(A version of this AAR earlier went out to the "Loudon-Hampshire Mess" mailing list.  The "Loudon-Hampshire Mess" is an informal, unorganized, sometimes disorganized, group of reenactors who periodically march on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in northern Virginia.  Anyone in the region interested in playing along should feel free to contact me.)

Dear Friends,

Yesterday Evan Kikla, "Andy Scandal," and I represented the "Loudon-Hampshire Mess" in our monthly training hike.  Private Scandal (aka Audrey Scanlan, aka the #1 Gal[vanized Iron]troop of the Brady Sharp Shooters) set a new personal best of 15 miles in full pack with musket.  I should add that she cheated slightly by carrying an original '63 Springfield instead of a heavier repro.  For shame.

Both Evan and I noted that in a recent thread on a popular CW internet forum, a gentleman stated that he had once participated in a 7 mile preservation march, "But it felt like 14 miles."  For the record, Audrey has now actually marched a full mile farther than he felt like he marched.  I do not know whether this makes her more or less likely to be invited to authentic events, but she certainly demonstrated her physical capacity.

After Audrey left for the real world, Evan and I marched one last loop, though we wondered why.  Frankly we were pretty beat.  Just because we'd done 20 miles twice before, doesn't mean it was really any easier.  In June I intend to go no further than 15 -- the objective at that point should be to get acclimated to the warmer weather in advance of the Sixth Corps March, and not injure ourselves.

Despite the length and fatigue of the march, we had a pretty good time.  We were rained on for about an hour, but only briefly heavily, and in truth light rain is easier to take than direct sunlight.  Over the course of the day we were serenaded by catbirds, saw several bluebirds near the old 2nd Mass Cavalry picket post (the hill at Hunter Mill Road), startled any number of chipmunks and squirrels, and encountered a fairly self-possessed group of four deer.  I also got closer than I ever had before to a rufous-sided towhee  (check it out:  http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/rufoustowhee.htm).

Beyond that, we met a number of nice people, one of whom took several pictures of the Civil War soldiers.  Two others -- Bob Eldredge and Jim Lewis of the Hunter Mill Defense League -- met us at our mid-day halt to talk about their plans for civil war markers and signs and generally compare notes about the outsized role played by that one small area during the war.

The march continued to provide some interesting learning opportunities.  The Park doesn't want us to carry bayonets, so we finally broke down and learned to stack with ramrods -- it's not hard, and not too scary if you're careful.  Once again I got through 20 miles without blisters on my feet.  But unlike the last few times, when I wore a lined sack coat and a wool flannel shirt, I wore an unlined sack coat and a cotton shirt, which left me with a small blister on my left collarbone from the knapsack strap.  Looks like I need some more callouses in unsuspected places.

Altogether it was a fine time.  Hope to see more of you on Saturday, June 7, our next scheduled march.  As before, I'll send out a reminder the preceding week.

Enjoy!
YOS
Michael S.

Quote :

Michael Schaffner wrote : (A version of this AAR earlier went out to the "Loudon-Hampshire Mess" mailing list.  The "Loudon-Hampshire Mess" is an informal, unorganized, sometimes disorganized, group of reenactors who periodically march on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail in northern Virginia.  Anyone in the region interested in playing along should feel free to contact me.) Dear Friends, Once again I got through 20 miles without blisters on my feet.  But unlike the last few times, when I wore a lined sack coat and a wool flannel shirt, I wore an unlined sack coat and a cotton shirt, which left me with a small blister on my left collarbone from the knapsack strap.  Looks like I need some more callouses in unsuspected places. Enjoy! YOS Michael S.

Mike,

Has anybody used a blanket roll rather than a pack for these hikes?  

Quote :

Bill wrote :   Mike, Has anybody used a blanket roll rather than a pack for these hikes?

For a training hike, it might be better to use the pack that way when you switch to a roll for an event, it will seem so much lighter.

I know when I do some practice walking with my pack, I load it heavier than I would take to an event.  And so when I am carrying it at an event it is hardly noticable.

Hey Mike,

I might actually make it to the next hike.
I got my new pair of Booties from Missouri Boots and shoes so all I have to due is break them in before June 7th.
I received my order quickly because I found out that his Great Grandmother maiden name was also Maranto and came over to America from the Cefalu, Sicily.  This is the same town my Great Grandmother and father came from!  It’s sure a small world that we live in.

Mark -- breaking in is good.  So are farby inserts <g>

Bill -- Evan's been wearing a blanket roll.  But as the man said, it's easier to switch to a roll after practicing with the pack, especially one that's heavier than you plan to carry.  

I have several items in my pack that will probably not come with me on the Sixth Corps March, including the extra gum blanket.  I still want to try with the pack because it's a lot easier to carry the odds and ends that way, and because I think it's probably more accurate for US troops.  

The fall back plan is to switch to the roll at some point.  

After all the practice, I figure my odds of completing the actual march have gone up from nil to around 40%.  Doing these one-day hikes is challenging, but doing them back to back in the heat is pretty intimidating.

To use an old phrase from the world of draft animals, it's just a case of needing more "wet collar time." It may take a moment to understand that wording, but the same applies to human conditioning.

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Michael Schaffner wrote : Bill -- Evan's been wearing a blanket roll.  But as the man said, it's easier to switch to a roll after practicing with the pack, especially one that's heavier than you plan to carry.

Mike,

My question wasn't about the weight, but the weight distribution. I have found that a blanket roll or short roll wears on you differently because all the weight is on one shoulder. When using a blanket roll, you have a tendency to stick more stuff in your haversack, increasing the weight on your other shoulder. I have found that after attending campaign events; (The Heath Definition.) the place that always hurts the worst, is that spot on the top of your shoulder where the haversack and canteen strap dig in. It doesn't matter much whether I'm wearing a pack or blanket roll.    

I've also seen the photos of the soldiers wearing a pack and blanket roll. I've tried that arrangement, but never got beyond my garage with it! As far as I'm concerned, that the worst of both worlds. It's obvious some of the old boys thought different.    

Bill,

A heck of a lot of knapsacks suffer from TMJ Disease, and one of the finest fellows in the hobby now has the nickname "Winnie" thanks to overloading his knapsack in a manner that would have made a certain Si Klegg illustration an understatement. Sometimes the army did cause a fellow to pack waaaaaaay too much junk, but reenactors rarely have to portray those incidents.

Last weekend, whilst at Fort Ontario, we took the time to run through the "Does this knapsack make my ass look fat?" class (yep, it's that way on the schedule) for knapsack and haversack packing. The knapsack can be packed a few different ways as a starter, and we even dumped out everyone's haversack (even a Rebbanese Liberation Army model that found its way into the mix -- with some tasty dried peaches!) on the slate walkway in front of the piazza, and had some fun with the contents. Sometimes less is more, and one fellow had enough weapons repair tools above and beyond the norm to warrant a second search for what must have been a South Bend lathe in the bag. Now we know who owns the proverbial boat anchor, or a sand anchor if we need to erect a tent on a sand dune again.

Blanket rolls and tump lines are often maligned, but they can come in handy. I find a bigass blanket worn as a mule collar on a hot day is like wearing a parka; however, a small, thin, blanket is darned comfortable in that fashion. Tump lines are good, but once the roll grows to modern 5-gallon hydraulic fluid bucket proportions, they've managed to get to big, and are generally in the way. Smaller is better, at least in this instance.

In other news, I was watching an older version of Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage the other night, and noticed the long blanket rolls were tripled over and belted to the top of their knapsacks. Granted, this was a movie, and most of the equipment was Indian Wars era, but that fascinated me, as I've yet to see a period image of a blanket rolled, tripled, and attached in that fashion.  The search is on!

Quote :

Bill wrote :   Mike, My question wasn't about the weight, but the weight distribution. I have found that a blanket roll or short roll wears on you differently because all the weight is on one shoulder. When using a blanket roll, you have a tendency to stick more stuff in your haversack, increasing the weight on your other shoulder. I have found that after attending campaign events; (The Heath Definition.) the place that always hurts the worst, is that spot on the top of your shoulder where the haversack and canteen strap dig in. It doesn't matter much whether I'm wearing a pack or blanket roll.     I've also seen the photos of the soldiers wearing a pack and blanket roll. I've tried that arrangement, but never got beyond my garage with it! As far as I'm concerned, that the worst of both worlds. It's obvious some of the old boys thought different.

Bill

I misread your statement about the roll vs pack.  I thought you were meaning weight.  But that makes sense as it would weigh on the shoulders differently.

After most events, the day after my shoulders are sore where the straps went around them, but my back isn't too bad.  
But right shoulder may hurt a little more depending on how many rations I carried and how quickly we ate them up.

Quote :

Charles Heath wrote : Bill, A heck of a lot of knapsacks suffer from TMJ Disease, one fellow had enough weapons repair tools above and beyond the norm to warrant a second search for what must have been a South Bend lathe in the bag.

Charles,

I'm old and tired and look long and hard at everything I take with me. Of course, when it comes to a few extra weapon's maintenance items, what can I say? You've seen my firearms!

Sort of interesting. There probably isn't one good answer on how to carry your traps. A lot depends on your body type and what you can best put up with. Everything has it's advantages and disadvantages.  

--Last edited by Bill on 2008-05-25 17:41:49 --

I wanted to go with a knapsack because, for the AOP, it's not about a lifestyle choice but general orders.  Knapsacks, which were used from Chancellorsville on to tote up to 10 days of hardtack in addition to minimal spare clothes, were de riguere officially.  You can believe that whatever I've packed for jaunts on the W&OD will be sharply reduced for the real deal.

In terms of weight distribution, I've felt for some time that, compared to the knapsack, a blanket roll is like sex for the back.  It's a lot more comfortable, but it's a major pain for trying to carry the number of small articles that make life easier in the field.  

For an average weekend I could get by pretty easy with such; for a week on the road, I want that outer bag in which I can have my sleeping cap, old snuff tin with a bit of soap, hand towel, small tin with essential medicines, a few rags, and a small portfolio -- not much, but more than I want to mess around with in a blanket roll.

As far as distributing the weight, I had an acutely herniated disk in my back (lower neck actually) about 15 years ago.  I got over it with physical therapy, but it's an accident continually waiting to reoccur.  On the long marches we've done I take off all equipage and ordnance every 2.5 miles if I can, every 5 in any case.  I've found that not only will the haversack and canteen seriously screw with my back, but the mere weight of sweat-soaked trowsers pulling on my braces will aggravate the old injury.  Usually ten minutes without something tugging on my collar bone will set me right, but it's something I have to pay attention to.

Clearly I'm not like the boys of '61.  The only thing that makes it tolerable is the fact that the average boy of '61 was 23 years old, 5'8", 140 lbs., and... sick with diarrhea.

My pards and I have been considering blanket roll but have opted in the negative for these reasons:

- Accuracy, as mike pointed out, this was the AoP, they by and large wore packs.

- heat. Blanket rolls lose everything they gain in weight with heat retention. It's like putting on an extra coat.

- spare gear. there will not a a quartermaster wagon following me, so i will probably pack a little more than necessary in case something gives out.

- comfort. as stated before, the haversack/canteen shoulder sure starts aching after a time.