A dozen ways to improve your mounted impression

The mounted services are one of the more expensive branches in Civil War reenacting. Not only do you have to outfit yourself in the basics like our infantry brethren, but you have to outfit your horse as well. In addition to the cost of the horse, you have great costs in transportation for your mount(s) to and from events. These prices quickly rise into the tens of thousands of dollars. In light of these expenses many in the mounted services spend a lot of money on inferior, inaccurate and unneeded equipment. There are several very inexpensive things we can do to increase our accuracy and steer our branch into more progressive areas like many of our infantry brethren. Since I am more familiar with the western theatre of the war – my comments are more geared towards Western Federal and AoT impressions. While some of these changes are truly inexpensive, some changes can only be made with the purchase of new, correct equipment. So you don’t make a costly mistake, research the vendor before purchasing from him!

1. Uniform – There are several uniform related items that can be easily improved upon. First is the hat. Loose the hat brass, yellow hat cords and cross sabers. Items such as these were not issued and are infrequent in period photographs. Secondly, steer away from yellow trimmed items. Sack coats for Federal (fatigue blouses) and untrimmed shell jackets were much more common for western soldiers. If you already have purchased a jacket, try handsewing your buttonholes. This is very quick and easy to do and greatly enhances your impression. Try to come up with a very generic, non-descript impression. Finally for footwear – brogans were very commonly issued items for mounted troops. Consider this for your impression. Also note that there were no Confederate issue "mounted" trousers. i.e. Trousers with the reinforced seat. These were only a Federal issue item.
2. On the same subject is the issue of stampede strings. I was quite guilty of it myself, but there are no period photos of mounted troops wearing strings on their slouch hats to keep the hat on. Troopers typically wore very tight hats in order to keep them fixed on their heads. In spite of this, there are numerous accounts of troopers loosing their hats by the droves in some mad dash. Lose the hat string … when it is time to get new headgear, choose a hat that fits snugly on your head.
3. Canteen. Regulations stipulated that canteens should be carried on the person, but there are a number of sources that indicate that some troopers may have carried the canteen on the saddle. However, many mounted reenactors use the canteen with leather strap and brass snap hook to hook to one of the rings on their saddle. This is totally wrong. This type of setup was common during the Indian War era – but is not correct for the Civil War. The best and most accurate way is to carry your canteen on your person with the strap shortened so the canteen rides about in the small of your back. This means that the canteen is always with you when you dismount and that it is not banging around on your hips or at the horse’s side.
4. Pommel Holsters – officers sometimes had these, but these were not issued. If an enlisted man wanted these – he would have to buy them. That is of course assuming that he had multiple pistols … which is another point. So once again, loose the pommel holsters.
5. Pistols – Mounted reenactors carry way too many pistols. Ordnance returns both North and South suggest a general shortage of pistols. Some guerilla units may have carried multiple pistols, but the average trooper would have been lucky to have even a single pistol. By the same token, many people have started carrying multiple cylinders for Remington pistols. This of course makes loading much easier – but is pure fantasy as far as the Civil War is concerned. Ordnance returns and manufacture records show no indication that extra cylinders for Remington’s were manufactured – aside from normal replacement cylinders for lost or damaged cylinders. There were also no cylinder carrying cases developed for extra cylinders as many reenactors carry. In other words, limit yourself to one pistol. Pistols were generally weapons of last resort – so if one does suffice as a last resort weapon, you probably are in big trouble.
6. Equipment. There are many saddlers out there who make very sturdy well-constructed equipment, but much of it is inaccurate. The leather used by some vendors is much too thick. Look at actual saddles, bridles and halters. The leather is durable, but not so thick as to allow the saddle to stand up by the skirts. A very thick halter or bridle may also rub sores onto your horse’s head. Look at the stitching of the saddle as well. Many vendors today use stitching that is much too widely spaced apart. Period equipment had very tight stitching in linen thread. This thread was soaked in a solution called kit. As the maker would draw the thread through the leather, the kit would heat up and harden locking the stitching into place. Also, the use of toe straps seems to have been a post-war addition. Most saddles from the period are seen without toe straps, and the few who have toe straps are very likely to be post-war additions. If you already have a saddle that may not be the most accurate, there is not much you can do to fix it. You can remove the toe straps – but you are very limited. The bit that is commonly seen on many Federal-reenacting rigs is a late war bit. Unfortunately there are no alternatives to this bit. If your impression is Confederate – consider using saddles and equipment more common to the Confederate soldiers. This includes Jennifers, Hopes and many civilian items.
7. Another common inaccuracy seen is the buckle-on style of reins. In the Federal army the enlisted reins were actually sewn onto the bit rather than buckled on. Officers used the buckle-on style of rein, but not the common enlisted soldier. If the length of the reins allow it, consider removing the buckle, skiving down the leather, and sewing the reins on. If not, consider buying a new set of reins.
8. There has been a lot said on the issue of breast straps as of late. First advice is, is that few horses really need them if the saddle fits properly. If you do not have a problem with saddle slippage – then don’t use a breast strap. If you do need a breast strap, then avoid the commonly seen breast straps with the big brass heart on them. These are inaccurate. Breast straps were not issued with the McClellan saddle. Civil war era troopers had to buy their own civilian version of the breast strap or more commonly they improvised from existing equipment. A common substitute for the breast strap was a surcingle. I have also heard of soldiers using musket slings, waist belts and cartridge belts.
9. Another piece of equipment that has some inaccuracies is the common feed bag. Apparently most feed bags contracted by the Federal government had flat bottoms. The bottoms only became rounded after months of use by a hungry horse. Apparently many vendors copied this "used" version of the feed bag to come up with the round bottom feed bags that we see today. While this may seem nitpicky … it is an inaccuracy that is needlessly supported by many reenactors.
10. Reduce your baggage! This not only will save you time in packing, money in not having to buy extra equipment, but more importantly it will save your horses back. Look through your kit, chunk all unnecessary items. Be lightweight, share items between your messmates. Oftentimes blankets, shelter halves and gum blankets were carried under the saddle. If your saddle is not too tight, this will give your horse a little extra padding while clearing some space off your saddle and you will find it much easier to mount and dismount as well!
11. Be true to your impression. What I mean by that is research the role of your particular branch of mounted service. Understand what they did, how they fought, what their primary function was. If their primary function was scouting and reconnaissance, make sure you work that into your impression. If they dismounted to fight, make sure you incorporate that. Ditch the John Wayne and Cowboy stuff. I think this will do more to enhance the mounted services than anything else.
12. Hone your riding skill. Don’t get all you’re riding and horse training practice in on just the battles at an event. Train, train, train! No matter how good you think you are, take an occasional riding lesson to improve your skill and make sure you are not falling into bad habits. Practice your horsemanship. Prepare your mounts properly. Prepare them for extended rides or campaigns. Prepare them for busy campaign seasons. Before bringing a new horse to an event, attempt to train it as much as you can beforehand for the experiences it will meet at the event. Train yourself as well. If you are overweight, lose some weight. Prepare yourself and your mount for new experiences.

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