Black metal Dog tent poles?

[Quarter Gunner Bohlman]

I want to make a Dog tent for an event coming up next weekend.

Would black medal poles be CW period or just a 2x2 wooden poles fore & aft?

Thanks for the help!

[Silas]

Still trying to figure out how a Confederate sailor obtained a pair of shelter halves, during this phase of the campaign, but metal poles? 2x2's? Tree branches work well for the purpose. You don't need some fat branches, either. They only have to be thick enough to hold the weight of staked canvas. Some bend is okay because not everyone was fortunate enough to forage the best branches.

Speaking of stakes, save some of those branches for tent pegs. Use your hatchet and whittle ends for as many pegs as you need.

[Quarter Gunner Bohlman]

Thanks for the reply!

At Greenwood, Mississippi (150 years ago), CS sailors served as shore guncrews defending the Yazoo river and the town of Greenwood. They were under the command of the Army but approved to the detail by Flag Officer Lynch commanding the CS Naval Station in Jackson, Mississippi.

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

As this query occasionally comes up, a CS sailor has no need for a Federal shelter half (nor did they have the ability to obtain any). At that point in the war, many Federal soldiers didn't even have shelter halves issued yet. The CS military was known to offer little when it came to emergency shelter during those campaigns, but it is known that tent flies were commonly used. It is also known that many of the river sailors were adept at sewing themselves tent flies (often used on board ship for shade while working). My suggestion is to ditch the idea of a shelter half type pup tent and build shelters with tent flies. 9 x 9, 9 x 12, 10 x 12, and 12 x 15 are known CS size variants. As most canvas and drills of that time were only 30 inches wide on the loom, just buy some 60 inch wide cotton duck, and cut it in half to sew the panels. They were usually made with heavy corded grommets on the corners and sides, so just untwist some line and get a few of those rope cords sewn into a handsewn grommet of about a 1/2 inch across. As for poles, also ditch the idea of ready-made metal or wood poles - those resources were needed elsewhere. They used cut limbs or just ran rope between two trees and threw it over the top to form a wedge or lean-to. These tent flies were easy to make, easy to roll up and transport, and made a variety of good shelter and worked often for both the US and CS sailors while on shore parties.

[Quarter Gunner Bohlman]

As this query occasionally comes up, a CS sailor has no need for a Federal shelter half (nor did they have the ability to obtain any). At that point in the war, many Federal soldiers didn't even have shelter halves issued yet. The CS military was known to offer little when it came to emergency shelter during those campaigns, but it is known that tent flies were commonly used. It is also known that many of the river sailors were adept at sewing themselves tent flies (often used on board ship for shade while working). My suggestion is to ditch the idea of a shelter half type pup tent and build shelters with tent flies. 9 x 9, 9 x 12, 10 x 12, and 12 x 15 are known CS size variants. As most canvas and drills of that time were only 30 inches wide on the loom, just buy some 60 inch wide cotton duck, and cut it in half to sew the panels. They were usually made with heavy corded grommets on the corners and sides, so just untwist some line and get a few of those rope cords sewn into a handsewn grommet of about a 1/2 inch across. As for poles, also ditch the idea of ready-made metal or wood poles - those resources were needed elsewhere. They used cut limbs or just ran rope between two trees and threw it over the top to form a wedge or lean-to. These tent flies were easy to make, easy to roll up and transport, and made a variety of good shelter and worked often for both the US and CS sailors while on shore parties.

GREAT INFORMATION!

I'm not sure as to what a period tent fly would look like? I'm sure it was very basic and I sure like that idea!
Can you please point me to a link or website that might have a drawing or picture as it would really aid
me in making one. Thanks again for your great information!

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

They were often just basic square or rectangles made from seamed panels of cloth. I don't know of any site with directions, but I've found that a 9 x 12 or 9 x 9 can be made with three panels of 30" duck with 3/4" to 1" overlapped seams (French seams) that were just whipstitched on each side with cotton or linen cording with 5" x 5" or 6" x 6" square reinforcements on each corner (whipstitched in place on the undersides). The selvedge, or finished edges were left in place on the sides and the ends were roll hemmed and whipstitched down. Handsewn grommets were often only attached on the corners, but additional grommets on the sides greatly assist with making a variety of configurations for shelter. I encourage you to go online or to a library and find an older sailmaker's or sailing guide (or even some of the modern ones have chapters on handrepairs of sails). They will have guides for how to make seams, grommets, etc., basically all you'll need to learn the basic stitches to make a tentfly.

[Quarter Gunner Bohlman]

Thanks again! I've not worked to much with canvas sailmaking but I'm up on my knot work with a good working knowledge of basic marlinspike seamenship from rope grommets, eye and end splices, turksheads, & most other fancy period knot work. I'll check out some sailmaking books and again THANKS!

[Quarter Gunner Bohlman]

I found some photos on line. Is this the type of tent fly you are talking about?





THANKS ~

[Ross L. Lamoreaux]

That image is two Federal shelter tent halves buttoned together - you can see the bone buttons and guyline in the closeup image in the notch. A tent fly is one piece, and comes in a variety of sizes. That is a good example of how to set one up into a wedge though, and the image of cut timber as stakes is a good example as well.

[Quarter Gunner Bohlman]

OK, that helps alot and I understand about a tent fly being one piece and not two sections.