The foremost requirement for bedding is that it afford you a comfortable, warm nights rest. Nothing is harder than staying in character and thinking straight if you have been tossing, turning and freezing all night.
It is of utmost importance though that your bed look period correct for the viewing public during the day's event. And be assured, people will peek into your tent even when it is tied closed. So one of your first buys should be a period correct wool blanket or quilt. If you are sleeping in a down sleeping bag you can cover it up, if you are sleeping on a straw filled ticking, it will keep you warm. A blanket can be used to hide all manner of farbiness no matter what you are sleeping on.
Should be easy, no? No, a wool blanket with the words US Navy on it is not period correct. A nice, new Hudson Bay blanket would not be period correct either. Even though they were of the time period, they were produced for trading at the Hudson Bay stores in Canada. It would not be likely that a civilian in Virginia would have one.
Another
good choice is a woven coverlet. These were very fashionable at the time
and can still be bought at stores and through catalogues although they are not
inexpensive. Make sure the pattern is period correct. Research,
research, research. At right is a fine example of a woven coverlet.
Is it period correct? You bet. This is the bed on which President
Lincoln died, in the house across the street from the Ford Theater. Note
the period spindle bed as well.
If you bring a quilt it must have a pattern that is appropriate to the time as well as the right fabric and colors. There are many books that show quilts from this period. Take a look or talk to a club member who is a fervent quilter. Quilts need not be expensive. I use a very nice quilt that I purchased at Gottshalks during one of their quarterly sales, any size for $30. They are hand made in China from patterns supplied by the Smithsonian, but some designs are post ACW so do some research. A good source is the book Quilts of the Civil War by Barbara Brackman, available at many sewing stores
Beds themselves follow three schools of thought:
If you have a canvas tent floor you can throw a pad on the ground and make it up with a few blankets and a quilt. Some of the soldiers will fill a large burlap bag with straw and sleep on that, wrapped in a blanket. Others use a foam rubber pad covered in ticking to give that period look.
A feather bed is period correct and comfortable. I, verging on the edge of insanity, have hand made a queen size mattress from sheep's wool. All is wonderfully warm and comfortable when cuddled under the feather comforter and quilt. When I add the hand made feather pillows and a warm artillery soldier, it is a very cozy nights sleep.
Some people prefer to sleep off the ground and use cots. Cots are period correct. Old W.W.II wooden army cots are popular and if the modern parts are well covered, they look pretty good. If you plan to bring an aluminum cot, bring blankets long enough to cover up the legs.
Cots are also a great help in de-farbing your tent. Just shove your modern gear underneath and throw the blanket over. The only draw back is cots are single beds and prevent spooning which is the best way to keep warm.
Here is an interesting de-farbing trick I saw at a Black Powder Rendezvous: an enterprising fellow had turned his cot into a bed by creating period correct head and foot boards for his cot, connecting them with a couple of hidden wing nuts.
The most enterprising members bring period correct bed frames. These are wooden rope beds or metal campaign beds which are easy to take apart. The wooden bed you can make and for a more comfortable sleep you can use a plywood bottom. Just drill holes in the side of the frame and run the rope through for the proper look. Miss Fannie got to into a friendly conversation at one yard sale and went home with an antique wood frame rope bed for free. Well sure, she has to put it back together, but think how great that will look in her tent. The metal beds you will have to search for in antique stores.
