America's Greatest Trial, Tragedy and Triumph

The War of the Rebellion, The War of Northern Aggression, The Late Great Unpleasantness, The Civil War.  No matter what you call it, (and there are many names), I believe that the Civil War was Americas greatest trial, its greatest tragedy and its greatest triumph.  Brother against brother, father against son, and neighbor against neighbor no issues have been as divisive as secession and slavery before or since this time period.  In communities across the nation violence erupted as pro-union and pro-confederate neighbors attacked each other using guerilla type methods.  Even in the Senate, violence erupted as Senator Charles Sumner was beaten with a cane by Preston Brooks in the Senate chambers in 1856.  No other president than Lincoln has had to face the division of the union.  This issue, more than any other, caused Lincoln the most heartache.  On June 16, 1858 Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand.  I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free.  I do not expect the union to be dissolved--I do not expect the house to fall--but I do expect that it will cease to be divided.  It will become all one thing, or all the other.”  And on August 22, 1862, he said, “ My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.” ¹ This division of the Union was a heavy weight resting on the shoulders of a big man not just in stature, but in character, as well.  I believe this to be America’s biggest trial. 

The Civil War was also America’s greatest tragedy.  Over half a million soldiers (both North and South) perished in the service of their country.  This is more than all other wars combined from the Revolution to Vietnam.  In addition to soldiers, civilians were tortured and killed, homes and cities were vandalized and destroyed or burned, and lives were disrupted.  Thousands of soldiers starved and rotted in prisoner of war camps, both north and south.  The heartache was unfathomable.  To put this into perspective, there were less than 3,000 people killed in the attacks on 9/11.  Compare this to the Battle of Shiloh where there were over 23,000 casualties, or Antietam where there were over 26,000 casualties or Gettysburg where there were over 50,000 casualties.²  And these are only three of the many battles that were waged during the 4 year conflict.  While I am in no way trying to minimize the 9/11 attacks, I am trying to create a mental image of the tragedy of this war.  To add to this tragedy is the fact that it was not an outsider attacking a unified nation, but rather, Americans fighting Americans. 

The Civil War changed many things.  Most notable was the end of slavery in this country.  Although it would be one hundred plus years for the black man to achieve true equality, they could now pursue that goal as free men.  One can only imagine how it must have felt to pass from being someone’s chattel to having chains fall off, both literally and figuratively. 

 After the war, the South was left in shambles.  It took many years of hard work to rebuild and restore the buildings and rail lines as well as the communities and people.  Bitterness persisted, especially since many carpet baggers invaded the region to further exploit a people who were already down in order to pad their own pockets.  In true American fashion, though, the South, like the Phoenix, arose out of the rubble and carried on as equals to their Northern counterparts.  Today we are one nation.  There is no more North and South.  Before the Civil War, people would say, “The United States are…”  Today, they say, “The United States is…”  The ending of slavery and the re-unification of a nation demonstrates that the Civil War was truly America’s greatest triumph.

 ¹ http://www.carrothers.com/lincoln.htm

 ² http://americancivilwar.com/cwstats.html 

Rub A Dub Dub -- Bathing In the 19th Century

How clean would you be if you had to haul your water from a well or the stream in buckets, heat it on the stove, and move the bathtub over by the fire in the winter?  That is quite a bit of work unless you were priviledged enough to have servants. 

In the Victorian age, water was so precious that bath water typically was re-used.  In this case, as in many others, rank had its priviledge.  The father of the family bathed first, then the mother, then the kids in descending age.  I imagine that the bathwater at the end was quite disgusting. 

I have tried to find information on towels of the era.  If I am going to live the experience, I want to do it right.  According to "The Workwoman's Guide" published in 1838, each family should have six to twelve towels for each wash stand.  The "best fine towels" were made of the finest pinafore diaper (?), and measured 3 feet x 12 nails (27 inches).  The "best coarse towels" were made of fine huckaback (huck towels) and measured the same as the best fine towels.  These types of towels are still sold today.  "Family coarse towels" were made of coarser huckaback and measured 1 yard by 11 nails (24.75 inches) while "Servants towels" were made of coarse huckaback and measured the same.¹  The 1897 Sears and Roebuck catalog advertises damask (satin and linen) and turkish towels.  They also advertise "Turkish Face Cloths" Size 15 x 15 (inches?), full bleached, plain white or with stripe.  They were 5 cents each or 56 cents a dozen.  Fancy patterned face cloths were also available.²

I am fortunate enough to have a bathtub.  “Fortunate?” you say.  “Doesn’t everybody?”  While bathtubs are a standard fixture in modern homes, I have one that I can take with me to events.  I am probably the only one that carts a bathtub around with me, and only in the summer months.  There is nothing more refreshing than taking a bath in the evenings after a sultry summer day.   Some of the event coordinators put a spigot or garden hose out for the reenactors.  It has to be carried from the water source back to our tent and is very cool. 

It is quite a shock to get into a cold bath.  We took our own water to the last event in jugs.  The temperature was well over 100 degrees every day.  The water was so warm that we actually had to cool it off by adding ice water from the cooler!

My tub looks very similar to one pictured on the Smithsonian website, identified as an 1860 Sitz Bathtub.³
Mine looks to be made of galvanized metal, so it is probably newer.  After filling it with 2-3 buckets of water, you sit in it and your legs dangle over the edge and rest on the ground.  Needless to say, bathing the lower extremities is definitely a challenge.

                                                  

Another method of bathing is simply washing up with a basin.  This is much more portable than the bathtub, but not nearly as nice.

                                                       

¹ “The Workwoman’s Guide” by a lady.  Originally published:  London: Simpkin, Marshall, 1838.

²1897 Sears Roebuck Catalog, Editor Fred L. Israel.  Chelsea House Publishers, 1968.  New York.

³ National Museum of American History.  http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object.cfm?key=35&gkey=203&objkey=8825

Sunday Evening

I snacked by way through lunch, drank a Dr. Pepper and the juice that I made for breakfast, so my water usage was reduced.

Dinner was hamburgers cooked on the grill.  We used 1/4 C. water for food prep, and 1 gallon to do dishes afterward.

I took a bath last night and washed my hair.  The bath used 1-1/2 gal, and 3 cups for my hair (shampoo and conditioner).

So here are my Sunday results:

Brushing my teeth:  1-1/2 C  = .0935 g.
Flushing the toilet:  2-2/3 g
Washing and bathing:  1.8125 g.
Food Prep:  .625 g
Washing Dishes: 2 g.
Drinking: 1 C. = .0625 g
Laundry = 13-20 g.

Sunday's Total is 27.2635 g.  This assumes the maximum estimated amount for the laundry.  The average for the two days was 13.63 gallons.  I could have reduced that by not doing the laundry, but hey, you have to wash your clothes sometime.

My point in this study is this:  according to statistics, the people in the city in which I live are using approximately 24.9 million gallons a day in this heat and drought.  There are approximately 98,000 people in this city.  That averages out to 245 gallons a day per person.  Some of that water is used by businesses and industry, but even if that accounts for half, it is still about 125 gallons of water per person per day.  That is a lot of water!

The future is uncertain.  We don't know when it will rain or how much.  Everything is so dry here and if we wait to conserve water until the situation is critical we have waited too long.  My concern is with everything so dry and just ripe for fire, will we have enough water in the future to put the fires out?  I hope that we get rain soon, but until then it is my opinion that we need to begin conserving and/or recycling water now.

Sunday Morning

I made Chuck Wagon Wreck for breakfast.  To make this dish, saute onions and bacon.  You can use dehydrated onions but you must reconstitute them beforehand.)  Add some frozen hash brown potatoes. Cover and cook on low.  When the potatoes are cooked, scramble eggs and add them to the mix.  In a separate pan, make country gravy according to instructions.  I usually use the packaged mix.  After the eggs are cooked, turn the flame off, add some shredded cheese and cover.  When the cheese is melted and the gravy is thick dish out the eggs and potatoes and top with gravy.  I haven't given quantities because I never measure.  How much I use depends on how much I want to end up with.  This dish keeps well, so I usually make extra so that I have breakfast (or lunch) for a couple of days.

This recipe used 4-1/2 C water (4 cups for the gravy and 1/2 cup for the onions).  We also fixed some frozen juice which also took 5.25 C water.  Russ put a load of laundry in the washing machine.  We have a front loader which uses about half of the water as a top loader.  I haven't been able to find an  exact amount for our model, but estimates vary from 13 - 20 gallons.  These amounts are for two people, so for 1 person I will have to divide in half.

Now I have to go clean up.  I wonder how much I will use for that?

Saturday Evening

We ate dinner at Outback.  The members of the 77th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Inc. gathered to celebrate and remember the 150th anniversary of the forming of the original 77th.  Many of us dressed in period attire.  While we were eating it began to rain.  Everyone was happy to see it.   Though not nearly enough, at this point we are grateful for anything that we get.  Bottom line for dinner:  no water for food prep/cleanup.

I came home and took a bath in my period bathtub.  I used 1-1/4 gallon.  It seemed like less water than I usually use, but got the job done.  If I had washed my hair the water usage would have been more.  After my bath Russ and I carried the tub outside and dumped it on the one tree that seems to be faring the worst in the drought.

Recap for the day:
I prepared one meal at home.  My actual water usage is as follows:

Brushing my teeth:  1-1/4 cup = .078 Gallons (g)
Drinking:  6C. = 0.375 g
Toilet (2 flushes) = 2-2/3 g
Washing Buttons = 1/4 g.
Bath = 1=1/4 g.
Dishes = .875 g

Total  = 5.498 g.

Saturday Afternoon

I did the lunch dishes this afternoon.  I used .875 gallons (one gallon less 2 cups) of water.  I used two metal camping type basins.  I used about a half gallon in one and a half gallon in the other.  I used a small amount of dish soap.  After I was done I took the soapy water outside and used it to water some of my plants.  Then I poured the rinse water in the basin that had the soapy water to rinse it out.  Again, I poured that on my plants.  It is amazing how much one gallon of water can do.

I flushed the toilet this afternoon.  It used 1.34 gallons of water (we have a water saving tank).  This may gross some people out, but you don't have to flush the toilet every time.  It also helps if you use one ply toilet paper.  My kids think I am nuts, but I now hate using two ply because it doesn't last long.

I am in the process of washing a shipment of buttons that I received in.  So far I have used two cups of water for that.  The water came from two partial bottles that I found in the truck.  Once they have been open and sat around a while I don't like to drink them, but I can always find a use for the water.

On another note, I have drunk 3 cups of water so far today.  I have been inside most of the day, or my consumption would be a whole lot more.

Saturday Morning

I got this morning off to a running start.  I brushed my teeth in 3/4 cup of water.  This is how I do it:

First I pour the water into a cup.  I used one of my tin reenacting cups out of habit.  Dip your toothbrush into the cup to moisten it.  When using little water I use tooth powder since it does not foam like normal modern toothpastes.  When through brushing I use two small mouthfuls to rinse with and then rinse the toothbrush out in what is left.

I washed up using one wet wipe.  The wet wipe was invented in 1859 by Mr. Wipe...Okay, I am full of it.  I admit I cheated.  The wet wipe was not invented until the late 1970s.  But the purpose of this experiment is not to be totally 19th century but to see how little water I can comfortably get away with.

I had to do some work out in the garage so I drank 8 ounces of water plus ice (am I supposed to count the ice too?)  Note:  The ice had melted when I drank it.

We were on the go so we grabbed breakfast at Sonic, so no breakfast dishes or prep.  I will factor this into my end totals.  I ordered water instead of another, high sugar and calorie drink.  I am still working on it so when I am done I will figure out how much that was and add it to the total.

More later...

My Objective

My objective in this weekend's water experiment is not to use no water at all, but to use water as people would have in the 19th century.  I will be fully immersed in the 21st century, eg:  business as usual, but with some modifications in how I approach water usage.  I will be running this experiment over the course of 2 days so that I can compare and contrast different methods of certain tasks, such as bathing, washing dishes, etc.  Some of my methods of personal hygiene I have not learned from a book, but by ingenuity in the face of having to carry my water in a bucket for a distance.

I have also learned to recycle my water.  When I am out in the field, water from the cooler is drained off and used for other things.  I hate to see it go to waste.  I will be using recycling in this experiment also.

Lastly, since most of my time will be spent indoors, the amount of water that I drink will be much less than it would be if I were outside.  Nevertheless I will be keeping track of that also, even the amount that I drink in other drinks such as juice.

I am looking forward to sharing this with my readers, and I look forward to hearing your comments.

Stay Tuned

With rolling blackouts and water rationing a real possibility, I have decided to conduct an experiment to see just how many gallons of water a person really needs in a day. I am going to use my knowledge of 19th century living to get by on as little water as necessary and measure every drop of water that I use. I will begin my experiment on Sat morning and run it through Sunday night. I will be making frequent posts to let you know how I am doing.

Beat the Heat

Disclaimer:  Nothing in this article is meant to give medical advice.  If you are going to be out in the heat, please consult your doctor.

Two weeks ago we attended an event in triple digit heat.  Even though our tent provided good shade inside, everything was hot to the touch…the glass in our display cases, the wooden stools, the frame on my glasses…everything.  Fortunately, this event was a non-period event and we had the luxury of electricity so we were able to have a fan.  Nevertheless, I would like to share some of the non-electric things that we do to make us a little more comfortable. 

1.      1.  Drink, Drink, Drink.  Did I mention drink?  I can’t stress it enough.  When we are out in the field during hot weather Vaunda and I make it a point to remind ourselves and each other to have another bottle of water.   If you don’t drink, you can’t sweat, and sweating is how we stay cool.  At the last event, my black shorts were white with salt from sweating, so we made sure to eat too so that our bodies remained balanced.

2.     2.  One tip that we were given by a seasoned sutler is to purchase a garden sprayer and fill it with ice and water.  We take a quilt and wrap it around the sprayer and put it in a burlap sack so as to make it look period.  We use the sprayer to mist ourselves down.  It really makes a difference in keeping cool.  Wrapped in this fashion the water will remain cold for a day in triple digit heat or possibly for the weekend if it is only in the 90s.  A word of caution…get a brand new sprayer for this.  Never use one that has had pesticides or garden chemicals in it.  No matter how clean you think it is, why take a chance?

3.     3.   Use what is available.  We recycle the water that is drained from our cooler.  This cold water goes into our sprayer or it is used for sponge bathing or for cooling down.  We keep a supply of flour sack towels around.  These are available for sale at hobby and/or sewing stores.  In addition to bathing, they can be used for cold compresses or placed around the neck for cooling. 

4.    4.    Evaporating water helps to cool you.  Sweat does this, but sometimes cool water is even better.  I was at one event where the men were going shirtless.  This was not only taboo by 19^th century standards, but there are better ways to beat the heat.  Taking the shirt off, soaking it in water (tepid or slightly cool), and then putting it back on is a better way to cool off.  I have done this myself when working around the home with great success.

If you experience any of the following symptoms you might be suffering from a heat related illness:  fatigue, nausea, headache, muscle cramps, weakness, confusion or anxiety, slowed or rapid heart rate, dizziness or fainting, decreased sweating, or convulsions.¹ Go some place where it is cool and seek medical attention.  Remember that 19^th century people were more accustomed to the heat than most of us are today.  Also remember that the mortality rate was a lot higher back then.  Don’t be a statistic.  Be safe and keep cool.       

¹ http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-heat-related-illness-symptoms