Description:
Militia knapsack made of canvas painted overall in red with the black and gold inscription, "2nd INF'T. Co. / 16th REG'T.", and a gold star in the four corners and black line around the edges. There is also an old ink inscription beneath its flap, "S. Keyes, Acworth/N.H. 1814." In HD 2003.37.6, a book titled "The New Military Guide; ... Compiled for the Use of the Militia" by John Farmer, printed in Concord, New Hampshire, by Hill and Moore, 1822, there is a listing for the Acworth 16th Regiment on p. 10. Dated military knapsacks are very rare, as is an almost matched pair (see HD 2003.37.4). Volunteer militia companies were the elite of the citizen army and enjoyed preferential placement in the line of march or at review. Militia-day parades were extremely colorful events; among the ornamented equipment of the men in the early 19th century were brightly painted knapsacks which were worn on the back and supported over the shoulders with either leather or brightly colored woolen tapes.
Label Text:
Knapsacks, or back packs, provided a way for regular soldiers to carry a limited change of clothes and accessories while leaving their arms unencumbered. More practical than earlier animal hide versions, painted canvas examples like these were also more decorative. Front flaps were embellished with identifying words and numbers in coordinated colors, all of which added to the spectacle of early 19th-century militia uniforms.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2003.37.5 |
