Just about everyone remembers the humble shelter half, which when buttoned or snapped to another makes a "pup" tent. I once read a reference to shelter halves being used by the British Army at Waterloo. When the shelter half was introduced by the U.S. Army during the Civil War the tent was known as a "dog" tent. During the Civil War rifle-muskets were used as poles, and some decades later pre-World War II manuals show images of the tent being pitched with M1903 Springfield rifles used as poles. Presumably the change from long rifle-muskets to shorter rifles led to the change in terms from dog to the more diminutive pup.

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