Hairy-backed solders.

major bill

Brev. Brig. Gen'l
Forum Host
Joined
Aug 25, 2012
soldiers. Thar wore cow hide back packs with the hair left on were sometimes called hairy-backed soldiers or some similar name.

How common were cow hide back pack with the hair left on? Were these only worn by Union troops or did the Confederacy use hairy cow hide packs as well?
 
I thought there was a post about it here somewhere a while back. Or else I read an account somewhere that included these "hair-on hide" packs. I want to say it was related to Petersburg? Anyway, I searched here -- using several combinations of terms, but was unsuccessful in locating the post. Sorry @major bill
 
I thought Bedan Sharpshooters had cow hide back packs

They did but I am not sure how common they were in other Union units and do not believe I have seen much information about them being used by Confederate units.
 
Lord Civil War Collector's Encyclopedia.JPG

Francis A. Lord, Civil War Collector's Encyclopedia: Arms, Uniforms and Equipment of the Union and Confederacy, Courier Corporation, Jul 24, 2013.
 
The Confederacy did import quite a few items from the French, but usually by state, for instance, Louisiana imported the French Army knapsack (painted canvas) and may be seen in the famous Sharpsburg photographs of the dead along Hagerstown Pike. Later the pattern was copied and locally produced by various carriage makers and saddleries.
The French pack was a hard pack with blanket straps along the sides and top that would allow for the carrying of the blanket in an inverted U. There was also a provision for strapping down the French mess tin.

You can see the side blanket straps in the Gardner's picture below.

French pack (2).jpg
 
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