Confederate Cavalry Halters

This article originally published in the North South Trader’s Civil War, Sep.-Oct., 1996. For the collector, reenactor, and researcher, the “Confederate-made” halter has been one of the more obscure and elusive, items of cavalry horse equipments. Many tens of thousands were manufactured by the Southern government during the war, yet few, if any, documented Confederate […]

Continue reading


Confederate Drill Manuals

  CAVALRY/ARTILLERY MANUALS USED BY MOUNTED FORCES OF THE CONFEDERACY                                                                 Compiled by Ken R Knopp The eleven manuals listed below are some of the known tactical manuals employed by the cavalry, artillery and mounted infantry of the Confederate Army during the War Between the States. Each is listed by its author’s name. […]

Continue reading


Confederate Horse in Camp & Field

                     THE CONFEDERATE HORSE IN CAMP AND FIELD                                                                        By Ken R Knopp This article was published in several periodicals over the years and has been the basis for a similar “talk” I often give to historical groups.    The legendary and often over-romanticized image of the […]

Continue reading


Reenactor: Ten Ways to Find the Authentic Experience

                         TEN WAYS TO FIND                    THE AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE                                                                        By Ken R Knopp                                        Originally published in the Camp Chase Gazette (July 2010 Issue)   Do you want to get more enjoyment from your reenacting experience? Well, first humble yourself! Keep an open mind. No one alive today knows what […]

Continue reading


Specs of a Richmond Arsenal Officer’s Saddle

CONFEDERATE OFFICER’S JENIFER SADDLE Richmond Arsenal, c. Spring 1862-Dec.1863       Authenticity/Provenance Appraisal by Ken R. Knopp Surviving Confederate Ordnance Department documentation and the saddle’s physical evidence indicates that this saddle is a Confederate Richmond Arsenal officer’s pattern saddle finished at the Clarksville Virginia Ordnance Harness Shops sometime between the Spring of 1862 and […]

Continue reading


The Richmond Arsenal “Troopers” Skeleton Saddles…

SUMMARY OF THE RICHMOND ARSENAL PRODUCTION OF “SKELETON” SADDLES FOR C.S. TROOPERS By KEN R. KNOPPThe descriptions below represent the most commonly manufactured “Skeleton” saddles for trooper’s use as prescribed by Richmond Arsenal authorities. Officer’s saddles differed greatly. NOTE: Wide variations of leather, hardware and even tree configurations used in Jenifer and McClellen trooper’s skeleton […]

Continue reading