The Sibley tent was invented by U.S. Army officer Henry Hopkins Sibley and patented in 1856. The “new and improved conical tent” was twelve feet high and eighteen feet in diameter; Sibley claimed that it could hold 20 men comfortably with “arms and equipments.” It was supported by a central pole and iron tripod that allowed it to be erected over fire pits or a stove, and an opening in the top allowed smoke to escape. Sibley was to receive five dollars for every tent used by the army, but was not paid after he resigned from the U.S. Army and joined the Confederacy. The Union used nearly 44,000 Sibley tents during the war. Although Sibley tents saw service in the field early in the war, as the war progressed they were relegated to more permanent camps and rear areas. Sibley’s attempts to collect royalties after the war were unsuccessful.

Tintype by Unknown Photographer

Image Courtesy Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield; WICR 32041