Equipment Authenticity Guidelines 

Belts

Belts should be leather or painted canvass with the proper belt plates. Oval C.S. plate similar to the U.S. plates should not be worn. Georgia frame, forked tongue, roller buckles, Rectangle CSA, plain brass or brass Star buckles are all excellent choices. White buff is appropriate for early war impressions, such as Shiloh.

Cartridge Box and Sling

The following models are recommended for the Army of Tennessee: US Model 1839 .69 calibre box, US Model 1857 .69 calibre box, British Enfield box, Shelbyville .69 calibre box, .58 calibre Baton Rouge Belt suspention box. Strap should be leather or painted canvas. Brass breast plates or box plates should be avoided as they were not common. Cap Pouch. The following are models recommended for the Army of Tennessee: US early war shield front, US 1850 model, British Enfield cap pouch, CS single back strap and Baton Rouge shield front.

Canteens

There are a variety of period canteens that are appropriate. Wooden, tin drum, federal smooth side and CS stamped tin drums are all appropriate. All canteen covers on federal smooth or bulls-eye canteens should be brown/gray jean. Sky blue was not very often used by either the federals or the Confederates as a canteen cover. Therefore it is best to NOT use sky blue. Straps should be worn so that the canteen rests at the top of the hip.

Haversacks

These should be made of plain white or off-white cotton canvas. Federal issue haversacks should be used in limited quantity. Straps should be worn so that the canteen rests at the top of the hip. Note: CS haversacks were generally closed by means of a button while US haversacks were closed by a strap and buckle. Knapsacks / Bedrolls. A good mid-war AOT impression should have 7 of 10 men carrying Knapsacks as a general rule (according to some period QM reports). Men of the MVB should, as a general practice, wear these into battle as did many veterans on campaign.

Bedrolls

are self-explanatory. As for knapsacks some good choices would be an early war (Mexican war) soft pack, CS Single bag, Issac Cambell's import bag or a hard pack. Blankets. A good quality (preferable light) 100% wool civilian blanket is the best choice. There are a few manufactures of authentic reproductions that are expensive but well worth the money. These make a good impression look fantastic. Quilts are another option so long as they are made of natural material and are period in style. Wool coverlets or jean blankets are also appropriate. Gum or Tarred "Blankets". In the world or reenacting the common Gum blanket is the Federal issued rubberized pattern. These should be used about 30% of the time however. The better choice for Confederate troops is the painted canvas blanket which is a canvas section painted with a black paint and lin seed oil mixture. These were more common.

Cups

A cup or a boiler are appropriate so long as they are made of tin. A soldier need only one or the other. Plates & Skillets. The idea of a soldier on campaign (which is what we portray when we recreate battlesie. Campaigns) is to travel light and with only what you need. Therefore forget about the iron skillet or the idea of having both a plate and a frying pan. Have one or the other. Canteen halves are recommended as they can be used for both (as can a plate for that matter). A canteen half is just thathalf of a smooth side canteen that one can fry with or eat out of. Which was a common practice.  The four man mess: his was the way of the CS soldier. Company cooks were very rare (if they even existed) so men usually shared cooking items and responsibilities. It is recommended that four men share a small coffee pot, skillet and broiler. Actually, you can scrap the coffee pot and just boil coffee grounds in a tin cup. The point is to forget about a massive cooking set up. Men cooked their rations in messes. If you need something more substantial, then see the non period food vendors.

Weapons

Only three band rifles should be used in the FCD. A report in April 1863 revealed that 44% of the arms in the AOT were .69 percussion smoothbores. Most likely 1842 Springfields. 37% were Enfields and 14% were rifled Sprinfields. The rest varied. It was not until Spring 1864 that Enfields began to take prominence. At that time 55% were Enfields, 32% Austrian and 11% had smoothbores. Ideally one should have a .69 smoothbore and an Enfield (or a rifled Springfield) to use depending upon the scenario.

Appropriate Personal Effects

The following articles are some of the personnel belongings which could have been found in the knapsack (*note: the haversack was for food and utensils only) of a CS soldier: Newspaper, Bible, period night cap, tin or glass photo, wood or bone toothbrush, toothpowder {a tin of baking soda works very well and is accurate}, lye soap, folding knife, bone or wood comb, period pipe, tin or brass tobacco box, match safe, housewife, course paper, period nib pen, wood pencil (no eraser), small bottle of ink, extra socks and/or a shirt (only one extra set is needed). These should be homemade, purchased from and antique store or carefully selected from a sutler.

Eyewear

Spectacles were rare among civilians or soldiers who had poor eye sight. So the best idea is to do without them if you can. If not, try contacts. Otherwise it is important to buy period frames (Modern frames makes an impression look silly) , which are relatively cheap. It is not unusual to find frames at antique stores for $10 to $20. There is a supplier on our approved sutler list who sells these frames for around $25. Small oval or rectangle frames are period. Round frames are not. Do not use tinted lenses as these were only for men with STDS and even this was extremely rare.