Silas'
Library
of Links
You could spend hours in here and still not examine all the links
Outline of Links Found Below (click on hyperlink to view category):
General
Articles
Reenacting
Articles of Interest
Persona
Articles
about Drill
Drill Manuals
Military
Signals
Military
Manuals
Records
Food
Clothing
and Equipment
In General
Clothing
Tentage
Canteens
Knapsack/Blanket Rolls
Haversacks
Cartridges
Other
Regimental
Histories
Living
History Links
West Coast
Reenacting Organizations
Reenacting
Units
Other
Song Books
Reenacting
News Sources
Discussion
Groups
Some
Better Sutlers and Suppliers
Grave rededication for Jessie T. Barrick, Cpl. 3d Minn/2d. Lt. 57th USCI
Lincoln's Secret Weapon - Information from the PBS/Nova show about the USS Monitor. Includes a digitized guided tour of the interior.
Reenacting Articles of Interest
Fine Tuning Your Impression - by R. Denton
Duties of the First Sergeant - from Kautz's Customs of Service
Duties of the Sergeant Major - from Kautz's Customs of Service
Other Duties of Soldiers - From Kautz's Customs of Service
Manual of Arms for the 2d Wisconsin - by Mike Thorson - 33d Wisconsin
Manual of Arms for Infantry: A Re-examination: Part I by Geoff Walden & Dom Dal Bello (commences with Chapter I - Hardee's Revisions for Confederates)
Manual of Arms for Infantry: A Re-examination: Part II by Geoff Walden & Dom Dal Bello
Dress Parade & Reviews from the Capital Guards (6th Arkansas) Website
19th Century Guard Duty of the 21st Virginia
On Guard! A Primer for Civil War Military Security Duties - from the Capital Guards (6th Arkansas) Website
Right Shoulder Shift with Charge Bayonet? - from Mark (Silas) Tackitt
Rest, Rest, Rest, and Rest! or Don't let established reenacting practices interfere with period practices by Mark (Silas) Tackitt
Nearly all of the below links were copied from the excellent Drill Network page from the Liberty Greys (1st MD) of the 6th Battalion, Southern Legion, 1st Division, Army of Northern Virginia.
6th Battalion Drill Guidelines
Manual of Arms for the Spencer Repeating Rifle by Capt. G.M. Barber, commanding 1st Batt'n Ohio Sharp-Shooters
The Volunteer's Manual by Lt.Col. Baxter (1861) - from the 2d Wisconsin - includes great illustrations of the musket drill
Another Baxter's Manual
U.S. Infantry Tactics - Silas Casey (1862) - School of the Soldier
Cooke's Cavalry Tactics (1862) or Regulations for the Instruction, Formations, and Movements of the Cavalry of the Army and Volunteers of the United States.
Cooper's Volunteer's Manual (1836), a Concise System of Instructions and Regulations for the Militia and Volunteers of the United States, comprehending the Exercises and Movements of the Infantry, Light Infantry, and Riflemen; Cavalry and Artillery: Together with the Manner of Doing Duty in Garrison and Camp, and the Forms of Parades, Reviews, and Inspections, as Established by Authority for the Government of the Regular Army. Prepared and Arranged by Brevet Capt. S. Cooper, Aid de Camp and Assistant Adjutant General
Gilham's Manual for Volunteers and Militia-
Another Gilham's Manual for Volunteers and Militia - a better page which includes illustrations
Hardee's Tactics (1855) - someone with too much time on their hands has been typing Hardee's onto the net
Scanned copy of the entire U.S. Infantry Tactics for the instruction, exercise, and manoeuvres of the United States infantry, including infantry of the line, light infantry, and riflemen. Prepared under the direction of the War department, and authorized and adopted by the secretary of war, May 1, 1861.
Hardee's Tactics (1862)
The Volunteer's Handbook (1861) Containing an Abridgement of Hardee's Infantry Tactics Adapted to the Use of the Precussion Musket in Squad and Company Exercies, Manual of Arms for Riflemen, and U.S. Army Regulations as to Parades, Reviews, Inspections, Guard Mounting, Etc. by James K. Lee, of the First Regiment of Virginia Volunteers
Digest of the U.S. Tactics for the Use of Officers (1862), prepared by Col. Wm. Steffen, of the Forty Fourth Mass. Regiment.
Scanned copy of the entire Revised U.S. Army Regulations for 1861 with an appendix containing the changed and laws affecting Army regulations and Articles of war to June 25, 1863.
Scanned copy of the entire Scott's Military Dictionary comprising technical definitions; information on raising and keeping troops; actual service, including makeshifts and improved material
The War of the Rebellion: a Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Link is to all of the volumes.
Confederate Coffee Substitutes - period newspaper receipts about efforts to replicate the exilir of life
Extract of Coffee for the Army by Art Ayotte (Fugawee Corp)
The Value of a Little Research - Q & A's about dried beef during the war
No One Loves Me Like My Tomato Can - An article about traveling light
Menu for a Three-Day Event - another article from Charles Heath
Virtual Palmyra Post - Rations & Recipes
Trail Foods - this is from a mountain man page, but it has some excellent receipts
When Fod is in Season by Dave Rodgers of the Texas Ground Hornets
Less is More by Mark (Silas) Tackitt
The Enfield in the Civil War - or - "To Blue or Not to Blue" by Geoff Walden
Western Confederate Uniform Guidelines - A great page from the Lazy Jacks
Columbia Rifles Guide to Improving Your Federal Soldier Impression
A Study on the Wearing of Haversacks and Canteens by Christopher Alan Graham
Oilcloth and Painted Accouterments from the Olathe Union Guard
Campaigner on a Budget from Jim Butler of the Salt River Rifles
Confederate "Columbus Depot" Jackets: The Material Evidence by Geoffrey R. Walden - one of the best reenacting articles published on the internet
A Survey of Confederate Central Government Quartermaster Issue Jackets - Part I by Leslie D. Jensen. Click here for part II, and click here for part III.
Confederate Buttons from the Lazy Jacks Mess
Patching Your Uniform by Dane Krogman
Original Civil War Uniforms - a great page from John Wedeward with photos of original sack coats, frock coats, shell jackets, overcoats, and trousers.
Original Federal Uniforms and Equipage from the 14th Connecticut's homepage
Which Federal Sack Coat? by K.C. MacDonald of the Lazy Jacks
General Order No. 60 re: Shelter Tent Dimensions date December 12, 1864 and corrected February 1, 1865 from The Arsenal, a serious CW sutler
Usage of Tents by Eric Mink, 4th VA at StonewallBrigade.com
Tenting Tonight - The Confederate Infantryman in Camp on Campaign by K.C. MacDonald of the Lazy Jacks Mess
Shelter Tents for the Confederate Impression by Pvt. R. Gregory as written in the September 2000 Newsletter for the 21st Virginia
The Bridgeman Shelter Tent by Scott Cross
Notes on an original shelter-half in the Wisconsin's Veteran's Museum CollectionThe Heywood Shelter Half - it's really an advertisement, but it has informationabout original shelters not otherwise available
Shred the Tents and Burn the Wagons: how tents ruin reenactor credibility by Mark (Silas) Tackitt - this is the actual article submitted to Camp Chase Gazette which they edited, renamed and published in the March, 2001 issue as "Shed the tents and forget the wagons."
The Soldier's Shelter Tent as Used by the French from John Wedeward
Encampment and Shelter from Jim Butler of the Salt River Rifles
Other Uses for the Canteen - from Si Klegg and his Pard, Shorty
Canteens of the ANV by Eric Mink, 4th VA at StonewallBrigade.com
Canteen Covers by Chris Sullivan, Stony Brook Company
Knapsack and Haversack Packing 101 by Kevin O'Beirne on the Columbia Rifles Webpage
The Lowly Blanket Roll by Michael Murley on the Columbia Rifles Webpage
Poke Sacks 101 from the Georgia Volunteer Battalion Webpage
Making your own Haversack from the 16th NCT page
Step by Step Preparation of Cartridges (with pictures) - from the 14th Tennessee's webpage
Making Realistic .58 Caliber Ball Ammunition from The Stragglers Webpage
How to Make .69 Caliber Cartidges (Real and Realistic) from the Capital Guards (6th Arkansas)
Civil War Field Fortifications. It's not an article, but its an extensive webpage devoted to fortifications
The Federal Forts at Petersburg by Mark Terry
Pictures from the Roslyn event taken by the Far from Home movie makers.
Converts Sought from the Heathen - by Old Soldier
How to Complete Properly a Morning Report - from the Breckinridge Battalion webpage - in PDF format.
Period Labels for Tins, Bottles, and et cetera from the 14th Tennessee webpage
Union Regimental Information from Dyer's Compendium
Directory of Union Regimental Histories (Confederate Histories also linked from this page)
National Civil War Association (NCWA) - in California
Northwest Civil War Council (NCWC) in Northern Oregon
Reenactors of the American Civil War (RACW) - in Northern California
West Coast Civil War Reenactment Calendar
The Civil War Home Page
Washington Civil War Association - the official club page
3rd Regt. Confederate Engineers, Co. E
4th Texas' (NCWC) Rebel Yell Home Page
6th Tennessee Infantry Regiment, Company G
9th Virginia Cavalry
11th Texas Cavalry, Co. B
14th Tennessee (NCWA)
56th Pennsylvania
Magruder/Ewell S.C.V. camp
12th Virginia's extensive links page
Farbersweekly's "News From the Battle Line" - "The Best Civil War and Historic News Clippings From Around About"
Silas' Grist Mill - dedicated to Pacific Nor'west Reenacting
Some
Better Sutlers and Suppliers
Although
I've kept this page free of endorsements, I've included links to
these sutlers because it's easier to link them than to search for
them every time I have a need to look at kewl stuff to purchase.
Return to the 44th Tennessee's home page / Silas' Grist Mill