The Mohican Board! [Bumppo's Redux!] - Of Pistols and Pockets

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LAST OF THE MOHICANS

The Last of the Mohicans ...

Of Pistols and Pockets

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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood

USA

Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
November 27 2002

Status: offline

Donating Member

Posted - July 26 2008 : 12:53:55 PM

Remember the scene where Cora takes a pistol from a soldier who was killed and stuffs it into her pocket for later use? What am I saying!

Of course you all remember it! After all, don't we all have every scene in the movie emblazoned on our brains?

Well, that scene has bothered me for a while now, ever since I learned the details of women's 18th century clothing. And now that I own a reproduction flintlock pistol, I am even more bothered by it. So I would like to offer some observations, reasons, and a conclusion. Any discussion, questions, counterpoints, or opinions

are most welcome.

Observation:
Have you noticed the ease with which Cora slips that pistol into her pocket? I submit to you -- that would not have been the case in reality.

Reason:
In the 18th century, ladies' pockets were not sewn into their garments, as they are now. They were worn as a separate garment, tied around their waists. Pockets were like medium-sized, flat bags that were hung on a woven tape. The bags were sort of pear-shaped and had a long vertical slit in the front of them, that allowed entrance into the pocket.

Women wore either one pocket or two. The pockets were sewn to a woven tape, that was then tied around the waist. The pockets, contrary to the belief of some re-enactors, were not worn on the outside of the petticoats so that they showed. They were worn underneath the petticoats.

I wear two pockets tied around my waist, as the extra storage room is nice to have. Also, it balances the weight, making wearing them more comfortable. I put my pockets on after my stays are on, then I put two petticoats on over that. Each petticoat has slits in the side seams, which allows one to put the petticoat on and tie it, and also allows access to the pockets.

When I need to get into my pocket, my hand has to work its way through the side slits of two separate petticoats, then through the slit of the pocket opening. Let me say that this is not an easy task. It seems the slits never line up properly, and often the pockets on their tape have shifted a bit, either to the front or to the back. I learned to make sure that my fingertips touch the bottom of my pocket before I release the object in my fingers. Several times, I had things (once a $20 bill) fall to the ground because I thought my hand was in my pocket, when it was not!

My conclusion to this observation is this: Cora was wearing at least two, perhaps three, petticoats with her riding jacket, plus she was wearing a hip roll. She would have had great difficulty getting that pistol through all of those slits, past all of that fabric, and into her pocket, and I doubt it would have happened on the first try!

Observation:
I don't think it would have been possible to carry a pistol in the pocket, once it was gotten in there.

Reason:
Those things are bulky and heavy!

Now that I have a pistol, have held it in my hand and felt its bulk and weight, I feel that it would have been pretty nearly impossible to carry one in a pocket, even after the difficulty of getting it in there was overcome.

My pistol is a good 14 inches long, and it is one of the shorter ones. My pockets are about 15 inches deep, so my pistol just barely goes in it.

According to my scales, my pistol weighs about 3.5 pounds. If I were to put that into a pocket that was just tied around my waist with lightweight tape, the weight would pull my pockets right down off of my hips.

Observation:
Cora could not have carried that weight in her pocket comfortably.

Reason:
Its bulk, size and weight.
Now, let's give Cora the benefit of the doubt and grant that she did manage to get that pistol through 3 or 4 clothing slits and into her pocket. Let's grant that her pockets stayed in place on her hips. Let's imagine what that 3 pound wood and metal object would have felt like as she walked through the wilderness, and climbed rock cliffs. It would have been extremely uncomfortable and even painful. Imagine that banging against one's thigh with every step! Youch! What a bruise she would have had.

Conclusion:
It is obvious to me that this is yet another inaccuracy in the film. Cora would not, realistically, have slipped that pistol into her pocket and carried it that way

Is it a big deal? No, not really. Just kind of fun to contemplate.

"It is more deeply stirring to my blood than any imaginings could possibly have been."

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Wilderness Woman
Watcher of the Wood

USA

Bumppo's Patron since [at least]:
November 27 2002

Status: offline

Donating Member

Posted - July 26 2008 : 1:15:19 PM

May I present...

My Ketland Trade Pistol.

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It's quite plain in design, and is blockier than many other pistol designs. And, yes, it is actually more appropriate for later in the century than I portray. It is more appropriate for the Rev War era or later. But, I won't be using it at events, so that doesn't matter. For my first piece, it is just fine, and I am quite pleased with it.

"It is more deeply stirring to my blood than any imaginings could possibly have been."