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"The Lowly Blanket Roll"

by Michael Murley

While the myth of veteran soldiers throwing their knapsacks away en masse after the first battles of 1861-1862 is, in fact, a myth, it is also true that large numbers of soldiers did indeed use blanket rolls.

Sometimes, blanket rolls were temporary expedients to replace lost knapsacks (veterans soon learned to ignore the command "Ground knapsacks"; even if they won the battle, they still might never see their gear again). Sometimes, blanket rolls were simply an individual preference over the knapsack. In at least one case, abandonment of knapsacks was deliberate-- the 9th NYSV ("Hawkins's Zouaves") was ordered to leave their knapsacks in Washington when they marched to Antietam in 1862.

For the campaigning reenactor, the blanket roll is an alternative to the knapsack. Also, as it was then, it can be used as an occasional addition to the knapsack. First, you need a good, wool blanket. While your blanket roll might contain any or all of: your wool blanket, gum blanket or poncho, or shelter half, the most important part is the wool blanket.

There are few really good reproduction blankets available. The reproduction Weissert blanket, sold by the Wisconsin Veterans' Museum, is an exact replica of an almost unused 1864 U.S. Army issue blanket. It is the best blanket on the reenacting market today but, at $125 apiece, they are pricey and there are less than 40 left. The repro U.S. 1861/1862 "emergency" blanket sold by Fall Creek Suttlery is not too bad, although its ends need to be unhemmed. County Cloth also has a good, but expensive, blanket.

However, both the U.S. and C.S. armies also used a lot of nondescript blankets. You can get by with buying a good, 100% wool, five-pound blanket--you will want one that is at least 64"x 72". Avoid any non-wool content, as you can see polyester at 20 yards. Avoid the awful, modern, U.S. government disaster blankets. Avoid modern U.S. Army issue blankets (polyester!). And avoid other U.S. Army issue blankets--even the World War II-era "mustard" type. Try to avoid any blankets with modern markings on them, such as the East German Army blankets that are marked, "NVA". Good colors for 100% wool blankets for Civil War reenacting are gray, blue, white, and tan.

To make your blanket roll, lay the blanket out and fold it once on the long axis. Lay out your other essentials that do not go in the haversack (that's for your rations), such as: drawers, extra socks, extra shirt, toothbrush, &c. on the blanket. Now, let's finish it up. How did the Boys of 1861-1865 do it? In his fantastic memoir, The Story of the Common Soldier, Leander Stillwell says,

"So we would fold in our blanket an extra shirt, along with a few other light articles. Roll the blanket tight, double it over, and tie the ends together, and then throw the blanket over one shoulder, with the ends tied under the opposite arm."

John Worsham, in his Confederate memoir, One of Jackson's Foot Cavalry , offers another view:

"I had a very good oilcloth haversack to carry my rations in, a tin cup, a splendid rubber cloth, and blanket, a pair of jeans drawers [!], and a pair of woolen socks; ...The socks and the drawers were placed on the blanket, the blanket was rolled up with the rubber cloth on the outside, the ends drawn together and fastened with a short strap. To carry this, we put it over our head and let it hang from the shoulder."

As a reenactor, remember: if you keep your poncho rolled up as part of your blanket roll, it will keep your blanket dry, but it is unavailable when it rains.

Like the wool blanket, the inclusion of the shelter half in the blanket roll requires that you have a good reproduction shelter half made of lightweight drill, rather than a heavy canvas shelter tent (like the ones sold by Panther) which does not roll decently.

The blanket roll needs to be slightly loose, rather than rolled tightly. After rolling it up, you should twist the blanket roll like a piece of taffy. This will make the roll more comfortable to carry and ensure that it does not fall open or come apart on the march. Also, twisting it requires that you tie it only at one end, rather than at the ends and intermediate points as done by most reenactors.

Another option to the "mule collar" described above is to make a hobo-roll and tie it off with a U-shaped piece of hemp, sisal, or cotton rope on both ends. Use the rope to sling the "U" over your back and off one shoulder. Some "skinners" [sutlers] sell blanket roll strap-sets for this, although the writer wonders where Billy Yank or Johnny Reb would have gotten these, as he never saw anything like a reenactors' "skinner row" in his years in the army. They do appear, however, in an early-war image of a private in the 2nd Rhode Island Detached Militia--then-Colonel Ambrose Burnside's regiment--which impressed Washington D.C. with their "business-like" air and appearance prior to First Bull Run, when they marched through town in their overshirts, jeans trousers, and red blanket rolls.

Finally, this writer recommends that you study some photographs of soldiers of the period--particularly soldiers of your own regiment (if you can find such photos)--and most especially those of men in the field. Whether you opt for a knapsack or blanket roll, pattern your living history appearance after these individuals.

Mike Murley is a co-founder and member of The Rowdy Pards http://www.geocities.com/rowdy_pards/