Introduction to Period Trekking

8/13/2019 Introduction to Period Trekking

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An Introduction To

Period TrekkingA Brief Dissertation on Time Travel,

and How to Not Be Discovered

Assembled from Documents and Articles Written by aariety of Aut!ors


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W"#$%&" T% P"'I%D T'"((IN)

Period trekking can build character in one's self and in one's outfit; it can underscorewhat one knows about history; and it can verify what one thinks is true. It can teachsecrets only historical experimentation can whisper in the period trekker's heart. --Mark . !aker

)%A#*+--"o explore some of the philosophy behind Period "rekking# and to take a brief look athow living history and experimental archeology combine with blackpowder to create$%th century &trekking.&--"o explore some of the basic concepts behind &time warping& or historicalsimulation# such as clothing and gear# skills and knowledge# activities# persona# andpersonality.--"o explore how a small number of people are approaching life in the $%th century togain an understanding of &what it was like.&--"o share some thoughts and ideas# as well as resources that participants may beable use for themselves.

)#%**A'

rtifact-- n artifact is an article or item of clothing# gear# or euipment from the $%thcentury that has been preserved and survived to today. n &original& from the Period.

(opy-- copy is an exact recreation or a duplicate of an artifact.

)xperimental rcheology-- )xperimental archeology is the exacting recreation ofclothing# gear# and euipment from the Past and then using those recreations in astrict historical environment to experience &what it was like& to live in the Past.

*irst Person Impression-- pproaching the study of the Past from the perspective ofsomeone actually living in it. +hen talking# references are to &I am& or &I hunt& or &I

do this. & &persona.&

,istorical rcheology-- ,istorical archeology is the use of written materials such asournals# diaries# letters# documents# etc. to supplement artifacts in gaining anunderstanding of living in the Past.

,istorically (orrect-- Proper to the Period# or &Period Proper.& Meaning that therecreated item is done within the material culture of the$%th century in terms ofmaterials and construction methods. Period (orrect/.

0iving ,istory-- "he techniue of studying history not from books but from having toexperience as many of the same aspects 1clothing# food# activities2 as someone wouldhave in the $%th century. 0iving/ the history that you are presenting.

Period-- "he &date& or &time& in the Past being studied. Meaning# what actually existedor took place on a certain date in "ime. "ime periods may be viewed as a definitiveperiods# such as the *rench and Indian +ar Period 1$344 to $3562# or the7evolutionary +ar Period 1$338-$3%62# or they may be more broad in concept# suchas the *ur "rade era 1beginning with the original colonist and ending in the early$%89's2# or the (olonial )ra 1 beginning with the first colonist and extending throughthe beginning of the 7evolutionary +ar2 .


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Plain# )veryday# and (ommon-- standard for clothing# gear# and euipment thatignores the outrageous# the rare# the one-of-a-kind# the exception and strives for whatis correct for the socio-economic class and geographica$ location of the individual.

Primary ccount-- record of an event that was written at the time it took place.Primary documentation# written by the people who were actually living the history

written about.

7eenacting-- "he recreation of historical events# or &reenacting& what took place.:sually applies to military history.

7elic-- n artifact that has not been well preserved. :sually applies toarchaeologically &dug& items in rusted or poor condition.

7esearch and ocumentation--"he combination of the study of Period accounts withthe use of surviving artifacts to recreate clothing# gear# and euipment that wasactually used in the Past.

7eproduction-- "o be &produced& again. Meaning a continuation of materials andconstruction methods used to produce the last of something as though the processwas started up again at a later time. "he modern use of &reproduction& usually meanssomething is &kind of like& or &inspired by& or &taken from& something without copyingit exactly.


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"he model# or prototype for living history# lies with an attempt to remove the conceptof history from the museum shelf and glass case to the &open air.& Perhaps theearliest achievement in the area of &open air& museum can be traced back to


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concept of experimental archeology a bit later. ,a@elius believed that artifacts shouldbe displayed in their own actual setting or environment. *or example# cookingutensils should be displayed in a peasant kitchen and not on a sterile shelf. ,ecollected more than ust artifacts# he acuired buildings and structures as well asartifacts from the $599's to the present and reestablished them in something thatwas part natural history park# part historical museum# and even part @oo. +hen


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Eddly enough# this experiment with living interpretation predated


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In $?6A# Genneth (horley# who had been hired to supervise and direct the proect#suggested that local people be hired as hostesses on a part-time basis. En


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In $?3%# "homas


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A Brief History of "-P"'I&"NTA# A'$HA"%#%) as related to #IIN)HI*T%'

)xperimental archeology was developed in the late $?th century# roughly at the sametime rtur ,a@elius was establishing


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En pril A%# $?83 the un-seaworthy looking raft# named Gon-"iki# set sail from (allao#Peru. Ene hundred and one days later# the ship reached the "uamotu Islands somefour thousand miles away. !ut the raft was the obect of his &experiment.'' "hey didnot live on the raft-as ancient Peruvians did; they did not eat a period diet; and theydid not wear traditional clothes. !ut ,eyerdahl accomplished what he set out to do#and inspired a new generation of experimental archaeologists. ,eyerdahl's book GED-

"IGI provoked scholars and intrigued armchair adventures. ,eyerdahl had applied theguiding principle of science-that theory should be checked out with experimentation--to a historical problem. nd all across the country# if not world# there were newmethods of &experimental historical research.&


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*or months# participants had scoured antiue shops to turn out as authentically asthey could 1or knew how2. "he guns were original# and so was the euipment-- muchcoming from !annerman's.


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"hat covenant calls for a tough-mindedness. It seems we are harsher and morecritical of ourselves# as &living historians& or &experimental archaeologists#& than anyoutside academic or public historian could ever be. ,ere is an excerpt from a $?%6letter that is still valid todayH

"We have lived cheek-by-jowl with many, many recreation groups... Few are

totally authentic; they compromise on important things and totally ignore thesmall. Some o this is e!cusable, i you know and recognie and admit thatyou aren#t up to snu due to cost, lack o time, etc. $ut willully ignoringauthenticity is a crime.%n the ield, such groups are known as F&'$S and are (uickly disassociatedrom the mainstream. )o it right, or try to do it right. %t#s not easy, but what is,i it#s to be worthwhileC&

"hat was $?%6# and although the standards have changed immensely# the opinion isstill ust as valid as when it was penned. "his is where experimental archeology haschanged the face of reenacting. "his is where experimental archeology has changedthe face of living history.

s I learned history through elementary school# unior high# senior high# andcollege# leading to a ! in history>prehistory# I rarely saw history not failing to study#interpret# and experience the everyday reality of ordinary people in the Past. It wasalways some politician or dictator# some general# some battle on such and such a day.

"he goal of experimental archeology is to step back in-the historical context of aplace and time and to come away with an understanding# appreciation# and feel forthe people who were there.

"he new uestion is not where you went to school# what degrees you earned# or whoyou know. "he new uestion is# do you have the right stuffC It their own way# each ofthe organi@ations mentioned above have pioneered and broken new ground andpushed into new territories--often that were radical and &lunatic& at the time. Insimple terms# the &state of the art& in $??8 was different that that of $?%8# which wasdifferent than that of $?38# $?58# $?48# $?88# $?68# $?A8# and so on.

"here seems to be a developmental pattern that emerges. s a parent organi@ation iscreated# develops# and grows# it seems to establish its own culture. s times change#and people's interests change# that culture no longer provides what some membersare looking for. "hey then leave# taking with them what is good and leaving behindwhat no longer is working for them. It never seems to be a maority# ust the &lunaticfringe& as it were. It can be seen that the old &lunatic fringe& that rebelled against anorgani@ational status uo# often finds itself &outdated& and rebelled against by thenext generation of players.

"he concept of evolution# in regards to standards# is a complex one. 0ooking back onthe past three decades# it is uite obvious that there has been progress made# andconsiderable progress at that. !y and large# the days of &buffs& running around with

gray .(. Penney permanent work suits with chevrons sewed on and M-$ Farand riflesshooting blanks are gone 1although I do know some D-


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with the strife and pestilence and emulating the beauty# grace# chivalry# andbrotherhood.&

"he


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&rende@vous& has little association with an actual fur trade era commercialrende@vous between traders and companies and>or free trappers. I think a maordifference is that the


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dressed than the most brilliant peer at St. 2ames#s in a splendid and e!pensivebirthday suit, o the irst ashion and taste, and most costly materials.

"*heir hunting, or rile shirts, they have also died sic/ in variety o colours, someyellow, others red, some brown and many wear them (uite white.

"Such sentiments as those % have just e!posed to notice, are neither so ridiculous norsurprising, when the circumstances are considered with due attention, that promptthe back-wood#s &merican to such a train o thinking, and in which light it is, that heeels his own conse(uence, or he inds all his resources in himsel.

"*hus attired and accoutered, as already described, set him in the midst o aboundless orest, a thousand miles rom an inhabitant, he is by no means at a loss,nor in the smallest degree dismayed.

"With his rile he procures his subsistence; with his tomahawk he erects his shelter,his wigwam, his house or whatever habitation he may chuse sic/ to reside in; hedrinks at the crystal spring, or the nearest brook; his wants are all easily supplied, heis contented, he is happy. For elicity, beyond a doubt, consists, in a great measure, inthe attainment and gratiication o our desires, and the accomplishment o theutmost bounds o our wishes.

"*his digression, which % thought necessary to impress an idea o the singularappearance and sentiments o these men, or that reason, % am hopeul, will bee!cused; and or which, % latter mysel, this will be deemed a suicient apology."

.*..


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clothing as should be prescribed, but which was at irst ordered to be only a huntingshirt and pantaloons, ringed on every edge and in various ways."

Maor ,enry !edinger# 0etter to a


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in place o lime or taking o the hair. $ears# oil, hog#s lard and tallow, answered theplace o ish oil. *he leather, to be sure, was coarse; but it was substantially good.*he operation o currying was perormed by a drawing knie with its edge umed,ater the manner o a currying knie. *he blacking or the leather was made o sootand hog#s lard.

"&lmost every amily contained its own tailors and shoemakers. *hose who could notmake shoes, could make shoepacks. *hese, like moccasons sic/, were made o asingle piece o leather with the e!ception o a tongue piece on the top o the oot.*his was about two inches broad and circular at the lower end. *o this the main pieceo leather was sewed, with a gathering stitch. *he seam behind was like that o amoccason sic/. *o the shoepack a sole was sometimes added. *he women did thetailor work. *hey could all cut out and make hunting shirts, leggins and drawers."

7everend oseph oddridge# Dotes on the


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nd


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behind, and under these a piece o cloth, drawn dose up to the body between thelegs, orming a sort o truss. *he aprons and this piece o cloth, which are all astenedtogether, are called the breech cloth. *he utmost ingenuity o the s(uaws is e!ertedin adorning the little aprons with beads, ribbands sic/


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(aptain ohn Gnox# ,istorical ournal# $343.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"&t the head o the column marched a group o woodsman, all o course, bearingriles. Some strode on oot, but many o them, perhaps the majority, were mountedon horses that walked slowly along.

"*hey wore loose hunting shirts, and trousers o dressed deerskin, gayley sic/decorated with the colored ringes so widely aected as a backwoods ashion. *heireet were clad in moccasins and on their heads were many sorts o antastic caps oskins or o linsey-woolsey, each ashioned according the whim o its owner. :very manwas girt with a leather belt rom the right side o which hung a tomahawk to be usedeither as a hatchet or or some more violent purpose. 0n his let side he carried hishunting knie, a ull powder horn, a leather pouch o home made bullets and anotherlarge leather pouch holding a (uart or two o parched corn."

nonymous escription of a Party of 0ong ,unters# $336.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"% am o opinion that a number o hunting-shirts, not less than ten thousand, would ina great degree remove this diiculty, in the cheapest and (uickest manner. % knownothing in a speculative view, more trivial, yet which, i put in practice, would have ahappier tendency to unite the men, and abolish those provincial distinctions that leadto jealousy and dissatisaction."

Feorge +ashington# 0etter to the President of (ongress# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"5unting shirts with long breeches . . . it is a dress justly supposed to carry no smallterror to the enemy who think every such person a complete marksman."

Feorge +ashington# uly# $335.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQDicholas (resswell recalled that his companions on a ourney along the Gentucky7iver had not two pairs of breeches among them. "*he rest wear breechclouts,leggins and hunting shirts, which have never been washed, only by the rain sincethey were made.

"%t is a custom with our company, as soon as it begins to rain to strip naked andsecure their clothes rom the wet. % have attempted it twice today, but the drops orain are disagreeable to my skin, that it obliged me to put on my shirt. " 4resswellnoted that the rontier was "an asylum or rascals o all denominations."

ournal of Dicholas (resswell# $338-$333.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"*he %ndians, who have any dealings with the :nglish or &merican traders, and all othem have that live in the neighborhood, and to the east o the +ississippi, and in theneighborhood o the great lakes to the north-west, have now totally laid aside the useo urs and skins in their dress, e!cept or their shoes or moccasins, and sometimes

or their legging, as they ind they can e!change them to advantage or blankets andwoolen cloths,


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"*he hunting shirt was universally worn. *his was a kind o loose rock, reachinghalway down the thighs, with large sleeves, open beore and so wide as to lap over aoot or more when belted. *he cape was large, and sometimes handsomely ringedwith a raveled piece o cloth o a dierent color rom that o the hunting shirt itsel.*he bosom o this dress served as a wallet to hold a chunk o bread, cakes, jerk, tow

or wiping the barrel o the rile, or any other necessary or the hunter or warrior.

"*he belt, which was always tied behind answered several purposes, besides that oholding the dress together. %n cold weather the mittens, and sometimes the bullet-bag, occupied the ront part o it. *o the right side was suspended the tomahawk andto the let the scalping knie in its leather sheath. *he hunting shirt was generallymade o linsey, sometimes o coarse linen, and a ew o dressed deer skins. *heselast were very cold and uncomortable in wet weather. *he shirt and jacket were othe common ashion. & pair o drawers or breeches and legging, were the dress o thethighs and legs; a pair o moccasons sic/ answered or the eet much better thanshoes. *hese were made o dressed deer skin. *hey were mostly made o a single

piece with a gathering seam along the top o the oot, and another rom the bottomo the heel, without gathers as high as the ankle joint or a little higher. Flaps were leton each side to reach some distance up the legs. *hese were nicely adapted to theankles, and, lower part o the leg by thongs o deer skin, so that no dust, gravel, orsnow could get within the moccason sic/.

"*he moccasons sic/ in ordinary use cost but a ew hours labor to make them. *hiswas done by an instrument denominated a moccason sic/ awl, which was made othe backspring o an old clasp knie. *his awl with its buckhorn handle was anappendage o every shoe pouch strap, together with a roll o buckskin or mendingthe moccasons sic/. *his was the labor o almost every evening. *hey were sewedtogether and patched with deer skin thongs, or whangs, as they were commonlycalled.

"%n cold weather the moccasons sic/ were well stued with deer#s hair or dry leaves,so as to keep the eet comortably warm; but in wet weather it was usually said thatwearing them was #a decent way o going bareooted,# and such was the act, owingto the spongy te!ture o the leather o which they were made.

"0wing to this deective covering o the eet, more than to any other circumstance,the greater number o our hunters and warriors were alicted with the rheumatism intheir limbs. 0 this disease they were all apprehensive in cold or wet weather, andthereore always slept with their eet to the ire to prevent or cure it as well as theycould. *his practice un(uestionably had a very salutary eect, and prevented manyo them rom becoming conirmed cripples in early lie.

"%n the latter years o the %ndian war our young men became more enamored o the%ndian dress throughout, with the e!ception o the matchcoat. *he drawers were laidaside and the leggins made longer, so as to reach the upper part o the thigh. *he

%ndian breech clout was adopted. *his was a piece o linen or cloth nearly a yard long,and eight or nine inches broad. *his passed under the belt beore and behind leavingthe end or laps hanging beore and behind over the belt. *he laps were sometimesornamented with some coarse kind o embroidery work. *o the same belt whichsecured the breech clout, strings which supported the long leggins were attached.When this belt, as was oten the case, passed over the hunting shirt the upper part othe thighs and part o the hips were naked.


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"*he young warrior instead o being abashed by this nudity was proud o his %ndianlike dress. %n some ew instances % have seen them go into places o public worship inthis dress. *heir appearance, however, did not add much to the devotion o the youngladies."

7everend oseph oddridge# Dotes on the AB active, brave youngellows; many o whom had been in the late e!pedition under 9ord )unmore, againstthe %ndians. *hey bear in their bodies visible marks o their prowess, and show scarsand wounds, which would do honour to 5omer#s %liad, etc. *hey shewsic/ you, to usethe poet#s words--#Where the goar#d bull bled at every vein.#


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"0ne o these warriors, in-particular, shows the cicatrices scar tissue o our bulletholes through his body. *hese men have been bred in the woods to hardships anddanger rom their inancy. *hey appear as i they were entirely unac(uainted with,and had never elt, the passion o ear. With their riles in their hands they assume akind o omnipotence over their enemies. =ou will not much wonder at this when %mention a act, which can be ully attested by several o the reputable inhabitants o

this place, who were eyewitnesses o it. *wo brothers in the company took a piece oboard, ive inches broad, and seven inches long, with a bit o white paper, about thesie o a dollar, nailed in the center, and while one them supported this board

perpendicularly between his knees, the other at the distance o upwards o si!tyyards, and without any kind o rest, shot eight bullets successively through the board,and spared a brother#s thighsD

#&nother o the company held a barrel stave perpendicularly in his hand, with oneedge close to his side, while one o his comrades at the same distance, and in themanner beore mentioned, shot several bullets through it, without any apprehensionso danger on either side. *he spectators, appearing to be amaed at these eats,were told that there were upwards o ity persons in the company who could do thesame thing; that there was not one who could not plug >E bullets out o B as theytermed it within an inch o the head o a ten-penny nail; in short, to evince theconidence they possessed in their de!terity at these kinds o arms, some o them

proposed to stand with apples on their heads, while others at the same distanceundertook to shoot them o; but the people who saw the other e!periments, declinedto be witnesses o this. &t night a great ire was kindled round a pole planted in thecourthouse s(uare, where the company with the 4aptain at their head, all naked tothe waist and painted like savages e!cept the 4aptain, who was in an %ndian shirt,indulged a vast concourse o the inhabitants with a perect e!hibition o a war dance,and all the manoeuvres sic> o %ndians holding council, going to war, circumventingtheir enemies, by deiles, ambuscades, attacking, scalping, etc. %t is said by thosewho are judges, that no representation could possibly come nearer the original. *he4aptain#s agility and e!pertness, in particular, in these e!hibitions, astonished everybeholder.

#*his morning they will set out on their march to 4ambridge."

Pennsylvania Packet# ugust# $334 0ancaster# PennsylvaniaQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"=esterday the company was supplied with a small (uantity o powder rom themagaine, which wanted airing, and was not in good order or riles; in the evening,however, they were drawn out to show the gentlemen o the *own their de!terity atshooting. & clapboard, with a mark the sie o a dollar, was put up; they began to ireohand, and the bystanders were surprised, ew shots being made that were notclose to or in the paper. When they had shot or a time in this way, some lay on theirback, some on their breast or side, others ran twenty or thirty steps, and iringappeared to be e(ually certain o the mark. With this perormance the company wasmore than satisied, when a young man took up the board in his hand, not by the

end, but by the side, and holding it as it was held beore, the second brother shot asthe ormer had done. $y this e!ercise % was more astonished than pleased. $ut will

you believe me when % tell you, that one o the men took the board, and placing itbetween his legs, stood with his back to the tree while another drove the center.What would a regular army o considerable strength in the orests o &merica do withone thousand o these men, who want nothing to preserve their health and couragebut water rom the spring, with a little parched corn, with what they can easily

procure in hunting; and who, wrapped in their blankets, in the damp o night, wouldchoose the shade o a tree or their covering, and the earth or their bedG"


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)xtract of a 0etter to a Fentleman in Philadelphia. escribing a


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"9et us take a view o the beneits we have received, by what little we have learnedo their art o war, which cost us dear, and the loss that we have sustained or want oit; and then see i it will not be well worth our while to retain what we have, and alsoto endeavor to improve in this necessary branch o business. *hough we have madeconsiderable proiciency in this line, and in some respects out-do them vi. asmarksmen, and in cutting our riles, and in keeping them in good order; yet, %

apprehend we are ar behind in their manoeuveres, or in being able to surprie sic/,or prevent a surprie sic/. +ay we not conclude that the progress we had made intheir art o war contributed considerably towards our success, in various respects,when contending with 6reat $ritain or libertyG

"5ad the $ritish Hing, attempted to enslave us beore $raddock#s war, in allprobability he might readily have done it, because, e!cept the 8ew :nglanders, whohad ormerly been engaged in war with the %ndians, we were unac(uainted with anykind o war1 but ater ighting such a subtil sic/ and barbarous enemy as the %ndians,we were not terriied at the approach o $ritish red-coats. --Was not $urgoyne#sdeeat accomplished in some measure by the %ndian mode o ightingG and did not6en. +organ#s rile-men, and many others, ight with greater success, inconse(uence o what they had learned o their art o warG Hentucky would not havebeen settled at the time it was, had the 7irginians been altogether ignorant o thismethod o war."

(olonel ames


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"Shooting at marks was a common diversion among the men, when their stock oammunition would allow it; this, however, was ar rom being always the case. *he

present mode o shooting o hand was not then in practice. *his mode was notconsidered as any trial o the value o a gun; nor, indeed, as much o a test o the skillo a marksmen. *heir shooting was rom a rest, and at as great a distance as thelength and weight o the barrel o the gun would throw a ball on a horiontal level.

Such was their regard to accuracy, in these supportive trials o their riles, and otheir own skill in the use o them, that they oten put moss, or some other sotsubstance, on the log or stump rom which they shot, or ear o having the bulletthrown rom the mark by the spring o the barrel. When the rile was held to the sideo a tree or a rest, it was pressed against it as lightly as possible, or the samereason.

"'iles o ormer times, were dierent rom those o modern date; ew o them carriedmore than orty-ive bullets .C? caliber to the pound. $ullets o a less sie were notthought suiciently heavy or hunting or war."

7everend oseph oddridge# Dotes on the


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7iflemen picked off "ories# too# at


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0ondon Dewspaper# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"*he e!press, who was sent by the 4ongress, is returned here rom the :astward, andsays he let the 4amp last Saturday; that the rilemen picked o ten men in one day,three o whom were Field-oicers that were reconnoitering; one o them was killed atthe distance o @B yards, when only hal his head was seen."

Pennsylvania Packet# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ riflemen had killed from a distance of 899 yards to which was added "take care,ministerial troops."

Birginia Fa@ette# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"9ord )unsmore, it is said, is much araid o the rilemen, and has all his vesselscaulked up on the sides, above men#s height."

)dmund Pendleton# 0etter to 7ichard ,enry 0ee# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"*he time or which the rilemen enlisted will e!pire 2uly >st, and as the loss o such avaluable and brave body o men will be o great injury to the service, % would submitto the consideration o 4ongress whether it would not be best to adopt some methodto induce them to continue. *hey are indeed a very useul corps; but % need notmention this, as their importance is already well known to the 4ongress."

Feorge +ashington# 0etter to the President of (ongress# $335.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"%t is a certain truth, that the enemy entertain a most ortunate apprehension o

&merican rilemen. %t is e(ually certain that nothing can contribute to diminish thisapprehension so inallibly as a re(uent ineectual ire. %t is with some concern,thereore, that % am inormed that your men have been suered to ire at a most

preposterous distance. Jpon this principle % must entreat and insist that you considerit as a standing order, that not a man under your command is to ire at a greaterdistance than an hundred and ity yards, at the utmost; in short, that they never irewithout almost a moral certainty o hitting their object."

Feneral (harles 0ee# 0etter to (olonel +illiam "hompson# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"&t the distance, perhaps, o one hundred and ity yards, nothing but his head abovewater, a shooting-match took place, and believe me, the balls o +organ, Simpson,5umphreys, and others, played around, and within a ew inches o his head . . ."

ohn oseph ,enry# (ampaign gainst uebec# $%$A# indicating that these rifleofficers also used long arms7iflemenT "can hit a man i within @B yards, and his head i within >@B."

Birginia Fa@ette# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"& gentleman rom the &merican camp says - #9ast Wednesday, some rilemen, on4harlestown side, shot an oicer o note in the ministerial service, supposed to be+ajor Small, or $ruce, and killed three men on board a ship at 4harlestown erry, atthe distance o ull hal a mile," R%99 yardsKCK S

Pennsylvania Fa@ette# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ


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0ondon (hronicle# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"Sir, you command the inest regiment in the world."

Feneral ohn !urgoyne# +ords 7eputedly


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QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"% muskets were given them instead o riles the service would be more beneited, asthere is a superabundance o rilemen in the &rmy. Were it in the power o 4ongressto supply musketts sic/ they would speedily reduce the number o riles and replacethem with the ormer, as they are more easily kept in order, can be ired otener andhave the advantage o $ayonetts sic/."

7ichard Peters# 0etter to the (ouncil of caliber to the pound up to one hundred .AI caliber, andthe price rom iteen to a hundred dollars."

(hristian


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spring o a deer, he leaped rom his saddle, threw the reins o his bridle into thehands o his servant, and rushed into the thickest o the melee, with an iron gripseied two tall, brawny, athletic, savage-looking rilemen by the throat, keeping themat arm#s length, alternately shaking and talking to them. %n this position, the eye othe belligerents caught sight o the general. %ts eect on them was instantaneouslight at the top o their speed in all directions rom the scene o the conlict. 9ess

than iteen minutes time had elapsed rom the commencement o the row beore thegeneral and his two criminals were the only occupants o the ield o action. 5erebloodshed, imprisonment, trials by court-martial were happily prevented, and hostileeelings between the dierent corps o the army distinguished by the physical anmental energies timely e!erted by one individual."

Israel "rask# $?th (entury Pension PapersQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"& large portion o the backsettlers, living upon the %ndian rontiers, are, according tothe best o my inormation, ar greater savages than the %ndians themselves. %t isnothing uncommon, % am told, to see hung up in their chimney corners, or nailedagainst the door o their cabins, scalps. *hey have/ employed their skins as theywould have done those o a wild beast, or whatever purpose they could be appliedto. &n %ndian is considered by them as nothing better than a destructive ravenouswild beast, without reason, without a soul, that ought to be hunted down like a wolwherever it makes its appearance; and indeed, even amongst the bettermost sort othe inhabitants o the western country, the most illiberal intolerant, narrow-minded/notions are entertained respecting these unortunate people, and arguments or theirbanishment, or rather e!tirpation, are adopted, e(ually contrary to justice and tohumanity. #*he %ndian,# says they, #who has no idea, or at least is unwilling to applyhimsel to agriculture, re(uires a thousand acres o land or the support o his amily;an hundred acres will be enough or one o us and our children; why then shouldthese heathens, who have no notion o arts and manuactures, who never have madeany improvement in science, and have never been the inventors o any thing new oruseul to the human species, be suered to encumber the soilG#-#*he settlementsmaking in the upper parts o 6eorgia, upon the ine lands o the 0conee and0kemulgee rivers, will,# says +r. %mlay, speaking o the probable destination o the%ndians o the south western territory, #bid deiance to them in that (uarter. *hesettlements o French $road, aided by 5olston, have nothing to ear rom them1 andthe 4umberland is too puissant powerul/ to apprehend any danger. *he Spaniardsare in possession o the Floridas how long they will remain so, must depend upontheir moderation and good manners and o the settlements at the 8atche andabove, which will soon e!tend to the southern boundaries o 4umberland, so thatthey the %ndian will be completely enveloped in a ew years. 0ur people alluding tothose o the Jnited States will continue to encroach upon them on three sides, andcompel them to live more domestic lives. and assimilate them to our mode o living,or cross to the western side o the +ississippi."#

Isaac +eld# "ravels "hrough the


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(olonel ames


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"he earliest settlers of Gentucky were described as ". . . a set o scoundrels whoscarcely believe in 6od or ear a devil . . ."

7ichard ,enderson# of the "ransylvania (ompany# $334.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"0 all useless sets that ever encumbered an &rmy, surely the boasted 'ile-men are

certainly the most so. *o be sure, there never was a more mutinous and undisciplinedset o villains that bred disturbance in any camp."

!enamin "hompson# 1later (ount 7umford2 !oston# $334# who later became aprofessed 0oyalist.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"*hey conduct themselves with a barbarity worthy o their savage neighbors. *heerocious practice o stagebo!ing in :ngland, is urbanity, compared with the 7irginianmode o ighting. %n their combats, unless specially precluded, they are admitted touse their own terms, #to bite, b-ll-ck, and goudge,# which operations, when the irstonset with ists is over, consists in astening on the nose or ears o their adversaries,seiing him by the genitals, and de!terously scooping out an eye; on which account itis no uncommon circumstance to meet men in the prime o youth, deprived o one othose organs."

Maruis de (hastellux# "ravels in Dorth merica in the Jears $3%9. $3%$. $3%A and$3%3. $%A3.QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ"0 all the uncouth human beings % met with in &merica, these people rom thewestern country were the most so; their curiosity was boundless . . ."

Isaac +eld# "ravels "hrough the


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"hese five aspects represent a tiered system# meaning that one overflows up# andinto# the next higher level. If you were a woodsman in the year $3%$# the men youwere with would exhibit certain ualities in all five areas. "hey would have the certain&longhunter& look about them in regards to the cut# style# and choice of clothes theywere. 0ikewise for their longrifle# knife# and belt ax# etc. "heir woods skills asdemonstrated in their handling of themselves in the forest would have something to

say. "he activities that they engaged in# from hunting deer to sharpening a knifewould be the tasks and chores of woodsman. "hey would have a woodsman's&persona& about them. nd last# each and every one of them would be an individualwith his own uniue personality.

"hinking of individuals I have known and met over the past twenty years# I couldcount on one hand those who made it through all five aspects. "hinking back# I recallmany individuals who were excellent historians and researchers into the printedrecord-but who were very poor in researching the material culture and artifacts of the$%th century. Ene of the best 7ogers' 7angers historians around has some of theworst clothing and gear-inspired by ,ollywood# imagination# and extensive borrowingfrom the 7ev +ar period. ,is activities are those of sitting around a maruee# ordirecting assaults across crowded parking lots and well mown lawns. Jet# theindividual is a tireless researcher in ournals# deserter reports in period newspapers#etc.# and one of the best 7anger historians around.

In previous editions of J)


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to list your feelings on them. "hat should have given you the foundation to havealready added your feelings and opinions as though they were part of yourpersonality.

"he use of personality closes parallels the concept of proection. ,aving proectedyourself back to $3%$# in terms of environment# or the physical world using

personality simply puts your mental state in sync with your physical world.

Much like some actors and actresses study the history of the characters they areabout to play# using a persona and personality should put you inside of your historicalcharacter's head. Jou are acting out his part in his environment. Jou approach thewilderness and the things in it with the same or similar set of hopes# fears# desires#needs# expectations# motivations# and likely responses to the historical situations youare likely to experience in an $3%$ setting.

In a discussion on personae# I was once asked why a person could not &staythemselves& and proect themselves back to the $%th century ust the way they wereCMy answer was &cultural baggage that being# that we have intimate knowledge froman alien and unknown world in terms of the $%th century. It would work outsomething like thisH

&Jeah# I reckon' I'll be a'goin' te *ort Pitt fer supplies. "hen south te"ennessee (ountry. (are fer some erkyC&&Is that buffalo erkyC&&Jeah.&&+here 'd you get buffaloC&&*rom a buffalo.&&+here did you get a buffaloC&&


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&cting the part& of a frontiersman can go a long way in understanding them and howthey fit into their world. If we strive to emulate them# we should strive to not look likethem-but act like them tooK

"he danger with personae and personality is the temptation to want to be frontiernotables such as


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known for being a fearless commander and an implacable foe of the Indians. ,isreputation may have contributed to the massacre of his and his father-in-law's17obert Mc(lelland2 families who shared the same cabin.


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Ether than the fact that the rchers were


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driven# man trying to find a higher meaning to life but not finding it no matter wherehe looks. In the wilderness# Michael has an earned reputation for the craft of weaponsand the arts of war# as practiced by the Indians. ,e appears and disappears at oddtimes. ,e does not discuss his past# and is considered somewhat secretive as thoughthere are many stories that could be told if he would. "here is a certain competencyabout his person# no matter what the situation or circumstance although he is

plagued by self-doubt and self-loathing. Michael pays the price for his views andfrontier politics# and is either admired or hated depending upon who is doing thetalking. ,e shuns gatherings and settlements# and is given to wandering alone or inthe company of two or three others-whether white or red. "his gives rise to muchspeculation-which fuels the mystery and suspicion. !eing neither on one side# or theother# in the border war- he is mistrusted by both sides at the same time. ,e prefersnot to comment on politics# or frontier doings# making it hard for others to really get ahandle on him# or label him.

"he rest of Michael rcher's personality is ust the play of his life's experiences-somegood# mostly bad. ,e is a loner# a solitary# and much like 0ewis +et@el# finds pleasureonly in the company of children and dogs. ,e has no friends# but can occasionally befound on a hunting party of elaware# trading for supplies at a fort# or chasingmarauding guide in# you will find the going a whole easier. lso# these basicswill open the door for you into further inuiries and studies. Ebviously# the morelayers of &believability& you can add to your basic persona# the better you will find


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yourself# and the better other associates can react and interact with you in a realisticand believable manner.

,aving developed the basics for a persona# the next step is developing the ability touse it as a research tool. *irst off# ust answering the uestions and filling in theblanks will get you far towards beginning to understand the social history of the $%th

century.


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people more comfortable start out# and then you can add a comment or two here andthere.

skills are discussed for their historical value. 7eviewing treks over thepast four years# most are done with the &persona& umbrella and the ban on anything&modern&.

:p to a point# the proper utili@ation of one's persona is something close to acting apart without having fixed lines of dialog to memori@e and recite. )ssentially# history isthe script but has no specific dialog# if that makes better senseC Jou need tounderstand your character's place in the


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Part III. *riends and Gey 7elatives 1IncludeH Dame# 7elation "o Jou# Gey Information2

Part IB. Personal ,istory 1use additional sheets as needed2

$. +hat remarkable or noteworthy events have occurred during your lifetime 1wars#

revolutions# meeting famous people# being involved in what historical events# placesyou have been# things that have happened to# etc.2

A. +hat are your views# beliefs# opinions# positions# etc. on the following subectsH

*rench and Indian +ar "reaty of Paris $356


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5. 1Eptional2 s a courtesy to members# no &man-made& personal shelters of anykind 1i.e. simple lean-tos or 7ussia sheeting2# will be brought along or used in any way3. +hen the# entire party is moving# we will employ two forward scouts# one flankeron each side# when feasible# and two spies to cover our back trail.%. +e will never cook and camp in the same spot unless we run into extremely fowlweather. Etherwise# we will keep a &cold& camp. Eur cooking fires should be few#

small# and brief. "he chopping and breaking of large pieces of firewood is to beavoided. "his excessive noise carries through the forest and betrays ourencampment. 0arger pieces of wood 1in excess of $& to $ $>A&2 should be burned intwo.?. In camp# two guards will be posted from sunset to sunrise. ll will be expected totake their turn at &the watch&.$9. uring the day# scouts# flankers# and spies shall communicate with the rest of theparty using turkey calls. &gobble& means stop or dangerK "hree &clucks& means allis wellK )vening scouts and>or sentries on watch will communicate by using pre-agreed upon night bird sounds; i.e. loons# owls# whippoorwills# bob white uail# etc.ny &call& made during the night will indicate &danger& or &be on the alert&. +ord willbe uietly passed from man to man when all is well.$$. Men will sleep with their weapons; 1guns# knives# tomahawks# etc.2. lleuipment should be cleaned up# put neatly away# and be worn while sleeping or beready to be worn in the blink of an eye. +e may very well be attacked and chasedout by (herokee during the middle of the night.

Eur goal is to make this the most incredibly realistic scout any of us has ever beenon. "his simply cannot be done if we allow ourselves to chatter and &carry on& like abunch of cub scouts on a field trip.En this scout# we must see without being seen# observe without being observed. Euractions ought to be a compliment to those we emulate. I would be uite ashamed ofmyself if we were to be discovered completely unawares by a rowdy pack of mountainbikers or a happy-go-lucky group on horseback.En this particular foray we will not be content with being merely &eye ball& correct.+e will attempt to capture the very essence and personality of a post *I +ar middleground scout; along with the outlook# attitude# and behavioral characteristics of thosemen who actually did this sort of thing.

Eur 7easons ustification for !eing +here we re and +hat +e are oing

"his is not ust a long time ago when guys carried mu@@leloaders. "his is not ust backin the $%th century. "his is not even ust back in the &$359's&. "his is a specific day inthe year $35$. "he *rench Indian +ar is over. !arriers and politics of the latehostilities are slowly grinding to a halt.

"he Efficer in command has been commissioned by the Ehio Balley 0and (ompany ofBirginia to organi@e and lead a si@able# well-euipped party of only the finest# mostdaring woodsmen and scouts. +e are a party of over 49 men; floating down the Ehio7iver in $$ boats protected by small swivel cannon and loaded with horses# trade

goods# and sufficient supplies to sustain us for three months.

+e are charged with the responsibility of exploring as well as carefully and thoroughlyassessing the value and the various assets and natural resources of %99#999 acres ofland chartered to our company by the (rown. In addition we are reuired to establishfriendly and euitable relationships with any and all Indian nations we may encounteralong the way.


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I have taken the liberty to engage a few highly regarded *rench traders as well asseveral well known Dative warriors to assist us in this endeavor due in part to thetactics employed by Feorge (roghan and the 0oyal (ompany.

Eur ourney began March $st at 7edstone on the Monongahela# from thence to *t.Pitt# --with a 6rd rende@vous point being half a league down the Ehio at 0ogstown to

gather the remainder of our men and have a word with Mr. (roghan at his tradingpost.

+e will travel as far west as the village of Bincennes in Piankashaw country. Eurourney down the Ehio will be devoted to the company's land holdings to the south."wo weeks ago we scouted the Ganawha to the )lk 7iver; early last week# the !ig


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told him that % had caught or assisted in catching and leading in three. 5e asked howwe had led them, and % inormed him. 5e said he did not know but it was possible, buthe did not believe % could take one that winter on the &llegany, as he thought theywere larger and wilder than those on the Sus(uehanna. % told him that i he wouldshow me the track o an elk-% did not care how large- the larger the better; % wouldwillingly wager a small sum o money that % would bring one in alive. 5e said that he

could show plenty o elk-tracks. % told him to ind a man that % could hire, and % wouldemploy him. 5e brought a man who charged a dollar a day, which % had agreed to payhim on condition that he would ind a track. 5e said there was no doubt but that wecould ind one. *here was no rope to be procured e!cept on that belonged to4ornplanter, or which he wanted two dollars, but agreed to reund the money i %returned the rope uninjured. % agreed to his terms, and let the money. &s we partedhe wanted to shake hands, saying that he never e!pected to see me again i %attempted to catch an elk alive. *he ne!t morning the %ndian % had engaged joinedme, and % entered into a partnership with a +r. 4ampbell, each o us to stand hal thee!pense and have hal the proits. We hired two other men who were to have all theykilled and hal that we killed. 0n the third day o 2anuary, 4ampbell and mysel, thetwo white men, the %ndian, and our dogs started up Henua 4reek. We went abouttwelve miles up the south branch, and encamped or the night. *he ne!t morning wecontinued about si! miles, to the top o a hill, and halted. *he %ndian said we wouldind elk within our or ive miles o this spot. % proposed to divide, 4ampbell, myseland the %ndian each taking a separate course while the two others should remain tobuild a camp where we would all meet at night. &ccordingly as soon as we had eatendinner we all started, and remained out until dark, when we met at the camp. 8o onehad discovered any indications o elk. *he ne!t morning % told them we would huntone day more, each upon a dierent course. % took a direct easterly course, and theothers chose each his own route. &t night all but the %ndian came in, without havingdiscovered any signs o an elk. % told 4ampbell % thought it useless to hunt herelonger, as there were probably no elk in the vicinity. &bout eight o#clock one o the

party discovered the %ndian coming in, ollowed by one o the dogs. 5e remarkedthat one o the dogs was loose, and ollowing the %ndian in. % ound the dogs all intheir places, and told the men % thought it was a wol they saw. &t this moment hestopped and we saw at a glance that it was a panther. We sprang orward with ourguns, without obtaining a shot at him, when we returned to the camp. We paid the%ndian and let him go. % told 4ampbell % would not be disappointed in this manner, butwould hunt all winter rather than give up. We concluded to go to the headwaters othe Sus(uehanna, and accordingly started on the eighth o 2anuary, going aboutiteen miles up the Henua, and encamped or the night. *he ne!t day, when we had

proceeded about twelve miles we arrived at a place where a village now stands, butat that time was but a solitary house in which lived a amily named Smith. *he manhad gone to procure a barrel o lour, and since his departure a deep snow had allen.5e had now been gone three days beyond the e!pected time, and the supply o

provisions and uel that he had let was nearly e!hausted. %n addition to the prospecto starvation that stared them in the ace, his amily were harassed with the ear thathe had perished in the snow. *he ne!t day we prepared her a supply o irewood, leta loa o bread and lour enough to supply her or two days, and promised to send a

man back, on our arrival at the canoe place. We arrived there a little beore night,and engaged a man named $urt to go back to the distressed amily. 5e took with himsome corn meal and potatoes, and we continued on to %saac 9yman#s, about twelvemiles arther. 5e asked us to come in; we got to talking about elk-hunting, and %asked him what a ull-grown live elk would be worth. 5e said rom three to ourhundred dollars. % asked him i he would purchase one i % had the luck to catch one.5e replied that he had not the means, but would like to join us, and would urnishthree men, a horse, and all the provisions necessary, and have one-hal the proits.

&ter some consultation, 4ampbell and % inally consented to accept the proposal. *he


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whole party, consisting o 4ampbell, mysel, three assistants, a horse and our dogs,started the ne!t morning, taking the road to the Sus(uehanna 'iver. &bout twelvemiles rom 9yman#s we came upon the track o eight elk, going west. We ollowedabout our miles and encamped or the night. *he ne!t morning 4ampbell, mysel,and one o the men continued on track o the elk, leaving the others to build ashanty. We went about ive miles, started the elk and killed one, with which we

returned to the camp. We sent one o the men home with the meat, and started withthe other two or the Sus(uehanna. *he man who went home was to return to thecamp in three days, with a supply o provisions. &ter traveling seven or eight miles,we came to where a large drove o elk had been some time beore. We hunted duringthe day to ascertain what course they had taken, and about ive miles distant wecame to where they had lain the preceding night. 4ampbell and one o the men6eorge &yres, went orward, while the other man and mysel remained behind withthe dogs. *hey were to call to us when they saw the elk, and we were to let the dogsloose, though % told him % did not believe there were any there we would want tocatch, as % thought there were all awns and does. &ter they had gone a shortdistance, they saw them, and counted orty-two. *hey called to us, and we let thedogs loose. *he elk scattered, and each o the dogs took ater a separate animal, butnone o them stopped, and we did not kill any. *he dogs all came back that night, andthe ne!t morning we went sou/theast, and ound signs o elk, but they all appearedto be small ones. $y this time +r. 9yman#s hands wished to go home, so we told themwe would keep on the southeast, and they might go. *he ollowing morning they saidthey did not like to go, as the tracks might be illed with snow. We then said we wouldstrike the road and they might go home rom there, while we would go to our log hut,and procure some more provisions. When we reached the road, we told them theymight as well go to the shanty and stay with us that night, as it was late. We oundtwo men there with an abundance o provisions. *he ne!t morning two men let,while &yres and another remained."

(ontinued next month...

e Homes0un *!ot Pouc! Part e 4

0ast month I went over the making of my particular shot pouch and this month I wantto cover the contents. In my ever-constant uest for packing light# I am constantlyevaluating my choices of items carried in my shot pouch. Ever the last few years# myshot pouch and its contents have undergone many changes. I am now carrying thingsin my shot pouch that I only used to carry in my knapsack. I lightened up some thingsand uit carrying some others. "his is a constant learning process and a never-endingone for me. I have learned much by comparing what I carry and use to what otherwoodsman are carrying and using. It is with that in mind that I am writing this article.


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"he next &layer& is my original hand forged bullet mold# a lead bar or part of# and mysmall light ladle. My bullet mold# unlike popular opinion# does have sprue cutters. Myfriend !illy ,eck said that he has seen a couple original bullet molds at *ort 0oudon#that were dug up from a circa $3?9 site# that I ,B) sprue cutters. "here are otherexamples# such as (urt


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Jour ,umble


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hunters and have to range and roam# come and go# appear and disappear# I am goingto pack lighter. I pack one of three waysH

$. !are necessities in a haversack# rolled up in a blanket# hung from a tumpline.

A. !are essentials in a goat fur double strap knapsack that has only a lEx$6 inch linen

canvas bag inside. I know# the goat hair makes it look big and roomy# but even asecond pair of moccasins fills it upK2.

6. !are-essentials plus the luxury of winter moccasins# mittens# a second shirt# and awool weskit in a Dew Invented ,aversack>Gnapsack of $335 or a single bag knapsackwith double straps.


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--winter moccasins with woolen liners--spare stockings--a piece of dry punk or two# perhaps a little dry tinder--perhaps a larger tin of beeswax>bear's grease

s you can see# what is actually &gear& and not clothing does not change much unless

I want to go &extra& light due to the nature of the scenario. month long hunt mayreuire more than a lightening pursuit of raiding Indians where I expect to be back tothe fort 1Pitt# ackson# or ,enry2 within two or three days.

Ebviously# the biggest change in winter attire lies with what I am wearing# and not allthat much what is in the knapsack# such as breeches# woolen leggings or wraps#scarf# etc.# etc. s the Middle Fround weather cools 1free@es2 at night# the extra shirtand weskit may come out of the pack. s the day warms# they may come off andreturn to the knapsack. Gnowing what and how much to wear and not wear comesfrom woods experience 1and years of bad experiences...2. I remember 54-39 degreetemperature drops from day to night that can tax your ability to pack as well as yourability to improvise.

s I said# whatever you pack will not be $99= sufficient for &creature comfort& $99=of the time. ccept that as the price of playing at the natural manK Dature must beused to lend a hand. "hat could be in the choice of a fallen tree as a windbreak. arock shelter# a blanket shelter# a pile of dead leaves# a mattress of pine or spruce orhemlock boughs# etc.

"ricks of the trade would take a much longer article to begin to address properly.&+oodland basics& often are the earnings of a harsh taskmaster# and it is true thatDature is a harsh teacher. )xperience is worth its weight in gold. &7eading& weathersign and anticipating a thunderstorm by the smell of wind# the up turn of leaves# theantics of birds settling before the blow# the crunch of leaves before a killing frost# theclear bite of a night that is clear and will fall to subfree@ing# all of these &tricks andmany others# that take several lifetimes to learn and master 1not to mention all thathave been forgotten that we can never know...2. Jou have to supplement yourclothing and gear so that you know what to expect so that# as the


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going to be too radically different amongst us all. !rain-tanned leggins and shoepackmoccasins# well# are going to look pretty generic. flop hat will look pretty muchgeneric. "o the rende@vouser's eyes# we did# indeed# look like F.I. issue.

"o the historical eye# the rende@vouser's insult was simply wrong. +hether powderhorn or pouch# rifle or knife or belt ax# screwdriver or bullet bag# our individuality is

expressed in how our personal likes and dislikes# woods experiences# biases andpreudices# and our mental image of gear combines to cause us to pick one thing overanother.

In that respect were are from a generically similar material culture with limited meansof production and manufacturing methodologies. !ut how we pick and choose to suitour whims# notions# and ideas and then we adapt# adopt# and improvise after our firstround of historical choices are tested in the laboratory of the woods# well that is adifferent story only those who &play& in the woods can speak to.

+ho we are# and what we do# ultimately ends up expressed in our choice of clothingand gear. +hat works for me may or may not work for the next scout or longhunter.+hat $%th century gear was available to Michael rcher at *ort Pitt or *ort ,enry in$3%$ may not have been the same as that available from Feorge Morgan atGaskaskia.


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,aving walked a good many trails and a few miles over the Middle Fround# I hadcome to the conclusion that I wanted to try &period& canoeing and ply some of thebetter rivers and streams of the Middle Fround in a canoe.

bout fifteen years ago# I thought that I could use our family's aluminum 1al-you-minimum# as the )nglish say2 and ust &proect& it into a sleek birch bark canoe. !ut

every time I looked upon its dull silver shape I shook my head knowing that I was notthat good at proection.

uring the research into ust what would be a Period Proper canoe for the MiddleFround# I had to wonder ust how popular were birch bark canoes in a region thatcould not grow birchC 7esearch indicates that period accounts often speak of threetypes of canoesH elm# spruce and similar forms of bark# birch bark# and dugouts.Fenerally# any of these bark canoes could not be cut and sewn like birch bark# andthe sheet of bark had to be dealt with as a whole. !ecause of that# elm and sprucebark canoes were constructed differently. rough frame of branches served to holdthe bark sheets together with wide spacing and a single# long piece of wood was usedfor each of the gunwales. ue to the nature of the bark# and the nature of theconstruction# these canoes were heavy and they were not durable. !ut# I guess# theywere lighter# faster# and more easily transported over portages than dugout canoes.

It is not known exactly when# 1probably during their wars of empire in the early $3thcentury2# but the Irouois in Dew Jork abandoned them in favor of the far moreefficient birch bark canoes of the lgonuin tribes living in southwestern uebec andeastern Entario who were living in the paper or canoe birch climatic @ones. "heIrouois uickly came to favor the birch bark lgonuin canoes and gave them thename of natowe tciman.

"here is a technical evolution of birch bark canoes in the eastern +oodlands. )dwindney# the author of the classic work on birchbark canoes# classified canoes on thebasis of how the builder achieved a canoe bottom that was level but yet wide enoughto travel shallow streams. dney argued that there were approximately four stages ofdevelopment to the bark canoeH

$. )lm and spruce bark canoes with slight ties set at wide intervals.A. Prototype birchbark canoes similar to elm bark canoes and spruce bark canoes#but with gunwale attachments that allow for only a little compression.6. !irchbark canoes with gunwales strengthened to allow for increased compressionby the ribs.8. !irchbark canoes with root wrappings close together to make the gunwaleattachment stronger.

*rom there# development seemed to split into two different &schools#& one using closewrappings with open spaces between where the ribs found secure footing# and theother# using a single# rounded gunwale with a recess for the ribs.

"he system of close wrappings with open spaces between the ribs seems to havebeen the most popular in the central region of the eastern +oodlands. Probably dueto a combination of tribute to the Irouois )mpire and intertribal trade# the popularityof the birchbark canoe spread down into the Middle Fround and became thedominant type of canoe among the Irouois#


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merchandise# whether trade goods going out# or furs coming back in to Montreal. tone point# the wily *rench even tried to limit the number of canoes that could be usedin the fur trade# and that acted to increase the length of canoes as well. More thanlikely# the Indians made these monster canoes on order# but later the *rench gave upsupervision and set up their own production facilities such as at "rois-7ivieres#downstream from Montreal.

Eur romance with the birchbark canoe is a carry-over from their popularity amonglate $?th century sportsmen who extensively used them. In western uebec andeastern Entario birchbark canoes were probably the most easily procured canoes atthat time. round the turn of the century# the increasing use of canvas canoes wasone of the maor factors in the decline of the manufacture and use of the birchbarkcanoes. Jet# the birchbark canoe did not entirely die out.


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Ene Pound of this (ookery wou'd keep a Man in good ,eart above a Month# and is notonly nourishing# but likewise very wholesome. Particularly it is good against *luxes#which +oodsman are very liable to# by lying too near the moist Fround# and gu@@lingtoo much cold +ater. !ut as it will be only us'd now and then# in "imes of


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blackpowder hobby# there seems to be a constant and on-going struggle in ust tryingto have historically accurate or historically faithful clothing and euipment. "here area very small number of individuals who have risen above the challenge of researchedand documented gear# and who engage in structured historical activities. "here arevery few# miniscule numbers# of individuals who work at proection.

Proection is hard# and is the most demanding of the three tiers. Ence we haveresearched and documented gear# and once we go out into the woods or wildernessto learn and practice skills and knowledge associated with the $%th century# we areface-to-face with a A996 environmentK

lthough I did not know it at the time# I first learned about what I now call &proection&from the apanese some A4 years ago or so. s a martial student working towards a&black belt& in unarmed combat and primitive weapons# I learned that the centuries-old method of teaching martial arts in the Erient was through something the

apanese called &kata.& Gata is a pre-arranged series of punches# strikes# kicks# andblocks that are strung together in a choreographed seuence.


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More times than not# we approach the woods as a hostile environment in the $%thcentury. uiet# stealth# and caution are the watchwords of the day for enemy warriorsmay be ust ahead behind a tree# or a she-bear# or panther around the next bend inthe trail.

!ut there is more to proection than ust things like stealth and &noise discipline.& Irecently ran into another 0iving ,istorian. ,e talked about a recent scout and howthey approached their &time window& from a $356 perspective as a small of group oftraders picking up on the opportunities to be had by the *rench departing the Ehioand Illinois (ountry at the end of the *I +ar. ,e added that they were undecidedabout what to do# as there had been some talk about a general Indian uprising butthey had seen nothing to support it.


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thoughts on why we felt that the original middle ground woodsmen I DE" carrysuch items. ohn also spoke his mind on why he felt they I carry such items. Eurdiscussion ranged from the lack of documentation# to the commonness of such items#to the practicality of such items. +e must have talked for $ $>A to A hours on thissubect alone. ohn asked me to send him my thoughts and documentation for periodshelters that I had come across in doing my research. I thought that I would share

with you some of the details from-my letter that I sent to himH

s you know by now from reading past


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*rench (aptain M. Pouchet gives a form of Indian shelter in wintertimeH

"*hey encamp at an early hour in the thickets and construct a shelter on the sidetowards the wind by orming a hal-roo with two crotches supporting little polescovered with branches o spruce, lat oliage, or rushes gathered rom the swamp.

$eore this shelter they build a good ire. "1Pouchot A$82

!enamin *ranklin wrote in his autobiography of the manner in which a group ofhostile Indians had encamped close to a fort in Fnadenhut# Pennsylvania withoutbeing detected. It was wintertime and the Indians# even though in enemy territory#had to have a fire so they devised a clever way to stay warm# all the while concealingtheir presence.

"%t being Winter, a ire was necessary or them. $ut a common ire on the surace othe ground would by its light have discovered their position at a distance. *hey hadthereore dug holes in the ground about three eet diameter and somewhat deeper.We saw where they had with their hatchets cut o the charcoal rom the sides oburnt logs lying in the woods. With these coals they had made small ires in thebottom o the holes, and we observed among the weeds and grass the prints o theirbodies made by their laying all around with their legs hanging down in the holes tokeep their eet warm, which with them is an essential point."1*ranklin $4?-$592

Peter Galm# in his ournals# described the manner in which an Indian made a uickshelterH

"*he %ndian made his hut which was constructed in the ollowing way. 5e had placedpieces o birch bark and other bark on top o slender rods as a roo over himselwhere he lay and had hung an old blanket to protect himsel on the sides rom windsand storms. 5is companion had done likewise on his side and their ire was betweenthem. "1Galm 4?$2

ohn ,eckewelder# in his ournals# describes a uick shelter erected immediately priorto a storm# during the funeral of the elaware


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% might more eectually stop it on the inside. When % went in, % took my tomahawkand cut down all the dry rotten wood % could get, and beat it small. With it % made abed like a goose-nest or hog-bed, and with the small sticks stopped every hole, untilmy house was almost dark. % stripped o my mockasons, and danced in the centre omy bed or about hal an hour, in order to warm mysel. % then coiled mysel up in myblanket, lay down in my little round bed, and had a tolerable nights lodging." 1


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" % searched or a hollow tree to creep into, but could ind none, nor a shelter o anykind. &t length, inding two trees laying across each other, % gathered the bark romthem, and, by laying it over the cross-logs, thus made a poor kind o resting place orthat night. +y ne!t job was to make a ire, which % was araid % would be puled todo, everything being wet and covered with snow. 5owever, % succeeded in kindling alarge ire beore my camp, when % crawled under the shed, which was not more than

two eet high, and lay there hal the night; irst turning one side o my body to theire, and then the other, in order to dry my clothes. While % lay with one side up, theine hail would all into my ear, and when % turned over, it ell into the other. Finally, %took the tow % used or cleaning my gun, and with it corked up both ears; and aterlaying down again, % ound % had hit on an e!cellent way o keeping the hail out."1!rowning $$8-$$42

" &ter laying down our blankets and provisions, % scraped away the snow, collectedenough wood to last during the night, laid spruce limbs thick on the ground, spreadone blanket over them, and reserved the other to cover ourselves. "1!rowning A432

eptha trapper# Dat *oster of DewJork# made his camp in the late eighteenth century and early nineteenth centuryH

" Foster set his camp up in orty-ive minutes. 5e made a lean-to, in ront he built aire, put his provisions under his head or a pillow, in cold weather he carried ablanket strapped on his back like a knapsack, he always carried a pocket compass."1


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!est 7egards#erry eBilbiss1


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material culture of the local geographic area he lives in. *or example# the choices in&leathers& available to a fort hunter or scout at *ort Pitt would be broadH

$. (ommercially tanned cow# deer# and elk from the )astA. 0ocally tanned cow# deer# and elk-- all bark-tanned on site6. !rain-tanned buffalo# elk# and deer from the nearby Indian towns# or from Indian

and white traders1Franted there is overlap# as history tells us Indians would raid the tan vats...2

En the other hand# an isolated frontiersman &doing his own thing& is going to beheavier into bark or brain-tanned hides he has done himself and would not haveaccess to professionally done )astern leathers. In simple terms# his options would belimited and not broad.

"he same is true for fabrics. In the Middle Fround# wool# linen# and hemp fabrics arethe dominant culture. Jet# once again there is a split between what is available#homespun versus )astern or !ritish imports from the )ast. "he frontiersman will relymore on homespun and therefore home-dyed fabrics more so that the finer )asterntrade articles. "he same is true for choices of dyesH the frontier versus themanufacturing centers of !ritain.

*ads and fashions can be vexing# because it is often common that a current fadwhether inspired by a movie# the hobby# Mark !aker# etc.# etc.# may have a basis inhistorical fact and not ust fiction. Ene such area is the wool and linen sashes madeby (. . +ilde. (.. cannot keep them in stock for they sell out so fast. People likeMichael rcher and tan>gray (.. +ilde &+illiamsburg Pattern& blanket with them...well# itlooks like everyone ust came back from the same $%th century store. "he odds of aparty of ten longhunters having nine blankets that are the same are.... !ut yet# foreach of them# by themselves# there is nothing wrong# for they have all madeindependently correct choices from the $%th century. It is only when we gettogether#-that the fads and fashions stick out.

*or me# I want to be &different#& I want to be &uniue#& and I want to be special whenit comes to my personal preferences and choices of clothing and gear.


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shades of walnut hull uice>dye. Dow# walnut dyed linen is almost a standard amongwoodsmen and woodsmen wannabe's. re they copying me# or am I copying themCDeither# actually# it is ust that our mutual research and mutual interests have cometo the same place on the trail. (ould I have predicted that walnut brown would be thewoodsmenWs' color &of choice& in A996C Dope. nd# part of me wants to be different#so I dyed a hemp linen winter hunting shirt in sumac for a dirty gray color# ust to be

different from another set of Period options.

Jet# there is an indicator to watch out for. *irst# I want to say that this is not anegative thing# for emulation and outright copying of uality articles of clothing andgear that are historically researched# documented# and crafted only helps the&hobby.& +hat point I would like to make is that as individualists# &too much&replication and copying can be frustrating.

Dow# that frustration can be a good thing too. I recall having all of my clothing andgear copied $99= by a gentleman. "hat was a motivating factor for me# for I thenhad to go out and replace $99= of what I had to retain my individuality. "hegentleman could not keep up the pace. It started in $??A with his copying my flop hatpinned up on the side with a deer's tail. "hat prompted me to go to a fantail hat#pinned up in the back.

nyway# the indicator to watch out for is if you read about an item in Mark !aker's &Pilgrim's ourney#& and within the last year in &PioneeringH "he 0onghunter


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nitrates in the contained black powder# and some say it is a natural yellowing processakin to elderly peoples' toenails turning yellow with age.

"he type of dairy cows common in colonial merica generally produced a white oryellowish-white horn most of the time. En occasion# a greenish-gray and a dirtyamber color horn can be found.

+e tend to have a somewhat statistically flawed view of original powder horns. "hatis because the maority of surviving horns of the $349-$%99 era are &special& horns.!y &special I refer to the fact that fancy# scrimshaw horns 1alright &engraved&2 tendto have a higher survival rate than plain# everyday# common &ugly& utility powderhorns. I would guess that is because they have greater value to their owners# havegreater value to relatives and descendants# and have greater value to collectors.lthough there are a handful of engraved horns other than white or yellowish-white# a&white& horn made a better &canvas& to show off the engraving. nd# even among&unengraved& Period powder horns# white or yellowish-white horns dominate becausethose were the type of horns readily available both from the farm and from the horn-sellers in the cities.

*or hunters and scouts# and more so for scouts than hunters# the consideration ofearth tone colors for clothing and gear is an obvious oneH if the Indian or animal seesyou first... 0ast weekend# I was standing behind a nine foot tall trunk of a rotted tree.

"he light colors of the rotten wood# punk wood# and still firm wood seemed to&absorb& the colors of my walnut dyed hunting shirt# smoked and greased brain-tanned leggings# and the browns of the various oiled and greased leather belts andstraps. (hameleon-like# I felt and looked like the tree I leaned against.


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notion of the owner. white# on the other hand# had a full head of hair that could beremoved by circumscribing a cut around the head. "hen# the full scalp could bedivided in half# or thirds# and the profits doubled or tripledK

Perhaps to alleviate their consciences# and more likely to prevent &scalp fraud#& the!ritish developed an elaborate system of coding so that scaIps could be read as to

occupation# sex# and age of the previous &ownerK&

It was a long haul to *ort etroit from the lower Ehio (ountry where the tribes lived.


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"here are many records of acob ickert in the Moravian (hurch of 0ancaster#Pennsylvania. very fine article about him by ,enry Gauffman appeared on pages68% and 68? of the pril $?4A maga@ine &ntiues&. "here is a great deal ofinformation pertaining to acob ickert and his gunsmithing in the two volumes of :.


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En ugust A$# $3??# acob ickert advertised in the 0ancaster ournal for twothousand musket locks and barrels to fulfill another military contract. In $%9$ ickcrtand Matthew 0lwellyn contracted with the


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&sustained the character of an honest man# a good citi@en# and an exemplary(hristian.&

Much more study should be done on acob ickert# for he was a very important figurein early Gentucky rifle making in Pennsylvania. I believe he greatly influenced themakers of his period and the rifle in general. I do not consider him one of the most

artistic gunsmiths# but he is one of the earliest makers for whom recorded data hasbeen found in any uantity. +ith effort we may some day be able to recogni@e gunsby his apprentices.

Do. $? is an early specimen of acob ickert's work. It is engraved &. ickert& on thebarrel in script. !etween the initial and last name there is a little oval touch mark ofan Indian tomahawk crossed with an arrow. "his charming detail occurs occasionallyand possibly often on ickert's work and indicates its earliness. Indian decoration ofany type is generally found on fairly early guns. "he daisy patch box has very simpleupper and lower plates and very simple engraving. "his rifle has a thick heavy stock#a flat butt plate# and a fairly high comb. It is stocked with very plain maple. "he tensilver inlays including the star on the cheek piece indicate the period following theclose of the 7evolutionary +ar. I do not believe that many guns with silver inlays# andespecially guns with as many as ten pieces of inlay# were made until after the7evolution. "he carving on this rifle is extremely simple in design and is only incised.

"his is a good specimen of acob ickert's work# which is# as I have said before# farfrom plentiful.

Do. A9 is another example of acob ickert's early work. "his gun also has a flat buttplate# thick heavy stock# high comb# and a daisy patch box. It is engraved &. ickert&on the barrel. "he maple stock is relatively plain. "he carving is a good simple designin relief.

Ene of the two silver inlays on this rifle is a star on the cheek piece. "his type ofeight-pointed star was a widely used carry-over from a star of similar designsometimes inlaid on Ferman rifles in horn or bone. It is generally considered theearliest inlay found on Gentucky rifles. lthough the outline of this star was incommon use# the engraving may be a characteristic detail ofQ ickert's work. Doticethe similarity in the engraving of the stars on Do.$? and Do. A9.


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got home, others shortly ater; those who took it ater their return, were immediatelymoved out o the town, and put under the care o one who had had the diseasebeore. %n one o their e!cursions, they took some prisoners-among them was one othe name o $eatty, whom they beat unmerciully when they took him to +ahoning;they set him to make bridles or them, that is, to ill old bits, o the leather they tookrom 3ittsburgh; he appeared very cross; he would oten run at the little ellows with

his knie or awl, when they came to look at him where he was at work; however, theysoon took him o to 4&=-&-5&W-6&, a town not ar distant rom 9ake :rie.

We remained in +ahoning till shortly ater the memorable battle at $ushy 'un; wethen moved to 4&=-&-5&W-6&; the day beore we got there they began to be alarmedat $eatty#s behavior; they held a council and agreed to kill him, lest he should takesome o their lives. *hey led him about ity or si!ty perches out o the town, somewalking beore and some behind him; they then shot him with arrows. % went out theevening ater we got there, along with some little ellows, to see him; he was a verydisagreeable sight to behold; they had shot a great number o arrows into his body-then went o and let him e!posed to the verminD

*he same year that $eatty was taken, H:*-*00-5&-9:8) was the +0=-&-S005-W5:S:, or oreman, o a party consisting o nine %ndians; they came to a housewhere there were two men and a woman who had killed a hog, and had a large pot owater on the ire, making ready to scald it-H:*-*00-5&-9:8) rushed into the house-the rest stopped at the outside; he seied the woman and shoved her out o the door,and told the rest to take care o her; one o the men broke out o the house andmade o, whilst the other catched hold o H:*-*00-5&-9:8) by the arm, andendeavored to put him into the pot o boiling water, shoving him back to the corner othe house, where two guns were standing-he said he re(uently called on the rest tocome in to assist him, but none o them would venture in. *he man was constantlylooking about, either or assistance or rom ear o the rest o the %ndians; hethereore, ater he was almost e!hausted, watched his opportunity, and suddenly

putting his hand up behind the man#s back, and catching hold o his (ueue, jerked hishead back, by which means he got his other arm disengaged, and drew his *%+-+&-H::H-4&8, or tomahawk, and knocked him on the head. $ut, to his greatmortiication, when he came out, he ound the woman he had shoved out o the doorlying dead and scalped.

We stayed but a short time in 4&=-&-5&W-6&, then moved across the country to theorks o the +00S5-H%86-0086, +uskingum, which signiies clear eyes, as the riverabounds with a certain kind o ish that have very clear eyes; rom thence we took upthe west branch to its source, and rom thence % know not where.

8othing remarkable happened during our peregrinations, e!cepting that we sueredby hunger, it being in the Winter; we sometimes had to make use o the stems oturkey (uills or ood, by running them under hot embers till they would swell and getcrisp. We have subsisted on gum bark, and sometimes on white plantain; by thegreater part o our time on a certain kind o root that has something o the

resemblance o a potato.

%n the Spring we returned to the west branch o +00S5-H%86-0086, and settled in anew town, which he called H*&-50-9%86, which signiies a place where roots havebeen dug up or ood. We remained there during the Summer. Sometimes in theSummer, whilst we were living at H*&-50-9%86, a great number o %ndians collected atthe orks o +00S5-H%86-0086; perhaps there were three hundred or upwards; theirintention was to come to the settlements and make a general massacre o the whole

people, without any regard to age or se!; they were out about ten days, when the


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most o them returned; having held a council, they concluded that it was not sae orthem to leave their own towns destitute o deence. 5owever, several small partieswent on to dierent parts o the settlements; it happened that three o them, whom %was well ac(uainted with, came to the neighborhood o where % was taken rom-theywere young ellows, perhaps none o them more than twenty years o age-they cameto a school house, where they murdered and scalped the master and all the scholars,

e!cepting one, and a ull cousin o mine. % saw the %ndians when they returned homewith the scalps; some o the old %ndians were very much displeased at them or killingso many children, especially 8::3-3&J65-W5:S:, or 8ight Walker, an old chie o 5alHing-he ascribed it to cowardice, which was the greatest aront he could oer them."

*rom (harles McGnight's E:7 +)


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performing their own brand of experimentation# discussing data and results# andsharing the results verbally or in the popular hobby-related press or newsletterformat.

!y the definition of &experimental archeology& we have come to use# there is nodefinitive &date& or starting point to write about that I know of. "here is# however#

what seems to be a number of independent initiatives taking place in different areas#at different times# by different people.

Introduction to Period Trekking

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Transcript of Introduction to Period Trekking