Civil War Tent

[canadauk51]

Before anyone starts 'shouting' or shaking their head.....this is a funny request and should be seen as such.

For some unknown reason I am asking a straight forward question.....if one was to make a 1/6th scale version of the ten tin the image below.....where would one find a good reference source. Obviously the easiest would be to work from a 1:1 version, but that is not viable.

Would there be a good 'plan' that could be used to replicate this tent ?
Any advice would be much appreciated, keep in mind material would be cotton and to replicate as close to the real thing would be what I would like to make.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/shil1861/533.jpg

Many thanks.

[RJSamp]

Notice no front porch flies and a fly Over the tent.....

[Silas]

The photo, although widely attributed to being a CW photo, is actually bogus. Everyone knows that tents had front porch flys. Further, policing the empty beer cans before snapping the shutter doesn't make the photo legit.

[Brett]

The photo, although widely attributed to being a CW photo, is actually bogus. Everyone knows that tents had front porch flys. Further, policing the empty beer cans before snapping the shutter doesn't make the photo legit.

And the guy sitting on the right, his boots are farby. Totally the wrong pattern for this theater.

Is that a beer cooler poking out from that tent?

[Spinster]

Y'all boys just ain't right.

Yep, there's a method. It would help to have a 'known' height to work from in the image, but an estimate would do, basing on the heights of the men, with allowance for those seated.

Someone with a background in drafting, mechanical drawing, or computer aided design will be able to handle the task.

[Ofcalipka]

By estimating the average height of the men there to be about 5'5"-5'8" the tent appears to stand about 6' tall. Then looking at at it length and width compared to that hieght I doubt it is more than 7' long or wide. This is just my humble opinion from my perspective, mind you, with no actual detailed measuring of any kind. So if full size is 6' X 7' X 7" 1/6 scale would be 1' X 1'2" X 1'2" which would make a good tent for your pet rabbit at best.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Here's just a thought. Find through a search function the known, and not estimated, size of a government wall tent, and cut 'er down to scale

[canadauk51]

Hi guys, thanks for the input and also re the actual image. Thing is the actual size, be it 6' x 6' x 7' is not really the issue, can make a tent with those dimension with ease. The main point is, after reading other threads on this forum, how was the tent made ? I have read that the material was a certain width, sewn together to get the actual width of the roof.
I have even sent a hopefully email to the Quartermasters Museum in the hope of some detailed plans. Like the 1:1 re enactors I would like this tent to at least be as close to the real thing. Living in Canada prevents me from even seeing at a reenactment a replica tent.
So again I throw this thread out there for any images or plans I could work from, or even a book title that would show something that would help.

Again thanks for any and all input.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

The width of period looms for cotton duck was usally no wider than 28-30 inches, leaving panels of cloth sewn togother that were usually 26-28 inches finished.

[mtodriscoll]

Notice no front porch flies and a fly Over the tent.....

So what are the "lean-tos" at the rear of the tents? They appear to be "woven" tree limbs covered with cut branches.
The one on the left even has a canvas fly.
Could be a back porch...or maybe the cook's tent/area?

[canadauk51]

Just to show what I have tried to achieve I have added a few pictures - all in 1/6th scale.....feedback would be great from you guys.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/shil1861/coffin2.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/shil1861/camp10.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/shil1861/camp9.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/shil1861/camp.jpg


So now I really would like to make a decent Civil War era tent.

[canadauk51]

Just a few more

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/shil1861/Table2.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/shil1861/ChairB.jpg

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f348/shil1861/4crates-1.jpg

[bob 125th nysvi]

at the tent that is farther away it appears that the roof is made out of three panels.

Assuming a depth of 7 feet that makes the panel about 30 (scale) inches wide (you have to have overlap at the seams).

[Rob Weaver]

Those pics are great! It looks like he's shopping at Fall Creek!

[canadauk51]

Just to say I have had an email back from the Quartermasters Museum and they are Snail Mailing me some VERY interesting information ! Looks like the good old pre Internet days are just as good as they once were. Personally the Internet is ok - but it will never be anything more than a Library without a Librarian. Too much information without any hope of ever finding anything, but thanks for all your efforts and comments.

[10TN]

As a note- it actually appears that both wall tents also have a fly over them. This is especially visiable on the back tent, where it's guy lines and the tent lines are both visiable. Furthermore, looking at the near tent, it appears the fly is made from a couple of shelter halves. There appears to be a seam and line of buttons or buttonholes just below the ridge.

[Ofcalipka]

^ Well, I completely missed that one. But yeah looking at it a second time it is a dog tent fly. I'll bet those mini wall tents under them were something custom that was probably privately procured somewhere by the soldiers. It would be nice to have further information on when, where, and who is in that photo so more research could be done.