Ok so it’s been awhile since I posted anything (and believe
me I’ve heard about it)I had a few posts started but a child + a glass of water
+ a laptop = lost research. So let me recap my summer….I spent a lot of time in
the woods, I didn’t do many events and I got Married. After 8 years I finally
tied the knot. So THAT took up a lot of my time.
I did make it to two events that rocked. One was the Bushy Run 250th. Members of the Augusta County Militia portrayed life around "Bushy Run Station" before the outbreak of the war in western Pa. Duane Schrecangaust (I always spell his name wrong ) Portrayed Andrew Byerly and did a great job setting up our little home away from home. The other was the Fort Frederick F&I event. I set up With Tom Apple and the "trading party" crew and we explained the role of the Indian Dept. in aiding the southern Natives brought north to fight the French. yeah we had a lot of stuff to show...
So I
thought I’d take the chance to add some more info from a Northern Perspective
to a blog posted by my friend Jason Melius about natives in coats . One of the standard “I needs” for folks
doing Native impressions is a British military coat. The “trophy coat” has become a sort of
standard piece of gear in many camps (I blame Buxton…but then again I blame him
for everything. Steelers didn’t go to the superbowl…Buxton did it) Most folks
will dig out or quasi cite the James Smith account of the trophies being
brought back in to Fort Duquesne as the basis for this (while also ignoring the
canteens on the list, weird…) Many folks will then go to shoot/stab said coat
because “he didn’t need it anymore”. I’ve even seen folks bead the “bullet
hole” to extenuate it and make it more
“native”. Ok let me join in the “Friends don’t let friends wear trophy coats”
chorus.
Ok So
I’ve already posted a lot of info on blanket coats/cappa coats/capots. Super
common trade items, pop up in a lot of accounts, kinda hard to screw up. Now
I’ll post a little info on the common “coat” on natives.
In the suffering
Traders papers coats seemed to have been a common item carried by Traders in
Western Pa/Va before the F&I
Goods sent to twightwee town with Andrew McBryer 1752:
28 coats @20/ 28..0..0
Goods sent up River Kentucky under care of David Hendricks (1753)
30 Made coats @20/
Account of their losses of George Croghan and William Trent, June
14,1756
60 coats @20
Coats
also seem to make to their way into the descriptions captives give of Ohio
country natives:
John Mcullough 1756: We
met an old indian whose dress made him appear very terrifying to us ; he had a
brown coat on him, no shirt,his breast bare, a breech-clout, a pair of leggings
and moccasons—his face and breast painted rudely with vermillion and
verdigrease…
Around
the same time Mcullough was running to into scary fellows near Fort
Duquesne A fellow near Bethlehem, PA
describes intelligence he received on a Lenape coming back from Fort Niagara:
TIMOTHY HORSEFIELD TO SIR CHARLES HARDY Bethlehem
July 21,1756 :They (the French) gave Tatteneskund a fine
dark brown Coat, very much laced with Gold, which he now <
wears. >
The practice
of wearing coats by “French” natives was noted by Peter Kalm earlier in the
decade:
The confederates of the French, had already begun to dress like the
French: the same kind of jacket and vest, while on journey’s they wore the same
red cap or hat.
And
sometimes the mention of a coat on a native is buried in the details like this
little tid bit from John Knox:
Anselm’s was made of wood
(crucifix) and hung by a leathern string from a button hole of his coat
Mentions
of coats for Natives in the Sir William Johnson papers give some nice detailed
info on the color/cloth of coats worn by natives:
Sir William Johnson Expense book
July 3, 1756
To a Gold Locket to the Chief
Onondaga Sachem 24/. & a Coat
To a Scarlet Coat well Lined to " an Indn : Chief & a Spear .
Feb 1756
1 Scarlet Coat to Ottrowana Chief
1 black D°: to Abraham Hendks
Brother
I blue Camblet D° to N i c k u s
of Canajoharee ....
1 Silk Grogram D°: with Gold
Buttons to the Chief Onondaga.
2 Ratteen D° with Cord & silver Buttons
AT Fort
Pitt in the 1760’s ready made coats are a common trade item.
On an inventory for “gifts” to be given out at Fort pitt in 1761 is a
note:
Made
up clothing, such as laced coats, laced jackets, and embroidery, which may be
purchased at second hand, well cleaned
So aside
from tailors making coats out of the tons of cloth/buttons/mohair etc being
shipped to the fort. It seems ready mad clothes were also on hand for the
Trade. Listiings such as “boy’s green jackets” or “penniston coats” pop up through out the ledgers.
For
example in 1765 John Gibson (Logan’s Best friend and Mike Burke Lookalike) purchased July 6, 1765
John Gibson 6 bards lead
1 yellow Finely laced coat to
Capt Jacobs “15”
1 tin Kettle
This entry is kewl not only because of what old Horsehead
purchases but the fact it shows how often some native names are reused. Another Capt Jacobs was killed at the attack
on Kittanning or Gibson bought a coat for a zombie. Either way it’s sweet.
Now
another part of this “coat” equation That Jason nails down in his posting is
the LACK of info out there on natives wearing waistcoats. Generally when you
see a waistcoat on a trade list it’s given WITH a coat. For some reason the
waistcoat by itself has become another go to item for native reenactors. I
chalk this up to the general fear in the hobby by folks to wear sleeves (I once
saw a guy wearing a sleeveless hunting shirt…it was weird) This may also harken back to our collective
memories of all natives in westerns attacking forts wearing leather vests or the paper bag vests we all had to make in
school at Thanksgiving. My point? Just don’t do it. Buy a coat, make a blanket
coat Dare to be common ppl!!!!
So
shameless plug time I was able to make it out to Fort Pitt a few weeks ago to
check out the New Exhibit on “Unconquered”
for a film/history geek like me It was killer. Come on Boris Karloff
pictures next to an original quilled knife sheath how can you beat that! If you
make it out to Pittsburgh be sure to check out the exhibit It’s worth the trip.
Also I’ll be set up in October at the
Fort Roberdeau Market fair and Rifle Frolic. Sinking Valley in October
is a great place to be ( website http://www.marketfaireandfrolic.com/
) I’ve also started volunteering at the Fort
again. The site has a new director/staff and it’s looking to become more reenactor
friendly. I may be doing a Moccasin workshop there this Fall so if your
interested drop me an email. OR just get to the Fort!!!!
Jason blog An awesome site for research on all things southern http://aparcelofstroudsduffieldsblanket.weebly.com/