42nd F&I War Weapons

[Orvis]

I've got Scarlett's booklet about military tartans. He discusses some of his interesting theories concerning the development of the Government tartan - don't know if they'll ever be more than theories, but interesting!

The booklet also contains useful color illustrations of the tartans discussed, especially of the musicians' tartans and of the theoretical "missing" tartan from which he claims the Government tartan evolved. He also takes the "42nd Kilts" (blue/black/green superimposed blocks with red strips in the blue and green squares) back to the mid-18th c - again, based on what Luke has said about it, I don't know if that can be proven.

I have modern box-pleat kilts in "42nd Kilts" and "42nd Band" (both thanks to Peter) and they always garner compliments when I wear them. Historic tartans are something for clanless/unaffiliated individuals to think about, rather than the limited number of universal tartans out there. Scarlett's booklet and Peter's research papers are what got me started on that.

[JMorganKuberry]

Right now I have a box pleated kilt and 3.5 yards of double wide to use as a plaid. They are in a tartan I cannot identify. It is dark blue/green/black, similar to gov't sett, with a thin red stripe over that. As close as I could get to "gov't sett with a red overstripe". I basically had to choose between it being real gov't sett, with no red, or getting the red. I made a sleeveless red waistcoat, and got a long sleeved red wool jacket to which I added wool lower pocket flaps, leather cuffs, and leather breast pockets. I managed to trade a spare hauberk for a full set of new black infantry leathers, cartridge box, and sporran from some SCA guy who was good at leatherworking. I was able to get a knitted felted light infantry bonnet made by someone.

For some reason I already had center seam moccassins, blue wool leggings, 18th century eating ware, a white canvas haversack, and a powder horn in the basement.

For camp stuff I had a white wool blanket and everything goes inside that, tied up in a tumpline. I already had a conical white tent which is only correct for French soldiers or British supply depots. But at most events a canvas lean-to is probably all I'll bring for shelter anyways. I've got a big camp kitchen but it's not going to FnI events. At most I'll bring a 3 legged cauldron to stand in a fire but I rarely cook anyways. I always bring enough pilot bread, and boiled saltpork, to last an event.

That's pretty much the state of the kit right now. I have spare, but farby hat and stockings. Now that I am completely dressed and then some, I can start to purchase weapons. The pistol is ordered and I had to pick up a tomahawk for general camp use anyways. Weapons always come last when I pick up a new period. The Gedney backsword and an artillery carbine were next on my list so I am glad to hear that there is some agreement on them. Dirks are cheap so I'll get one whenever. I'd love to find a British issue camp hatchet but so far no luck.

For most events I will probably only be carrying the carbine, bayonet, and one other bladed object. Carrying everything at once kind of goes against the idea of a "light" infantry company. But I'll have one of everything for doing show and tell tables at events.

[Luke MacGillie]

That darn Osprey image of the Light Infantry Highlander.........Its my nightmare....

So regarding leather pockets; interior set non flapped leather pockets are a part of normal English sporting wear, its where you would keep the double ended powder chargers. That little bit of knowledge was just not known to the Osprey Artist, (or to 90% of reenactors, for that matter) who turned it into an applied to the outside patch pocket. If you read the actual period account, it talks of a leather pocket, but with a wool flap. broadcloth flap on thin buff leather pocket, its 18th Century velcro to keep the flints and bullets from falling out....The context of 2 officers writing about how they are applying their sporting fashion to woods fighting is lost.

We know that the 42nd(Murray Papers and 2/42 QM Book) and the 78th(Sgt Thompson's memoirs) received normal British Army knapsacks, As these had no way to carry a blanket, which was kind of a North American thing, every guy with a blanket, not just 2 of them as part of a mess's equipment you have the 42nd rolling the packed knapsack inside a blanket and carrying with a tumpline.

Copper mess kettles are the norm in the 42nd,(Murray Papers, and 2/42 QM Book) still trying to work thru copper sheet made like a normal mess kettle, or something hammered/spun.

Something that Ive had my own struggles with, White people just did not use tripods to suspend cook kettles over fires in the 18th Century. The very rare times you see that, its Indians or Gypsies, or someone not from England, France, "Germany" 2 Y forks and a crossbar, yes I know, Its hard to break old habits.....

Jymm Hoffman makes the best Brit mess axes, copies of ones from Ligioner, so it could actually have been in the hands of a member of the 42nd.....Not listed on his website, contact him. He had a number of broad arrow marked ones at Ft Niagara and they went fast! http://www.hoffmansforge.com/my-work...awks-hatchets/

Dirks are cheap, but they are not good, The good ones, aint cheap! Mine are all from Glen McClain, he is world renowned, and thankfully the guy that Dad let cart me around to events when the Bicentennial was over. Issac here on this site makes a pretty nice looking dirk as well. As they were not an issue item, if you buy one of the cheap ones from a former colonial possession, it starts to look like an issue item.

Just streaming what comes to mind as I try and finish a new waistcoat for this weekend!

[IsaacW]

Issac here on this site makes a pretty nice looking dirk as well. As they were not an issue item, if you buy one of the cheap ones from a former colonial possession, it starts to look like an issue item.

You are too kind. In reality, I have only forged the one dirk and a handful of sgeanan dubh. I am quite pleased with the dirk, especially considering I used an old side-draft forge with charcoal and a tiny stump anvil on the whole thing. This all said, I can not wipe the sweat from the brows of folks like Glenn, Vince Evans, Scott Rousch, Paul MacDonald, etc.

And on that note... I need to get back to stitching a kilt and dreaming that I can get my forge firing tomorrow...

[IsaacW]

I have modern box-pleat kilts in "42nd Kilts" and "42nd Band" (both thanks to Peter) .

And with that I turn green with jealousy...

I have a modern 8 yard knife in 42nd (thanks to Peter) and would ABSOLUTELY love to have a kilt in 42nd Band. Someday (perhaps soon) I may need to have a run of this made!!!!1

[JMorganKuberry]

That is very interesting about the pockets. I'll have to do some research into civilian hunting fashion. If true I'll have the best jacket on the block. Switching the pockets to the inside is but the work of a moment. I have read the original statement and have been puzzled about how the flap he mentions could work.

I have never used a tripod to suspend a cooking pot and don't intend to anytime soon. My cast iron cauldron has 3 legs of its very own, cast right into its construction. It holds 3 liters and the legs are about 6 inches long. It has a hard handle like one would use to suspend a pot. I set it directly in the coals on it's 3 legs and fish it back out with a stick or poker using its handle. Failing that I do have the wrought iron equivalent of the two Y's and a beam, to hang pots over. But it is it's own sort of farbiness. Wood poles are much more accurate but I never seem to find good ones at event sites, I've looked. Cast iron is far over represented at reenactments in general. So I will rethink that pot for FnI. I got it for 13th century purposes, where it is identical in silhouette and functionality to the cast bronze ones we see in manuscripts. Most of them are depicted as being soot-stained black, so cast iron worked well.

Probably the most accurate for 18th century cookware I have, is a medium size copper pot that I got at an estate sale and had the inside tinned (for modern safety reasons) that I can suspend from a beam. I got that for 15th century purposes. The problem is it's a lot of junk to haul to cook for just one or two. And none of it or nearly none of it is quite accurate anyways.

But reenactors cook way too much. Generally, biscuit, alcohol (coffee in the 19th century), and cold meat is usually what I eat all the days of an event. I don't believe in coolers, sleeping bags, or other such things.

I also have a tiny sheet brass cauldron, tinned inside, with stubby legs that I can stand in a fire. That might actually be best for making stone soup for 2 or 3 guys at events in the 18th century.

I know what you mean about the standard issue Indian dirk that you see 7 of at every event. I intend to get one used. Probably won't carry it at events very often, that and the pistol I mostly intend for show and tell tables. I'm not going to be cutting anything with it. The edge will probably be ground down to keep John Q. Public from hurting themselves with it. So for that, a used old Museum Replicas one is ideal. I have a small regular old knife to carry around for practical purposes. Someday I might get a a good one. I'm in no rush on dirks. I'll just keep an eye out.

Mostly I am excited to hear that there is a reasonable looking issue sword on the market.

Knapsack, I still have to find or make one. But in the meantime that's where I'm at for carrying gear.

[Luke MacGillie]

The knapsack should be "Snapsack" style, just a folded envelope of hair on cowhide, with a football shaped piece set in the closed end. Black veg tan leather strap dyed with vinagroon. If you buy a cut strap, leave the sides undyed, as the hides were being dyed, then cut, leaving the edges "White" I will post a couple photos after I am off work. It needs to an English breed, not Scottish as the military equipment that was not Scottish specific, IE not Plaiding, Hose Cloth, Bonnets, Garters was all shipped from English sources. As much as I would love the look of a Scottish cowhide pack, its just not correct!