Have you seen instances of soldiers using a folded blanket as a flack jacket?

Joe Whitworth said:

This is getting interesting. Hopefully some re-enactor will speak up in the name of science and give the approximate number of layers the issued Yankee wool blanket would make when rolled up for carry? Do you all think a WW1 or WW2 wool US army blanket would be close to a Yankee blanket for ballistics testing purposes?

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Rhea Cole said:

The answer is YES! The quality & thickness of this metal absorbed & deflected matchlock balls. The inner breast plate stopped the spall.

The answer is NO for the common soldier's armor.

In the PBS NOVA Science program 'Secrets of the Shining Knight' a replica of the best armor was created from scratch. Only a small number of these suits were ordered from an illustrated catalogue.

Link to firing tests:

Musket v Medieval Armor | WETA

Knights and firearms clashed on the battlefield for over 200 years. Did some of these warriors have armor strong enough to stop bullets?

weta.org

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Rhea Cole said:

The standard for material is weight. I don't have the QM regulations for blankets, but am sure it could be found.

There is also the question of velocity. A spent round will bounce off a coat. I have seen birdshot do just that. It stings like heck, but it did not even break the skin. There are a lot of variables, there isn't going to be one definitive answer to the he effectiveness of a wool army blanket as a flack jacket.

I knew nothing about this subject when I read the essay about Dr Bill's book. I am definitely not going out in the yard & shooting my blanket. The citations RedRover posted tell me what I need to know.

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Joe Whitworth said:

You have a valid point and it provides fertile ground for testing. There is a difference between stopping a direct shot at the wearer and stopping a stray shot fired from afar. At 100 yards it wouldn't take too much material to stop the buckshot from a .69 Buck and Ball load but the big .66 ball could still be lethal for hundreds of yards. The .66 ball's large frontal area makes it a poorer penetrator compared to a Minie increasing the chance of it being stopped at distance by a bedroll. Reducing loads to simulate velocity at varying distances is easy with loading charts. All I need to do is scrounge up a ragged old wool GI blanket, mine are too nice to shoot

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Tom Elmore said:

Looking at seven examples from Gettysburg, it does appear that a rolled blanket at least significantly mitigated the impact of a ball:

Lieutenant N. S. Walker, Company F, 48th Mississippi. Unhurt when a minie ball went through the blanket on his shoulder, making 18 holes.

Sergeant Edward K. Hess, Company F, 150th Pennsylvania. Uninjured by a bullet in the back which penetrated 35 thicknesses of gum blanket and his shelter tent.

Almus Stevens, 13th Vermont. A ball struck the blanket across his chest, put 19 holes in it, but he was unhurt.

Corporal William H. Mix, Company K, 2nd New Hampshire. Received a contusion on the left side of his thorax by a spent ball; he was protected by a book and a blanket.

Stephen R. Wilcox, Company F, 17th Connecticut. Wounded slightly on the skirmish line by a ball through his rubber blanket; it grazed his back in two places just below the shoulder, cut cartridge belt.

Lieutenant Coffin, 157th New York. Wounded slightly; the ball did not break the skin but passed through his blanket roll across his back, coat and belt and made a hole in his pants.

Sergeant Major? John Houston, 7th Michigan Cavalry. Escaped injury but a round perforated the blanket on his saddle.

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Dan Kohli said:

I've never seen or heard anything blanket flack jacket thing. But I do remember hearing somewhere, that some dragoons of one nation or another used rolled blankets to protect against saber blows.

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Rhea Cole said:

My next question is to why the infantry did it but cavalry did not. I assume it has to do with how they carried their blankets. Curiouser & curiouser ¿no?

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Dan Kohli said:

I would not be surprised if that was the case.

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Dan Kohli said:

I've never seen or heard anything blanket flack jacket thing. But I do remember hearing somewhere, that some dragoons of one nation or another used rolled blankets to protect against saber blows.

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Rhea Cole said:

This is not by any measure your everyday Civil War question. In fact, the query requires quite an interesting preamble to make any sense at all.

In the linked article about Lt Col Joseph Bill's "Treatment on Arrow Wounds" ( original copies +/-) $600 ) is a reference to something I never heard of before.

During the Indian Wars infantrymen folded their blankets & wrapped it around to form a sort of flack jacket. It was, apparently, a useful defense against arrow wounds.

Arrow Wounds

There is ample historical evidence to support the concept. Spanish conquistadors adopted the highly effective layered cotton body armor worn by Aztec & Inca warriors.

Link:

Weapons and Armor of the Spanish Conquistadors - How to Peru

The weapons and armor of the Spanish conquistadors gave them a number of distinct advantages in their conquest of the New World, including against the Incas.

howtoperu.com

I know there was a lot of wacky body armor discarded during1860-61. Has anyone seen an instance of folded blankets being used as flack jackets during the Civil War… discounting troops on the Western frontier?

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Tom Elmore said:

Looking at seven examples from Gettysburg, it does appear that a rolled blanket at least significantly mitigated the impact of a ball:

Lieutenant N. S. Walker, Company F, 48th Mississippi. Unhurt when a minie ball went through the blanket on his shoulder, making 18 holes.

Sergeant Edward K. Hess, Company F, 150th Pennsylvania. Uninjured by a bullet in the back which penetrated 35 thicknesses of gum blanket and his shelter tent.

Almus Stevens, 13th Vermont. A ball struck the blanket across his chest, put 19 holes in it, but he was unhurt.

Corporal William H. Mix, Company K, 2nd New Hampshire. Received a contusion on the left side of his thorax by a spent ball; he was protected by a book and a blanket.

Stephen R. Wilcox, Company F, 17th Connecticut. Wounded slightly on the skirmish line by a ball through his rubber blanket; it grazed his back in two places just below the shoulder, cut cartridge belt.

Lieutenant Coffin, 157th New York. Wounded slightly; the ball did not break the skin but passed through his blanket roll across his back, coat and belt and made a hole in his pants.

Sergeant Major? John Houston, 7th Michigan Cavalry. Escaped injury but a round perforated the blanket on his saddle.

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Rhea Cole said:

HatEnjoyer on another thread has found the answer to our questions. In 1871 US Marine / Navy expeditionary force in Korea encountered Joseon warriors wearing laminated cotton armor. Up to 30 layers of canvas were proof against contemporary U S bullets.

You will have to scroll past the introduction. The photos of the armor are very detailed.

Link:

The Korean Society of Costume

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SJU said:

Just got back from Seoul and took these photos last week at the War Memorial of Korea which is actually a fantastic museum of Korean military history.

View attachment 526706

View attachment 526707

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Dan Kohli said:

I've never seen or heard anything blanket flack jacket thing. But I do remember hearing somewhere, that some dragoons of one nation or another used rolled blankets to protect against saber blows.

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