Havelocks  "Cap Covers To Coffee Strainers"

At the beginning of the Civil War many Union soldiers in particular found themselves burdened with excess equipment and accoutrements. One soldier from New Hampshire gave the following description of his regiment upon its arrival in Washington, DC: "We are warriors now in full feathers and trappings: ten pounds of gun: eighty rounds per man of ball cartridge, one pound of powder, five pounds of lead, heavy equipments; knapsack, haversack, three-pint canteen, all full; three days' rations; rubber blanket, woolen blanket, shelter tent, full winter clothing; tin cup, tin plate, knife, fork, spoon, spider, et cetera too numerous to mention, and too many to carry, and a pound of mud on each shoe."

One additional item given to Civil War soldiers on both sides was the havelock, a cap cover made popular by Sir Henry Havelock of the British army in the Sepoy Rebellion in India in 1857. Made of white linen or cotton, the havelock wa to be worn over the soldier's cap with its long tail covering the man's neck.

The havelock was supposed to protect men who were fighting in hot climates from sunstroke. But the soldiers found the havelock actually made them hotter by not allowing air to circulate around their  head and neck. Many Civil War soldiers used their havelocks not as cap covers, but as coffee strainers, dishcloths, or gun patches.

Some havelocks were provided to the men by well-meaning ladies back home. One soldier from Pennsylvania reported his whole regiment received havelocks made by ladies in their home county. "We sent home thanks and threw the head bags away." Indeed, the path of new armies was commonly strewn with gear the soldiers found dispensable and not worth adding to the weight they carried for so many miles. Havelocks were quickly stricken from the list of items needed by the Civil War soldier.

Fascinating Fact:  In July 1861 John F. Whipple patented a hat that was a cross between a forage cap and a havelock. It had a brim that could be worn up or down and a flap to keep the sun off the neck.


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