Living out of your Haversack and Saddlebags

At the Franklin Event we will spend most of the weekend in the field. Those that choose to go back to the static camps will miss several of the better features of this great event. You will miss night battles, sleeping in the works, and the satisfaction of “having done it”. We will hopefully have some wagons, but don’t count on it. Also, space in them will be limited. Believe it or not, you can live nicely on period rations for a couple days. Rations you can carry yourself. I have done it personally, and it isn’t that hard, plus it gives you an insight on the life of a civil war soldier.

Here is some good advice

REMEMBER TRY ALL THIS STUFF BEFORE WE HEAD TO THE FEILD!! PUT IT ON YOUR HORSE AND BALANCE THE LOAD. GET USED TO CARRYING YOUR GEAR ON YOUR PERSON. REMEMBER, YOU MAY BE AWAY FROM YOR HORSE AND THE WAGON FOR HOURS AT A TIME. DON’T BE THE GUY THAT IS ALWAYS LIVING OFF HIS PARDS.

Provisions and preparation;

First, Rations, The Reenactor’s Dilemma. This will give tremendous insight into the world of period rations. One will quickly find that a period diet is much better than the common practice of using modern canned meat and other products.

Second, the haversack is for food and cooking utensils only.

Third, coolers and modern cooking equipment is not necessary and should be strictly avoided. Only cooked or cured meat should be carried thus a cooler is unnecessary. Non-period drinks may be stored at your vehicle or obtained by the event vendors. Our camps should be kept free of these anachronisms that always kill a good impression and tend to be seen even when a great effort is taken to keep them concealed.

Fourth, let us establish a simple rule. No plastic or modern containers. These are not necessary and they can ruin an impression for you or your file mate who is trying to “get lost” in the time period. Even if you choose not to carry period food items, remove what you have from its plastic container and put it into a period one. The following are some ideas:

Eating and Cooking Utensils;

I personally carry a canteen half to prepare my food in. It also serves as a dish. The only other things you need are a cup, and a fork and knife. Be careful how you stow the sharp objects in your haversack. I had a knife work its way thru my haversack and cut my horse once.

Cotton drawstring polk sack – simple inexpensive bags that can be adapted to carry anything.

Brown Wax Paper or Plain Brown Paper – perfect for cooked or greasy meat. Brown wax paper is now being manufactured and carried in many grocery stores.

Small tin or glass containers – good for small herb, salt or pepper. Glass containers should have cork tops or screw zinc lids.

Some Ideas for rations:

Meat: Salt Pork, Cured Ham, boiled Beef, Slab Bacon

Jerky

Summer Sausage

Bread: Cornbread, biscuits or corn fritters (hoe-cakes).

Hard tack

Drinks: Coffee (beans or course ground) or tea.

Grains: Cornmeal, grits, and rice.

Vegetables: Sweet potatoes, potatoes, turnips, corn on the husk, black-eyed peas, carrots, beans, hominy, and of course peanuts (although this is not actually a vegetable). Plain Corn Nuts are a good reproduction of “Parched Corn” a staple of the CSA.

Herbs: Garlic, rosemary, coriander, basil, Tabasco pepper and bay leaves

Sweets: The best idea for a sweat tooth is Ginger snap cookies, which were very common and easy to find in today’s markets. **Sugar…the sugar you carry should never be white processed sugar. The most correct sugar to carry is the “Mexican” cone sugar often found for $1.00 per 7oz in the Spanish foods section of your market. The other alternative is raw or brown sugar. Molasses is another very good Southern alternative. 

CLOTHING;

RULE 1 DO NOT OVER PACK !!!!!

All you should need is an extra pair off drawers, maybe 2 pairs of socks, and possibly an extra shirt. Roll them up in your bed roll. The outer layer of which should be your gum blanket to keep it all dry. This goes on the back of your saddle. It is VERY important this be kept TIGHT and compact for two reasons. One is so it doesn’t fall apart spilling its contents, and secondly, you have to be able to get your leg over it.

If you have an overcoat, it should go across the front of your saddle.

If you boots rub your feet, get some insoles, DON’T BE MISERABLE IN THE FIELD !

BEDROLL;

Take two blankets, and any poncho or ground cloth you may have.

If you have a dog tent, take it apart, put one half under your saddle, roll your bedroll up in the other. If you don’t have a dog tent, perhaps a pard will loan you half of his. Use one half as a ground cloth, the other to cover you and you gear.

MISCELLANIOUS PERSONAL GEAR;

REMEMBER IF YOU DON”T ABSOLUTLY NEED IT LEAVE IT AT HOME !! It is just extra weight for you and your horse.

A bag of corn starch serves the purpose of talcum powder, for tender extremities, and galling.

HORSE EQIUPMENT;

Make Sure your saddle blanket is cleaned before you start. Also make sure it is good and thick. Your saddle will be on all day, so be positive it won’t sore your horses back. It is a LOOONNGGG walk back to the parking lot.

A nose bag is a good place to carry rations for your mount. Bag up some grain, perhaps two good feedings. An old feed sack cut down, tied off and attached to the saddle would work too. I suggest a re-seal able baggy inside your other bag. The reason being your horse and others will smell the grain in the bag otherwise and try to get in it.

A picket pin can come in handy. Also, every other man should carry a length of rope, about 6 feet. Several of these can be hooked together to make a picket line.

Find a pard, share gear. That way you only need to carry one of something for two men. A horse brush is an example. A hoof pick for another.