Dressing Acouterments left or right?

[J.Smiley]

I have seen many pictures and paintings of soldiers wearing their rolled poncho's and blanket's to the left and to the right. Which is the correct direction to wear a blanket and poncho when doing a western campaigner?

Hallo Herr Smiley! Welcome to the AC Forums. Our forum rules require that you sign your full name to your posts and replies. So please remember to always sign, or edit your auto signature to do it automatically for you.

and...

what is "doing a western campaigner" and what does your question have do with the Picketts Mill 2004 folder?

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt, Moderator

[K Bartsch]

Re: Dressing Acouterments left or right?

I have seen many pictures and paintings of soldiers wearing their rolled poncho's and blanket's to the left and to the right. Which is the correct direction to wear a blanket and poncho when doing a western campaigner?

Smiley,
You answered your own question by citing ample photographic evidence of troops wearing blanket rolls on both sides. Either way is fine. That said, infantry types will probably want to wear theirs on their left shoulder so it interferes less when at shoulder arms, right shoulder shift, and firing. Bottomline, your NCO's will probably get a vote on which side you wear it. :wink_smil

Finally, please do us the courtesy of signing your posts. We like to know whom we're addressing. :)

Cordially,

[markj]

Re: Dressing Acouterments left or right?

Hi,

Piggy-backing on the above comments, also remember that photographic processes of the day often resulted in reversed images.

To counter this occurrence, photographers often had troops transfer their gear to the opposite side of where they usually kept it in order to make it appear "correct." The c.1863 image of my ancestor, Private Logan Stanley (117th Indiana Volunteer Infantry) shows him wearing his gear on the "wrong side" as well as holding his rifle with the "S plate" facing toward the camera. This means he was photographed holding his piece with his left hand on the stock, rather than the right.

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[HOG.EYE.MAN]

Re: Dressing Acouterments left or right?

Why is this question in the Pickett's Mill folder?