Impressions 1984 style

[major bill]

I was looking thru some older magazine and saw this. It is Battery D, First Michigan Light Artillery, a Civil War reenactment group from Hart, Michigan. The image is from a 1984 reenactment at Fort Wilkins, Michigan. The unit made the cover on Michigan History Magazine. This is how it was done in 1984. Any thoughts?

 

[mofederal]

It looks like they are wearing red suspenders, excuse me braces. Red for artillery. I don't know if they actually existed or were worn during the war. If they existed then it wouldn't be a shock. I have seen stranger items made for sale around the beginning of WWII to men in different branches of service. Were wall tents used by everyone in the artillery during the war. I don't see any dog tents in evidence for use by the enlisted men. I was in the infantry, I know much more about that.

 

[major bill]

2011 style.

It looks like they are wearing red suspenders, excuse me braces. Red for artillery. I don't know if they actually existed or were worn during the war. If they existed then it wouldn't be a shock. I have seen stranger items made for sale around the beginning of WWII to men in different branches of service. Were wall tents used by everyone in the artillery during the war. I don't see any dog tents in evidence for use by the enlisted men. I was in the infantry, I know much more about that.

I question the red braces. The tents my have something to do with the reenactment being at a State owned fort and some rules against too much damage?

 

[mofederal]

That would explain the tents, I forgot to mention horses, although you said it was a fort. So I understand the lack of horses and horse equipment.

 

[major bill]

Although I live in Lansing, Michigan I could drive to New York City in less time than I could drive to Fort Wilkins, Michigan.

 

[WJC]

[QUOTE="mofederal, post: 1692772, member: 20851"I don't know if they actually existed or were worn during the war. If they existed then it wouldn't be a shock. .[/QUOTE]
Suspenders were certainly worn before the rebellion. Benjamine Franklin is said to have worn them. A Brit, Albert Thurston was manufacturing them in the 1820s. In America, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was granted a U. S. Patent in 1871 for "Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments".- suspenders. < Claire Suddath, A Brief History of Suspenders. Time, December 16, 2010. http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2037331,00.html>

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

For 1984, I think the uniforms look pretty good.

I've seen a lot worse from the 1980's.

 

[mofederal]

Yes, the Jarnagin's look, where things like sack coats faded to a purple, and they had these wooly WWI uniforms, which were a little on the weird side looking. I had one of their sack coats, trousers and other gear. I sold all of my stuff off and bought a good sack coat and redid it myself. I used a coat which was an exact copy of an original sack coat. I know Jarnagins have probably improved quite a bit since then.

 

[captaindrew]

[QUOTE="mofederal, post: 1692772, member: 20851"I don't know if they actually existed or were worn during the war. If they existed then it wouldn't be a shock. .

Suspenders were certainly worn before the rebellion. Benjamine Franklin is said to have worn them. A Brit, Albert Thurston was manufacturing them in the 1820s. In America, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) was granted a U. S. Patent in 1871 for "Adjustable and Detachable Straps for Garments".- suspenders. < Claire Suddath, A Brief History of Suspenders. Time, December 16, 2010. http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2037331,00.html>[/QUOTE]
I believe he was referring to the style and color of the braces which aren't quite correct but they were worn by a lot of reenactors in the 80s and still see that style around some. All in all though they look pretty good for that time.

 

[mofederal]

I knew suspenders have existed for a long time. Yes I was talking about the use of a certain style and color such as red for artillery, yellow for cavalry and blue for infantry. I used to see it, and I don't remember seeing it much later on. It is hard to kill off some ideas.

 

[WJC]

I knew suspenders have existed for a long time. Yes I was talking about the use of a certain style and color such as red for artillery, yellow for cavalry and blue for infantry. I used to see it, and I don't remember seeing it much later on. It is hard to kill off some ideas.

Thanks for your response.
Sorry, I misunderstood.
Is there any historical evidence that any U. S. or rebel units 'color coded' their suspenders at that time?

 

[captaindrew]

Thanks for your response.
Sorry, I misunderstood.
Is there any historical evidence that any U. S. or rebel units 'color coded' their suspenders at that time?

No, they would usually be a plain white or patterned like a shirt pattern, here is a couple examples of period correct braces

 

[WJC]

No, they would usually be a plain white or patterned like a shirt pattern, here is a couple examples of period correct bracesView attachment 166284 View attachment 166285

Thanks for your response.
'Color coding' suspenders seemed rather far-fetched....

 

[BlueNGrey]

I've been in a few situations where my skivvies were color coded afterwards.

 

[Pat Young]

I've been in a few situations where my skivvies were color coded afterwards.

Ruined my lunch.

 

[BlueNGrey]

Ruined my lunch.

Sorry boss. What did you have for lunch? Liver pate?

 

[Dom71]

Are those 6 pounder napoleons?

 

[Package4]

View attachment 166255
I was looking thru some older magazine and saw this. It is Battery D, First Michigan Light Artillery, a Civil War reenactment group from Hart, Michigan. The image is from a 1984 reenactment at Fort Wilkins, Michigan. The unit made the cover on Michigan History Magazine. This is how it was done in 1984. Any thoughts?

If they were trying to set up a battalion camp, then the set up works and the picture is depicting officer's row. I would question the artillery pieces, since they are mountain howitzers and I doubt that battery ever had them. The smaller pieces are less expensive and easier to handle, but are rarely authentic for the scenarios where they are usually seen. The braces would be perfectly acceptable and came in all different colors and stripes, though it would appear that these gentlemen were color coordinating based upon service branch which would not have been "period correct". I can tell you that IMHO the most rare piece of ACW gear are braces, they served their purpose and were dispensed,when belts came into vogue. I have seen 5 pair of original and I'd braces in over 20 years of collecting, the last were in the famous Kurtz Collection, auctioned off by Heritage in 2012. I have looked high and low for a pair and have come up empty.

 

[Package4]

View attachment 166255
I was looking thru some older magazine and saw this. It is Battery D, First Michigan Light Artillery, a Civil War reenactment group from Hart, Michigan. The image is from a 1984 reenactment at Fort Wilkins, Michigan. The unit made the cover on Michigan History Magazine. This is how it was done in 1984. Any thoughts?

Thank you for sharing, they weren't as bad back then as I would have thought, I have seen much worse at mainstream events such as Cedar Creek, VA.

 

[byron ed]

Great bunch, Batt. D. I'd mustered with them once. Pretty good impression in the photo given the date, before reenactors really started to focus on the smaller details. Anymore, with the internet access and all, it's harder to excuse small inauthentic practices now. There's so much period imagery available online to compare one's legacy unit appearance with.

Of course most of the tents should be "A" tents, and the mountain howitzers were maybe a concession since the event is way up on top of Michigan's U.P. Perhaps their larger guns would have meant trailers and gas, meaning more trip logistics, time and cost. Batt D is a Southern Mich. membership in large part. I applaud that for years they had made this event one of their signature events every year.

In those days of reenacting (and sadly still some reenactors today) many Union and Reb units employed either red braces, or more obvious, red shirts for their unit. Not at all authentic, but hey it's mainstream and I've never heard any of those boys claim it was a standard in the actual legacy unit they represent. btw, I've seen units with half-red or all-red kepis as well, and I still see units with loads of hat brass, another "reenactorism."

As a CW musician, I admit I started with a dreadnaught guitar and bluegrass style banjo, though now romantic-era guitar and a minstrel-style banjo. You learn this stuff and then you work at affording it.