CIVIL WAR KNAPSACK DRIVERS

Abraham Lincoln, hoping to defuse the situation, banished Vallandigham to the Confederacy, who in turn had no use for the Ohioan. In May of 1863, his opposition to the Northern war effort led to his arrest for “publically expressing…sympathy for those in army against the Government of the United States, and declaring disloyal sentiments and opinion, with the object and purpose of weakening the power of the Government in its efforts to suppress an unlawful rebellion.” Vallandigham’s arrest sparked a national furor and was widely seen as unlawful. Clement Vallandigham belonged to the anti-war faction of the Democratic Party, often termed “Peace Democrats” or “Copperheads,” and fervently believed that only by laying down its arms could the North hope to be reunited with the Southern states. Two men-Clement Vallandigham and John Brough-sought to occupy the governor’s seat in Columbus, and the difference between the two couldn’t have been more striking. While military affairs were clearly important, nothing captured the attention of the Knapsack’s authors more than the upcoming Ohio gubernatorial election. Hayes noted the regiment had “behaved well” in the campaigns of 1862 and added of their colonel, Abia Tomlinson: “Their present commander is an excellent man and I look for good things from them.” Although Colonel Hayes confided to relatives that his new command had “some of the best, and I suspect some of about the poorest troops in service,” he seems to have thought well of the Fifth. Only in late 1862 had the regiment returned to West Virginia, and the new year of 1863 also ushered in a new brigade commander for the 5th West Virginia: colonel and future president Rutherford B. Lee in the Shenandoah Valley and Second Manassas campaigns respectively. The year prior, they had fought against both Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson and Robert E. The soldiers of the Fifth likely monitored the unfolding events in Virginia with considerable interest. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia and George Meade’s Army of the Potomac. The Knapsack also tracked the constant campaigning in Virginia between Robert E. The paper also kept its readers abreast of military affairs on other fronts, ranging from depredations by Rebel guerrillas in Missouri to the Union’s bombardment of Charleston, South Carolina. The regimental surgeon Daniel Meyer reminded readers of the importance of sleep, and the necessity of cooking beans fully before consuming them (otherwise “a person might almost as well swallow…leaden bullets”).

CIVIL WAR KNAPSACK DRIVERS

The paper published the schedule of religious services, praised the temperance of the soldiers in camp, lamented their prolific profanity, shared the excitement of a well-organized deer hunt, and happily announced the creation of a soldier-run bakery in camp-“an important progress, which will be valued highly by the ‘Boys’.” When a favorite dog of the Fifth’s wagon drivers went missing, “a great sensation was produced in the social circle of the wagoners’ mess,” resulting in the poetic eulogy “The Lost ‘Dorg’” in The Knapsack’s pages. Found in an infinite number of variations including state models and examples made for the militia, sometimes with stenciled unit designation.įeatures a three point harness, a four flap (envelope) top pocket and a one flap bottom pocket measuring 12.5' (32cm) x 13.The Knapsack’s pages provide a window into daily soldier life. Tabs sewn onto the top to accommodate the blanket roll straps.īy all period accounts the most commonly issued type of field pack capable of carrying 40 to 50 pounds of personal kit. Brass hardware and black roller buckles make this suitable for both US and CS usage.

Leather straps throughout, with hide type ties on the inside bag like the original. Knapsack was fitted with leather shoulder straps that terminated with brass attachment points allowing for connection to the armpit and adjustable cross (breast) straps.

This regulation pattern consisting of two bags or compartments, a front section that folded into a partial envelope and rear section made of four triangular flaps that buckled together, joined by a top strip with two sewn leather loops for the blanket straps. With shoulder straps and brass hooks.Ĭonfiguration based on the original pattern. Knapsack - U.S.Army Regulation M1853/55 Non-Rigid type.

Civil war knapsack