Did they really do it like that???

[HCSmitty]

Hi yall,

I was recently going over some photos of three soldiers by a railroad(dont kno if they are yanks or rebs) and a few things were contradictory to what ive been lead to believe. The 2 soldiers standing appeared to be wearing their canteens and haversakc quite low, about around the buttocks. Now as we all kno the hardcore community are advocates of hikeing the haversack and canteen upa considerable bit higher. Now i was wondering,if people would give me their opinion on just how high i should wear my traps. How high is too high??? How low is too low? What are yalls opinions?

Hunter Smith.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

The best way to learn about how soldiers wore their accoutrements is to look at original images, like what you have begun doing with the one you mentioned. By analyzing a collective of several, you can begin to form an opinion, but by no means would you have the absolute answer. That is because there isn't one clear answer, despite what the "hardkewl" style of the day is. Federals were issued haversacks and canteen straps in mostly a standard size. There are of course variations by contractor and supplier. CS issues ran the gamut of sizes. Often, soldiers would alter their gear to fit them better, which is where the current trend of the progressive set gets their ideas of higher traps - it tends to ride better on the march and doesn't get in the way of movement and other gear. This isn't altogether wrong, as you will find some images that confirm that. I believe the progressive side took the stance of higher traps due to the amount of mainstream suppliers selling gear with extra long straps to accomodate the "modern man". Those types of reproductions are not only poorly made, but inaccurate, but unfortunately they are prevelant today amongst the uninformed or those on a budget. You will also see images that confirm the longer length often hanging lower than you would expect. They are both right in the scheme of things, but it will always vary on your portrayal, the reproduction of the gear, and your comfort level. My hypothesis: somewhere is a happy medium that only you can find through research and comfort.

[toptimlrd]

I would put it in a bit of a common sense train of thought. On the march, if your canteen, cartridge box, haversack, etc were too low, they would likely become very irritating as they slapped you constantly on the hind quarters. Most soldiers would have worn them in a way that simultaneously fit regulations and were as comfortable as possible (much as today's soldiers do). Now it really depends on how low you are referring to, if there was a way you could post the picture it would be helpful.

[huntdaw]

Check out this link. It's an interesting article where the author compared a number of different photographs to see how things were worn. I think it will be of assistance to you.

http://www.geocities.com/rdenton_53/habba.html

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Check out this link. It's an interesting article where the author compared a number of different photographs to see how things were worn. I think it will be of assistance to you.

http://www.geocities.com/rdenton_53/habba.html
Excellent link, Michael. That should answer alot of questions.

[FloridaConfederate]

Smitty what unit are you with ?

[tompritchett]

From the article I also noticed that no conclusion could be made about whether the canteen should be worn above or below the blanket roll. However, from just personal experience I would suggest that the canteen strap be longer if you are wearing your canteen under the blanket roll as this will enable you easier access to it when you want to take a drink. But, ultimately, considering the variation found, it turns out that the lengths of the canteen and haversack straps should what works best for you with the general guidelines that most of the vets found that having the canteen somewhere between the waist and elbow worked for them.

[lincolnsguard]

As we do in the military today, and as i'm sure CW soldiers did on both sides...you modify your equipment so it's comfortable for you to wear/carry and in a method that the equipment serves you best. There's no right or wrong answer.

It seems to see, as a relative 'fresh fish' in this hobby, in a lot of repetitive questions, "common sense" goes right out the window, and, if "I can't see it documentation it happened or didn't happen," takes it's place.

"Back then," just like now, besides the normal "I'm alive and well," included in most photos and letters, folks don't write or take photos of stuff they take for or took for granted, or were normal day to day mundane occurances. We/they were bored by it and so would folks be who were reading the letters. No note was made about how equipment was worn or used because folks who look(ed) at the photos didn't really care either.

Your unit NCO's should help you like they helped me. "Here's how you put it on, adjust it so it's comfortable for you."

Common sense tells me, with the technology available to sew straight seams, all Common Tents, were not hand sewn. (there's no existing examples). Why would a contractor spend that kind of money on the labor it would take to hand sew a tent when he could sew all of those seams by machine? Common sense. But, there's folks who have their heels dug in otherwise.

Common sense. It's not dead. It wasn't dead in 1776, 1812, 1854, 1860, 1917, 1941.....

[HCSmitty]

Well sorry folks, i aint too good at sendin n postin pictures or id put it up here. But i want to think everyone for their information.

[billwatson2]

"Common sense tells me, with the technology available to sew straight seams, all Common Tents, were not hand sewn. (there's no existing examples). Why would a contractor spend that kind of money on the labor it would take to hand sew a tent when he could sew all of those seams by machine? Common sense. But, there's folks who have their heels dug in otherwise."

True enough, but one enemy of common sense, then and now, is government specifications. Some contracts called for hand sewing; partly because it was written into the boilerplate language much earlier and nobody had the energy to change it and partly because some of the early machine stitching gave machine stitching a bad name.

Not wishing to start a fight, merely pointing out that sometimes common sense isn't given any room on the playground. :-)

[sbl]

Smitty,

Did you mean this photo from Manassas Junction, Aug, 1862?

http://www.mymodelrailroad.net/images/cwp011.JPG

[HCSmitty]

Yes sir i most certainly did. Thank you so much for filling tha gaps made by my technoligical incompetence.


Hunter Smith.

[Guy Gane III]

Just to add from experience...

My haversack and canteen go together with the canteen on top. ALWAYS make your canteen the last thing you put on. It makes it much easier to take off for quick fill-ups. Not only that, but when you are exhausted and need a drink or are hungry, you will regret having put it on any other way. Struggling to get at any of your gear means you are wearing it wrong.

Practicality and efficiency should be the priority of a soldier.

Good rule of thumb... if your gear is all over the place at a quick walk or the double quick, then you need to do some adjusting.

[sbl]

No problem! That one is a favorite of mine because of the variety of uniforms in one spot.