Indian Spies and knapsacks. Oh, did you know I started a business?

     Well, the warm weather finally broke and we got some cooler days. Almost felt like fall there for a second but then it shoots back up into the upper 80s and Mother Nature laughs at us. Just when we were getting comfortable. Oh well. 

    I've been doing some reading in preparation for the Dunmore event in a months time. I have never really delved to deeply into the Indian spies aspect of life on the frontier but it peaked my interest lately as I was reading one of the books compiled by Dale Payne, "Indian Warfare and Massacres on the Virginia Frontier Part 3." In it there is a whole pile of narratives from pension applications of guys who served as spies. It went something like this. You'd join up for a particular time of service and then you'd spend 3-6 days, sometime longer, out scouting around miles away from the fort. I've often wondered about the idea of guys wandering around in the woods aimlessly. The historical trekking format of the 80s and 90s seemed to be something along the lines of a primitive skills camping trip. People in the 18th century were not going "camping" or "trekking" just for the pure enjoyment of it, at least not in the same way we do. It wasn't a time for them to "get away from it all" and enjoy the relaxation of a night spent out in the woods around a fire. No, it was often the case that venturing out had a purpose and it could be a pretty big risk to life and limb. Now, I don't want to over play the idea of "survival" because that conjures up stereotypes and images that are based partly in reality and mostly in our "rugged frontier" mythology. So, instead of that, let's look at the more practical side of things before we get the idea that everyone was just living rough off the land, women in shifts and men bathing in walnut dye. 

We watched the gaps and low places...

 John Bradshaw gives us a good idea of the circumstances of the Indian Spy when he recounts : 

"I served as an Indian Spy in the years 1776 to 1779....The practice was for two men to leave Fort Cook, Monroe County, and be out 3-4 days each week, others taking their place on the return. We watched the gaps and low places in the mountains for thirty miles, to a point where we met the spies from Burnsides Fort. We were strictly forbidden to make a fire, no matter how inclement the weather."  

So here we have a nice account that gives a foundation for a trek or trip in period gear on foot in the 1770s. There's other reasons one might be out. Maybe you're away  from the cabin hunting on foot for a few days. But largely people were not doing this stuff for "fun" or "sport." It was a means to an end, and that end was the continued welfare of the family and the community. 

    So what of the gear, that's always the question? Well, we have several examples of gear carried that have been covered, recovered and covered again by this blog and several others. So, I won't bore you with a lot gear details but I do want to discuss the "knapsack." In his account. John Dickenson says "I was frequently out five and six days at a time subsisting on such provisions that I could pack in my knapsack."

Eating out of the knapsack 

     There are so many shoddy knapsacks and packs out there that I think the best and most plausible option remains what has been labeled the Uhl style knapsack. A simpler design you will not find and it steers you away from the more overly stylized ones and the off the rack variety. A simple linen knapsack with straps so as to be worn over the shoulder like a backpack. Now, what provisions might one subsist on for 3-6 days in the woods? 

    With the idea that fires were prohibited, as Bradshaw mentions above, we can assume that the food needed to be something that would keep and that could be eaten cold or dry without need of cooking. We can also assume that fresh game wasn't the object of the spying trip and that the only time you'd want to fire your gun would be if faced with danger from the enemy. 

    We can go back a few blog posts to the often quoted : "They take about a gallon of corn and parch it well, then they pound it fine and mix it with sugar as would make it sweet enough for coffee, then put it in a buckskin bag and stow it in their knapsack; then take a chunk of raw bacon, wrap it up well and stow in their knapsack." 

    So, pretty simple right? Meat, parched corn, sometimes made into a coffee of sorts. Enough to last 4-5 days.

     Another account given by William Hutchinson recalls "....I served at the imminent hazard of my life, lying out at night, with no covering but my blanket, and no other shelter but the forest."

No covering but our blankets. Oh, also, don't camp under one of these rock overhangs in a rain storm in a low spot. Ask me how I know.

     I don't know how many videos exist on YouTube that detail various "kits" of frontiersmen. So many of them have these elaborate bedrolls with various tarps and waterproof oil cloth etc. But here we have it from the horses mouth. "No covering but my blanket." Wait, are you saying they never had any waterproof canvas of any kind???? Nope. I'm just saying that we overcomplicate this stuff and I'd love to see more treks attempted in this manner. Sometimes the miserable ones are the most memorable. 

    Maybe I'll attempt one of these camps soon. It's getting a tad chillier at night and it might be a good idea to put my gear through a test for a night. It's been a while. 

    In other news, I have started a trading company. If you've been reading this blog for a while you may have seen a page called "J. Book at the sign of the Gilded Beaver" up at the top with a picture of me and Matthew Fennewald that said "Coming Soon...." Well, it hasn't been soon, but the time has finally come. We hope to be out at some events next spring and hope to see you there! Stay tuned for more updates!