Gum Blankets in the Civil War - by Jo-Ann Roberts

 

I am not a fan of camping...I'll admit it. My idea of "roughing it" on vacation is a hotel room with Netflix and a hot shower! 

The one and only time we did go was in 1980-something when our children were small and at the invitation from friends. It was the hottest weekend of the summer, and my husband and I shared the top bunkbed in the camper, our noses about eight inches from the ceiling.

We've never gone again.

So, when I was plotting out my newest work in progress set during the Civil War, I had a scene where the MMC offers the FMC protection from a rainstorm. Knowing a blanket or a quilt would get soaked, offering no protection, I did some digging.

Today, we would think of these blankets as a type of tarpaulin, made of plastic to keep moisture from wicking through. In the mid-19th century, plastic was many decades away, and rubber, the top-of-line material for these blankets, was just coming into fashion. Developers in various parts of the world worked on developing rubber so that it would not become brittle at below freezing temperatures or begin to melt and get sticky at higher temperatures.

Civil War soldiers left their homes for camping trips which went on for four long years. Plastic tarps didn't yet exist, but most Union soldiers had a rubber blanket, sometimes called a gum blanket, or poncho with a slit to allow it to be worn over the body in wet weather. Soldiers could use the rubber blankets as ground cloths, or several soldiers to turn rubber blankets into a tent or just put one over the entrance to the tent.

 

The waterproof blankets issued during the Civil War generally had a cloth foundation layer, often cotton duck or muslin, which was then coated on one side with a waterproofing base. While some of these blankets may have been made with varnish, most were rubberized. Manufacturers of rubber blankets began by rubberizing both sides but soon switched to rubberizing only one side of the blanket. This This change kept costs of the blankets down and reduced the weight of items carried by soldiers as they marched from camp to camp or battle to battle, a factor that sometimes meant life or death. There were two variations on the rubber blanket--ponchos, which had a reinforced slit, so they could be put over the head, and simpler blanket, measuring 71 x 44 inches without the slit.

Soldiers were quick to recognize the value of rubber blankets. They would frequently abandon their heavy knapsacks, shedding unnecessary weight, and carrying only a bed roll around what few personal and valuable items they could not bear to be parted from.

The issuance of a rubber blanket to a Union soldier was even used as a recruiting inducement. One regiment in Philadelphia was particularly aggressive in using gum blankets as an inducement to voluntary enlistment by placing a classified advertisement in October 1862.

AVOID THE DRAFT --Join the 157 Regiment, Colonel WM. A.Gray

 Complete outfit, one month's pay in advance, all the bounties and a gum blanket

 Call at No. 627 Chestnut Street

Civil War ground cloths were more than just protective coverings--they were vital tools for soldiers in the field. Whether used for sleeping, sitting, or as part of a shelter, these rubberized blankets provided essential comfort and protection against the elements.