The Young Campaigner

In Their Words: Why they fought

by William Chapman

The Civil War bitterly divided our nation.  Not only were North and South severed from each other, but it divided the nation ideologically as well. From Galveston to Governor's Island, from Fort Tejon to Fort Sumter, from Manassas to Mobile, the minds of our nation were in a struggle greater than any battle.  The blood spilt in Devil's Den, or in the trenches at Petersburg, or in the confused slaughter in the Wilderness, was all for a cause.  Even today, that cause is illusive.  Just what is it that made brother turn on brother?  What was the reason people felt so strongly about their cause?  Let us explore the psychology of the Civil War, in their words.

Perhaps one of the most famous men of the era, Abraham Lincoln, presented a summary of one cause of the war in an address in 1858.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved; I do not expect the house to fall; but I do expect that it will cease to be divided. It will become all the one thing or all the other."

That was really the heart of it. Either the country went one way or it fell apart.

Causes became viral.  Whatever the popular belief was in any particular area was the belief that prevailed.  Mark Twain, the famous American author who spent some time at the beginning of the war in the Confederate militia, wrote an account of his time in the war some years later, titled "A Private History of the Campaign that Failed."  In this account, he related a story of a conversation he had in 1860 on a Mississippi River steamboat with a New Yorker.

" He was strong for the Union; so was I. But he would not listen to me with any patience, my loyalty was smirched, to his eye, because my father had owned slaves. I said in palliation of this dark fact that I had heard my father say, some years before he died, that slavery was a great wrong and he would free the solitary Negro he then owned if he could think it right to give away the property of the family when he was so straitened in means. My mate retorted that a mere impulse was nothing, anyone could pretend to a good impulse, and went on decrying my Unionism and libelling my ancestry. A month later the secession atmosphere had considerably thickened on the Lower Mississippi and I became a rebel; so did he."

Wayland Fuller Dunaway of Virginia related:

"I loved the Union and the flag under which my ancestors had enjoyed civil and religious libery.  I did not think that Lincoln's election was a sufficient cause for dissolving the Union, for he had announced no evil designs concerning Southern institutions..."

Later, after Virginia's secession, Dunaway's outlook changed.

"The conviction was growing in me that, if my native state was about to be invaded, I must have a place in the ranks of the defenders."

This was the same sentiment that Robert E. Lee had.  In 1861, Winfield Scott offered Lee top command in the US army.  Lee declined, telling one of his officers:

"I shall never bear arms against the Union, but it may be necessary for me to carry a musket in defense of my native state, Virginia."

There is a story told by historian Shelby Foote in the series "The Civil War" that talks about a malnourished and ragged Confederate picket who was captured by the Federals at some point during the war.  When asked "What are you fighting for?" he replied, "Because you're down here."  This sentiment seemed to be shared all over the South.

Sullivan Ballou, a Major in the Federal army, is well known for a letter he wrote to his wife the week before Bull Run.

"The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days-perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I am no more.  I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government, and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and suffering of the Revolution. And I am willing-perfectly willing-to lay down all the joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt.  Sarah, my love for you is deathless. It seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me irresistibly on with all these chains to the battlefield."

Delavan S. Miller, a drummer boy from New York, wrote in a memoir after the war that:

"The shot (at Fort Sumter) electrified the North, and the martial current that went from man to man was imparted to the boys.  Favorite pastimes lost their zest.  Juvenile Millitary companies and mimic battles were fought every Saturday afternoon."

Regardless of his loyalties, the soldier and the civilian was driven by his cause, whatever it happened to be.  Ideals were the root of the Civil War.

Choosing A Jacket For Your Confederate Impression

by William Chapman

There are a lot of options out there for Confederate jackets. It can be daunting trying to select a style that would be best for your impression. There are a lot of factors to take into consideration when researching which jacket would be best for you. What would be best for the theatre of the war that you reenact? What would be best for your unit or your event? This article should help to provide a general overview of some jackets you might consider and help you choose the right one. ***Note: More information will be added to this article as it becomes available, please check back!***

Richmond Depot Jackets

Time period: 1862-1865

Area of issue: Richmond depot jackets appear commonly in Army of Northern Virginia usage. Because of the location of the depot, Richmond depot jackets were not commonly issued outside of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Patterns: RD jackets were made in three basic patterns over the course of the war. The type I was first issued in 1862 and was probably phased out of production later the same year. It is charachterized by the use of piping and shoulder straps. The type II was issued starting in 1862 until 1864. The type II is identifiable by its lack of trim and piping, use of belt loops and shoulder straps, and plain muslin lining. The type III is the plainest of the RD jackets and was issued starting roughly in 1864. Type III jackets have no shoulder straps, belt loops, or piping.

Note: There are many period immitations of RD jackets that commonly appear in photographs, original examples, etc. These are commonly classified as RD jackets because of their style, however, they were often made by tailors, etc., rather than by the actual depot.

For more information: A Survey of Confederate Central Government Quartermaster Issue Jackets Part 2 by Leslie Jensen or see p. 134-137 of the Confederate Echoes of Glory.

Commutation Jackets

Time period: 1861-1865

Area of issue: The term "commutation jacket" refers to any jacket that was made at home and either issued to the troops through the Commutation system (see below) or sent by relief societies, etc. Therefore, commutation jackets were worn in almost all theatres of the war.

Patterns: The Commutation stystem was enacted early on in the war in order to keep up with the huge demand that the depots could not always answer to. Commutation jackets are a very wide-ranging category because they were all home-made. Patterns range from very elaborate to quite simple. The best way to choose what details are most appropriate is to research the commutation jackets that were in use in your area/unit.

Notes: ***This category includes untrimmed frock coats***

Columbus Depot Jackets

Photo from Lazy Jacks Mess.

Time period: 1862-1865

Area of issue: CD jackets were commonly issued to units from Kenucky, Georgia, Mississippi, etc. They were common in the Western theatre and the Army of Tennessee.

Patterns: The Western counterpart to the RD jacket is the CD jacket. CD's are similar in style to the RD pattern, only they commonly have a pointed "tail" extending a few inches from the back and they also bear facing on the collar and cuffs that corresponds with the branch of service. Type I CD's are evidenced to have had six-button fronts and interior pockets, whereas the Type II commonly has six or seven butons and one exterior pocket.

For more information: Confederate "Columbus Depot" Jackets: The Material Evidence by Geoffrey Walden or see p. 143 of the Confederate Echoes of Glory.

Four Button Jackets

Photo from Old South Antiques

Time Period: Roughly 1863-?

Area of issue: The four button jacket's origins are foggy, but all but one of the six surviving originals can be documented to the Richmond area. Army of Northern Virginia and some limited Trans-Mississippi usage would be appropriate.

Patterns: It is not clear wether these jackets were made to a specific pattern or not, they do have some consistent details between the ones that still exist today. The defining details of the four button jacket are: four buttons (duh), a pocket on the right side, and a longer and looser body than a shell jacket. Two of the jackets that are documentable to the Richmond area have blue facings on the collar.

For more information: The Mysterious Confederate Four-Button Jacket by John Stillwagon or p. 138 of the Confederate Echoes of Glory.

Peter Tait Jackets

Time Period: 1864-1865

Area of Issue: Peter Tait Jackets were manufactured in Limerick, Ireland and run through the Federal blockade to be issued to Confederate troops. They appear in all theatres of the war.

Patterns: The Peter Tait Contract jacket is charachterized by being fully machine sewn (with the exception of the buttonholes, of course), having a five piece body, and blue or red facings on the collar. Tait jackets were often issued with the English "script I" style buttons.

For more information: See "Peter Tait: The Man, The Firm, and the Uniforms supplied to the Confederate States." by David Burt in the September/October 2008 issue of Civil War Historian Magazine.

Charleston Depot Jackets

Time Period: ?-1865

Area of Issue: The two surviving Charleston jackets are linked to South Carolina troops.

Patterns: The Charleston jacket is made of blue-gray kersey wool with an unbleached muslin lining. It has five buttons down the front, shoulder straps, and belt loops.

For more information: The Charleston Depot Jacket by Leslie Jensen (scroll down).

Jackets From Taylor's Department Depots

Time Period: 1861-1862 for some depots; 1863-1864 for others.

Area of Issue: These jackets were issued to troops serving in the Army of Tennesse and the Trans-Mississippi and Western theatres.

Patterns: For this category, I have lumped the jackets from several smaller depots in the Louisiana/Texas/Arkansas/Mississippi area. These include jackets from the Baton Rouge (a small state arsenal that was out of operation by 1862), Shreveport (established in 1863), Huntsville, and Jackson. These jackets are all fairly simple and plain in appearance with some minor variations between them. Huntsville made shell jackets from all-cotton jean cloth produced in the state penitentiary. Most of these jackets have blue facings on the collar, five or six buttons, and a breast pocket of some kind on either side.

For more information: Uniforms of the Trans-Mississippi, Part 2 by K.C. MacDonald or see p. 140 of the Confederate Echoes of Glory.

Houston Depot Jackets

Time Period: ?-1865

Area of Issue: Trans-Mississippi

Patterns: The Houston Depot jacket is characterized by being made of blue gray wool kersey (possibly), has six or seven buttons, and has a longer waist than the Richmond or Columbus depot jackets.

For more information:Evidence For Houston Depot Jackets by KC McDonald

North Carolina Shell Jackets

Time Period: 1862-1865

Area of Issue: prob. Army of Northern Virginia

Patterns: This jacket is fairly simple and follows the same basic pattern as the Richmond depot.

North Carolina Sack Coats

Time period: 1861-1862

Area of issue: North Carolina State Troops

Patterns: This coat is cut like a sack rather than a shell jacket ans it hangs loosely around the body like a Federal fatigue blouse. It is characterized by black stripes on the shoulders.

The Yorktown-Warwick Line

by William Chapman

It is 1862 and the Peninsula Campaign is raging in eastern Virginia. Yorktown, the site where the terminal battle of the American Revolution was waged, is once-again surrounded by earthworks. A strong line of works running south from that point, constructed by General John Blankhead Magruder's Confederates, spans the width of the peninsula, ending at the Warwick River, a swampy tributary of the James. The Federal agressor, Major General George McClellan has 121,500 men at his disposal, a striking contrast to Magruder's small army of 35,000. McClellan's goal is Ricmond.

A view of the Confederate earthworks outside Yorktown (1862). Notice that the works are fortified with cotton bales.

The Peninsula Campaign was McClellan's plan to push to Richmond up the stretch of land between the York and James rivers that is known as "the Peninsula". Originally, the plan had been for a Naval attack on the city backed up by infantry, however, that plan was foiled in the naval battle of Hampton Roads, where the CSS Virginia made any Federal Naval agression on the James nearly impossible. McClellan decided to proceed with his infantry nevertheless. Now, a month after the start of the campaign, McClellan had already pushed Magruder's men a quarter of the way up the peninsula to Yorktown.

Magruder's headquarters was in Lee Hall mansion.

Magruder's Yorktown-Warwick line was a long, well-fortified string of works across some of the most unforgiving landscape in Virginia. The southern part of the line, running along the Warwick, was built on wet marshland and frought with mosquitos, dense underbrush, and plenty of mud. Magruder took advantage of the low, marshy landscape and dammed up sections of the Warwick river at the center of his line, thus flooding a large area in front of his earthworks. This technique is known as inundation, and it proved to be quite effective.

McClellan had been misinformed by his maps and lead to believe that the Warwick River flowed perpendicular to the James (instead, flowed perpendicular to the Confederate lines). Magruder had also led McClellan to believe that there were far more Confederates than there really were by marching his men back and forth in front of a clearing where he knew Federal scouts could see them. With this false information in mind, McClellan made his first attack on the Confederate line at the southern part, at a place called Lee's Mill. McClellan deployed his men close to the Rebel lines and launched an artillery barrage on April 5th, which did little damage.

The Confederate earthworks at Lee's Mill.

McClellan became convinced that the Yorktown-Warwick line was practically impenitrable, and rather than having his men attempt to break through the line, had them pull back and build siege works perpendicular to the Confederate line.

While the Federal army was busy intrenching itself, Confederate General Joseph Johnston arrived at Magruder's line with reinforcements. McClellan, who loved to make use of new millitary technology, utilized a surveillance balloon, operated by Thaddeus Lowe, to attempt to view the Confederate line.

On April 16, McClellan made another push, this time at the center of the Confederate line. It was at a place that had been flooded by one of Magruder's dams, Dam No. 1. The dam was defeded by two twin forts (each with one large artillery piece), a string of rifle pits, and a one-gun battery on the edge of the inundated land.

The one-gun battery at Dam No. 1.

The Confederate rifle trench in the defenses of Dam No. 1.

Inside one of the twin forts in the defenses of Dam No. 1.

The attack opened with an artillery bombardment. At 3:00 in the afternoon, the 3rd Vermont infantry crossed the inundated land on the dam, and some who could not fit on the dam waded across. Heavy Confederate musket fire made the Warwick "boil". A sixteen year old drummer in the 3rd made several trips back and forth across the river to help his wounded comrades. The Federals drove the Rebels from their rifle pits, only to be decimated by Cobb's Georgians, who gave them a hail of musketry. The 3rd Vermont retreated back across the dam, and there was an attempt by the 4th and 6th Vermont units to back them up, but it was to no avail. In the end, there were 95 dead in the Federal army and 121 wounded.

The marshy water where the 3rd Vermont crossed the Warwick River.

The Confederates came under the command of Johnston shortly after Dam No. 1. Johnston had gathered intelligence that McClellan was peparing to launch into a full-blown siege (using siege artillery), and was wise enough to realize that his men could not withstand a siege of that magnitude, so he fell back to the town of Williamsburg. The next day, the Federals would find the Warwick-Yorktown line empty. The Union army would proceed to occupy Yorktown, using the Nelson House (Cornwallis's Revolutionary War headquarters) as a hospital, and the siding of the Moore House (the site of the Revolutionary War surrender negotiations) as firewood. The Pinensula Campaign would rage on for the rest of that summer, eventually culminating in the Seven Days Battles at the gates of Richmond.

The Thomas Nelson house in 1862.

The building on the right is the Thomas Nelson house, which was used as a hospital during the occupation of Yorktown.

This original photo of the Augustine Moore shows where the house was stripped of some of its siding to be used as firewood by the troops.

The Moore house today after its restoration.

An Examination of Five Occupational Photos

The common people in 19th Century America worked hard. Often, the way thy behaved or dressed was affected by their line of work. Tradesmen were proud of their hard work as well. That is why occupational photographs were popular with working-class Americans before the Civil War. Here is an examination of four of those photos from the Library of Congress. These images are all 1850's and they all show the common man's pride for his work.

This image shows a carpenter with his various tools. He is wearing a white work shirt with a large collar, which he wears down over a cravat or kerchief. Such work shirts were commonly worn by tradesmen in 19th Century America as a rugged, practical garment. These shirts were not worn with braces and commonly fit more loosely that regular shirts. This carpenter appears to be wearing hickory or jean cloth trowsers. A small chair sits beside him (possibly some of his work) and a plane and two chizels sxit on top of it. The carpenter wears a low-crowned straw hat with a wide band around it. He has a close-cropped beard of the style that was popular fo young and middle-aged men in the 1850's and 1860's. In his hands, he holds a hammer and a small cut nail. This man makes his profession very evident in his portrait by displaying his tools.

This daguerrotype shows a traveling salesman displaying his wares. He holds two palletes filled with books, pencils, hairbrushes, and other various items (pomade?). A small japanned conical object in the center of the lower pallette is possibly a small child's trumpet. The salesman wears a paletot coat and two straps over his shoulders for carrying his peddler's trunks. Under his coat, the salesman wears a shawl-collar vest (possibly silk) with covered buttons. Around his neck is a black cravat. His hair is parted on the right side and slicked backwards. It also appears that he is wearing a pocket watch (a small chain is visible to the left of his fourth button down). This man was probably a door to door peddler such as the one in this photograph:

This peddler is quite similar to the other one. He is very well dressed in a frock coat and has a cravat on. In this photograph, his trunks can be clearly seen with the japanning being worn off. Both salesmen are displaying their "tools of the trade", but there are some major differences between them and some other tradespeople of the time period. One thing that is very noticeable is that both salesmen are fairly well dressed, which probably means that they made a little bit better living than a common tradesman (they also needed to be well dressed for their job).

This image shows a surveyor and all of his equipment. Surveyors made good money in the 19th century for their work, partially because surveying required a great deal of education as opposed to some other occupations. Behind him is a transit on a tripod. He his holding a map and a set of calipers. He wears a dark wool sack coat and an off-white shawl collar vest underneath it. A simple black cravat is around his neck. Like other occupational photos, this man is displaying his tools with pride for his line of work.

Two teamsters and their oxen standing in front of a wooden fence or barn wall appear in this image. Both of the teamsters are wearing large smocks with pockets on the front. These garments are fairly unusual. Both are wearing oilcloth mechanic's caps and high riding boots. The one on the left holds a crop in his hand. The oxen are yoked and prepared to go. This image is fairly unusual for an occupational photo. It is large and taken outdoors. Most are taken inside and show only the torso of the subject. Obviously, these two teamsters wanted to show their oxen as well as themselves.

As different from one another as all of the trades and occupations in the 19th century were, one thing that everyone was familiar with was photography. Photography allowed tradesmen to show pride in their occupation. Today, they provide a valuable resource to researchers looking for the way a person with a specific way of life would have looked.

We Turned a Nice Penny: Soldiers' Moneymaking Schemes

by William Chapman

John Jacob Omenhauser was a Confederate prisoner in Point Lookout Federal prison in Maryland. During his stay there at Point Lookout, John Jacob Omenhauser drew a book of sketches depicting life in the prison. One common thing shown in his illustrations is soldiers selling things (especially food) for money. This was a common practice in both the Federal and Confederate army. Troops wanted money for gambling, buying things, or saving, and they got it however they could. This is the greedy story of moneymaking schemes in the Civil War.

This illustration by Omenhauser shows men at Point Lookout making biscuits and selling them as fast as they can be eaten. Soft bread such as biscuits was a welcome break from normal rations.

Robert Jarman was a member of the 27th Mississippi Infantry. Jarman wrote of a time when the men who had servants would send them to Georgia to buy potatoes, molasses, flour, and brandy. The servants would also bring back ginger cakes, which they could buy for $1.00 each and sell in camp. They sold the cakes for twice that ammount. "We sold at $2.00 a piece at camps, upon an average of five hundred to eight hundred per week, so you see we turned a nice penny on ginger cakes.", Jarman said. If you do the math, Jarman would have been able to make $2,000 in just two weeks.

Practically anyone who knew how to make something would use their talents to make some extra money. Soldiers would mend garments, cook, and do other services for money. Civilians could also use the opportunity to do work for the troops to their benefit.

Omenhauser's illustration depicts a soldier selling dumplings.

Gambling was a common way to make money during the war. Soldiers gambled on races, fights, games, and just about anything else. Although the pastime was discouraged, troops continued to gamble. Sam Watkins (Co. Aytch) said that they played chuck-a-luck, a dice game. Valerious Giles of the 4th Texas Infantry said they played faro. Whatever game it was, soldiers lost a great deal of money playing it. Giles said, "It was "Paradise Lost" to many a poor devil who blew the last cent he had and then trudged back to his regiment, busted but no wiser."

Officers discouraged gambling but it still continued. Often, soldiers wasted their last cent to gambling. Many times, soldiers were reported to have blown their enlistment bonuses in card games.

There are countless accounts of gambling, deceit, and treachery all for money during the war. Men did what they had to to make a precious cent.

Sources- "Soldier Life", by the editors of Time-Life Books
"Co. Aytch", by Sam Watkins
The Library of Congress