Kuhndog said:
I have a have a black (tar-covered canvas?)haversack that I know was popular in Civil War times. Does anyone have history of this process? Would have it been around in Revolutionary War period and after.
Would someone moving from the east to Southern Indiana in 1800s have had one?
Thanks
The so-called "tarred" haversack was standard on both sides during the ACW, as a matter of fact it was common world-wide from early days, leather was too expensive and was not as good to use for haversacks and packs as oilcloth. Do not try to use tar, it will not work since tar never dries completely. You would be amazed how sticky an actual tar finish can become in hot, even warm weather. More on that later. :redface:
The black finish we see on haversacks and 19th Century and earlier packs is black oilcloth. For GOOD information on proper oilcloth see:
[url]
http://www.geocities.com/union_guard/[/url]
When you get there, click on "Articles" on the right side of the page and then on the "Oilcloth" link. This will describe to you various processes for making oilcloth that can give you a good, relatively waterproof item, at least by 18th and 19th Century standards. Follow all instructions VERY carefully and heed any warnings about health and safety. You will be happy with the results, guaranteed, you just need patience. For example, under the recipe from the Confederate Manual, they are serious! :shocked2: We have different standards for what is safe nowadays.
Now, just as a humurous follow-up that I mentioned above, this little story. For those that bore easily skip this and go on to something else.
Back in my days as a Civil War reenactor, we were just learning about what was correct and what was not. I had a beautifully constructed Federal soft pack, made to the correct dimensions of the right materials with what we thought was the correct finish, a tar based "paint" that one of the guys had come up with from a "secret" source - in other words, he was selling it to us and wouldn't divulge the ingrediants. Well, what the heck, he had done the "research" and had come up with this so... At the 125th Aniversary Gettysburg reenactment I carried this puppy. I had used it one other time during a cold weather event early in the spring and it carried well and was reasonably comfortable, but at G'burg it was too hot and we did several long marches so I had just used it to carry my "stuff" to the campground and didn't actually wear it. At the end of the weekend, after three days in the hot sun, I carried it (notice I didn't say "I wore it") back to the parking lot and put it it the trunk of my VW - remember the trunk in a 71 VW was under the front hood - it was a tight fit but I got it in and made the 2 and 1/2 hour drive home, happy with the experience of what was then the largest CW Reenactment ever. When I got home I opened my trunck after carrying everything else into the house and.... no pack! :shocked2: I panicked! Where did I leave it? I remembered putting it in there, but it wasn't there. I stepped back and looked in the back seat, not there, nowhere in the car at all. :bull: I was near panic because I had a lot of equipment in there - my belt, cartridge box, bayonet scabbard, capbox, spare shirt and socks, etc., etc. I was looking around me in panic when my eyes wondered up from the top of the gas tank and then I saw it - the tar-based finish had softened and glued the pack to the inside of the hood!!!! :haha: It was dark and cooler and the pack was very tough to get unglued from the hood - I actually lost my balance and fell over backwards when it finally came loose. :shake: It left a good deal of black tar there permanently attached to the inside of the hood. Needless to say, I never used that pack again....
Sorry to ramble, that is one of my favorite reenacting stories. :yakyak: Now go check the link and enjoy the real recipes.
