Drawstrings - Preference?

[LioZac0261]

Ok, I know this may seem overly-analytic but I've become curious...

Would leather drawstrings for the back of your trousers be appropriate? I see a lot of Federal issued ones with cotton strings, but I'm not sure if this was a standard regulation.

At the Battle for Columbia this year, a few sutlers sold out of "trouser - leather drawstrings". I got a pair that were greenish looking, and the color rubbed off onto my waist band. Most of it has come out, it's not really an issue, looks like a grass stain.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

Federal foot and mounted service trousers were issued with a cotton 2 or 3 cord string. Others such as CS or civilian trousers rarely had adjustment grommets and string, as they mostly utilized a backbelt with jappaned or brass buckle. The leather string is a reenactor/modern sutlerism

[lincolnsguard]

I'll defer here to the common sense of the Civil War soldier. If he would have needed such a adjustment for his trousers, he'd a used whatever was handy, right down to any strip of dis-guarded cloth. So a piece of a broken shoe string would not be out of the question.

If you wear a belt or suspenders, this adjustment is pretty moot anyway.

[Spinster]

Actually, you are not being over analytical.

You are beginning to start the process of looking at things with 'period eyes'

We will talk more about what that means tomorrow or so. Ive had a pleasant sojourn amongst the Yankees, but it's time for me to start back to the Sunny Sunny South.

[Curt-Heinrich Schmidt]

Hallo!

"Surveys" of originals have turned up Federal trousers with none (lost or removed then or later), round cotton cord, cotton twill tape (a common tie found in drawers), and two that had twine.

IMHO, this can come down to "as issued," "as used," and then what may or may not have been done as field expedients to replace a needed one that had been lost. Leather NUG makes for a poor tie. If for no other reason than leather often can be hard to tie, does not stay tied for long, is hard to untie when wet, and dries stiff or hard.

IMHO, when "anything is possible..." if a Period lad needed one and nothing else could be found, a leather thong or strip of leather would work. What happened in the Hobby is that some modern vendors came to use leather thongs 100% of the time. And the possible exception becomes the rule.

A parallel would be using a riflle sling as as a waistbelt. Or a cartridge box shoulder belt as a waistbelt. Or a corn cob as a canteen stopper.

And that can quickly take us to Mental Pictures and how focused do we want to be on presenting or projecting a more common, everyday impression versus choosing the rare or one-of-kind. Yes, the rare when documented can work for that man, that unit, and that time but may not work as well when made universal and is seen on tons of lads. (A classic example is Captain Samuel Richardson and his jaguar fur chaps and holsters.) Here, a leather thong is far less "egregious" than jaguar.

Others' mileage will vary...

Curt

[jda3rd]

As a "field expedient", I once used a 'j' hook from a knapsack on my trousers. Worked fine.

Frank Brower
Jeff Davis Artillery