Civil War Ink Writing Instruments

[Maria]

Dear Members of The Fountain Pen Network;

 

I am new to this forum and grateful to be able to join it; as I am doing my best to research the writing instruments of the American Civil War; circa 1861 to 1866.

 

I do realize that from the Quarter-Master's inventory sheets; that there were quill pens and stylists with metal nibs.

 

It is my belief, that the style of writing in this era; which would parallel the beginning of the "Victorian era;" as HRH Queen Victoria began her reign in President Buchannan's administration. The American Military, was influenced heavily by the French and or Napoleonic style of fighting; featured in Casey's and Hardee's manuals for the US Army.

 

Further, it is my belief and personal assumption, based upon sample writings; that Copperplate style was in use.

The style of shorthand, is believed to have been "Lloyd's". (Sir Lloyd).

 

I do realize also, that map making required different nibs; as well as ornamental nibs were used in cases of certificates and banner calligraphy.

 

This is where I can use the experts of The Fountain Pen Network, hereafter known as TFPN; on guiding me to the period pens and if possible the makers; as well as the period 'inks' to which red and black were the 'issued' inks for the administrative aspects of the military records, files and tracking codes.

 

My request of the membership of TFPN; are:

1. To identify the historical identity of the stylists and nibs used for the period; to which may be much the same as being used presently by HRH Queen Elizabeth II's Equiry for the Equine Stables; as I saw a feature ages ago where the Head Equiry said that HRH Queen Elizabeth I who reigned after King Henry VIII; ordered enough nibs to last through his official capacity and those who would fill his shoes. Or, could they be different for what was in the USA during the Civil War?

 

2. To identify the type of quills used for writing during the 1861-1866 period; for military applications and or; if they were the same type of quill used for civilian use?

 

3. Identify the black inks used for quill and or stylist with nib pens of the Victorian and or American Civil War period and, the rich bright red ink used for administrative tracking/recording of the military paperwork, e.g. official orders, general orders, special orders, correspondences coming into headquarters, field command and in coming correspondences to headquarters, field command, etc.

 

4. Give suitable and near as authentic writing instruments in production today; as to facilitate "Civil War re-enactors/living historians" in their efforts to be as close to authentic as possible.

 

Respectfully submitted for consideration,

Maria

 

 

[StephY]

Hi Maria:

 

Welcome to FPN. Can't really answer your questions, but just wanted to say that I visited the Gettysburg Military Park a couple of weeks ago and saw, among other things, General Grant's pen. I tried to take a picture of it but I'm not sure if it came out very well. But if you follow this link you will see a photo of a dip pen that was used by Surgeon Grinstead of the Union Army.

 

Hope all your questions are answered.

 

Steph

[openionated]

Maria, welcome to the forum.

 

One of our members, Rob G, is in fact a civil war re-enactor who serves as the company clerk. He will have first hand experience with most of your questions. You can try sending him a private message through the forum, or perhaps he will see this and chime in.

[DRP]

Maria --

 

Welcome to FPN.

 

There is a variety of Noodler's ink known as Antietam which I understand to be a duplication (as close as is practical) of a Civil War vintage ink using modern materials. You might check the Ink Review section of FPN for more information.

 

If I understand correctly, the owner of Noodler's ink posts on FPN from time to time. I think he posts under the title: "Eternally Noodling" (someone correct me if I am wrong on this). I understand him to be an enthusiastic historian and may have information or resources which could be useful to your research project. You will no doubt wish to contact him.

 

Hope this helps.

 

David

[Maria]

Maria --

 

Welcome to FPN.

 

There is a variety of Noodler's ink known as Antietam which I understand to be a duplication (as close as is practical) of a Civil War vintage ink using modern materials. You might check the Ink Review section of FPN for more information.

 

If I understand correctly, the owner of Noodler's ink posts on FPN from time to time. I think he posts under the title: "Eternally Noodling" (someone correct me if I am wrong on this). I understand him to be an enthusiastic historian and may have information or resources which could be useful to your research project. You will no doubt wish to contact him.

 

Hope this helps.

 

David

 

Thank you to all who have responded thus far! Much appreciated.

Respectfully,

Maria

 

[Shangas]

Queen Victoria's reign was from 1837-1901. So she'd already been on the throne at least 20 years before the Civil War started.

 

The ink used would have been iron-gall or some variety of powdered ink. Still available today, if you know where to look.

 

The writing-style might've been copperplate (I'm no expert on this).

 

The pens used would've been either quill-pens, or dip-pens with different kinds of nibs. The only way you can really get quills these days is to make them yourself - which is what they had to do back then, anyway. Nibs and nib-holders may be purchased online, or from art-shops.

 

Quills are simply feathers sharpened to writing-points. Those (if any) used in the military would've been the same as those used by civilians, same goes for the steel dip-pens.

 

 

 

 

[donwinn]

Welcome to FPN! I am also a buff of the history of the War of Secession. If you have not looked here you have missed a very interesting resource. This site can answer a lot of your questions, and point you to places to provide even more information. I have not yet ordered any of their paper or powdered ink, but I can feel both calling me increasingly more loudly.

 

Donnie

[hardyb]

These may interest you, examples of Lee's, Lincoln's, Spencer's hand plus a cronology of American styles of handwriting( last file):

Edited August 28, 2008 by hardyb

[Rob G]

My first recommendation would be to join the Yahoo group Scrivener's Mess.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScrivenersMess/

 

Tell them I sent you. Download a file called "School of the Clerk", which gives a good background on writing materials as well as clerking in general; and then, search through the old messages and look at some of the photo albums.

 

For lots of samples of handwriting, go here: http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/Roy_Cook_JPG/

 

Quills were on the way out, especially if you had stacks of forms to fill out in order to avoid the first sergeant's wrath. They just did not last under this kind of use.

 

You might also check out the Early Office Museum:

 

http://www.officemuseum.com/http://www.off...um.com/Pens.htm

 

For the most authentic "look" to writing, try a Gillot 303 or 404 or a Hunt 22 nib with McCaffery's Penman's ink.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[Rob G]

I just forwarded the link to this post to the Mess. I don't know if any of them are members here; but, perhaps, some will join in.

[openionated]

Rob G, you just made my day! I'm becoming a bit of a history buff, and especially love early office stuff. I've always wanted to decorate a den with early office stuff but would never have thought of a museum. (your link is messed up by the way, looks like two pages copied together)

 

The Lincoln speech draft from Roy Cook was awesome. It's interesting to note that the actual handwriting of people back then wasn't much different from ours. It appears that the fancy Spencerian scripts and such were reserved for official documents and weren't common for everyday use.

[Titivillus]

Maria --

 

Welcome to FPN.

 

There is a variety of Noodler's ink known as Antietam which I understand to be a duplication (as close as is practical) of a Civil War vintage ink using modern materials. You might check the Ink Review section of FPN for more information.

 

I think the Antietam is named more for the blood spilled on the battlefield and that Baystate blue is the duplication of the vintage ink.

 

 

Kurt

 

[Maria]

Dear Mr. Griffiths,

 

Sir, yes this helps very much indeed.

 

So, I should direct myself to Spencerian writing styles as well -- This is a good lead also.

 

Thank you so very much for being so informative. Just reading the attachments, with the writing samples; I don't think it anybody had bad handwriting then.

 

Respectfully,

Maria

 

My first recommendation would be to join the Yahoo group Scrivener's Mess.

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScrivenersMess/

 

Tell them I sent you. Download a file called "School of the Clerk", which gives a good background on writing materials as well as clerking in general; and then, search through the old messages and look at some of the photo albums.

 

For lots of samples of handwriting, go here: http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/Roy_Cook_JPG/

 

Quills were on the way out, especially if you had stacks of forms to fill out in order to avoid the first sergeant's wrath. They just did not last under this kind of use.

 

You might also check out the Early Office Museum:

 

http://www.officemuseum.com/http://www.off...um.com/Pens.htm

 

For the most authentic "look" to writing, try a Gillot 303 or 404 or a Hunt 22 nib with McCaffery's Penman's ink.

 

Hope this helps.

 

[BillTheEditor]

Just reading the attachments, with the writing samples; I don't think it anybody had bad handwriting then.

Years ago, I worked in an archive, accessioning documents that ranged in age from 50 years to 500+ years old. I can assure you that there was a LOT of sloppy handwriting in the past!

[BillTheEditor]

Maria --

 

Welcome to FPN.

 

There is a variety of Noodler's ink known as Antietam which I understand to be a duplication (as close as is practical) of a Civil War vintage ink using modern materials. You might check the Ink Review section of FPN for more information.

 

I think the Antietam is named more for the blood spilled on the battlefield and that Baystate blue is the duplication of the vintage ink.

 

 

Kurt

I'm pretty sure that Baystate Blue is a duplication of an ink from the 1940's, not from the Civil War period. Antietam is a reproduction of an ink from the 1860's, although it is more of a brick red than a bright red.

Edited August 28, 2008 by BillTheEditor

[Maria]

Dear Openionated,

 

I have to agree with your post, and like a history buff--I'm all eyes and ears. I have limited space however, it is my understanding that the administrative desk that was portable was clever in every sense of the word. They had several books to tow around with them, filings, paper storage as well as ink and their instruments.

 

I am often surprised how plainly the people wrote and yet, I can remember learning cursive writing in grade school and lessons there; but--we never got graded severely for not writing perfectly to form. But, I admit that my writing got sloppy as, I had to become faster due to the sheer weight of paperwork. I am sure these military clerks had the same, if not more pressure; as there were no copy machines, typewriters in full bloom to use yet.

 

I am also guessing, that the normal style of writing was best in formal writing settings. I can only imagine the difficulties of an average soldier writing home and attempting to write fancy. I suppose pencil was the only reliable writing instruments and didn't leak ink.

 

I am sure if there was a desk and chair, the writing would be much better, as it does when I am writing at a desk, verses a lap or on a clipboard propped on a steering-wheel of a car, waiting for someone and killing time.

 

Interesting really--enlightening. Perhaps the styles aren't so intimidating if seeing famous figures in history, writing.

 

Respectfully,

Maria

 

 

Rob G, you just made my day! I'm becoming a bit of a history buff, and especially love early office stuff. I've always wanted to decorate a den with early office stuff but would never have thought of a museum. (your link is messed up by the way, looks like two pages copied together)

 

The Lincoln speech draft from Roy Cook was awesome. It's interesting to note that the actual handwriting of people back then wasn't much different from ours. It appears that the fancy Spencerian scripts and such were reserved for official documents and weren't common for everyday use.

 

[Maria]

Dear Bill The Editor,

 

Thank you for your response.

 

I appreciate the note on the color of red. So, brick red is more correct then. (More corrections to the myths and stories).

 

Maria --

 

Welcome to FPN.

 

There is a variety of Noodler's ink known as Antietam which I understand to be a duplication (as close as is practical) of a Civil War vintage ink using modern materials. You might check the Ink Review section of FPN for more information.

 

I think the Antietam is named more for the blood spilled on the battlefield and that Baystate blue is the duplication of the vintage ink.

 

 

Kurt

I'm pretty sure that Baystate Blue is a duplication of an ink from the 1940's, not from the Civil War period. Antietam is a reproduction of an ink from the 1860's, although it is more of a brick red than a bright red.

 

[BillTheEditor]

Dear Bill The Editor,

 

Thank you for your response.

 

I appreciate the note on the color of red. So, brick red is more correct then. (More corrections to the myths and stories).

 

OK, wait. All I'm saying is that the Antietam ink is brick red, and that it is a reproduction of ONE ink from that period. I have no idea whether it is representative of red ink generally from that period. Don't read too much into my comment. Nathan Tardiff would be the one to tell you about that -- he is a historian as well as an expert on inks (I am neither).

 

[Maria]

Dear Hardyb;

 

Lovely samples of handwriting!

 

I especially like the Spencer hand guide. It is so similiar and yet, distinctive enough to be different from Copperplate.

 

Thank you so very much for going to all the effort to attach writing samples. Impressive!

 

Respectfully,

Maria

 

 

 

These may interest you, examples of Lee's, Lincoln's, Spencer's hand plus a cronology of American styles of handwriting( last file):

 

[Titivillus]

I'm pretty sure that Baystate Blue is a duplication of an ink from the 1940's, not from the Civil War period. Antietam is a reproduction of an ink from the 1860's, although it is more of a brick red than a bright red.

 

I'll go with the Baystate as a 1940's ink but for Antietam I will wait for Nathan to chime in on that one.

 

Kurt