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. Red with a woven dark blue stripe on either end and also down either side just off of the edge. Red was a common period blanket color and also issued by at least one northern state in the pre-war and wartime era. Measures appr. 62″ x 80″, a nice blanket with raw cut ends as seen in many originals. Picture may show a blanket stitch applied to the ends which was common practice, as was a material binding or edge. We leave these un-stitched to personalize as desired.