| rougeau | 22 Jul 2009 5:06 a.m. PST |
Hello
I search color flap for british painted knapsack during AWI.
Tank's. |
| Doc Ord | 22 Jul 2009 7:16 a.m. PST |
Some units would paint the flap the same color as the facings with a red oval in the center with regiment number in Roman numerals. |
| 7th Va Cavalry | 22 Jul 2009 7:18 a.m. PST |
Unless you go by the Historically Correct Daniel Boone series from the 60s where they were using WW2 German tornisters with horse hair flaps. We all know TV can't be wrong! |
| rougeau | 22 Jul 2009 10:51 a.m. PST |
Very funny 7th VA !TV series is not historical, in french "tu as fait l'école du rire".
I have just for example (Perry miniatures article): 9th foot,yellow flap with a red canvas,white circle and the Britannia badge.I search for other Regiment.Help ! |
| 7th Va Cavalry | 22 Jul 2009 11:53 a.m. PST |
What was that Mel Gibson said? Oh yeah, "FRENCH!" |
| rougeau | 22 Jul 2009 2:30 p.m. PST |
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| historygamer | 22 Jul 2009 10:04 p.m. PST |
I am led to believe that most knapsacks were made of goat hide, so the color would be goat fur – off white. That is when they were carried. No doubt some sort of blanket rolls were often worn on hard campaign too. Also, packs were dropped when going into combat, so in combat, none would have been worn – usually. Any linen/canvas knapsacks would have been painted or blackballed to repel water. Color could have varied from year to year, issue to issue. There was no hard an fast rule on this. |
| rougeau | 23 Jul 2009 7:29 a.m. PST |
Merci historygamer and Doc Ord. |
| Supercilius Maximus | 23 Jul 2009 10:57 a.m. PST |
historygamer, Didn't the AWI see the move over to canvas packs? I understood that the goatskin ones didn't fare very well in the American climate and were replaced. Certainly the canvas pack was the norm in the French Revolution. (Ditto tin to wooden canteens, I believe?) |
| rougeau | 23 Jul 2009 1:16 p.m. PST |
Supercillius
French revolutionary troops used bag in calf or cow skin, on the other hand painted cloth or dog skin was used for the infantery helmets pattern 1791. |
| historygamer | 27 Jul 2009 10:00 a.m. PST |
SM: The units that carry packs, (silly units) seem to favor the goat skin ones. I know in the F&I period the Brit units carried a cow hide knapsack, or at least many did. I am not a fan of the goat skin knapsack myself. Let me check to see the whats and whens and get back to you. |
| Supercilius Maximus | 27 Jul 2009 10:11 a.m. PST |
HG, Yes, I assumed that the use of goatskin knapsacks was some sort of "transition" as the Army moved from satchel-style packs, worn on the left hip, to the shoulder style copied from the Indians during the FIW. The National Army Museum has aset of kit for a typical AWI soldier, which includes both the goatskin knapsack and the metal canteen. I can't recall which the Sgt Lamb statue at the entrance to the Redcoat Gallery, but I think the canteen has one of those woollen covers that were popular with re-enactors until somebody couldn't find a primary mention of them!!! |
| historygamer | 27 Jul 2009 3:45 p.m. PST |
My understanding of the covered canteen is that they are documented for F&I, not for Rev, but then again in 1812/Nappy period. I don't have a covered one myself, and only a few such units still do. Okay, checking on goat skin knap sacks with the "group." I'll share what I find out. |
| 95thRegt | 27 Jul 2009 6:46 p.m. PST |
When I used to reenact Loyalist,DeLancey's Brigade,I had a goatskin pack,I loved it! I regret getting rid of it to this day!
But,they did go to the painted packs sometime after 1775. Bob |
| historygamer | 28 Jul 2009 12:14 p.m. PST |
Not a lot of documentation out there so far, but I'll share what is posted later. |
| historygamer | 29 Jul 2009 4:16 p.m. PST |
Here is a sensible from one of the senior Guards officers: "In the Guards, we have frequent mentions of knapsacks – mostly telling the men to leave them behind and to carry blankets with their essential stuff rolled up – - and even orders for making web strap carriers for the blanket rolls (though no description of how they were made – - "according to a pattern to be seen" at a meeting that we missed!). As to the knapsacks themselves, no details have been uncovered for descriptions during the war years. We have an invoice in 1755 for the purchase of goatskins for packs, and a note in 1790 that they turned in "old knapsacks, covered with fur" in order to draw new all canvas painted ones. But that's a lot of years before and after the AWI. DURING the war, we have no specific references to construction, but since we've got the period "bracketed" with goatskins (or, at least "fur") we figure we're safe in using the goatskin double envelope style." I suspect their experience is pretty spot on for the rest. There were several posted complaints about the fur on the back of the goat skin ones being too hot and several units removed that part of the offending arrangement. I would be surprised if the same were true in the 18th century too. |
