~ Some Useful Tips for the Civil War Reenactor ~

Send your sugestions, research or stories to Corp. Dan Landers Thanks

Miracle Musket Cleaner $5.00 a Gallon

I have been using this since I learned it my first year. It works better then just peroxide or Hopps gun cleaner. You can make a gallon of it for $5.00 And your hands are cleaned when you are finished. All you will have to to do is run two or three dry patches down the barrel. It works!

1 Part Peroxide

1 Part Rubbing Alcohol

1 Part Murphy's Oil Soap

---

Gun Cleaning Kit

When purchasing a new gun you should also include in the cost of the gun a good cleaning kit. I have put together a list of things I carry in my gun cleaning box for my 1861 Springfield Rifled Musket.

1. cleaning rod - It's not a good idea to use your ramrod. A ramrod costs more then a cleaning rod if you break it. I recommend steel not aluminum
   
2. worm - If you don't buy any other thing on this list, this is a must
   
3. bore cleaner - Great for getting all the unburned powder out of the bottom of the barrel
   
4. ball puller - Even if you don't shoot live rounds it can come in handy
   
5. nipple wrench - Always better to use the tool that is made for your gun
   
6. screw driver - I completely disassemble my gun after each reenactment I attend. A flathead screwdriver is essential.
   
7. gun oil -
   
8. gun solvent
   
9. rags
   
10. cleaning patches
    
11. paper clips large and small
    
12. safety pins - good for cleanning out the nipple.
    
13. pipe cleaners
    
14. Q-tips
    
15. Miracle Musket Cleaner - directions above
    
16. a small sturdy box to keep it all in.
    

---

Roll Your Own Cartridges

Rolling your own cartridges takes time but saves you money and the quality will be better if you do it yourself. I have found that the best paper to use is (Tracing Paper). It rolls good, stays rolled and tears easily. Just buy a 9"x12" tablet at staples or any place that sells art suplies or office supplies.

1.) Tear a page out and cut it into 4.5 x 4 inch squares.

2.) Then twist it around a 1/2 inch copper tube as tight as you can.
You can purchase copper pipe at any hardware store. 1 foot long is plenty, but don't make it too short.
{Make sure you sand the ends of the copper pipe smooth.}

3.) Leave about a 1/2 inch of paper hanging over the end of the tube and push it into the end.

4.) Then fill it with powder and fold the end closed.

---

Working On Your Impression
posted by: Pvt. Doug Weidner

Preface: Those of you who know me, know that I'm a mainstream kind of guy. I do not believe in pushing people into being a campaigner/authentic/hardcore. My opinion is that those groups, to my eye, can behave as if they were a cult. However, I, personally, strive towards more "authentic" stuff, at least I strive to get as close to the real things as money and availability can make it, but I don't expect or care anyone else to takes it to that level. I provide the following information, without prejudice to those who aren't interested, to anyone who might want to pursue the more costly stuff. (One word of caution: Not everything you see in the museum is authentic period. Sometimes they knowing or unknowingly put repros or later period stuff in the display. For example, I was discussing banjos with George Wunderlich and he said, as I recall, that the banjo on display on the lower floor in the back of the GNMP museum is post war by quite a few years, and that the Paark Service knows it, and that the Park Service might work with George to get a better example. The ringer was still on display last Monday, however. Also, in the display nearby showing an officer's cot, blanket and tent, the tent or tarp is modern with modern brass grommets. If in doubt, ask one of the musuem operators/curators.)

With that said...

On my way back from Cape Cod, I passed through Gettysburg just this last Monday. I stopped at a store called, Family Heir-Loom Weavers, which had campaigner type stuff. Address: 141 Steinwehr Ave, down near the pizza place past Dobbins. www.familyheirloomweavers.com I purchased a pair of CW underpants ("U.S. Army Drawers" style) for $55 bucks, made by C. J. Daly. This may sound pricey, but they are the closest thing I've ever seen to originals. The ones I bought looked similar in material (weave, weight) to a museum pair I saw. It is hard to find authentic looking underwear, so I bought them. The ones in the sutler areas tend to be cut like modern pajamas and the material is always too thin, too light weight. Also, the modern looking underwear, being thin, tears more easily. I ripped the seat out of my farby pair big time. Since the pair I just bought are more substantial, I'm hoping they will hold up better; they have reinforced stitching in the crotch. They are cotton twill on the outside with a kind of "wooly" fleece or flannel on the inside.

I have found that underpants tend to make me feel cooler, for some reason, and they reduce chaffing, plus you can take off your wool pants at night and sleep in the underpants as pajamas -- cooler and more modest than just BVDs. Whether these heavier pair will be cool too remains to be seen. I'll let you know as soon as I try them at an event.

I also bought an "Emergency" (brown) blanket from them for $85. I know this sounds pricey too, but, again, it compared favorably in weave and weight to the original I had just seen in the GNMP museum (basement level in the back). Most reproductions are made by Woolrich and the wool is too "wooly" and the weave is too tight. The Family HeirLoom blanket I just bought has a broad weave and the wool is more like rope not unlike the original, not so wooly and fluffy like the Woolrich blanket. It has a three row "US" stitched into it, also. The price tag said that the weight of the blanket is 3 lbs. I assume that since the weight was pointed out, that that was the weight of the originals, but I have not found a source of verification yet. I know that the gray government issued blanket could weigh up to 5 pounds, according to the original specifications. What the official specs for weight were for the brown Emergency blanket, I don't yet know.

For those who would like to "fit out" with more "authentic" equipment, I would recommend buying "The Columbia Rifles Research Compendium." Most of the information in it is well researched and corresponds to what I have seen in museums. The only drawback to this tome is that one has to endure all the campaigner prostelizing, chest pounding and backslapping. I have removed those annoying pages from my copy, where I can. The "book" I have is actually in 3-ring binder format. (I bought the "book" at S&S Sutler several years ago, summer 2001 I think.)

For those who have commented that they like my forage cap, and where can they get one, Family Heritage was selling one that was very similar to mine, although it think the brim was a bit broader, for $115, ouch. I paid $75 for mine, but that was through a special deal worked out by a group purchase through the 116th PA.

Another store in Gettysburg that sells campaigner stuff is S&S Sutlery, 45 Steinwehr Ave. www.ss-sutler.com. (From the site: Please call (717) 677-7580 after 5 pm to schedule an appointment during the week.) Note that the store is open only on Saturday(10-6) and Sunday(10-4), (so they were closed when I was there on Monday.) I purchased my canteen and strap there, as well as the hemp twine for the stopper. They have an illness in the family this month, so they have even further reduced the hours of operations. Visit website for more details. I think I bought the Columbia Rifles "book" there, also.

Other things I want to improve in my kit: shoes, sack coat, dog tent.

(1) Shoes: Missouri Boot and Shoe Company makes what I want, but they cost over $200, so that will wait. I can't imagine wanting wear them on streets or out in the field, at that price. Nevertheless, they are the most accurate copies I've seen, period. These boots/shoes are nearly identical in shape and cut to the originals I've seen in the Time-Life books. They are made on even lasts with pegged soles (I don't know if they use the correct number of pegs, as many period boots used 9 to the inch, but they have more pegs than other repros I've seen.)

(2) Sack coat: I bought some real indigo dyed wool (from Ben Tart http://www.bentart.com/ Was a special run) at Bull Run and someday will have Diane make it for me. I'll use my current sack coat, because it compares well with what I have seen in the GNMP museum.

(3) Dog tent: Want to use lighter weight canvas with no metal grommets, all hand sewn (cloth/thread) grommets, as were the originals. I have the material, but not the sewing skills, so I'll have to beg Diane to do it for me. I bought a book awhile back that is all about CW tents, especially the dogs, so I will use that as a basis for the tent halves. I want to do this tent, because the originals were much lighter than the modern metal grommet repros. Therefore, I should actually be able to wear it on the march.

(4) There is a fourth project: I want to make the light blue piping on my dress (frock) coat narrower. Most repros make the piping two to three times wider than the originals. I examined two originals in the GNMP museum this last Monday, showed them to Diane, and it could by clearly seen that my repros' are way too wide. The piping, by Diane's estimation, was no more that 1/16th of an inch, although the top of the colar appeared to be twice that wide, may 1/8 th of an inch. The wool, incidentally, was much more refined, tighter weave than repros. The wool was closer to that of WWII shirts and pants, but not as tight -- the orginals, as far as "fuzziness" is concerned, were about halfway between repros and WWII shirts and pants. I'm going to see if an electric shaver can take some of the fuzziness off my repro. Finding wool these days that matches CW wool is most difficult; not many, if any, make it in the same quality or weave these days.

(5) Now that I think about it, I would like to get a better dipper and plate. I have never seen a convincing cup or plate. Most dippers have a handle that extends too far. On most of the originals I've seen, the handle goes only halfway down the side of the cup, while repros goe 3/4 ths or more of the way. Always bugged me. As for plates, most originals I've seen have a inch wide or so lip,