09/02/2026
The Finest Firsthand Description of the Use of a Civil War Knapsack We Have Ever Seen
If you could open a Civil War soldier’s knapsack, what would you find?
In the case of Sgt. Austin C. Stearns of Company K, 13th Massachusetts Infantry, we actually know. A remarkable handwritten provenance tag accompanying his surviving knapsack records how Stearns packed it in the field. His blankets were rolled and strapped across the top, while inside he carried his quilt, overcoat, underclothing, ditty bag, extra ammunition, hardtack, bottles, toothbrush, medicine, pins and other personal necessities.
Even more fascinating, Stearns noted that this was his “3rd or 4th” knapsack during his three years of service—a wonderful reminder of just how hard campaigning was on a soldier’s equipment.
Stearns later recorded his wartime experiences in Three Years with Company K, giving us an unusually personal glimpse into the everyday life of a soldier in the Army of the Potomac.
This identified knapsack and Stearns’ forage cap are currently available at Union Drummer Boy—a rare opportunity to own artifacts connected directly to a soldier whose own words help tell their story.
