issued tentpole mention

[john duffer]

I don't recall anyone posting this during the last discussion of tentpole issue and thought it interesting. From Hazen's "A Narrative Of Military Service", the chapter on "Lessons Of The War":

"Should the tent-d'abri be issued, the poles for it (like broomsticks), still furnished troops, but never used, should be discontinued. This is at present waste, as the men will not carry them, but provide substitues at each camp."

[RyanBWeddle]

I don't recall anyone posting this during the last discussion of tentpole issue and thought it interesting. From Hazen's "A Narrative Of Military Service", the chapter on "Lessons Of The War":

"Should the tent-d'abri be issued, the poles for it (like broomsticks), still furnished troops, but never used, should be discontinued. This is at present waste, as the men will not carry them, but provide substitues at each camp."

That is interesting, John. I don't have a copy of Gaede's book here at the office, but he does cover in depth issue poles for the shelter tent.

Just a slight sideline, here is my favorite quote regarding shelter tents:

"The shelter tents ... are so small that a man cannot stand up in them. The boys were then very bitter in condemnation of them and called them ... dog pens. Almost every one of these tents was marked in a way to indicate the unfavorable opinion the boys entertained of them, and in riding through the company quarters of the Pioneer Brigade, the eye would fall on inscriptions of this sort:

PUPS FOR SALE
RAT TERRIERS
BULL PUPS HERE
DOGHOLE NO.1
SONS OF BITCHES WITHIN
DOGS
PURPS

General Rosecrans and staff, while riding by one day, were greeted with a tremendous bow wow. The boys were on their hands and knees, stretching their heads out of the ends of the tents, barking furiously at the passing cavalcade. The general laughed heartily and promised them better accommodations."

from Brig. Gen. John Beatty, Memoirs of a Volunteer 1861-1863, New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1946

[RJSamp]

The question becomes then:

1. whom, at reenactments, will provide the substitutes called for in Hazen's note?

2. Is it proper/legal/well mannered/environmentally PC to start tearing up bushes and trees to provide for tent poles? Even dead fall or squaw wood (that isn't too rotten for proper support) might be a problem (great kindling for example). I know it's authentic....and so is stealing....errr, foraging. But modern folk might not take kindly to stripping a red sumac patch to the ground.

3. plenty of quotes of carrying shelter halves during the Atlanta Campaign....and stealing fence posts by the thousands.....and stripping tree lines/woods for wood (and of course quickly building breastworks). A classic for me is the July 2nd AM quote about Gettysburg from the federal side: "Cemetery Ridge was awash in a sea of canvas".

4. so what do we do? Heavy shelter tent camping is out, they didn't carry around tent poles so it's not authentic for us to do so. Most of us are absolutely loath to uses our rifles with bayonets as tent poles.....even though that is very authentic. And it's equally unauthentic to NOT use shelter halves (or do we only pick impressions and places where it's documented they didn't have them?).

The answer may be to have the event staff preposition the poles, piled up by company. Porta Potties and water is prepositioned.....why not a stash of poles? could be unobtrusive....

The benefit to this just might be that with more canvas, up to authentic levels, the rain and run crowd just might stay at the event until it's conclusion....

RJ Samp

[paulcalloway]

The question becomes then:

1. whom, at reenactments, will provide the substitutes called for in Hazen's note?

2. Is it proper/legal/well mannered/environmentally PC to start tearing up bushes and trees to provide for tent poles? Even dead fall or squaw wood (that isn't too rotten for proper support) might be a problem (great kindling for example). I know it's authentic....and so is stealing....errr, foraging. But modern folk might not take kindly to stripping a red sumac patch to the ground.

3. plenty of quotes of carrying shelter halves during the Atlanta Campaign....and stealing fence posts by the thousands.....and stripping tree lines/woods for wood (and of course quickly building breastworks). A classic for me is the July 2nd AM quote about Gettysburg from the federal side: "Cemetery Ridge was awash in a sea of canvas".

4. so what do we do? Heavy shelter tent camping is out, they didn't carry around tent poles so it's not authentic for us to do so. Most of us are absolutely loath to uses our rifles with bayonets as tent poles.....even though that is very authentic. And it's equally unauthentic to NOT use shelter halves (or do we only pick impressions and places where it's documented they didn't have them?).

The answer may be to have the event staff preposition the poles, piled up by company. Porta Potties and water is prepositioned.....why not a stash of poles? could be unobtrusive....

The benefit to this just might be that with more canvas, up to authentic levels, the rain and run crowd just might stay at the event until it's conclusion....

RJ Samp

RJ -
At many of the events that I've been involved in, we've gotten approval ahead of time to forage wood and such from neighboring tree lines. All too often property-owners are only too glad to have your help in picking up dead-fall - just need to make sure to ask ahead of time.

I'm not able to attend the States Rights event on the Trent property this month, but I don't believe they've raised any issue with this sort of foraging. These sorts of problems can and should be resolved by event organizers before the events ever take place. People in charge on the field need to work closely with said organizers to make sure the property owners wishes are followed to the letter.

As far as being "loathe to use our rifles", I haven't seen that. Most of my experience has been with the WIG/GHTI/CRs, etc... but it's not unusual at all to use rifles. The time when it's ideal is when you're on the move all weekend and just bedding down for the night... if you're in a static camp, it isn't efficient to use rifles if you're going to need to break your shelter in an hour for drill.