WTB- Correct Common Tent

[Anders]

Ok, Taking a shot here, who makes correct Common tents?

running for cover....

[TimKindred]

Chris,

Well, actually, no one does. The specs still exist, but there are no survivng examples anywhere of a common tent, so reproducing them will tend to be a tad bit problematic.

The Army pretty much offloaded what remained of them after the war, and thousands of them went to railroads and pikers headed west. Seriously, they were really well and truly used up, and if any remain anywhere they are quite hidden.

Unless and until someone can either locate an original, or we can gain some really vlose looks through period images of the details, it's likely we will never have the ability to make an accurate reproduction of a common tent. We can make an educated guess, of course, but that's still a far cry from reproducing something accurately.

Respects,

[chase196126]

Mr. Kindred,

You talked about looking at period pictures of Common tents and that made me think of this image I have from the library of congress.

TITLE: [Petersburg, Virginia.] Federal camp. Soldiers boxing


CALL NUMBER: LC-B811- 3224[P&P]


REPRODUCTION NUMBER: LC-DIG-cwpb-02637

Download the Tiff version and you can see the details of the common tent on the left of the soldiers (our right). You can clearly see the detail of hand felling on the hem area of the tent (near the grommet holes). I am not sure what the long seams on the main body of the tent are sewn with, it looks very much like an overcast/whip stitch. Also note the diamond marking on the tent with the letters VHE. The tent directly behind that tent has what looks to be a maker’s mark poking up above the left corner.

Also the soldiers in the photo are interesting. The man (boy more like) on the far left has a sack coat with very defined square front edges. The man standing to his right has altered his trousers for length and the man seated behind him has his cuffs turned up so you can see the detail.

I apologize for not having the know how to post the cropped pictures to this post. Maybe someone with some time and knowledge could benefit us all by doing that.

Chase Pinkham

[flattop32355]

Last year I sent the specs from the A-tent article from the 1st Ed. CRRC to Fall Creek to see if they would make one. They said they couldn't.

I'm not familiar with anyone who makes them with the sod cloth on the door flaps, which is supposed to be correct. FC will add them to the other sides for an additional fee, but not the flaps. No idea why not.

[Dave Myrick]

Chris,
Contact Yakima Tent and tell them what you want. They have in the past made them to "custom" specs. I don't exactly recall the difference between their standard common tent and the correct one, but they have been willing to make them to the specs of the originals. They are an excellent source as well for correct tent flys.
Dave

[GrumpyDave]

And, I think they'll hand sew them too. But, hold on to your wallet.

[Seamus]

Chris,

My suggestion would be to make your own or have someone make one for you.

The specifications for common tents.
Quartermaster General Office General Orders No. 60,
December12, 1864.

Description of Common Tent
Dimensions when finished:

Height when pitched 6' 10"
Length of ridge " " 6' 10"
Width when pitched 8' 4"
Height of door " " 5' 6"
Width of door " " 1' at bottom 9" at top
From top of ridge
to lower edge of
roof when pitched 8' 1/2"

To be made of cotton duck 28 1/2 incheds wide, clear of all imperfections, and ten ounces to the lineal yard.
Ends of tent to be cut with a sweep of four inches from the corner to the center.
To be made in workmanlike manner, with not less, than two and one half stitches of equal length to the inch, made with double thread of five-fold cotton twine, well waxed. The seams not less than one inch in width, and no slack taken in them.
Grommetts must be worked in all the holes, and to be well made with waxed cottn twine.
The doors and stay pieces to be of the same material as the tent, the stay pieces on the end and ridge of tent to be nine inches square.
The sod cloth to be seven-once cotton duck, nine inches in width in the clear from the tabling, and to extend around the tent.
The tabling on the foot of the tent, when finished, will be one and one half inches in length.
The door lines to be of six-thread Manila line, three feet long in the center.
The foot lines to be of six-thread Manila line, sixteen inches long in the clear.
Twelve door strings door strings, one inch in width, and fourteen inches long in the clear.
All lines to be well whipped, one inch from the ends, with waxed twine and properly properly knotted.

Description of Common Tent Poles.

Ridge, 6 feet 10 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide, 1 7/8 inches thick; bands on each end 2 inches wide, secured by two screws 1 inch long; 1/2 inch hole, one inch from each end.
Upright 7 feet 4 inches long, 2 inches thick; bands on upper end 1 3/4 inches secured by 2 screws 1 inch long; spindles, 3/8 inch iron, to project out 1 1/2 inch, and inserted 2 inches in upright. Bands and spindles to be galvanized.

Description of Common Tent Pins

Sixteen inches long, 1 1/4 inch wid, 1 inch thick, 1 notch 3 inches from the top.
For each common tent there should be 14 pins.

Common tents were usually hand sewn during the Civil War period. The stake lines had hand sewn grommets placed in pairs at the seams along the bottom edge of the tent, similar to the stake lines for shelter halves. Two hand sewn grommets were placed at the ridge for the upright spindles.

Check out The Watchdog, Vol. 2, No. 1. Commonly Known As The Common Tent, by Stephen Osman.

My Seminole War/ Mexican War unit, the 7th US infantry/http://www.cottonbalers.lynchburg.net/ has five hand-sewn common tents and two hand-sewn wall tents.

It can be done. Ross Lamoreaux has made at least one. Tom Cezanski used to offer them, but he was asking something like $800. 00 for them. Good luck finding someone willing to do it.

James Permane,
Southern Coastal Agent,
Historic Clothiers,
NJ Sekela, Manufacturer
jpermane@aol.com
http://www.njsekela.com