Description

These wool blankets are made as the emergency type, low cost, blankets of the period. They are made of 75% wool and 25% shoddy. (shoddy being the period term for inferior material made of any number of sources woven together) In this case the shoddy is cotton and wool rag. They will hold up under campaign use just fine, unlike the many documented inferior blankets provided to soldiers during the war by nefarious suppliers. They provide economical and much needed additional warmth on winter campaign and also make great horse blankets. For the Southern soldier they are a good example of the result of more restricted resource materials necessitated by the circumstance of the war. Much has been written about a good blanket and the virtues of the best when needed. However, the war period was rife with “shoddy” and less quality goods sold to the government and directly to soldiers and should be more represented in the hobby. In this case the item is still sufficient quality for rigorous use and adequate for the intended purpose, yet at least a third of the price. Our very popular rich chestnut brown, a common and documented period blanket color, with a woven muted red stripe, measuring appr. 60″ x 80″ with raw cut ends as seen on original examples – ready for the owner to blanket stitch and further personalize or simply leave as is. The photo shows an example which has been blanket stitched on the ends illustrating the common practice.