While at a recent SCV event in Georgetown, SC, one of our members had an opportunity to visit with True Son and PLA member Jacob Straight. Mr. Straight told our member that he enjoys reading about the adventures of the PLA through the newsletter, and he also showed how to make a "Confederate Stove".

When Jake was a youngster he knew dozens of WBTS veterans and spent hours listening to them talk about their experiences in the war. One of the things which he learned was how to make a small heat source from stray materials. A veteran named William Caskey taught Mr. Straight how to do this based on his experiences in the war. Jacob told our member that he could vouch for the usefulness of this stove since he had made and used them himself in Europe during the Second World War. He said that he had spent several warm nights with a stove while other people shivered in their foxholes. (Proof of the benefits of having Confederate ancestry!)

Mr. Straight made one of these stoves and presented it to us, along with instructions for making more. Several of us saw this stove at Aiken, but if you didn't see it, be sure and ask about it. Below is a diagram and instructions for anyone that wants to make their own.

To make the stove, take a small flat can (such as a tuna fish can) and remove the top. Take a rectangular piece of fabric (an old piece of cotton or whatever) and fold it over until it is as wide as the can is deep. Coil this "wick" and put it in the can (see diagram). Next pour some kind of melted fat or grease over the wick. Next time you need some heat, just light it. Thanks, Mr. Straight.