"Union infantry - help needed with equipment colours" Topic

Hi chaps

I've started painting some Pendraken 10mm union infantry and I cannot find out what colours to paint the followingt items of equipment:

On top of the pack is a rolled object – is it a greatcoat, waterproof groundsheet or blanket? What would be the best colour to paint this?

Some of the figures are wearing a blanket roll over the shoulder as opposed to a pack. What would be the best colour to paint this?

I have just spent 20 minutes searching the web for pics of reenactors wearing/carrying these items but with no luck.

Thanks in advance

Malibu Max

I believe the rolled object on the pack is a greatcoat. The "blanket roll" could be a way of carrying a greatcoat or a blanket, although in either case it might be wrapped up in a groundsheet. I'm sure it varied from unit to unit and period/theatre of the war.

Actually, the roll on top of the knapsack could be a greatcoat (light blue for federals, light blue, butternut, or gray for Confederates) or it could be a blanket (probably the most common) in which case the color could be almost anything, brown or gray being the most common. Or it could possibly be the rubber gum blanket wrapped around a blanket in which case it would be black.

The blanket roll over the shoulder could again be pretty much any blanket color and sometimes this would also have the black gum blanket on the outside.

In the early war you had a few unique things like the Rhode Island regiments which carried red blankets.

Here's the way it's supposed to work:

The straps on top of the knapsack are for the great coat. It was rolled and strapped there during winter campaigns.

In the spring, the greatcoat was to be rolled and strapped, and then turned in for storage at the regimental depot until drawn for use again when the unit went into winter quarters.

The blanket, shelter half, and rubber blanket was to be carried inside of the knapsack, along with spare clothing, ammunition and extra rations, if issued.

If the knapsack wasn't carried, the men would often replace it with a blanket roll, and as Scott says, the color depends upon what is on the outside of the roll. Many times, if it looked at all like rain, the rubber blanket was on the outside to keep the wool blanket and canvas shelter half dry. If the weather was nice, the white canvas shelter half would be on the outside, rather than the black rubber blanket, to keep the blanket roll from becoming too hot. If the man was really paring down his kit, he might have only a blanket, in which case (Federal) it could be brown, tan or grey. Up through 1862, some Rhode Island, New York, and Maine regiments had red wool blankets, so there's an option for you.

FWIW, the rest of the equipment and straps should be black, with canteens normally a grey or tan color, with their straps either russet leather or white cloth. Sometimes, you will find canteens covered in sky blue or dark blue, but those are the exception, rather than the rule.

All of the above is for Federal guidelines. CS is another matter.

V/R

Tkindred, great explanation! And it makes sense. Thank you!

The idea of being "uniform" was not like today. There was a huge amount of personal preference within the ranks. This varied with the theater, brigade, regiment, company, individual, time of year, daily weather, how far they'd been marching, if they were veterans or fresh fish… The bad part is that it's sometimes hard to figure out what miniatures to collect and how to paint them. The good part is that it allows a lot of leeway on what minis to collect and how to paint them! <grin>

I personally do my guys up as they would most likely have looked at Gettysburg.

Clear and very accurate information from TKindred.

Of course a great many times, the greatcoats were never turned in to the depot. Instead they were just thrown away during the first long march in warm weather in the spring. There are accounts of the roads strewn with cast-off greatcoats. In that case the straps on the knapsacks were still there and often the blanket would end up on top of the knapsack, making more room inside for other stuff.

Excellent info. I have to admit I have never thought of turning my gum blanket white side out – it indeed would have been much cooler on the neck. I will be painting up my next Union infantry figures to reflect this.

If the great coat is to be turned in for the summer would the straps have always gone with it? That would seem to preclude ever strapping the blanket to the top of the knapsack. This is not good news. It means I have to start repainting a lot of blanket-topped knapsacks.

I'm sure if the soldiers wanted to keep the straps they would.

Scott is absolutely correct in his comments. Although the greatcoats were supposed to be turned in, many a lad (especially from the newer regiments) felt they would be needed and kept them, only to find that after a day or two the load and the rising temperatures proved too much.

And there were certainly instances of blankets being rolled and strapped to the tops of the knapsacks as well.

The big change came during the Overland campaign. The army had commissioned a study of knapsacks and the loads being carried by soldiers on campaign. It came out with a list of items and how best they should be packed and encouraged officers to strongly limit their men to only those items listed. By the time the spring of 1864 campaigns opened, the veterans knew what they could easily carry, and the new recruits were given the benefit of that knowledge, while green regiments were able to use the newly-recommended commission's findings to their advantage.

I believe that there is still a copy of that commission report online, and when I find it I'll post it as it's quite interesting.

V/R

and THIS is why I come to TMP. Great stuff! Thanks Tim, Scott and all….

Thanks for the answers folks – very helpful.

Malibu Max

The reason you don't see many pictures of re-enactors carrying that stuff is because it is very cumbersome, and since its not the real army…I do however own them and keep them "on display" in camp. My blanket is grey my pack and gum blanket are black.

If you join a Campaigner unit, you'll be carrying all your stuff.

…and carrying a lot less! They don't use tents, cooking irons, etc.

THE single most annoying thing that "hollers" at me is when the blanket roll is on the RIGHT shoulder and tied at the left hip. I ALWAYS found it impossible to fire the damn thing or carry at "right shoulder shift" with the blanket on the wrong side. about 10 of us tried this as an experiment at 2nd manass some years ago. when I see figure manufacturers sculpt the roll off the firing shoulder, its a deal breaker for me. My 2CW

oh, I dont think I have ever seen any Johnnies with the roll on the "right to left"

If you look closely here, using the zoom function, you can see blanket rolls being worn on both sides by these CS troops. There are also a few knapsacks, and troops with both a knapsack and a blanket roll.

Interestingly enough, if you look at the upper left corner of the image, there are two soldiers twisting a blanket into a roll. This image has tons of interesting details if you look closely.

link

TK, well played. I have probably seen that image a millian times. I wish soemone with a big bad computer would "rebuild" that image to try and get more clarity. I really dont see how you could fire your en/springfield with a roll on your right. I could never do it. but we always use the command "ease your burden" and the rolls and packs would go flying off too the right of the column in the rare occassions we would carry all our sh** into action. very very rare occassion.

As a reenacter (and a 'campaigner' b'God) I can relate to comments about how difficult it is to maneuver around in the field with blanket rolls and knapsacks. They are hot, uncomfortable, and very much restrict your movement.

While both blanket rolls and knapsacks look great on miniature tabletop soldiers, truth is these cumbersome items were commonly dropped or stacked by Civil War units when going into battle. This often was ordered by their commanding officer, or done informally as soldiers got into a fight. Of course, subsequent movement by a unit often resulted in never returning to these piles, leaving them to become easy pickings for passerby (both military and civilian). Rebs who were not issued nifty things like waterproof (tarred) knapsacks and ground cloths (a.k.a. gum blankets) very often could readily find these available if they happened to be lucky enough to be the victors in a battle. As mentioned above, they might also be dropped along the side of the road by weary marchers.

All of that said, my opinion is that our miniatures should only have blanket rolls/knapsacks when in the "March" position, if we want to be accurate. If you have figures in firing/charging positions w/fixed bayonet, then they should be free of these items. Just my opinion … do whatever you like – that's the beauty of this hobby!

Thanks to TKindred for posting that classic photo above. Probably the best in existence that shows what Confederate soldiers actually looked like on the march and in the field.

There are a lot of great photos to study from the civil war period, but precious few that actually depict what the soldiers actually wore on the march or in the field. Most photos are formal studio shots where men are posing with props or taken during winter camp.

For those interested in what Yanks looked like in the field, here's one of my favorites from the 2nd Bull Run Campaign. Notice how the two soldiers with full equipment are carrying their gear in very different ways (blanket roll and sling). Also notice the civilian hat and trousers rolled up and no shoes!

One thing to keep in mind is that for real soldiers (as opposed to our metal miniatures) battles were pretty rare things. For every day in a battle they probably spent 50 days just trying to live as comfortably as possible. So if having the blanket roll on the right shoulder was more comfortable to them, that's where you'd probably find it.

They guy sitting down also has his pants tucked into his socks.

I stand corrected. man enuff to admit it.

and for years i've been painting that thing at the top of the pack as a blanket…

and for years i've been painting that thing at the top of the pack as a blanket…

That's perfectly fine. They carried their blankets on top of their knapsacks too. As was mentioned eariler, as the war went on, in the spring, overcoats were collected and sent to storage until the fall.

I have seen original photos of the roll being a blanket, and overcoat, or with the gum blanket rolled over it.

If you look close at at the photo DCW1862 posted (which is my favorite period photo) the soldier in the middle is wearing slippers on his feet.
They appear to be armed with polished Enfields.

There was no correct shoulder for the blanket roll to go over during the war. Wearing it over the right does keep it from interfering with reaching the cartridge box.

One time, at an event, I was wearing a blanket roll. We stood on the firing line from more than a few volleys. When suddenly my blanket roll exploded. It appears that each time I bit open a cartridge a few grains of powder would fall down and collect in a fold of the roll. Finally enough collected that when I fired a round it lit off the powder. Scared the heck out of me.

I'm not so sure that those Enfields are polished. Note the lack of reflection from the lock on the seated fellow. I suspect that's it's the sun reflecting off the bluing.

Note, too, the US pattern bayonet scabbards. & bayonets.