The Whole Shebang

So, tell me, who really knows what this phrase means/where it comes from? No, not you, Stef. I know you know it!!
Tonight we had a Daddy-Daughter evening focusing on the set up of tents (part of our pre-camp stuff). We invited Frank Groce (he's the father of one of our new beehives) to demonstrate the tent setup they use in their Civil War Re-enactments. He showed us the A-frame and the whole shebang! Yep, a half shebang is basically a square of canvas with lead buttons and button holes on it. One soldier carries a half and his buddy carries the other, so when they get to camp, they put the two together and have a whole shebang. Therefore, if your buddy falls in battle, you end up having to carry the whole shebang.
I was amazed at how quickly these tents went up and how crisp they looked. Of course, they used cut pieces of wood and the soldiers would have just found limbs or whatever was available to assemble it so they wouldn't have that burden to carry around. I thought it was pretty interesting. And, on top of that, I'm in Book 8 of The Work and the Glory series where the Saints are leaving Nauvoo and heading west. I definitely have a better appreciation after tonight's demonstration of what setting up tents meant for these weary travelers.