)

If you run out of water during the evening time, you can always wait until your pards fall asleep before refilling your canteen with their water. (personal favorite)

Don't swallow tobacco juice. (dangerous)

Never wear your "smoking cap" on top of your hardee hat. (Jeff McIntire)

Don't roll your trousers up past your ankles. (Or at all)

Try not to sneeze during drill. (ragweed)

Throw one of your pards on two blankets and toss him up in the air. (Fun times.....Jeff McIntire Lil Mac again....)

Only burn candles when cooking rations over the fire at night. (Rob Hodge special)

If you slip on your arse while marching, try not to scream like a little girl. (Tyrone)


Words from the Hog-Eye......Too bad this isn't the sinks!
Just having some fun!

[hireddutchcutthroat]

If you have drank your pards bottle of applejack, do not scream to the 1st Sgt "Suck my ar** you redheaded son of a w***". You WILL spend the night in the gaurdhouse, and it gets really cold in there, I speak from expirence.