The Young Campaigner

Junior Authors and Guest Authors Needed!!!

Hello everybody! Because I am a human being, I am having a little bit of trouble keeping up with the demand for deatailed, well researched articles. I can only write one every week, if that. So, in order to keep the articles coming rapid fire, I would like to invite anyone who is interested and knowledgeable to be a guest author on my site. That way, there will be some nice variation in the material as well.

If you are interested in becoming a guest author on my website, there is some criteria required. You must be in eighth grade or older (all ages of adults are welcome as well), you must either be a reenactor in a legitimate unit or have a good understanding of the Civil War era (being a reenactor is not required. All history buffs are welcome), and you must read all the terms and conditions given to you (violators of any terms or conditions will have their status as a guest author cancelled).

If you would like to be a guest author, please post your name, email adress, and unit (if you are a reenactor). I will send you a confirmation email with a link to the page where you can start writing and all of the terms and conditions. Thank you very much!

Sincerely,
William Chapman

Civil War Era Childrens' Clothing Pt. 1, Ages 4 to 6: From Short Dresses to Knickerbocker Suits

The middle of the 19th century saw a change in the way children grew up. The common family structure began to move away from the disciplinarian patriarch-centered structure that was so common in the 18th century and started to move towards a more nurturing and modern family structure where both the mother and the father had equal input in raising the children. Children were included in family affairs, given chairs at the dinner table rather than benches or stools, and became generally more outspoken. Childrens' clothing changed too. In the centuries before the 1800's, very little importance was placed on the stages of a child's life. Children were children and that was that. When the change in parenting came about, people came to the realization that children actually matured in terms of age groups, rather than just suddenly becoming adults when they were old enough. The new importance placed on the stages of childhood led to new developments with childrens' clothing.

It used to be that, before the early 1800's, all children wore simple gowns until they reached the age of four. Then, girls were given more adult looking dresses and boys were "breeched", so to speak. Children who were over the age of four dressed like small adults. In the mid-1800's, a new system developed.

Just like before, all children (boys and girls) wore dresses until about the age of four. Rather than giving them adult clothes then, boys were given "knickerbocker suits" or simple smocks and loose pantaloons or trowsers. Girls wore short dresses with corded petticoats or no hoops at all. When boys reached the age of six or so, they were given adult-style clothing. Girls switched to adult clothing from their short dresses a little bit later than boys did, but it was still in the same general age group.

A girl in a fancy short dress and a young boy in an elaborate knickerbocker suit. (postwar tintype, ca. 1870's, artist unknown, Collection of William Chapman)

The dress of boys at the age of 4 to 6 generally had one thing in common, though it varied greatly it was generally composed of a medium-length tunic or jacket and a set of short pants underneath. Boys had one set of clothes for formal wear and another for informal wear. The knickerbocker suit was the most fashionable formal wear available at the time. Generally reserved for spectial occasions when more formal dress was required, the knickerbocker suit was a loose tunic, rather like a short dress, that was worn with a set of knee-length knickerbockers. The rest of the leg was covered with stockings. More often than not, knickerbocker suits were worn with feathered chapeau-style hats. As with much 19th century American clothing, knickerbocker suits had a heavy French influence. Gold braid and twill tape was commonly applied to these garments for decoration, much in the French zouave style. A military influence was very evident in the appearance of knickerbocker suits. Double breasted fronts with brass buttons and applied stripes that immitated the appearance of sword belts were common. These suits were sometimes worn with sashes. A type of formal jacket called a zouave jacket was also common. Zouave jackets bore a resemblance to those worn by many Zouave units during the Civil War.
For informal wear, many boys wore rather large regular shirts untucked like a tunic with no braces. Occasionally, you see one of these being worn with a belt. Small versions of adult trowsers were worn with these tunics. Some evidence shows that this was also the common garb of lower class boys.
Almost all men and boys in the 19th century wore their hair parted on one side.

Three girls in short dresses. The one on the left seems to have a small print fabric while the other two appear to have solid colors. All three are wearing necklaces and earrings. The girl in the middle has a ring on her forefinger. (medium unknown, ca. 1850's to 1860's, artist unknown, Collection of William Chapman)

Girls clothing was very similar throughout their childhood, but it did have some noticeable differences by age. Very young girls, once they graduated from their infant clothing, moved to knee length dresses. These were made of solid-colored or patterned fabric. Some had low necklines that hit at about the shoulder. In almost all examples, either bare legs, pantilettes or stockings are visible under the hemline of the dress.

A young girl (possibly a boy, but unlikely) in a white dress with a blue sash and a feathered hat. She wears black leather shoes and white stockings. Short pantilettes are visible at knee (black line is also visible at the top of left stocking. Garter?). (tintype, ca. mid-1860's to 1870's (probably post-Civil War), artist unknown, Collection of William Chapman)

Once girls reached the age of six or so, they moved to mid-calf or ankle length dresses. These, much like the knee-length dresses, were designed to facilitate freedom of movement. Hoops were seldom worn until the teenage and young adult years, so most girls either wore corded petticoats for formal occasions or did without. Informal dresses were often made of a light material such as cotton. The fabric used in informal dresses tended to be inexpensive, so small prints or solid colors were common. Formal dresses were much like adult dresses, only shortened at the hemline to about the ankle.
Most girls wore their hair parted down the middle.

The Basics of Authentic Drumsticks

Over the past few years, I have noticed some common errors, inauthenticities, and potential improvements that can be made by many musicians in the hobby. One such improvement that can be made is the quality of drumsticks.
Let's admit it: It just isn't easy to find a good pair of drumsticks. Most modern drumstics are too light or shaped incorrectly. Many drumsticks of the 1860's were tapered from end to end, unlike today's drumsticks, which are typically only tapered at the last 3 to 4 inches before the tip. To the contrary, a pair will often turn up that is tapered in the modern fashion. In almost every example of this style, the stick is abnormally fat at the base and has a very small tip. The larger, pseudo-modern-style sticks were typically used as "field sticks". That meant that they were generally carried in battle, in drill, and during camp duty. It seems that these were most commonly the kind of sticks used by regimental field musicians. Most band musicians carried finer "concert sticks". Concert sticks were generally lighter, thinner, and tapered from end to end. There is some evidence that many drummers (mostly in garrisons and perminent camps, not on campaign) carried two pairs of sticks; one for the field and one for dress parade and camp duty.

An original pair of dark wood sticks.

The vast majority of drumsticks in the 1860's were made out of dark wood such as cocobolo (a type of burled rosewood), ebony, or rosewood. Concert sticks were generally of finer quality than common field sticks. Some original examples of field sticks (see p. 51 of "Civil War Era Musical Instruments & Military Bands" by Garofalo and Elrod for a good picture of a collection of originals) appear extremely crude and primitive. Some field sticks were made of light colored, heavy woods such as maple.
It seems to be a common misconception that ALL period drumsticks had a series of small rings carved at the ends. Yes, rings were common, but only about two out of ten sticks had them. One thing that is almost never seen in the reenacting community is drumsticks with brass, bone, or ivory ornamentation on them (Yes, I understand that ivory is illegal, but bone isn't hard to get). Sticks with tips or ends of a different material (such as brass, bone, or ivory) were quite common.

A pair of reproduction sticks with carved rings. Unknown maker.

So, what is the solution for finding more correct drumsticks? If you are a skilled enough craftsman, you can make your own sticks. Also, Cooperman makes a good line of drumsticks but they are all light-colored wood. I use an original pair of concert sticks, which is a good option if you can find a pair in good condition.

The Shape of Music: The History of Shape Notes

by William Chapman
with information from "Shaping up American Music" by Christian Goodwille.

An original piece of shape note music dated 1864.

19th century America was a time and place that revolutionized music. Many new ideas about music emerged as the young nation searched for a national identity. Americans popularized the brass band and composed iconic songs of patriotism like "The Battle Cry of Freedom" and "Dixie". Composers and songwriters like Stephen Foster and Daniel Emmett wrote some of the most famous folksongs ever to come from America. American popular music slowly began to form its own identity. However, while the movement in popular music was happening, there was also a movement in secular music.

It all began in 1790 when a shopkeeper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania invented a system of so-called "shape notes" that was designed for singers. The concept was simple. Shape notes, unlike normal musical notation, were a system of musical notes in the form of triangles, ovals, rectangles, and diamonds (also occasionally half circles and other shapes). Each one of these symbols represented a different note (ie. do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti). That way, singers did not need to be able to read regular musical notation in order to sing in a choir.

Several different systems of shape notes developed over the years, but they eventually became fairly standardized. The first book of tunes written in shape notes was published in 1801 by William Little and William Smith. The first shape note books were published using the European "four note" system (ie. fa, sol, la, mi) By the 1840's other shape note hymnals had been published using a "seven note" system. The "seven note" system soon became the standard.

In 1844, Benjamin Franklin White and Elisha J. King published a hugely popular shape note book called "The Sacred Harp". Franklin and King's book set the standard for American shape note singing. Even to this day, groups like the Mount Union Sacred Harp Singers keep up the tradition of singing songs from "The Sacred Harp".

Shape note singing thrived in America's church congregations up until the early 20th Century. It was widespread in its popularity in the Civil War era. For more information on shape note music, visit fasola.org.

Huckleberry Over Persimmons Childrens' Clothing and Consignments

I just found a new website. It is called Huckleberry Over Persimmons and they sell premade or custom Civil War Era clothing for infants and young children. They also sell consignments. You can sell them authentic clothing that you have outgrown if it is in good condition and they will re-sell them as consignments. Check it out!