Carrying gear

[DougCooper]

Re: Carrying gear

How do you figure? If the gum blanket is rolled around the stuff, yes, you get wet unless you repack everything to get it out, but that's true with a horse collar roll too. With a short roll, I roll or fold whatever waterproof item I have (poncho etc.) as a separate item and tuck it under the two straps as a top separate layer of the short roll. When it rains, I pull it out and put it on, so it covers both me and the short roll.

Hank Trent
hanktrent@gmail.com

We need the ability to draw diagrams on these forums :-) Hank is exactly right about the whole concept.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Carrying gear

Hallo!

One can go back as far as 18th century frontier accounts such as (Byrd's)that speak to men stripping off their wet clothing before bed and sleeping naked in a dry blanket.
Having wet clothes and a wet blanket does not work at all.

As Herr Hank has shared, the better idea is to "adapt, adopt, and overcome" to borrow from the modern and come up with the best methods or techniques or skills using your Period kit that put together "optimizes" their potential for protection and (relative) comfort."

IMHO, once one starts with the base-line of "When it rains, I get wet." it is all downhill from their learning to minimize the worst and optimize the best possible outcomes.

Experience can be a harsh teacher. But ideas, advice, and experimentation can lessen the pain and suffering.

More or less. ;) :)

Curt
Who never did learn to like cold rain running down his bare back under his clothes much Mess

[Pvt.Bowz]

Re: Carrying gear

Hank is absolutely right! I've used the gum blanket over both me and the pack with varying degrees of success. I do like the suggestion of using the straps of the pack to secure the blanket in place. That has been my biggest problem with the method.

[elcid01]

Re: Carrying gear

Quick Question... HOW DID THE SOLDIERS we portray do it? Not one example posted on this thread (except Hardtack and coffee) of first hand sources deplicting how they did it, Just what we as -enactors have in our experience.

Maybe we need to step back and not discuss what works for us, but what worked for them. The one picture picture of the soliders near the RR stock is a great start.

Cheers,
skip

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Carrying gear

Thanks, Skip!

Documentation, documentation! We deleted many-a post, once upon a time for the presence of supposition and the absence of documentation. Let's keep that in-mind as this thread moves forward.

Thanks, all!

[estephenson]

Re: Carrying gear

In the Shelter Half book by Gaede, there is a picture of a Federal Soldier with his bed roll tide into his shelter half and slung over his shoulder. Looks like a huge pregnant pouch on the bottom. Page 26, Capt. J.H. Phillips 22nd Illinois Rgt.

Thank you PanzerJager for the page number.

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Carrying gear

Quick Question... HOW DID THE SOLDIERS we portray do it? Not one example posted on this thread (except Hardtack and coffee) of first hand sources deplicting how they did it, Just what we as -enactors have in our experience.

Maybe we need to step back and not discuss what works for us, but what worked for them. The one picture picture of the soliders near the RR stock is a great start.

Cheers,
skip

Not only that, but maybe we still have something to learn from their experience, which went much deeper than ours. The reason I also cited the Edwin Forbes illustrations (which are available in a cheap edition from Dover) is that I've yet to see the "double roll" (shelter half and blanket on different shoulders) used by reenactors. But when you think about it, it makes sense on several levels.

[Pvt.Bowz]

Re: Carrying gear

Michael,

Is this one of the images to which you were referring? Two of the soldiers on the near end of the line clearly have two rolls crossing their chest. Sorry the image is so small!

Enjoy!

"The Halt on the Line of Battle" Edwin Forbes

[Pvt Schnapps]

Re: Carrying gear

Michael,

Is this one of the images to which you were referring? Two of the soldiers on the near end of the line clearly have two rolls crossing their chest. Sorry the image is so small!

Enjoy!

"The Halt on the Line of Battle" Edwin Forbes

Yes indeed.

[estephenson]

Re: Carrying gear

In addition to the photograph on page 26 of the Shelter half book, page 27 has a group with stacked rifles, shelter halves tied in horseshoe over the right shoulder, and short rolls under their stacks. The short rolls are blankets, etc with rubber blanket on the outside. It looks like it is an overcoat type strap on the roll. Can not make out how the shoulder strap was achieved.

My guess would be it had rained and the shelter halves might have been drying and the rubber blankets were wrapped to keep the blankets dry.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Carrying gear

Hallo!

Albeit CS POW's:



CS POW's with a Federal on image left:



Curt

[Pvt.Bowz]

Re: Carrying gear

All,

I went through "Battles and Leaders" today to look at the sketches. I noticed that there were many, many more images of soldiers wearing horse collars than either knapsacks or short rolls. It was very hard to tell from the sketches whether the gum blanket made up the outside of the roll or if it was just the blanket.

I'm wondering why there seemed to be disproportionate number of horse collars. Was it that a majority of men really did get rid of the knapsack in favor of the horse collar? If so, why was the horse collar favored over the short roll or another similar method? Or could it be "artistic license" on the part of the artist?

I know that a lot of the answer probably depends on the time of the war and the situation in which the troops found themselves. However, the sketches followed the same trend whether it was North or South, East or West, and 1861-65.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

[David Worsham]

Re: Carrying gear

In One of Jackson's Foot Cavalry, John Worsham describes his gear and bed roll during the Maryland Campaign in 1862.

"I had a very good oilcloth haversack to carry my rations in, a tin cup, a splendid rubber cloth, a blanket, a pair of jeans drawers, and a pair of woolen socks; every article captured from the enemy! The socks and drawers were placed in the blanket, the blanket was rolled up with the rubber cloth on the outside, the ends drawn together and fastened with a short strap. To carry this we put it over the head and let it hang from the shoulder."

Worsham also noted that what he carried was above average, in regards to quantity and quality, compared to what most others in the ANV had.

[lawson]

Re: Carrying gear

First..... Notice in the above image (killer by the way!) none of those blanket rolls are all twisted up. Just folded around and tied.

Second..... Why not just leave the gum blanket and shelter half at home? Better yet, team up with a close pard, have one carry a blanket, and the other carry the groundcloth/ gum blanket? Then share them at night. You'll be way warmer with two bodies for heat, and you and your pard's load will be lightened. ( which WILL come in handy once you've got a few miles under your feet.) My personal experience, knapsacks shred your shoulders on a long march. Especially packed with blanket, groundcloth, shelter half, spare shirt, personal effects, Etc, Etc.

Also to the above quote. Good quote, but we're talking 1865, not 1862. Whole other ballgame

[Benedict]

Re: Carrying gear

The reason I also cited the Edwin Forbes illustrations (which are available in a cheap edition from Dover) is that I've yet to see the "double roll" (shelter half and blanket on different shoulders) used by reenactors. But when you think about it, it makes sense on several levels.

E.g. here?