Greatcoat Straps on Knapsacks

[crowley_greene]

Is there any authentication for the blanket carriers that are two overcoat straps with a connecting leather strap? I use one of these occasionally when I dont use a knapsack as an officer, but I've not seen any proof these were used.

That quote actually came from the thread called "Napsack [sic] Question," but it made me wonder about something I heard some years back, from a fellow whose research I respect.

I think this fellow told me that when greatcoats were sent back after the cold season, that they were bound by the leather straps that one sees on the tops of double-bag knapsacks. For that reason, the straps are "incorrect" for the warmer months. The soldiers didn't have them.

That is the only time I ever heard that, and as yet I have not found any other information relating to that bit of information.

Can someone shed some additional light?

Murray Therrell

[tater]

well, you can't have one of those "one size fits all" answers... check your unit history.....

[Pvt Schnapps]

The fellow who advised you had either access to far better information than most folks I know or, I suspect, was a bit uncertain of his sources himself.

The idea of the straps on top of the knapsack being the same as the "greatcoat straps" provided for storing greatcoats is directly related to the idea that greatcoats must be carried on top of the knapsack rather than folded inside. There are two possibilities, thus two schools of thought, both of which can summon profound theological arguments in favor of their interpretation.

The latter school (coat folded inside) draws some support from an 1863 article in the Continental Monthly, titled "Fly Leaves From the Life of a Soldier" about the author's service in the 3 month District of Columbia militia. It's well worth reading in any case, but the passage below provides its take on "overcoat straps."

Before we get there, though, you could look at p. 285 of volume 5, Series III of the Official Records, which includes an Exhibit 13, "Statement showing the number of the principal articles of clothing and equipage purchased at the depots of Philadelphia, New York, and Cincinnati since May, 1861" -- i.e., during the war. This gives a total of 2.1 million greatcoat straps, 3.8 million greatcoats, and 3.5 million knapsacks purchased over the 4+ years. An earlier exhibit, no. 8, gives an annual total for the depots, showing the procurement of 459 thousand straps, 873 thousand greatcoats, and 958 thousand "knapsacks, strapped."

Another exhibit, number 9, gives the total of items "on hand" at the various depots at the end of the fiscal year (June 30, 1865), and in this instance the total of "greatcoat straps" is 949 thousand -- in other words, most of those procured in the last year of the war and nearly half those purchased over the entire course of the war.

All of this inclines me to believe that "great coat straps" and the straps atop the knapsack are two different items, and that the great coat straps themselves were not used to the extent indicated by the numbers manufactured.

For those wondering why the government would bother to procure greatcoat straps as late as 1865 when they were apparently obsolete in 1861, it may be worth noting that procurement of leather stocks reached a total of three-quarters of a million over the course of the war.

Anyway, anyone who wants to check my numbers is welcome to look at the source listed -- I'm sure I missed something in all that fine print. And I should further note that it's OK to be confused on this point -- based on the Army & Navy Journal citation I posted earlier today, a difference of opinion about whether the greatcoat is rolled on top of the knapsack or folded inside is more PEC than any certainty on the matter.

In the meantime, here's the passage in "Fly Leaves":

http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-bin/moa/pageviewer?root=%2Fmoa%2Fcont%2Fcont0006%2F&tif=00298.TIF&cite=http%3A%2F%2Fcdl.library.cornell.edu%2Fcgi-bin%2Fmoa%2Fmoa-cgi%3Fnotisid%3DABR1802-0006-61&coll=moa&frames=1&view=50

The next afternoon and evening, in-
cluding in the latter elastic term many
hours more properly claimed by the
night, were spent in confused and
bungling attempts to issue the cloth-
ing and camp and garrison equipage
considerately provided for us by the
Government. First everybody opened
all the boxes at once, and grabbed for
everything. Then everybody put his
things back and petitioned for some-
body else’s. ‘My overcoat is too big.’
‘Mine is too short.’ ‘Golly! what
sleeves I’ ‘What are these bags for?’
‘Those things knapsacks! how you
goin’ to fassen ‘em? no straps!’ ‘My
canteen has no cork.’ . . . ‘Silence!’
roars the captain, and ‘SILENcE!’
rasps the orderly sergeant, three times
as loudly and six as disagreeably. And
then everybody being ordered to re-
place everything, that a proper system
of distribution may be adopted, half of
us hide our plunder away, and the other
half dump their pnzes promiscuously
and in sullenness. ‘Here, here!’ barks
Sergeant Files; ‘this kind of thing’s
played out. There were sixty-five can-
teens; where’s the other sixty?’ Pres-
ently the confusion unravels a little,
but, after a breathing spell, begins
again worse than ever, when our melan-
choly friend, Smallweed, having signed
the clothing receipt doubtfully; pres-
ently announces, with the air of an in-
jured martyr, that he supposes it’s all
right, but he can’t find all the things
he signed for. Then everybody franti-
cally examines into this new difficulty,
and discovers that they signed for
everything, and got nothing. Poor
Captain Pipes scratches his head per-
plexedly, and smokes in anxious puffs.
Sergeant Files hustles everybody about,
exposes several shamefaced impostors,
who have more than everything, and
by the timely announcement that Small-
weed’s deficiency consists of two over-
coat straps, which are no longer used
in the service, restores comparative
quiet.

[Pvt Peck]

May I also humbly submit that "overcoat" straps may have nothing to do with knapsacks or even foot soldiers period? I have heard the straps used to attach the overcoat and blankets to the pommel & cantel of a saddle refered to as "overcoat" straps. Could these be what depot records are refering to? As far as an officer impression I believe there were period private purchase overcoat/blanket carries for sale by military outfitters ( I believe Lords has some images from old catalogs showing these items).

Edward Parrott

[Curt-Heinrich Schmidt]

Hallo!

Well, maybe the light from the dim bulb of a flashlight with weak batteries..

The unplublished 1865 Quartermaster's Manual section on knapsacks described...

"On the outside of top of the trunk, and 1 inch from the outer edge, to be 4 loops of black bridle leather, 1 3/4 inches apart,--2 at each side,--2 inches long and 3/4 of an inch wide, (strongly sewed with 24 stitches to each loop, through and through the canvas and a leather reinforcement inside,) to receive the great coat straps, which are to be of black bridle leather, 26 inches long, including a black japanned 1 inch roller buckle, the strap to be 3/4 of an inch wide; the buckle with its loop to be securely sewn to the strap, with 16 stitches, and the strap to be punched with 16 holes of proper size for the tongue of the buckle."

Where the light dims even further, IMHO, is where Period images are found with the great coat rolled and fastened on top, where a blanket is rolled and fastened on top in its place, and where nothing is on top.
Was the greatcoat on top because of "regulation," a colonel's dictum, or the man's druthers while the blanket was folded and stored inside of the knapsack? Or because of the added dimension that it may have been the "summer season" and the blanket went where the turned-in greatcoat used to be (which would make it hard if the greatcoat straps went with the coat into storage). Or, because the blanket was inside and there was nothing carried on top. Etc., etc.

Curt

(And a curiosity or maybe just a "run of artifacts," but of the roughly 30-some original knapsacks I have ever seen, none had great coat straps...)

[bob 125th nysvi]

think of it this way.

If a soldier had and didn't wear his greatcoat where would he keep it so it was handy if he wanted it? Either on top (using the straps) or folded in between.

But when he sent it into the depot for storage (AoP after 1862), he all of a sudden had "extra" space to carry an item(s) he wanted. So if the weather was going to be nice a blanket (or shelter half or oil cloth) could go on top (where the greatcoat normally went) and the extra something (ammo, food, whatever) could go inside.

If the weather was going to be iffy something 'weather' proof would go on top.

So what went on top and what went inside would depend on time of year and what you were carrying.

I know there are reenactors who swear that the greatcoat was only folded and put inside. But from what I've read the blanket and shelterhalf were supposed to go inside the outer bag. This makes sense to me because you'd want to keep both of them dry if rain was coming and you wouldn't use the shelterhalf unless you were going to pitch it so why have it where it was handy.

So if I had a greatcoat it would be on top where it was relatively handy and the "inside" of the knapsack whould carry items I wanted sheltered from the weather (or people with sticky fingers).

[Pvt Schnapps]

Getting back to the original question for a moment, I posted the following cite on another thread, but I think it also has relevance here:

Series I, volume 25 of the Official Records offers a clue, in the discussion beginning page 487 of the experiment in knapsack weight carried on by a board of officers pursuant to Special Order No. 65 of the AoP. Anyone can look it up here: http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/cgi-b...ames=1&view=50

If you check it out you'll see that part of the logistical planning for the AoP involved the assumption that soldiers could carry 8-10 days worth of hardtack in their knapsacks and either a blanket or greatcoat on top (leaving the other in storage). It's possible they could use rope, but it's probably more likely that they used the straps. So even after the greatcoats went into storage, there would be a purpose for the straps atop the knapsack. With all that hard tack, it would be some days before there'd be room in the bag for the blanket.

Another reason the straps may not have accompanied the greatcoats into storage is that the greatcoats were probably not rolled and strapped as in the barracks, but boxed up and warehoused along with other extra clothing in spring. I assume this from Daniel Chisholm's transcription of Samuel Clear's diary, particularly the poignant entry for November 7, 1864:

"Our overcoats came up today that we left at Brandy Station April 20th. I went over and took charge of Company "K's" boxes. I opened them and took out 68 overcoats, some dress Coats, shirts, Drawers, &c, and we have only 17 men left here in Co K to take them, and some of them did not send coats to the rear..."

So keep those straps on.

[flattop32355]

If you check it out you'll see that part of the logistical planning for the AoP involved the assumption that soldiers could carry 8-10 days worth of hardtack in their knapsacks and either a blanket or greatcoat on top (leaving the other in storage). It's possible they could use rope, but it's probably more likely that they used the straps. So even after the greatcoats went into storage, there would be a purpose for the straps atop the knapsack. With all that hard tack, it would be some days before there'd be room in the bag for the blanket.

Would they have carried the hardtack in the envelope/bag section or the flap section, which is where I usually carry my blanket? I'm kinda thinking the former rather than the latter.

[Pvt Schnapps]

The section nearest the back, because they also recommend having a few articles of clothing there to cushion things.

[flattop32355]

The section nearest the back, because they also recommend having a few articles of clothing there to cushion things.

That would be the flap section, where I have come (with experience) to carry the blanket. It seems a poor place to carry hardtack, unless wrapped in cloth items, as it could easily spill out.

But, then, what seems most likely to me is not always how it was done.

[RJSamp]

The section nearest the back, because they also recommend having a few articles of clothing there to cushion things.

Cool, I was told early on to put the gov't issued items next to your back in the buckled up section.....and your personal stuff, rations, extra cartridges....in the envelope flap section away from your back.....the hard tack doesn't break up as easy there.....

[7thMDYankee]

My holiday reading has me wading through a great volume, "Army Life in Virginia: The Civil War Letters of George G. Benedict" by Eric Ward. Benedict wrote about folding his great coat in his knapsack while his blanket and shelter half were strapped atop. Don't know if this info helps or hurts the discussion.

[Pvt Schnapps]

Cool, I was told early on to put the gov't issued items next to your back in the buckled up section.....and your personal stuff, rations, extra cartridges....in the envelope flap section away from your back.....the hard tack doesn't break up as easy there.....

All I know is what I read in the OR's ... :)

It would be nice to try the experiment if I could afford about $60 worth of Bent's.