Bill & RJ, did either of you keep the discussion relating to the double bell tents at Rich Mountain?  That was pretty darned interesting stuff.

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Charles Heath wrote : Bill & RJ, did either of you keep the discussion relating to the double bell tents at Rich Mountain?

Charles,

No I didn't. Where was it posted?  

Bill,

It was on the AC Forum, and lost in the crash that happened about a year ago. It's gone.

While looking for something else, serendipity entered the picture, and I stumbled across a transcrïption of Chris Sedlak's Daily Report of Clothing, Camp and Garrison Equipage from Chattanooga on July 2, 1864.  The form is signed by C. K. Smith, Jr., Captain and Assistant Quartermaster, Chattanooga, Tenn.

Here's a snippet from just the on hand portion of the tent inventory, and just for fun the hospital flies are included:

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TENTS, Hospital 106 Wall 31 Bell 34 Sibley 342 Common 2 Store 0 Fremont 0 Shelter 22446 Flies Hospital 39

I'd like to dig up an image of a Fremont tent. They are mentioned in a number of places including this from the 3rd Iowa Cavalry, "Eighteen men to a Fremont tent, fifteen to a Sibley tent, ten to a wall tent and six to a wedge tent, was the prescribed arrangement for the field...."  The Bells and Sibleys get good mention in the inventory, and this is mid-1864.

The 8th IL Cavalry was issued Double Bell Tents upon arrival in Washington City, October 1862. They used these tents at Camp Illinois (Meridian Hill Park area, north of the White House) and at Camp California (Fairfax, VA). The requisitions are in surviving documents at the State Historical Museum in Springfield, IL. Mark Hess worked with Illinois Veterans Museum Curator Mark Whitlock to go through several boxes of loose stacked papers on the 8th IL Cavalry.

9 men per tent was tight.....

RJ,

Didn't you have some documentation that a reasonable number of the "Bell" tents were actually a smaller version of the Sibley?  

Come on Bill.....a Double Bell tent is a horse of a different color than a Bell tent.....and a Bell tent has 24" bottom walls and is smaller (less height, less diameter/circumference) than a Sibley Tent (which is ALSO a Bell tent). Maybe this is too easy for me because I'm used to the term Bell (it's the flared part of a bugle or trumpet that the music come out of)

The key word here is: "DOUBLE" as in Two, or Deus, or Deux, or Zwei, or Do.

The 8th Illinois Cavalry was issued DOUBLE Bell Tents at Camp Illinois (Meridian Hill Park), Washington City, 15th ST north of the White House. These were basically A shaped tents, except instead of having flat triangular front and back, the canvas ballooned out into a Bell shape...1/2 the bell is on the left side of the tent, the other 1/2 of the bell on the right side of the tent...and the door is cut into the former side of the A tent. I sent you an illustration of this French design tent.

The quote is that 9 men per tent was tight. The Captain's book pointed out that many men became sick trying to survive the winter in these (over 500 reported sick, some 250 very seriously ill).

Double Belled "A shaped" Tents.....heck, they may have been used on the Mormon Expedition.  

--Last edited by rjsamp on 2007-10-03 12:38:25 --

Stumbled across some good USSC commentary about period tentage, to include vulcanize rubber floors, so I'll try to cobble some quotes together to add to this.  While Gaede's shelter half book has made the rounds in recent years, I keep thinking an Osprey book (or something similar) covered a far wider range of shelter some years ago. Phil Katcher probably wrote (or at least edited it) if it happened to be an Osprey product.  

--Last edited by Charles Heath on 2007-10-03 15:31:28 --

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RJSamp wrote : Come on Bill.....a Double Bell tent is a horse of a different color than a Bell tent.....and a Bell tent has 24" bottom walls and is smaller (less height, less diameter/circumference) than a Sibley Tent (which is ALSO a Bell tent).

RJ,

I'm not trying to fight with you here. I understand what the 18th. Century bell and double tents looked like and that it's likely this type of tent was issued by at least a few states during the Civil War.

From an earlier discussion off line, I understood you to say you had some documentation on the "other" Bell Tent. The one that looked like a miniture Sibley or a modern GP Small tent. (Only white, rather than OD green)  

Charles,

I asked Phil Katcher about the tent book. This was his reply:

"No I didn't nor did Osprey publish a book on CW tents. I think it was Thomas who published that title and the name of the guy who wrote it, an MI contributor, eludes me. I've seen copies for sale by that relic dealer across the street from the Lutheran church in Gettysburg on York Ave. when you first come into town (he flies a Army of Tennessee M1865 battle flag)."

Bill,

Thanks! From that descrïption, I know where that shop is located, and if he is still open I may pop in there to see if he still has a copy of a tent book. I'm still looking for an image of a Fremont tent, too. I didn't look too hard online, but suspect at least one image is out there.

Guys,

There's a thread in "Military" Folder of Szabo's Forum concerning Civil War tentage. One pretty good photo of the "Double Bell" tents is use.

Charles,

I was talking to Phil Katcher today. He was thinking of Fred Gaede's book on the Federal Shelter Half. He is not aware of any books on the other tentage used during the Civil War.

Seems like it would be a good subject.