View single post by susansweet
 Posted: Wed May 2nd, 2007 11:17 pm
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susansweet
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Joined: Sun Sep 4th, 2005
Location: California USA
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Mana: 
 Well the mystery is solved .  I went to work at the Drum Barracks today.  After doing two tours I set down to work on cataloging the Civil War Magazines I have been working on for several months.   I picked up the first one to enter the information into the computer.  I opened it and there was the article  .Rubber and gutta-percha goods used during the war. . . by Mike Woshner.  America's Civil War  January 2003.  He has also written a book Indian Rubber and Gutta-Percha in the Civil War Era: An Illustrated history of Rubber and Pre=Plastic Antiques and Militaria. 

The second page of the article says In the 1850's . . . "The Army conducted extensive tests on gutta-percha sword and bayonet scabbards. . . . . A board of officers met on April 12, 1855 to examine a number of military articles made of gutta-pecha -coated babrics and gave them general good marks. Despite the arguments of some that thelonger life of the equipment would still not justify the cost of the difference between gutta-percha and standard issue equipment, thousands of troops were equipped with gutta-percha equipment gear during 1855-56 The talma a type of cape was the only gutta-percha article formally adopted by the military during that time."  . . . . . ."On May 21, 1860 secretary of war John Floyd , ordered that 50 gutta-percha sword scabbards be purchased for use at the Cavalry School in Carlisle Pa. "

So there is the story .   Now I can finish Craig Symonds book on Joseph Johnston knowing that was not a mistake  By the way it is a really good book.