Knapsacks & Blanket Rolls Redeux

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: knapsack vs. blanket roll

Mr Hickox got me thinking, about the load that I carry. So I grabbed my US knapsack out of the closet and here is the inventory of my "bureau"

Contents of my knapsack:

1.Blanket wool
1.Blanket rubber
1.Tent half
1.Towel
1.Piece of Soap
1.Housewife
1.Small tin of Flour of Emory
1.Rag
1.Army Shirt

The load I carry doing CS is pretty close with the exceptions of, different blanket, panted ground sheet, and no shelter tent.

[pvtben]

Authentic way to carry short roll

Hey Guys,

Hey i have been carying a blanket roll for a while and i wanted to know a authentic way to carry a short roll.

Pvt. Benjamin N. Jenkins
19th LA Vol. Infantry
Vance Guards

[Charles Heath]

Re: Authentic way to carry short roll

This may prove helpful:

http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/forum/search.php?searchid=64408

Charles Heath

[SCTiger]

ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

Comrades:


Make some brief but, accuarate observations about "Into The Wilderness"
You can enter opinions, just back them up with facts. Here are my own lesson learned notes:

1. Lighter loads,
2. Greasy Bacon and extra cartidges never mix (haversack)
3. Better to arrive early, take the day off.
4. Learn some song lyrics.
5. Insist on a real Comrade-in-arms, stay with your four and organize your loads amongst them. Review the manual-of-arms with them.
6. Unlined Sack Coat.
7. More discussions/practice on Skirmish drill.
8. Try to Car pool for any event over 300 miles.
9. Bring some defarbed first-aid stuff, bandages/tweezers
10. My knapsack sucks.
11. I need period matches that will work anywhere.
12 Shaving kits are useless.

Things that worked:

1. No frying pan.
2. Bringing 1 extra shirt, socks and underwear, extra towel
3. (2) wooden tent pins
4. extra rope, 10 feet
5. No hatchet
6. No large knife
7. No cards
8. Placing the cup in the haversack
9 Mink oiling my brogans prior to the event.
10. wool socks over thin cotton socks =no blisters.
11. Reading everything on the event site.
12. Quality cartridge paper, rolling your own.
13 Small period rifle cleaning kit in the knapsack.
14 Small tin of grease to prevent rust.
15. Buying Quality gear works: Hoffman, Daley, QM stores, Orchard Hill et al.
16 Thread your needles before you go to the field. Small housewife.
17 A quality mechanical time piece is very handy.
18 Pre-combat checking your gear before the event, pre loading
19. Always buddy up with an ex-Special Forces Sergeant Major if possible.
20. Forgetting your at an "event" and enjoying the moment.
:D

[DukeRPSC]

Re: ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

Greg:

This is excellent. After every event folks need to prepare a "what worked/what didn't" list for themselves so they can learn by their experiences. Sometimes, the passage of a mere few weeks makes the difference in remembering lessons learned and not.

[Adjutant]

Re: ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

I'll bite:

What what I learned (as a Regimental Adjutant for the 14th TN):
- Two officer's haversacks are better than one! (especially when one holds five regimental books, roll up desk, ration blanks, morning report blanks, ordnance blanks, officer's pay rolls, descriptive lists, and field returns, pencils, pens, ink, candles, blank paper, a map, extra matches, twine, &tc)
- Do not bring extra headquarter's gear relying on the mule to show up
- If forced to leave behind headquarter's gear DO NOT leave the coffee pot!
- Matchsafes are wonderful things.
- Filling out consolidated morning reports and order books in ink in the field takes time but is very rewarding.
- True staff officers never really rest and have worries long after the privates stop.
- Field made lemonade is as close to heaven as humans can get.
- Pistols are not necessary and I'm really glad I left mine home.
- Sword belts can double as drum slings.
- Always know where all your companies are as the Colonel gets impatient if they are missing.

This list will grow as I continue to reflect. Time to work on that AAR! I remain...

[texandrummer61]

Re: ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

Here's my list of what worked and what did'nt:

Worked-
1. My extremely hiked up traps
2. Twisting my blanket roll
3. Seperating food from other accoutrements in my haversack

Did'nt Work-
1. My shebang
2. My suspenders
3. The size of my miniature ground cloth
4. Leaving my drum heads exposed to rain instead of my kit
[ numbers 1 and 2 -only 14th Tenn. staff will get them]

[Wild Rover]

Re: ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

Did'nt Work-
1. My shebang
2. My suspenders

LOL...yeah Ian, got it!

Are your heads ok? You did a great job thispast weekend, and anytime you want to come back this way we would be glad to have you.

Andrew, yup, humping those books wouldhave been alot easier with a mule, huh?

:)

And just how did someone pry that coffee pot away from you? I didn't think that was possible!

Later guys!

[James Brenner]

Re: ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

What worked:

The teaching point that showed just hard it is/was to keep alignment and unit integrity in the wilderness.

Messes: both Mess #1 from the 6th Ohio and the Weeks Mill Boys from B/7 ME

What didn't work:

4 canteens of water on Saturday wasn't enough.

[JACKSONVC]

Re: ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

Things that did not work
Well that damn tarred ground cloth was not made for overhead cover!
I'll never carry those damn candles again!
Extra socks would have been a blessing!
Kepi is out, a wide brimmed hat is a must.
Not owning a sewing kit so I can expose my private parts to federal fire, priceless.
Strike anywhere matches? Right.

Things that worked
Softing the leather in my shoes with rubbing alcohol prior to the event
(learned this from an old German Vet)
Wrapping cooked bacon in paper before putting it in my haversack (my other things did not become soaked in bacon fat, like those of others)
Coffee, no matter how hot or cold the weather!
brushing up on manual of arms prior to attending, I didn't look the part of a jackass that way.
keeping my musket clean and in order, it functions when fired that way. (saw a few fellows at the inspection who didn't get the idea that the musket is to be clean and in working order) Scarry!
If you are a private, be a private, If you are a Sargent, be a Sargent, If you are an Officer be that Officer. Know your place in the food chain and play your part!
Follow orders when given.
Drink water, Drink water, then drink more water!
Potatoes laid in the coals before you go to sleep become a nice warm breakfast treat.
and finally if you don't know something, ask. There are those out there who are willing to help.

[nofarb38]

Re: ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

:wink_smil
Things that worked:

The unreal ammount of fun 12 cold and wet guys can have around a camp fire in the rain at 2 in the morning.

A blanket roll worked better than a knapsack (especially when wet)

Carrying two waterproofs

How much better quality gear performs in bad weather

How you can enjoy Hell when you are surrounded with great chums

C. Anders can be heard over musketry......

Things that didn't work:

Oil cloths soak through eventually

My file partner didn't like spooning with me :-(

Larry M. get's really upset when you interupt his dinner by moving camp

A tick bite in the crack of my buttocks....

[Cap and Ball]

Gum Blanket Repairs

Hello I Was Wondering If Anyone Could Tell Me The Best Way To Repair A Gum Blanket. The Outer Strip Of My Blanket Is Coming A Part And I Wanted To Know the Best Way To Repair It.

Thanks Chris Wallace

[Enfilade]

Re: Gum Blanket Repairs

"Hello I was wondering If Anyone Could Tell Me The Best Way To Repair A Gum Blanket. The Outer Strip Of My Blanket Is Coming A Part And I Wanted To Know The Best Way To Repair It. Thanks Chris Wallace"

COOOOOOL! The best parts of most impressions are the regular wear and tear of your items. You know, it shows you're a veteran and a user of the said item. So what if it's tearing up or wearing out? If you were really on campaign like the real soldiers were, that stuff would be worked over really bad. This is something we just cannot replicate except for the fact that we wear it until it falls off or use it until it wears completely out. But by then, we would have had another issue. I wouldn't worry about "fixing" these things so much. My biggest worry would be fixing it, and then it looks like crap. Like it had been "fixed" instead of used. You know, it's fixed but how and why would a soldier that was issued this stuff he lays on every night between himself and the ground, why would he worry about the outer edges coming off? But that's just me. I hope this helps.

Mark Berrier
North State Rifles
combinations@northstate.net

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Gum Blanket Repairs

Hallo Kameraden!

Originals were made so that that was fused in the manufacturing process. Several modern makers simply use black vinyl cement to hold the edge bindings and grommet reinforcements down (less nasty than the "bonded and sealed" vulcanization process or a alternative manufacturing method using naptha solvent and chloride of sulfur).

When the U.S.S. Maple Leaf struck a torpedo and went down on April 1, 1864, it was carrying stores as well as the personal baggage of three federal regiments. Eleven gun blankets, a poncho, and a section of rubberized cloth were excavated.

"Rubberized Artifact #01138 from the U.S.S. Maple Leaf had a series of stitch holes around a tear. Although the thread had long since rotted away, it is believed it was a stitched field repair.

Curt-Heinrich Schmidt

[Kayjay]

Re: ITW: Lessons Learned, Short comments.

Make some brief but, accuarate observations about "Into The Wilderness"


Do not set your shebang up next to 14th Tn HQ shebang unless you want to be kept awake all night by lost patrols reporting in.

Keivn Kelley