By David Jarnagin & Ken R Knopp Published in several periodicals, this article was the Journal of Military Collector’s and Historian winner of the William K Emerson Writing Award for the best article of 2016. ...
By David Jarnagin Vegetable Tannage: “A generic term to cover the process of making leather by the use of tannins obtained from barks, woods or other parts of plants and trees, as distinguished from “mineral tannages”. Belt...
WAS THERE A CHRONIC SHORTAGE OF HAVERSACKS & CANTEENS AMONG WESTERN CS CAVALRY? OR WAS IT A SHORTAGE BY “CHOICE”? By Ken R. Knopp (Second in a series of articles on Confederate Cavalry arms and equipment...
This was initially published in the 2011 Jan/Feb issue of North South Trader’s Civil War Magazine. The culmination of a fifteen year passion and effort, I was significantly assisted by resarch materials provided by my old Yankee friend Ralph...
It is well known that the Southern Confederacy relied on foreign imports for a significant amount of its arms and material needs during the War between the States. Much less renown is the fact that foreign supply was also an important source of...
By Ken R Knopp Author’s Note: The following information has been compiled over many years of my research in Confederate saddlery and documents. It sources are that of several readily available books, articles and artifacts. Since my main area of...
CIVILIAN BRIDLES OF ANTEBELLUM AMERICA By Ken R Knopp As artifacts, 19th century civilian (non-military) bridles are very difficult to...
COMMERCIAL & CATALOG SADDLES OF 19TH AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY AMERICA By Ken R Knopp (originally published NORTH SOUTH TRADER’s CIVIL WAR, Dec. 2008) CRITICAL NOTE: The information contained in this article is very dated! I have...
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...
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...
THE CONFEDERATE HORSE IN CAMP AND FIELD...
By David Jarnagin and Ken R Knopp (originally published in NORTH SOUTH TRADER’S CIVIL WAR Aug. 2007 and Camp Chase Gazette 2009) As any artifact collector or reenactor knows there are two primary colors when it comes to Civil War era...
CONFEDERATE SADDLE STIRRUPS AND OTHER COMMON WAR TIME PATTERNS By Ken R Knopp I wrote this article sometime about 2005. This article ran in the North South Trader (I cant remember when?) as well as Camp Chase Gazette. I have learned a...
HEMLOCK LEATHER: THE FEDERAL ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT’S “OTHER” WAR By David Jarnagin & Ken R Knopp (Originally published in the Company Journal of Military Historians in 2005. The by line went to David but it was a collaborative effort with...
By David Jarnagin and Ken R Knopp (originally published in the Journal of Military Historians) Historians, collectors and reenactors are well aware that mid-19th century Federal military regulations required most leather equipment and...