One of the benefits of competition among sutlers is the drive to produce new and different items. Owing to the limitations of available yarns, garments made from jeancloth, up to this point has been only applicable to the most coarse and primitive garments, which does not reflect the wide range found in the 19th century.
Our new line of tailoring grade jeancloths, open a new range of possibilities in reproductions. We are not only offering it to the do it yourselfer, but in finished garments as well. Our first offering is a reproduction of the Federal commercial forage cap, which, surprisingly, found late war usage, and can be found at the link below:
Commercial forage cap in tailoring jeancloth
Alan Lowcher
While it would difficult to measure the national impact that Ken Burns' series The Civil War, Alan can trace it as the spark of inspiration to get involved in the Civil War reenacting hobby. His first interaction with reenactors came in 1992 at the Warren County History Fair, held in Oxford NJ where he met members of hte 3rd NJ.. Up to that point he had never met anyone involved in the hobby. He went to several events and found them to be a very welcoming and safety conscious unit, and has remained with them to this day.
Being a real estate attorney, his daily transactions involve the written word. Consequently, one of the greatest things that he enjoys int he hobby is the opportunity to learn new things. As of late, he has been intensively delving into the drill manuals, both Baxter's and Scott's in particular. He particulary enjoys going to schools and allowing students to learn first hand about the everyday life of the average soldier.
When asked what he would like to see in the hobby, he unequivocally hoped for a return to the hobby related preservation efforts of the late 1990's. He is very proud of the fact that the 3rd NJ is consistently one of the top fundraisers for preservation. His favourite events were the McDowell event Preservation Marches of many years past, which was not only salient for its authenticity, but also for the contribution to preservation.
Alan also hopes to see more first person interpretation in the hobby, especially when it is linked to new research. For example, he found references to different roles played during the war, by members of the Sanitary and Christian Commission, that after the battles, they would work to identify the bodies of the fallen. Up to that point, the only hope that a person would be identified, would be through his comrades in the unit, and more often than not, the flow of battle and military movement made this impossible.
He is also proud that his son has shouldered a musket alongside him, not only continuing the interest within the family, but also the 3rd NJ. There truly could be no greater dividend!
Available in tan, red and indigo, these fabrics add a touch of elegance to what was previously regarded as homespun.
They are all avaialable at the link below:
Indigo dyed jeancloth!
A fantastic choice for those choosing to portray the early war "emergency" period, this jeancloth is 100% indigo dyed. This is my first choice for one of talked about early war federal overcoats.
This fabric has never been offered before, and is sure to go fast!
After an excruciatingly drawn out period, we have the remaining parts in stock and are assembling the first pieces as we write this. We are as excited as anyone else is about this project, and are eager to add these to our reenacting collection.
Numsen food jar and the Joshua Wright philadelphia pickle jar. Considered rare by collectors, the Wright pickle jar is quite large. With classic 19th century typographical layout, the Wright jar is as aesthetically pleasing as it is functional.
The Numsen Jar, is apparently a stock style of jar that many canning companies had used. Identical examples in the same design, with the names of Wells, Miller and Provost and WK Lewis are documented to have been used. Numsen was perhaps the leading food company from the Baltimore area, and collaborated with Gail Borden by opening a Condensed Milk facility in York Pa, just prior to the Gettysburg campaign.
These jars are as decorative as they were functional back in the 19th century. The Wright Jar, features the recurring barrel motif, which has been noted on several different glassware pieces of the 1860's.
Stay tuned, as they are now in the last stages of finishing!
We have current updates, and weekly (mostly) video blogs, discussing various topics of the hobby. Check us out when you can, and feel free to contact us for more information.
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