Knapsack Stenciling

[7thNJcoA]

I am going to stencil my knapsack and I was wondering if anyone could provide me with any period photos of how the knapsacks were stenciled per regs....

[flattop32355]

Not trying to talk you out of doing it, but remember that once it has a specific unit's number on it, it looks kinda funny to wear it when you're doing some other unit, which is often the case at reenactments.

[Parault]

Drew I agree with Bernard on this one.

I would not recommend placing any type of markings on the haversack.

You never know what unit,timeframe, or area,you will be in,or protraying.

[7thNJcoA]

I have 2 packs and 2 haversacks and am gonna stencil one of each for my primary impression. I would not do it if I did not have more than one.....

[Doug Cooper]

I have 2 packs and 2 haversacks and am gonna stencil one of each for my primary impression. I would not do it if I did not have more than one.....

Drew, congrats on doing this - it really adds to the impression. Echoes of Glory has several examples of this, and stenciling was just one method - simple painting using a period font was another. You can get around the permanence by using a paint that can be removed.

It was very common for soldiers to mark their equipment in some way or another, with name or initials, rack number and company, and sometimes regiment. More power to ya!

[plankholder]

Before you mark your gear, check out the article in "The Hardcracker Handbook" Cal includes detailed descriptions and drawings that show the Federal regulations for marking your equiptment. There was a very specific way prescribed for doing this which serves two purposes, it improves you impression, but also has a modern day security advantage as well.-ELI GEERY

[tompritchett]

It was very common for soldiers to mark their equipment in some way or another, with name or initials, rack number and company, and sometimes regiment.

I would not go to the regiment level. If your company letter does not match that of the specific company being portrayed, you can always claim that you were transferred over to the current company when the Regimental commander moved men around to even out the company strengths.

[Suppelsa]

http://trans-mississippi.com/knap.html

Chris Suppelsa

[Stonewall_Greyfox]

Drew,

Bully for you...Stenciled items are a must!

Unfortunately, so many of us never scrounge up enough dough to have multiple knapsacks, haversacks, canteens to be able to play at multiple specific impressions.

I must congratulate you on your efforts to make your mainstay impression more complete.

I hope you will find what you need to in completing your project...as a fall-back, you could also use the examples of stenciled items in the Federal Echoes of Glory, Arms and Equipment of the Union.

Searching the Library of Congress website of images may also give you some valued information.

Paul

[RedkepiWA]

Don Troiani has a pic of a Reb going into action at Gettysburg with Barksdale and he's wearing a NYSM back pack.....so one could have his US impression with all the correct info. on it and then wear the same back pack when you go Confed.

Pat Hillock
Washington Artillery of N.O. ....and Yuma, AZ.

[Kevin O'Beirne]

Stenciling a unit designation on camp equipage can really limit a reenactor, particularly if he desires to attend an event who's standards specifically address this type of thing.

That said, for those who really desire to stencil anyway, there's no substitute for looking at original camp equipage or photographs of the unit being portrayed to see how they did it for the particular period of the war being portrayed.

I've seen original packs with stenciling on the outside, and some with the stenciling on the inside. The information stenciled varies as well. Some haversacks were stenciled, but most of the originals and photos of originals that I've seen do not have identification marks on haversacks.