|
CIVIL WAR BEDDING BLANKET – NICE DOCUMENTED
SPECIMEN IN VERY GOOD CONDITION: This butternut
brown wool blanket was purchased many years ago from the
front display cabinet in the Bannerman store on Broadway
in New York City, and was identified by the employees at
that time as the last positively known Civil War blanket
they had in stock.
Measuring 86” long and 60” wide, the weave includes 4 ¼”
wide medium brown stripes set back 5 ½” from each end.
The coarse weave of the wool in this blanket is
consistent with other known Civil War and early Indian
War issue blankets. Additionally, there is a large
percentage of “shoddy”, or recycled wool fiber and lint
woven into this blanket. The presence of this recycled
material is consistent with the manufacturing practices
of the civilian contractors who supplied these blankets
to the army during the War. The shoddy increased the
thickness and weight of the blanket at a much lower cost
than using a higher percentage of better quality wool
yarn. These “shoddy blankets” often disintegrated when
exposed to the rigors of the field, leading to the use
of the word “shoddy” to describe products that are
substandard. This blanket has survived the years in
remarkable condition with no mothing. There are two
wear spots – one 1” by ½” below the stripe on one end,
and one ½” by ½” in the stripe on the opposite end. The
balance of the blanket is solid with no other damage.
At some point in time, the ends of this blanket were
chain stitched to prevent the ends of the blanket from
unraveling-another indicator of the care this blanket
received through the years. The Civil War era blankets
were not finished on the ends by the mills – they were
just cut to length as they came off the loom. That was
the purpose of the black stripes, to delineate the
proper length of the blanket and the material was cut
between each pair of close set stripes, leaving a stripe
at each end of the blanket. When issued, these blankets
had raw unfinished ends that quickly began to unravel
when exposed to the wear and tear of daily use. I have
left this chain stitching in place to preserve the ends
of the blanket, however once the blanket is placed in a
collection the owner could remove the stitching to show
how the blankets were issued.
I
have handled a considerable number of Civil War and
Indian War blankets that were obtained directly from
Bannerman’s Island and this blanket is consistent in
feel, weave, weight, color, dimension and style to other
known U.S. military blankets. Due to the differences in
manufacturers and their different dye lots and loom
styles, the differences in state contracts versus
federal contracts, and the additional differences
encountered in blankets produced by the Confederacy, any
numbers of variances in these blankets have been
noted. In spite of the butternut color differing from
the standard gray or blue-gray blankets normally
encountered, the weave of this blanket is identical.
Of
some twenty Civil War blankets I purchased in one
grouping years ago, I held this one back in my own
collection due to its unusual color and nice condition,
but now it is time to pass it along. Overall, this is a
beautiful blanket, and it is an excellent example those
early wool blankets carried by the soldiers during the
Civil War and into the early Indian Wars, with the added
plus of having some small history of its provenance, and
would be a nice addition mounted on the cantle of your
McClellan saddle or displayed with an Infantry man’s
backpack or knapsack. (C112) $650
|
