Spring has sprung!
Birds are singing, flowers are blooming, and reenactors are gearing up for another stellar year for the hobby. We've kept busy all winter working on inventory, filling orders and developing a new line of products for our customers. So lace up your brogans, sling your knapsack and let's get ready for the 2005 Spring Season!

New products for the Spring Season

Blank books: These hardbound books contain 300 blank pages perfect for use as a journal or for a notebook for officers and NCOs. The book is the same dimensions as period manuals (5 3/8 X 3 5/8) so it fits easily into your pocket. It has a beautifully embossed eagle on the front and back cover. Blank books are $12.00 postage paid.

Federal Issue Haversack: Tim Welch of LD Haning and CJ Daley have teamed up to produce a run of Federal issue tarred haversacks. The pattern for the haversack is copied from an example in Connecticut. It is made from cotton drill, has the proper size buckle and comes with an inner bag with hand sewn buttonholes. Haversacks are $79.00 postage paid.

Rubberized Cape: This cape is produced by Chris Semancik and is copied off of an original pattern in his collection. It is made from lightweight rubber and is closed with a single rubber button. The cape only weighs a few ounces and folds easily into your knapsack. Capes are one size fits all & are $65.00 postage paid.
 

Oil Cloth Wheel Cap: These under- represented workman's caps are expertly made by Katie Semancik. They are painted cotton and exhibit all the features seen in original caps. They have a leather brim and a cotton draw string liner. These caps can be seen in photographs of civilians throughout the 19th Century and can also be seen in Confederate photographs as late as April 1865. Caps are $110.00 postage paid. Please allow 6 weeks delivery for this item.

Collar Insignia: Another fine product from Wendy Osman: we are now proud to offer collar insignia for officers. These can be seen in hundreds of photographs of officers during the war and were meant to replace the larger shoulder boards which allowed the officers to become targets on the picket line. We carry ranks from Lieutenant to Colonel. The ranks come in pairs to be worn on each collar or shoulder. Collar insignia are $12.00 per pair.

English Case Gin Bottle: This English Case Gin bottle was designed to fit into a wooden case or "Cellar" usually holding 12 bottles. They appeared in the mid-seventeenth century and remained in use well into the nineteenth century. Ours is a classic example of this design, meticulously reproduced by Dog Rive Glasworks. Hand blown with a snap pontil. These bottles are available in large and small sizes. Both sizes are $38.00 postage paid.

Knit Scarves: These scarves are knit from 100% wool and come in blue and green. They are a great asset to any soldier on picket as they protect your neck from the elements. They are $60.00 postage paid. (Sorry, no photos at this time.)

Uniform Study: Keystone Zouaves

Robert Ford was mustered into the 76th Pennsylvania on October 1, 1861, and trained in Harrisburg. The unit was sent to South Carolina and participated in battles around Charleston, including an attack on Fort Wagner, when Ford was wounded. Included in the artifacts donated to the Museum is the bullet removed from Ford’s shoulder.

The 76th Pennsylvania was later transferred to Virginia and fought in the Siege of Petersburg. Ford mustered-out with the regiment on November 28, 1864, and returned home. He died in 1915 at age 74 and was buried in Woodland Cemetery in Pine Township, Mercer County, PA.

The uniform was donated by John Weaver in 2004 to the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg. The uniform is in great shape.

The uniform is made by the Schuylkill Arsenal. The jacket is made from sack coat flannel, trimmed in 5/8" wool trim and lined with several different wool dress materials. While marked as being produced at the S.A., the jacket does exhibit some machine sewing to attach the trim and tombeaux.

The fez is blue felt with a blue tassel. The sash is the most unadorned zouave sash I've ever seen. It's a 80" X 12" rectangle cut from blue sack coat flannel without finished edges.

The trowsers are similar in cut to the traditional French pantaloons and are identical in construction to the 5th NY pantaloons. These trowsers are also marked SA and are completely hand sewn. The belt loops are (I believe) post war additions.

Here are some additional photos. Click on any image to enlarge:

       

We would like to thank the staff at The National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg
for permission to use these photographs in this article.