Vigo County Historical Society

During the Civil Way, it didn’t matter whether a man fought for the North or the South, because a soldier’s life was the same and his training was the same.

In the beginning, each unit had its own type of uniform, if any. The 11th Indiana under Lew Wallace started the war wearing gray. The high ranking officers for both sides wore blue uniforms. It is no wonder that in the early battles, some soldiers were killed by friendly fire.

As the war progressed, the federal government issued uniforms, shoes and other gear to its fighting men. Part of the gear would be a haversack. In the haversack, the solider carried his food rations, personal grooming items, his Bible, a picture of a loved one, writing paper or journal, a pencil, a deck of cards, matches, a pipe and tobacco, or anything else he might need for his day-to-day existence.

The "housewife" was a haversack stuffer. It is a sewing kit usually handmade by the soldier or a family member. Most housewives had a couple of pockets with wool and cotton pieces or material for patching clothing, a few buttons, a needle and thread. A few were lucky enough to have a small pair of scissors included.

The housewife in the museum’s collection has been "tarred" to make it waterproof. It has two pockets, a couple leather loops to hold scissors and a small patch of leather to work as a thimble. It also has a small pocket that has evidence of where the needles might have been kept. To keep this kit in a tidy roll, there is a strap to hold it together.

You can find the "housewife" with Civil War display in the Military Room and you can watch the making of a Civil War soldier July 17 and 18 when Civil War Days will take place on the museum grounds.