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PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 8:17 pm 
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I would just like to give kudos to Wayne Hutzell on an amazing summer weight blanket based of an original in the Gettysburg Military Museum. Below is a Letter of Authentic Reproduction from Wayne and some photos of the blanket. Don't mind the condition of the blanket as it was used as a blanket roll for the 145th Bentonville.

ImageImageImageImage

The fabric is soft and you still see the twill. I must say it's just a great light weight blanket that I know I'll use in the field. Also you can use it as a second blanket or pillow during the colder nights early or later in the year.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 9:36 pm 
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I've heard of that original blanket for years but have yet to see it. However, the reproduction appears to be just a length of Woolrich's tan wool flannel with a stripe painted on the end. If that is the case I'd like to see how it compares to the original in the Gettysburg collection.

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 24, 2010 11:11 pm 
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Brian,

Basically that's all it is. From what Wayne told me on the phone that he had the fabric shipped from Louisiana and that the stripes were painted on each side. From what it looks like, the stripes were painted individually on each end and it just wasn't soaked through. It's a little different and a good summer weight blanket and I fell into this deal from a friend so I jumped on it.

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 6:07 pm 
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That's cool...and I really want to see the original at some point. I've been hearing about it for years from so many people that it's just intriguing. I love oddball gear. Don Troiani owns an original blue-gray/brown end stripes blanket with a "US" stenciled in black ink...I suspect that it's actually an English import that was captured on its way to the Confederacy, purchased at auction by a contractor, printed with the "US" sold back to the govt. and issued.

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 25, 2010 9:57 pm 
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I would love to see that blanket that you describe that Troiani Owns and it would seems as a English Import Blanket due to the fabric.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:16 am 
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Here's the blanket I mentioned. The photo is good but doesn't to the true color justice. In person it's kind of a robin's egg blue-gray with chocolate brown stripes. Except for the stenciled "US" it compares closely to several identified Confederate blankets that are believed to be English imports.

http://historicalimagebank.com/gallery/main.php/v/album02/album22/album79/CWr226d-+US+marked+gray+blanket+used+by+Edgar+S+Yergason++22nd+Connecticut+Volunteers+1862-63.html

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 4:08 am 
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That is a good looking blanket!! I wouldn't mind owning one of those. Are the dimensions close to what the federal issue blankets were or a different size?

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Last edited by KangViper on Fri Mar 26, 2010 1:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 12:54 pm 
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I think Dan has the notes on it, but I believe it was around the same size of a Federal issue blanket. If I had the money I would love to reproduce the blue-gray Yergason blanket, offer it plain and also with the printed "US."

On a related note there is a nice little connection between English blankets and the Sharpshooters. I've read five accounts of Sharpshooters in the field picking up Confederate blankets and describing them as "imported," "British" or "English." Wyman White picked one up near an abandoned CS field hospital after the battle of Cedar Mountain in August 1862; he described it as a blood-soaked officer's blanket so he had it washed and presumably used it. Charles Mead, Co. F 1st, used a captured C.S. blanket that he took with him during a hospital stay in 1863. The other accounts were online sources or quick blurbs in copies of letters I have around here but I distinctly remember a few Sharpshooters noting that they were picking up English blankets from time to time.

And as it relates to the knapsack thread, yes, if a soldier had thrown away his "luggage" while on a march and wanted a blanket later, he had no reason NOT to pick up a discarded Confederate blanket if he had the chance. The four-panel herringbone C.S. blanket that Dan Wambaugh reproduced is a copy of an original used by a Federal soldier at Gettysburg; an original note found with the original blanket stated that the soldier had no blanket for himself and took it from a dead confederate on the night of July 3rd. Capturing and using a rebel blanket is of course dependent upon a soldier's proximity to their battle line, camp, entrenchments, hospital, etc., all of which would practically have to be abandoned first.

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Last edited by BrianTWhite on Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 1:50 pm 
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That's really interesting and I'll say if you were to produce that blanket. Sign me up to get one..lol...Does anyone make a good British Import Blanket anyways? But it would only make sense for them pick up whatever they could to well stay warm at night. I have just one question though. When you say Battle of Cedar Creek, which battle are you referring to? As I only know of the one in '64 as the USSS weren't present.

As for the blanket you and Dan have. I was going to order a lightweight blanket but I fell into the Palmer Blanket by chance and was a little cheaper for me. Do you guys still have some left? I would still like to have a CS Blanket for when I do a CS Impression or a late war Federal Impression.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 26, 2010 3:16 pm 
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I meant to type Cedar Mountain...oops! Wyman picked up the English officer-grade blanket after that battle in early August, 1862 and refers to it as Slaughter Mountain. The house on the slope of Cedar Mountain was owned by the Slaughter family and used as a Confederate hospital since it was behind the lines.

As for reproduction English blankets, yes, there is only one made that I'm aware of. It was offered by Waterside Woolen Mills (they also make the "Keagy-Noble" US issue blanket) but I don't know if they're still available. You might be able to find one at the shops in Gettysburg or online used. They're also called the "North Carolina" blanket and might have a red yarn "NC" in the center, however on the original I feel that it was stitched to a plain English blanket by a soldier in the field.

Dan still has 100+ of his herringbone C.S. blankets so you will have no problem getting one. They're also sold at Regimental Quartermaster in Gettysburg and E.J. Thomas Mercantile online. Since the original was likely produced in the greige, meaning loom-state and unfinished, these are as well...this means some fraying can occur on the ends but we include yarn so you can hem or blanket-stitch it. I have two of the blankets and finished one by soaking it in room temp. water, letting it drip overnight, and giving it a tumble dry on the lowest heat setting. It shrunk a little of course but it came out very well.

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