There are several camps set up to accommodate participants, as listed below:
A -- Military/Campaign Camps. Both sides will have "Campaign" camps in the military camps. Those camping here will portray soldiers as they actually appeared in the Valley and Antietam campaigns: shelter tents or open air for Federals and open air or tent flies for Confederates. No anachronisms. Any visiting civilians must have a pass. Civilians without a pass will be escorted out of camp.
B -- Military/Garrison Camps. Both sides will also have "Garrison" camps in the military camps. "Garrison" camps may use A-tents and, for higher ranking officers, wall tents. Anachronisms such as cots are allowed. "Garrison" camps are for Military only. Any visiting civilians must have a pass. Civilians without a pass will be escorted out of camp.
Passes for civilians will be available at the respective US and CS headquarters.
C -- Civilian Camp (both sides). This is a camp strictly for civilians, and no military members may camp here
D -- Mixed Camp. This is a camp of conveniance for those military wishing to camp with their civlians. The published rules and regulations for the event will be enforced, but both civilians and millitary are permitted here.
Specifications for Common Tents
Quartermaster General Office General Orders No. 60,
December12, 1864.
Description of Common Tent
Dimensions when finished:
Height when pitched 6' 10"
Length of ridge 6' 10"
Width when pitched 8' 4"
Height of door 5' 6"
Width of door 1' at bottom 9" at top
From top of ridge
to lower edge of
roof when pitched 8' 1/2"
To be made of cotton duck 28 1/2 incheds wide, clear of all imperfections, and ten ounces to the lineal yard.
Ends of tent to be cut with a sweep of four inches from the corner to the center.
To be made in workmanlike manner, with not less, than two and one half stitches of equal length to the inch, made with double thread of five-fold cotton twine, well waxed. The seams not less than one inch in width, and no slack taken in them.
Grommetts must be worked in all the holes, and to be well made with waxed cottn twine.
The doors and stay pieces to be of the same material as the tent, the stay pieces on the end and ridge of tent to be nine inches square.
The sod cloth to be seven-once cotton duck, nine inches in width in the clear from the tabling, and to extend around the tent.
The tabling on the foot of the tent, when finished, will be one and one half inches in length.
The door lines to be of six-thread Manila line, three feet long in the center.
The foot lines to be of six-thread Manila line, sixteen inches long in the clear.
Twelve door strings door strings, one inch in width, and fourteen inches long in the clear.
All lines to be well whipped, one inch from the ends, with waxed twine and properly properly knotted.
Description of Common Tent Poles.
Ridge, 6 feet 10 inches long, 2 1/2 inches wide, 1 7/8 inches thick; bands on each end 2 inches wide, secured by two screws 1 inch long; 1/2 inch hole, one inch from each end.
Upright 7 feet 4 inches long, 2 inches thick; bands on upper end 1 3/4 inches secured by 2 screws 1 inch long; spindles, 3/8 inch iron, to project out 1 1/2 inch, and inserted 2 inches in upright. Bands and spindles to be galvanized.
Description of Common Tent Pins
Sixteen inches long, 1 1/4 inch wid, 1 inch thick, 1 notch 3 inches from the top.
For each common tent there should be 14 pins.
Common tents were usually hand sewn during the Civil War period. The stake lines had hand sewn grommets placed in pairs at the seams along the bottom edge of the tent, similar to the stake lines for shelter halves. Two hand sewn grommets were placed at the ridge for the upright spindles.
