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Section 0: alt.war.civil.usa, soc.history.war.us-civil-war,
and net stuff
Q0.1: What are these groups anyway?
Q0.2: Are the FAQ and Reading List archived somewhere? *
Q0.3: Where can I find Civil War images, documents, and so forth on-line?
Section 1: Secession and the beginning of the War
Q1.1: When did state X secede?
Q1.2: Was there a declaration of war or something?
Q1.3: Was Texas given a right to secede by the Treaty of Annexation that brought
it into the Union?
Q1.4: Did the Supreme Court ever rule on the legality of secession?
Q1.5: What were the populations of the states at the outbreak of the war?
Section 2: Battles and fighting forces
Q2.1: What are the alternative names of various battles?
Q2.2: Who were the U.S. Generals at the outbreak of the war, and who were the
first Generals appointed after the war began?
Q2.3: Who were the first C.S. Generals appointed?
Q2.4: What were the naval ranks during the Civil War?
Q2.5: What were the organization and strengths of various units in the armies?
Q2.6: What is the difference between grapeshot and canister?
Q2.7: How did prisoner exchanges and paroles work?
Q2.8: What did a brevet promotion indicate, and what did an officer gain by
being given a brevet?
Section 3: The end of the War
Q3.1: When did the war end?
Q3.2: If the rebel states were never considered legally out of the Union, how
was Reconstruction justified?
Q3.3: When were the different states readmitted to representation in Congress?
Q3.4: Who was the last surviving veteran of the Civil War?
Section 4: Genealogy and Unit Histories
Q4.1: My ancestor fought in the war-- how do I find out about his service?
Q4.2: How can I find information about a particular regiment?
Section 5: Miscellaneous
Q5.1: What is the "Stars and Bars"?
Q5.2: What changes to the U.S. flag occurred during the war?
Q5.3: How was the state of West Virginia created?
Q5.4: What war records did the post-war presidents have?
Q5.5: What are the various alternative names for the war?
Q5.6: What are good books on the war?
Q5.7: How can I get the soundtrack to Ken Burn's "Civil War"?
Q5.8: Did U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee both own slaves and free them?
Q5.9: What is the recipe for hardtack?
Q5.10: Where can I get a copy of the
Sullivan Ballou letter quoted in Ken Burn's "Civil War"?
Q5.11: What were the lyrics to "Dixie", "The Bonnie Blue
Flag", etc.?
Q5.12: How can I get the "Official Records" on CD-ROM? Answers Section
0:
alt.war.civil.usa, soc.history.war.us-civil-war,
and net stuff ------------------------------ Q0.1: What are these groups anyway?
The USENET newsgroup alt.war.civil.usa was
created in the Spring of 1992 at the suggestion of Patrick L. Dunn (Thanks!).
The charter of alt.war.civil.usa reads: The
purpose of this group is the discussion of topics related to the United States
Civil War (1861-65). Topics can involve military, political, social, economic or
other factors which impacted upon this period of history. This newsgroup will
also serve as a source of information, assistance, or referral for persons
seeking guidance via responses from more knowledgeable subscribers. The USENET
newsgroup soc.history.war.us-civil-war
is a moderated group created in June 1995. Andrew McMichael spearheaded the
drive to create the group (thanks Andrew!). Its purpose is very similar to alt.war.civil.usa;
the whole panoply of topics related to the U.S. Civil War may be discussed.
However, it is moderated. This means that articles are screened by volunteer
moderators to insure that they remain on topic, do not excessively quote other
articles, are not flames, and do not contain racial or other attacks. A more
detailed explanation of the moderation policy is posted in the group at the
beginning of each month. It is also available at the soc.history.war.us-civil-war
Web Page at http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/7002
[Top]
Q0.2: Are the FAQ and Reading List archived somewhere? Yes, the latest
versions of the FAQ and Reading List are available for anonymous ftp at: ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/civil-war-usa/faq/part1
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/civil-war-usa/faq/part2
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/civil-war-usa/reading-list
An HTML version of this FAQ and Reading List is at http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/7002/faqidx.htm
The HTML version is a little behind the posted version, since it takes some time
to make the conversion. [Top]
Q0.3: Where can I find Civil War images, documents, and so forth on-line?
[Your
humble FAQ maintainer asks the net cruisers among you to keep him notified of
changes and errors.] A large collection of e-texts relating to the Civil War
including the Confederate Constitution, secession ordinances, Lincoln's
Inaugurals, the Emancipation Proclamation, lists of CS Navy ships, the
autobiography of CSA Gen. D.H. Maury, plus images of famous people on both sides
are available at the anonymous ftp archive site ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/history/marshall/military/civil_war_usa
Here is list of URL's that will lead to dozens more [Compiled with assistance
from Steven Rohr]: The American Civil War Homepage (Univ of Tennessee) http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/
U.S. Civil War Center (LSU) http://www.cwc.lsu.edu
Civil War Page (Jim Janke) http://homepages.dsu.edu/jankej/civilwar/civilwar.htm
Civil War Information, Documents, and Archives (Bryan Boyle)
Civil War Resources http://www.usafa.af.mil/dfeng/cwarres.htm
The Gettysburg Discussion Group http://www.gdg.org
Causes of the Civil War site (Jim Epperson)-- lots of documents from the period
leading to secession) http://members.aol.com/jfepperson/causes.html
The Library of Congress has a Civil War image collection at http://rs6.loc.gov/amhome.html
An archive of articles previously posted in alt.war.civil.usa
(since about 1 Jan 1996) and soc.history.war.us-civil-war
(since about 1 Apr 1996) is available at http://www.dejanews.com [Top]
Section 1: The beginning of the War
Q1.1: When did state X secede?
Before Lincoln's call for troops, the following states seceded: 1. South
Carolina, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 20 Dec 1860 2. Mississippi,
Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 9 Jan 1861 3. Florida, Convention
passed Ordinance of Secession, 10 Jan 1861 4. Alabama, Convention passed
Ordinance of Secession, 11 Jan 1861 5. Georgia, Convention passed Ordinance of
Secession, 19 Jan 1861 6. Louisiana, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession,
26 Jan 1861 7. Texas, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 1 Feb 1861, to
take effect 2 Mar 1861 provided it was ratified by the voters on 23 Feb 1861
(approved 46,153 to 14,747). Texas admitted to the Confederacy, 2 Mar 1861.
After Lincoln's call for troops on 15 Apr 1861, the following states seceded: 8.
Virginia, Convention rejected secession 4 Apr 1861, Convention passed Ordinance
of Secession 17 Apr 1861 and ratified C.S.A. Constitution, both subject to
ratification of voters 23 May 1861 (approved 132,201 to 37,451). Virginia
admitted to CSA 7 May 1861. 9. Arkansas, Convention rejected secession ordinance
on 18 Mar 1861 and called for referendum in August, Convention passed Ordinance
of Secession 6 May 1861. Arkansas admitted to C.S.A. 20 May 1861. 10. North
Carolina, Voters narrowly rejected (47,705 to 47,611) calling a Convention 28
Feb 1861. Legislature called Convention 1 May 1861. Convention passed Ordinance
of Secession 20 May 1861. North Carolina provisionally admitted to CSA 17 May
1861. 11. Tennessee, Voters rejected (69,772 to 57,708) calling a Convention 9
Feb 1861. On 6 May 1861 Legislature passed "Declaration of
Independence" and ratification of CSA Constitution subject to referendum on
8 June 1861 (approved 104,471 to 47,183). Tennessee admitted to CSA 17 May 1861.
The following two states never seceded via any mechanism provided by a
"regular" government: 12. Missouri, Convention rejected secession 9
Mar 1861; Convention reconvened in July 1861 and declared offices of governor
and legislature vacant; rump legislature, meeting in Neosho, passed Ordinance of
Secession 31 Oct 1861 and requested admission to CSA. Missouri admitted to CSA
28 Nov 1861. 13. Kentucky, southern sympathizers called for convention Oct 1861,
Convention passed Ordinance of Secession 18 Nov 1861. Kentucky admitted to the
CSA 10 Dec 1861. Sources: Civil War Day-by-Day; Official Records, Ser. IV, Vol
1; D.W. Crofts, *Reluctant Confederates* (1989); W.L. Buenger, *Secession and
the Union in Texas* (1984). [Top]
Q1.2: Was
there a declaration of war or something?
1. The United States never declared war. This was in keeping with its
position that the rebel states did not form a new nation, rather they were
states in which a rebellion was taking place. Abraham Lincoln issued a
Proclamation that an insurrection existed in the states of SC, GA, FL, AL, MS,
LA, and TX on 15 Apr 1861 (Messages & Papers of the Presidents, vol. V,
p3214). He also proclaimed a blockade of Southern harbors on 19 Apr 1861, and
the date of this proclamation was taken by the Supreme Court in several cases to
be the official beginning of the insurrection. 2. The Confederate States passed
"An Act recognizing the existence of war between the United States and the
Confederate States" on 6 May 1861. This act exempted MD, NC, TN, KY, AR,
MO, DE, and the territories of AZ and NM, and the Indian Territory south of KS.
Sources: McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom; Official Records, Ser. IV, Vol. 1 [Top]
Q1.3:
Was Texas given a right to secede by the Treaty of Annexation that brought it
into the Union?
Texas *was not* brought into the Union by treaty. There was an attempt to do
this in 1844, but the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the treaty. Texas was
annexed by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1845. Neither the failed annexation
treaty nor the Resolution of Annexation reserved any right for Texas to secede.
In fact, the treaty would have made Texas a mere territory, but the Joint
Resolution gave immediate statehood. In addition, the Resolution provided that
Texas might divide itself into as many as five states, if it so desired. In
1845, Texas did not avail itself of this provision of the Resolution, and it is
not clear whether the provision would still be operable after that time. [Top]
Q1.4:
Did the Supreme Court ever rule on the legality of secession?
Yes, it did-- after the war. Perhaps the clearest statement is in the case Texas
v. White (74 U.S. 700). Chief Justice Chase, writing for the court in its 1869
decision, said: "The Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an
indestructible Union, composed of indestructible States. ... Considered,
therefore, as transactions under the Constitution, the Ordinance of Secession,
adopted by the convention and ratified by a majority of the citizens of Texas,
and all the Acts of her Legislature intended to give effect to that ordinance,
were absolutely null. They were utterly without operation in law. ... Our
conclusion, therefore, is, that Texas continued to be a State, and a State of
the Union, notwithstanding the transactions to which we have referred." The
entire decision is available on the Web at http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/historic.htm [Top]
Q1.5:
What were the populations of the states at the outbreak of the war?
The following statistics are from J.C.G. Kennedy, Supt. of Census, _Population
of the United States in 1860_ (Washington, G.P.O., 1864)
| State |
White |
Free Colored |
Slave |
Total [1] |
Military [2] |
| AL |
526,271 |
2,690 |
435,080 |
964,201 |
99,967 |
| AR |
324,143 |
144 |
111,115 |
435,450 |
65,231 |
| CA |
323,177 |
4,086 |
0 |
379,994 |
169,975 |
| CT |
451,504 |
8,627 |
0 |
460,147 |
94,411 |
| DE |
90,589 |
19,829 |
1,798 |
112,216 |
18,273 |
| FL |
77,747 |
932 |
61,745 |
140,424 |
15,739 |
| GA |
591,550 |
3,500 |
462,198 |
1,057,286 |
111,005 |
| IL |
1,704,291 |
7,628 |
0 |
1,711,951 |
375,026 |
| IN |
1,338,710 |
11,428 |
0 |
1,350,428 |
265,295 |
| IA |
673,779 |
1,069 |
0 |
674,913 |
139,316 |
| KS [3] |
106,390 |
625 |
2 |
107,206 |
27,976 |
| KY |
919,484 |
10,684 |
225,483 |
1,155,684 |
180,589 |
| LA |
357,456 |
18,647 |
331,726 |
708,002 |
83,456 |
| ME |
626,947 |
1,307 |
0 |
628,279 |
122,238 |
| MD |
515,918 |
83,942 |
87,189 |
687,049 |
102,715 |
| MA |
1,221,432 |
9,602 |
0 |
1,231,066 |
258,419 |
| MI |
736,142 |
6,799 |
0 |
749,113 |
164,007 |
| MN |
169,395 |
259 |
0 |
172,023 |
41,226 |
| MS |
353,899 |
773 |
436,631 |
791,305 |
70,295 |
| MO |
1,063,489 |
3,572 |
114,931 |
1,182,012 |
232,781 |
| NH |
325,579 |
494 |
0 |
326,073 |
63,610 |
| NJ[4] |
646,699 |
25,318 |
18 |
672,035 |
132,219 |
| NY |
3,831,590 |
49,005 |
0 |
3,880 |
796,881 |
| NC |
629,942 |
30,463 |
331,059 |
992,622 |
115,369 |
| OH |
2,302,808 |
36,673 |
0 |
2,339,511 |
459,534 |
| OR |
52,160 |
128 |
0 |
52,465 |
15,781 |
| PA |
2,849,259 |
56,949 |
0 |
2,906,215 |
555,172 |
| RI |
170,649 |
3,952 |
0 |
174,620 |
35,502 |
| SC |
291,300 |
9,914 |
402,406 |
703,708 |
55,046 |
| TN |
826,722 |
7,300 |
275,719 |
1,109,801 |
159,353 |
| TX |
420,891 |
355 |
182,566 |
604,215 |
92,145 |
| VT |
314,369 |
709 |
0 |
315,098 |
60,580 |
| VA[5] |
1,047,299 |
58,042 |
490,865 |
1,596,318 |
196,587 |
| VA1[5] |
691,424 |
55,269 |
472,494 |
1,219,299 |
129,786 |
| WV[5] |
355,875 |
2,773 |
18,371 |
377,019 |
66,801 |
| WI |
773,693 |
1,171 |
0 |
775,881 |
159,335 |
Territories 76,214 (all terr.) [Top]
|
CO |
34,231 |
46 |
0 |
34,277 |
|
| DK |
2,576 |
0 |
0 |
4,837 |
|
| NE |
28,696 |
67 |
15 |
28,841 |
|
| NV[6] |
6,812 |
45 |
0 |
6,857 |
|
| NM[7] |
82,979 |
85 |
0 |
93,516 |
|
| UT |
40,125 |
30 |
29 |
40,273 |
|
| WA |
11,138 |
30 |
0 |
11,594 |
|
| DC |
60,763 |
11,131 |
3,185 |
75,080 |
12,797 |
The Bottom Line
| Union* |
21,475,373 |
355,310 |
432,650 |
22,339,989 |
4,559,872 |
| CSA |
5,447,220 |
132,760 |
3,521,110 |
9,103,332 |
1,064,193 |
*includes MO and KY, DC, and territories The following statistics are
from J.C.G. Kennedy, Supt. of Census, _Preliminary Report on the Eighth Census,
1860_ (Washington, G.P.O., 1862) and from Annie Abel, _The American Indian as
Slaveholder and Secessionist_ (1915, repr 1992: U of Nebraska Pr) The Five
Civilized Tribes Tribe
| Tribe |
White |
Free Colored |
Slave |
Indian |
| Choctaw |
802 |
67 |
2,297 |
18,000 |
| Cherokee |
713 |
17 |
2,504 |
21,000 |
| Creek |
319 |
277 |
1,651 |
13,550 |
| Chickasaw |
156 |
13 |
917 |
5,000 |
| Seminole |
713 |
17 |
2,504 |
21,000 |
[Top]
The following statistics are from J.C.G. Kennedy, Supt. of Census,
_Agriculture in the United States in 1860_ (Washington: G.P.O., 1864) [ratios
calculated by JMS]
| State |
Slave Holder's |
Slaveholder's in White
Population % |
Slave's per Slaveholder |
| AL |
33,730 |
6.4 |
12.9 |
| AR |
11,481 |
3.5 |
9.7 |
| DE |
587 |
0.65 |
3.1 |
| FL |
5,152 |
6.6 |
12.0 |
| GA |
41,084 |
6.9 |
11.2 |
| KY |
38,645 |
4.2 |
5.8 |
| LA |
22,033 |
6.1 |
15.0 |
| MD |
13,783 |
2.7 |
6.3 |
| MS |
30,943 |
8.7 |
14.1 |
| MO |
24,320 |
2.3 |
4.7 |
| NC |
34,658 |
5.5 |
9.6 |
| SC |
26,701 |
9.2 |
15.1 |
| TN |
36,844 |
4.4 |
7.5 |
| TX |
21,878 |
5.2 |
8.3 |
| VA[5] |
48,523 |
7.0 |
9.7 |
| VA1[5] |
48,523 |
7.0 |
9.7 |
| WV[5] |
3,605 |
1.0 |
5.1 |
| Total |
393,967 |
4.9[8] |
10.0 |
The number of free households in the 15 slave states was 1,515,605. Since the
census generally counted only one slaveholder per household, the number of
slaveholding households will be roughly equal to the number of slaveholders. So
there were roughly 393,967 slaveholding households in 1860. Taking the ratio
shows that 26% of Southern households were slaveholding households.
Notes:
[1] Total includes other racial/ethnic groups.
[2] White males aged 18-45
[3] KS became a state in 1861; it was a territory during the Census.
[4] "Slaves" are "colored apprentices for life."
[5] VA includes the present state of WV, VA1 is just the present state of VA,
and WV is just the present state WV. The whole of VA in 1860 (i.e. VA1 plus WV)
was used in later calculations.
[6] NV became a state in 1864.
[7] White includes "half-breeds."
[8] White population used was the total of the 15 states (WV included with VA)
in the table. [Top]
Section 2: Battles and fighting forces
Q2.1: What
are the alternative names of various battles?
| Union |
Confederate |
|
| Bull Run, VA |
Manassas |
21 July 1861 |
| Wilson's Creek, MO |
Oak Hill |
10 Aug 1861 |
| Logan's Cross Roads, KY |
Mill Springs |
19 Jan 1862 |
| Pea Ridge, AR |
Elkhorn Tavern |
6-8 Mar 1862 |
| Pittsburg Landing, TN |
Shiloh |
6-7 Apr 1862 |
| Fair Oaks, VA |
Seven Pines |
31 May - 1 Jun 1862 |
| Bull Run, VA (2nd) |
Manassas |
29-30 Aug 1862 |
| Antietam, MD |
Sharpsburg |
17 Sept 1862 |
| Chaplin Hills, KY |
Perryville |
8 Oct 1862 |
| Stones River, TN |
Murfreesboro |
30 Dec 1862-2Jan 1863 |
| Elk Creek, Ind. Terr. |
Honey Springs |
17 July 1863 |
| Ocean Pond, FL |
Olustee |
20 Feb 1864 |
| Sabine Cross Roads, LA |
Mansfield |
8 Apr 1864 |
| Opequon Creek, VA |
Winchester |
19 Sept 1864 |
[Top]
Q2.2:
Who were the U.S. Generals at the out-break of the war, and who were the first
Generals appointed after the war began?
[Contributed by Carlton Andrews (andrews@mls.ed.ray.com)]
USA Generals - Prior to Army Expansion
Name
Rank Commission Date Age 7/1/61
Winfield Scott
M.G. 6/25/1841
75
John Ellis Wool
B.G. 6/25/1841
77
David Emanuel Twiggs B.G. 6/30/1846
[Twiggs was dismissed 3/1/1861 for handing/surrendering all
men and equipment in Texas to the state of Texas]
William Selby Harney B.G.
6/14/1858
60
[Harney was removed from his command in Missouri 29 May 1861.
He was not reassigned and retired 1 Aug 1863.]
Joseph E. Johnston QM-B.G.
6/28/1860 [staff appt.]
Edwin Vose Sumner B.G.
3/16/1861
64
ARMY EXPANSION May 1861
Regular Commissions
George Brinton McClellan M.G. 5/14/1861
34
John Charles Fremont M.G.
5/14/1861
48
Henry Wager Halleck M.G.
5/19/1861
46
Joseph K. F. Mansfield B.G.
5/14/1861
57
Irvin McDowell B.G.
5/14/1861
42
Robert Anderson B.G.
5/15/1861
56
William Starke Rosecrans B.G.
5/16/1861
41
Volunteer Commissions
John Adams Dix M.G.
5/16/1861
62
Nathaniel Prentiss Banks M.G.
5/16/1861
45
Benjamin Franklin Butler M.G.
5/16/1861
42
37 officers B.G.
5/17/1861 *
Commission Date is date to rank from, not date appointed.
Q2.3:
Who were the first C.S. Generals appointed?
[31 Aug 1861 will be the cut-off date for this answer.] Generals in the CS Army
(all were appointed on 31 Aug 1861, to date from the date given below):
Samuel Cooper
16 May 1861 (Adjt & Insp. Gen)
Albert Sidney Johnston
30 May 1861
Robert Edward Lee
14 Jun 1861
Joseph Eggleston Johnston
4 Jul 1861
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard 21 Jul 1861
Prior to 16 May 1861, the highest rank in the CS Regular Army
was Brigadier General (5 were authorized):
Samuel Cooper
16 Mar 1861 (Adjt & Insp. Gen)
Robert Edward Lee
14 May 1861
Joseph Eggleston Johnston
14 May 1861
In addition to the CS Regular Army, there was the Provisional
Army (PACS). Which had the ranks of Brigadier and Major General. Major Generals
(PACS): David Emanuel Twiggs
22 May 1861
Leonidas Polk
25 Jun 1861
The first Brigadier General (PACS) was
Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard 1 Mar 1861
at least 35 others appointed between Mar and Aug 1861 The rank of Lieutenant
General was authorized for the PACS on 18 Sep 1862. [Top]
Q2.4:
What were the naval ranks during the Civil War?
[Information from Richard Staley with amendments from Justin T. Broderick]
Admiral (grade created for David Farragut 25 Jul 1866)
Vice Admiral (grade created 21 Dec 1864, Farragut being the first to hold this
rank)
Rear Admiral (created 16 July 1862, the only flag rank that has been maintained
continuously to this day)
Flag Officer (title created 16 Jan 1857, replaced by Commodore on 16 Jun 1862)
Commodore (courtesy title until 16 Jul 1862 when the grade was formally adopted
to replace Flag Officer)
Captain
Commander
Lieut. Commander (grade created 16 Jul 1862)
Lieutenant Master (originally "sailing master"; after the period was
changed to Lieutenant Junior Grade.)
Ensign (title for a passed Midshipman after 16 Jul 1862)
Passed Midshipman (Midshipman who had passed his examination for promotion to
Lieutenant; called Ensign after 1862 although the term continued in use.)
Midshipman (grade given undergraduates of the U.S. Naval Academy; not strictly
in the line of the Navy in the latter part of the century).
Master's Mate Shipped or Rated Master's Mate (usually a warrant officer).
References: _Todd's American Military Equippage:
1851-1870_ W.B. Cogan, _Dictionary of American Admirals_, US Naval Institute
Press, 1989 C.G. Reynolds, _Famous American Admirals_, Van Nostrand Reinhold,
1978 C.O. Paullin, "Naval Administration, 1842-1861", _USNI
Proceedings_, vol. 33 J.C. Tily, _The Uniforms of the United States Navy_,
Thomas Yoseloff, 1964 [Top]
Q2.5:
What were the organization and strengths of various units in the armies?
[Compiled with the assistance of Stephen Schmidt <schmidsj@unvax.union.edu>
and Dominic J. Dal Bello <tecump@fido.ucsb.edu>]
(A good source of information is Richard Zimmermann, _Unit Organizations of the
Civil War_.)
First, always remember that most Civil War units in the field were only at
anywhere between 20% to 40% of their full strength. Thus, while in theory a
company contained 100 men, and would be recruited at that size, by the time they
reached the army they'd be down to 60 or so and after the first battle down to
40 or so. The full-strength sizes are given below, so remember to knock them
down by 50% or more when reading about units engaged in battles. Second, due to
casualties among the officers, frequently units would find themselves commanded
by an officer one or two grades below the rank he should have for the job (e.g.,
a regiment commanded by a lieutenant colonel or major). Third, keep in mind that
in the early stages of the war and in the more remote areas (such as the
Trans-Mississippi), unit organizations tended to deviate more from the norm.
What follows will be the ideal, your mileage may vary.
I. Infantry.
COMPANY. The basic unit is the company, commanded by a captain 100 men =
2 platoons = 4 sections = 8 squads A company has the following officers
(commissioned and non-coms): Captain (1), 1st. Lieut. (1), 2nd. Lieut. (1) 1st
Sgt. (1), Sgts. (4) and Corporals (8). When the company was divided into
platoons, the captain commanded one and the 1st Lt. the other. There was a
sergeant for each section, and a corporal for each squad. The 1st Sgt.
"ran" the whole company.
BATTALION and REGIMENT. Battalions and regiments were formed by
organizing companies together. In the volunteers (Union and Confederate), 10
companies would be organized together into a regiment. The regiment was
commanded by a colonel. A regiment has the following staff (one of each): Col.;
Lt. Col.; Major; Adjutant (1st Lt); Surgeon (maj.); Asst Surgeon (capt.);
Quartermaster (lieut); Commissary (lieut); Sgt-Major; Quartermaster Sgt. There
were also volunteer organizations containing less than 10 companies: if they
contained from 4-8 companies, they were called battalions, and usually were
commanded by a major or lieutenant colonel. The (Union) Regular regts organized
before the war (1st-10th) were 10 company regiments like the volunteers. When
the NEW Regular regts. were authorized, a different organization was used. The
new Regular regts were organized 8 companies to a battalion and 2 battalions to
the regiment. Thus new Regular regts contained 16 companies. These regiments
frequently fought as battalions rather than as single regiments. However, often
the 2nd battalion could not be recruited up to strength, in which case they
fought as a single regiment. [Top]
BRIGADE. A brigade is formed from 3 to 6 regiments and
commanded by a brigadier general. The South tended to use more regiments than
the North, thus having bigger brigades. At some times in the war, some artillery
would be attached to the infantry brigade: see the Artillery section below. Each
brigade would also have a varying number of staff officers.
DIVISION. A division is commanded by a major general and
is composed of from 2 to 6 brigades. In the North usually 3 or 4, but in the
South normally 4 to 6. Thus, a Southern division tended to be almost twice as
large as its Northern counterpart, if the regiments are about the same size. At
some times in the war, some artillery or, less often, cavalry might be attached:
see the Cavalry and Artillery sections below. Each division would also have a
varying number of staff officers.
CORPS. A corps is commanded by a major general (Union) or
a lieutenant general (Confederate) and is composed of from 2 to 4 divisions.
Again the North tended to have 2 or 3, while the South had 3 or 4. Each corps
would also have a varying number of staff officers.
ARMIES. Corps within a geographic department were
aggregated into armies. The number of corps in an army could vary considerably:
sometimes an army would contain only 1 corps and other times as many as 8.
Armies were commanded by major generals in the North, and usually by full
generals in the South. Corps and armies usually had some artillery and cavalry
attached: again, see below. Each army would also have a varying number of staff
officers. To summarize, the nominal strengths and commanding officers
were:
UNIT MEN Commander Example NAME
Company 100 Captain Co. A (but not J, looks like I)
Regiment 1000 Colonel 5th N.Y. Infantry
Brigade 4000 Brig Genl 3rd Brigade (US) **
Division 12000 Maj. Genl Cleburne's Division (CS) **
Corps 36000 Maj. Genl* IIIrd Corps (US) **
Army Maj. Genl+ Army of Tennessee (CS) ++
* or Lt. Gen. in the South
+ or Gen. in the South
** Numerical designation was used in the North, the Commander's name was
typically used in the South, e.g. Forrest's Corps.
++ The South mainly used the name of the area or state where the army operated.
Rivers were used primarily as names in the North, e.g. Army of the Cumberland.
II. Cavalry. [Top]
COMPANY or TROOP. The basic unit is the troop or company, organized
pretty much the same way as an infantry company. The nominal strength was 100.
If the troop dismounted for battle, 1 man in 4 would stay behind to guard the
horses.
BATTALION and REGIMENT. In the Union volunteers, 12 cavalry troops form a
regiment commanded by a colonel. The Confederate Cavalry used a 10 company
regiment. Again, the (Union) Regulars had a different organization: in the
Regular units 2 troops form a squadron, 2 squadrons form a battalion, and 3
battalions form a regiment. And again, there were groups of 4-8 companies of
volunteer cavalry which are called battalions.
BRIGADE, DIVISION, and CORPS. Initially, each Union
cavalry regiment was assigned to an infantry division. The Confederates brigaded
their cavalry together. The Union eventually adopted this organization as well.
As the war progressed, both sides formed cavalry divisions (again the South took
the lead). The North also formed cavalry corps, and the South later also adopted
this innovation.
III. Artillery.
BATTERY. The basic unit of artillery is the battery, which has 4 to 6
guns, is commanded by a captain, and has 4 lieutenants, 12 or so noncoms, and
120 or so privates. It typically had 4 guns in the South and 6 guns in the
North. Batteries were a subdivided into gun crews of 20 or so, and into sections
of 2 gun crews, 2 or 3 sections per battery. A gun crew was commanded by a
sergeant and a section by a lieutenant.
BATTALION or BRIGADE. At the start of the war, each side
assigned one battery attached to each infantry brigade, plus an artillery
reserve under the army commander. By mid-1862, larger organizations were used.
The basic unit contained 3 or 4 batteries of artillery; it was called a
battalion in the South and a brigade in the North (same unit, just a different
name) and it was commanded by a colonel, lieutenant colonel, or major.
ARTILLERY RESERVE. After 1862, it was typical for each
infantry division to have an artillery battalion attached, and each corps or
army to have a reserve of two to five battalions. Each division's artillery
usually fought along side the infantry, while the corps/army reserves were used
to form the massed batteries. The artillery reserve was commanded by a brigadier
general or colonel.
IV. Other Units. [Top]
LEGION. The Confederacy organized a number of units known
as legions. They were mixed-arms units, usually containing 6-8 companies of
infantry, 2-3 companies of cavalry, and a couple artillery pieces. Generally as
soon as they reached the battlefield they were broken apart, the infantry
forming a battalion, the cavalry being reassigned to some other unit, and the
artillery joining the reserve. Sometimes the infantry retained the name legion,
more frequently it got renamed to battalion.
MARINES. Both sides had a rudimentary Marine Corps which
fought along the Atlantic coast. The US Marines contained about 3,000 men and
were organized into companies. There doesn't seem to have been any organization
higher than that: they rarely operated in larger units than a few companies
anyway. The Confederate Marines had a strength of about 300 men organized in
four companies and was nominally commanded by a colonel.
HEAVY ARTILLERY. The Union organized some "heavy
artillery" units, regiments containing 10 artillery batteries (about 1800
men) which had training both as infantry and as artillerists. They were
organized in much the same way as infantry units, but were quite a bit larger to
provide enough men to run the guns. Originally raised to man the defenses of
Washington, in 1864 they joined the Grant's army, and then served more as
infantry.
ENGINEERS. Both sides raised special regiments of
engineers. They were organized similarly to the infantry regiments and were
expert in building forts, entrenchments, bridges, and similar military
construction. They were combatants but usually didn't do any fighting, instead
continued to work on construction even when under fire.
SHARPSHOOTERS. Both sides raised special sharpshooter
units. The Confederate units tended to be independent companies, but the Union
raised two sharpshooter regiments (Berdan's 1st and 2nd US Sharpshooters). These
regiments were organized as infantry. Usually they were assigned to skirmish
duty, or they would be allowed to roam around the battlefield to find good
positions from which to shoot at enemy officers in the rear. [Top]
Q2.6:
What is the difference between grapeshot and canister?
Here is a list of the various ammunitions used in the war. The main division is
between shot (did not carry its own explosive charge) and shell (carried an
explosive charge). For shot:
1. solid shot-- the standard cannon ball (or bullet shape in the in case of a
rifled gun)
2. canister-- smaller shot placed in a sheet iron cylinder. The cylinder
disintegrated when the gun was fired.
3. grape-- smaller shot layered between iron plates and held together by a
central bolt. Presumably the bolt broke when the gun fired allowing the shot to
scatter. Examples of grape shot can be seen in [2] pp. 76, 76, and 191.
4. quilted grapeshot-- small shot covered in canvass and tied up with rope which
a gave it a quilted look. An example of quilted shot can be seen in [2], p.
177.
5. chain shot-- two shot joined by a chain. Used to destroy rigging of sailing
ships. 6. bar shot-- two shot joined by a solid bar (like a dumbbell). Used to
destroy rigging to sailing ships.
7. red hot shot-- shot heated before firing. Used to start fires on ships.
For shell:
1. standard shell-- hollow iron projectile filled with explosive
2. shrapnel shell-- hollow iron projectile filled with explosive and with small
solid shot which scattered upon explosion. The spherical version of this was
called "spherical case" or simply "case." The term
"case" was also used for the name of the class of rounds which
scattered small shot, thus canister, grape, and spherical case were all
classified together as "case shot." (confusing, isn't it?) Shell was
fitted with either a timed fuse (which ignited the charge after some fixed
delay) or a percussion fuse (which ignited the charge upon impact). Standard
solid shot and standard shell were primarily for destruction of materiel (viz.
fortifications or ships). Canister, grape, quilted shot and shrapnel were used
against personnel. However, there were also varieties of (non-shrapnel) shell
designed for use against personnel (the hollow was shaped so the shell would
split into a relatively few large pieces about the size of small shot).
References: [1] "Ammunition", in Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed (1911). [2] F.T. Miller, ed., "Photographic History of
the Civil War," vol. 5, "Forts and Artillery" (1957 edition). [3]
"Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War" [Top]
Q2.7:
How did prisoner exchanges and paroles work?
Prisoner exchanges were a
way for captors to avoid the responsibility and burden of guarding, housing,
feeding, clothing, and providing medical care for POW's. Exchange of prisoners
began with informal agreements between the commanders of the armies after
particular battles, but the practice was codified by a cartel between the USA
and CSA in July 1862. The cartel was suspended by the US in May 1863, but
individual commanders again arranged exchanges and paroles until the US called a
halt to all exchanges in early 1864. When the CSA agreed to correct some
irregularities in its earlier exchanges, and when it agreed to treat captured
black troops equally with whites, the 1862 cartel was again put into operation
in early 1865. Commissioners of exchange were appointed by each government, and
they exchanged and compared lists and computed how many on each side were to be
exchanged.
There were official points where prisoners were to be taken for
exchange: City Point, VA in the East and Vicksburg in the West. Equal ranks were
exchanged equally, and higher ranks could be exchanged for some number of lower
ranks according to an agreed upon list of equivalents (e.g. 1 colonel equaled 15
privates). If one side still had prisoners left, after the other side had
exhausted its supply of prisoners by exchange, those excess prisoners would be
released on parole. Paroled prisoners were returned to their side, but were
prohibited by an oath of honor from taking up arms or performing any duty that
soldiers normally performed (like garrison or guard duty) until they were
properly exchanged. Generally each side maintained parole camps where their
paroled soldiers were kept while they awaited exchange, but in other cases the
parolee was allowed to return home until exchanged.
[Sources: Boatner, Civil War Dictionary; Miller, ed, "Prisons and
Hospitals", vol 8, Photographic History of the Civil War] [Top]
Q2.8:
What did a brevet promotion indicate, and what did an officer gain by being
given a brevet?
[By Stephen Schmidt (schmidsj@unvax.union.edu)
with assistance from Jim Epperson and J.M. Sanders]
A brevet rank was an honorary promotion given to an officer (or occasionally, an
enlisted man) in recognition of gallant conduct or other meritorious service.
They served much the same purpose that medals play today (our modern system of
medals did not exist at the time of the Civil War). A brevet rank was almost
meaningless in terms of real authority. For example, a major who was a brevet
colonel collected the pay of a major, wore the uniform of a major, could not
give orders to lieutenant colonels, and was only eligible for commands that
normally fell to majors.
But he was allowed to use the title of colonel in his
correspondence. In addition, there were some unusual circumstances where brevet
rank carried authority. For instance, when a force consisted partly of Regular
troops and partly of state militia, command would go to the officer with the
highest brevet rank (who might neither the highest ranking regular officer nor
the highest ranking volunteer!). This came up during the Mexican War on some
occasions, and seems to have been designed to allow Regular officers with
brevets (implying experience) to assume command over higher-ranking militia
officers who had neither experience nor brevets. An officer could also claim his
brevet rank when serving on court-martial duty. Since an officer cannot be tried
by officers ranking lower than himself, using brevet ranks allowed more people
to qualify as possible court members.
During the war itself, brevets were very
difficult to get and were a sign of valor, but on March 13, 1865, the War
Department gave one brevet and sometimes two to nearly every officer on duty
with the army. This angered many officers and men, who saw it as trivializing
the efforts of men who won brevets in combat. (J.L. Chamberlain mentions this in
his memoirs, for instance.) Like regular ranks, brevets were kept separately for
the U.S. Volunteers and the U.S. Army. Thus one man could have four ranks: an
actual Volunteer rank, a brevet Volunteer rank, an actual Regular rank, and a
brevet Regular rank. Brevets in the Regular army were sometimes used to honor
men who had already been brevetted Major General in the Volunteers and could not
be brevetted again (in the Volunteers), as no brevet Lieutenant Generals were
created during the war (Winfield Scott had been made Brevet Lieutenant General
[of Regulars] during the Mexican War). Brevet ranks were authorized for the
Regular Army in the Articles of War of 1806; they were authorized for the US
Volunteers on March 3, 1863. Partly as a result of dissatisfaction with the
end-of-war brevet giveaway, brevet promotions were discontinued in 1869;
although officers who had been given brevets before that date continued to use
them. They were reinstated for the Spanish-American war and continued in use
until after World War I. The Confederate army did not award brevet promotions.
Sources: Boatner's *Civil War Dictionary*, the *Historical Times Encyclopedia of
the Civil War*, the 1806 Articles of War, and a very helpful discussion of
several Mexican War situations involving brevet ranks in *The Mexican War
1846-1848* by K. Jack Bauer. [Top]
Section 3: The end of the War
Q3.1: When did the war
end?
 |
9 April 1865, Gen. R.E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern
Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse, VA |
|
26 April 1865, Gen. J.E. Johnston surrendered the Army of
Tennessee et al. at Durham, NC 4 May 1865, Gen. Richard Taylor surrendered
Dept. of Alabama, Mississippi, and Eastern Louisiana at Citronelle, AL |
|
13 May 1865, engagement at Palmito Ranch, near Brownsville,
TX, often taken to be the last engagement of the war. |
|
2 June 1865, Gen. E.K. Smith surrendered the
Trans-Mississippi Department at Galveston, TX (the surrender had been agreed
to by Smith's representative, Lt Gen S.B. Buckner, in New Orleans on 26
May) |
|
23 June 1865, Brig. Gen. Stand Watie's troops in the Indian
Territory surrendered at Doaksville. Watie was the last general to surrender
his troops. |
|
13 June 1865, Pres. Johnson proclaimed the insurrection in
Tennessee at an end. (Messages and Papers of the Presidents, V, p3515) |
|
4 Nov 1865, The raider CSS Shenandoah surrendered in
Liverpool to British authorities. For several months after the surrender of
ground forces, this last of the CSA's naval vessels had been burning USA
shipping, with her captain, James I. Waddell, still thinking the war was in
progress. Her last fight was against a whaling fleet in the Bering Sea on 28
Jun 1865. After this, the vessel was the object of a worldwide search. On
August 2, Waddell had contact with a British ship, whose captain informed
him that the CSA was no more. With this in mind, he put guns below decks and
sailed to England, where the ship was surrendered to the British Admiralty.
Upon the boarding of the vessel by British authorities, the last sovereign
Confederate flag was furled. [contrib. by PDunn] |
|
2 Apr 1866, Pres. Johnson proclaimed the insurrection
ended in all the former Confederate States except Texas. This was his
recognition of the legitimacy of the governments formed under his
Reconstruction proclamation. (Mess. & Papers, V, p3627) |
|
20 Aug 1866, Pres. Johnson proclaimed that Texas had
complied with the conditions of his Reconstruction proclamation and declared
the insurrection in Texas at an end. (Mess. & Paper, V, p3632) [Top] |
Q3.2:
If the rebel states were never considered legally out of the Union, how was
Reconstruction justified?
Although the states remained part of the U.S., they
had no loyal governments, and the authority for the federal government to
provide mechanisms to erect loyal state governments was derived from Article IV,
Sec. 4 of the Constitution. That section provides that the United States shall
guarantee to each state a republican form of government. Another important
provision of the Constitution was Article I, Sec. 5 which provides that each
House of Congress shall be the judge of the qualifications of its members. This
allowed the Congress to refuse to seat delegations from former rebel states
until the states had met the conditions of the Reconstruction Acts. The
authoritative constitutional justification for reconstruction can be found in
the Supreme Court's decision in Texas v. White (74 U.S. 700) delivered 12 Apr
1869. The entire decision is available on the Web at http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/historic.htm
[Top]
Q3.3:
When were the different states readmitted to representation in Congress?
For the dates that follow: "Act" is the date of the act which declared
the state entitled to Congressional representation (the Act of 25 June 68 was
conditional upon the states' ratifying the 14th and 15th amendment, the other
acts required no additional state action). "S" and "R" are
the dates on which the first Senator and first Representative were seated.
"Mil" is the date on which the military turned over all authority to
the state government. Tennessee did not undergo Congressional
Reconstruction.
|
TN-- Act 24 July 1866 AR-- Act 22 June 1868; S 23 Jun 68, R
24 Jun 68; Mil 30 Jun 68 |
|
NC-- Act 25 June 1868; S 17 Jul 68, R 6 Jul 68; Mil 24 Jul
68 |
|
SC-- Act 25 June 1868; S 22 Jul 68, R 18 Jul 68; Mil 24 Jul
68 |
|
LA-- Act 25 June 1868; S 17 Jul 68, R 18 Jul 68; Mil 13 Jul
68 |
|
AL-- Act 25 June 1868; S 25 Jul 68, R 21 Jul 68; Mil 14 Jul
68 |
|
FL-- Act 25 June 1868; S 30 Jun 68, R 1 Jul 68; Mil 29 Jun
68 |
|
VA-- Act 25 Jan 1870; S 26 Jan 70, R 26 Jan 70; Mil 28 Jan
70 |
|
MS-- Act 23 Feb 1870; S 25 Feb 70, R 25 Feb 70; Mil 28 Feb
70 |
|
TX-- Act 30 Mar 1870; S 31 Mar 70, R 31 Mar 70; Mil 16 Apr
70 |
|
GA-- Act 25 June 1868; S rejected 25 Jan 69; R 25 July 1868;
2nd Reconstruction 22 Dec 1869; Act 15 July 1870; S Feb 1871, R Dec
1870.
The seating of Georgia's delegations was complicated by the fact that it was
placed under military rule for a second time in 1869. This delayed final
seating of the delegations until late 1870 and early 1871. [Top] |
Q3.4:
Who was the last surviving veteran of the Civil War?
[this entry was originally written by the late Paul Cowan, but it has been
extensively revised by JMS]
|
1. Albert Woolson of Minnesota was the last authenticated
survivor of the Civil War. Woolson served as a Union drummer boy and died in
1956. |
|
2. Determining the last Confederate veteran is more
difficult. The most recent and thorough study by William Marvel, published
in "Blue and Gray" magazine in Feb. 1991, finds that the last authenticated
veteran of the Confederate army was Pleasant Crump of the 10th
Alabama, who died on 31 Dec 1951. Previous claims to be the last veteran of
the Confederate army (and of the whole War) were made for Walter Washington
Williams (died 19 Dec 1959) of Texas and for John Salling (died 19 Mar 1959)
of Virginia. However, Marvel concluded that their claims must be rejected,
since (among other reasons) census records indicated that, in 1860, Williams
was only 5 years old and Salling was just 2 years old. |
|
3. The last surviving Civil War general was Union Brig.Gen.
Adelbert Ames, who died in 1933 at age 97. 4. |
|
The last surviving Confederate general was Brig.Gen. John
McCausland, who died on 22 Jan 1927 at age 91. Felix H. Robertson, who was
appointed B.G. in 1864, who served at such, but whose nomination was
rejected by the CSA Senate in 1865, died on 20 Apr 1928 at age 89. Sources:
William Marvel in "Blue and Gray", Feb 1991; Jim Epperson (epperson@math.uah.edu);
Ron Kolakowski (rkola@ida.org ); Stephen
E. Brown (sebrown@prairienet.org);
_The Civil War Notebook_, by A.A. Nofi; _New York Times_ article, Dec. 19,
1959;_Civil War Dictionary_, by M.M. Boatner;_Handbook of Texas_. [Top] |
Section 4: Genealogy and Unit Histories
Q4.1:
My ancestor fought in the war-- how do I find out about his service?
[Thanks to Geoff Walden and Lynn Berkowitz for updated information.] First, here
are two good reference books that contain much more information than can be
given in this FAQ: (1) George K. Schweitzer, Civil War Genealogy, available
from: G.K. Schweitzer, 7914 Gleason C-1136, Knoxville, TN 37919 (2) B.H. Groene,
Tracing Your Civil War Ancestor ISBN 0-345-36192-X An additional reference
dealing in Confederate records is James C. Neagles, Confederate Research
Sources: A Guide to Archive Collections (ISBN 0-916489-11-6, Ancestry
Publications, P.O. Box 476, Salt Lake City, UT 84110)
The basic facts on your ancestor that you will need to
know are his name, state, regiment, and (if possible) company, for example: Levi
Lindsey Sanders, 6th Texas Cavalry (CSA), Company I. If you don't know the
regiment name, you can often find it in 19th century county histories for the
county your ancestor lived in. Also be careful with Confederate regiments; they
were frequently referred to by the commander's name when they in fact had a
numerical designation, for example: 2nd Texas Partisan Rangers a.k.a. Stone's
Regiment a.k.a. Chisum's Regiment. There are frequently indexes listing all the
soldiers from a state which were published in the 19th century as well (this is
almost without exception for the Union states, more rare for the Confederate
states).
The National Archives has published a Consolidated Index to
Compiled Confederate Service Records on microfilm which is available in many
large historical libraries (the service records themselves are also frequently
on microfilm at the library). A useful bibliography of regimental and state
histories is C.E. Dornbusch, _Military Bibliography of the Civil War_ (4 vols).
Assuming that you have the above information, you can obtain copies of your
ancestor's service records by writing to the National Archives. Write to:
General Reference Branch (NNRG-P) National Archives and Records Administration
7th and Pennsylvania Ave. Washington, DC 20408 and request NATF Form 80. Or you
may request NATF Form 80 by sending e-mail to: inquire@arch2.nara.gov
Give your name, (snail) mailing address, phone number and netid. Whether you
request NATF Form 80 by e-mail or regular mail, you may wish to request 3 or
more copies, especially if you are researching a Union veteran or multiple
veterans. When you have the forms, fill one out as completely as possible and
check "military service" (Schweitzer recommends that you write in red
ink next to the veteran's name "Please send complete contents of
files.")
If your ancestor fought for the Union, he may have a pension
file; you may fill out a second Form 80 and check "pension record"
(again Schweitzer recommends requesting the entire contents of the file). (The
National Archives will not have pension records for Confederate veterans, but
some former Confederate state did give pensions and their archives may have the
records, details can be found in the above references especially Neagles.) Some
weeks later, the Archives will send you a letter indicating what they have
located and how much it will cost to copy it (typically about $10). [Top]
Q4.2:
How can I find information about a particular regiment?
For the Union side, the definite first place to look for a
brief history of a regiment is F.H. Dyer, _A Compendium of the War of the
Rebellion_, 2 vols. It contains, among lots of other useful information, brief
histories of just about every Northern regiment. On the Confederate side, the
nearest equivalent to Dyer is Stewart Sifakis, _Compendium of the Confederate
Armies_(New York: Facts on File, 1991-1994?), 11 vols. The volumes in this
series are for VA; TN; AL; FL and AR; NC; LA; MS; TX; SC and GA; KY, MD, MO and
Indian units; and a volume of Tables of Organizations.
Another useful work is Joseph H. Crute Jr., _Units of the
Confederate States Army_, (Midlothian, VA: Derwent Books, 1987) Crute's work is
not quite as comprehensive as Sifakis', but it has the advantage of having
everything in one volume. A useful bibliography of regimental histories, both
North and South, is C.E. Dornbusch, _Military Bibliography of the Civil War_, 4
vols. It contains entries on books and articles which have been written about
Civil War regiments through about 1987. It is strongly recommended that you
consult this work.
If you would like to see if others on the internet have an
interest in the same unit that you do, consult Carol Botteron's Civil War Units
file. The CWUNITS file is described as follows: "The purpose of the CWUNITS
file is to let people list the units they are interested in and have at least
some information on (from pension records, books, etc.). Typically the contact
person had an ancestor who was in the unit, but re-enactors, history buffs, et
al are welcome. (This is _not_ a file of re-enactment units.) If you see a
listing for a unit you are interested in, you can send the contact person email
and share information. The idea is not necessarily to find people with the same
ancestor; people can share info on what action the unit was involved in, how the
soldiers lived, etc." The file is currently divided into 5 parts (3 Union,
2 Confederate) by states. To get a copy of the file by e-mail, send e-mail to: ROOTS-L-request@rootsweb.com
Subject: archive Text is: get genealog.cwunits get genealog.cwunits1 up to
"get genealog.cwunits5".
Note! This mail server is *case sensitive*, so make sure to use only the capital
letters used above.
The Civil War Units file is also available over WWW from: http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html#rosters
Ms. Botteron updates the file approximately every two months. Finally, you can
consult the Index volume to the _Official Records of the Union and Confederate
Armies_ and start wading through the O.R. This may be your only alternative for
particularly obscure units. The index lists the regiments by state. It is a good
idea to check the index for the name of the regiment's commander and perhaps for
the brigade commander. Keep in mind the regiment's place in the army structure.
Histories of battles or campaigns may not mention every regiment, but they may
mention the brigade or division the regiment is in. As an example, Ludwell
Johnson's _Red River Campaign_ indexes very few regiments, but the brigade
commanders are indexed, and the brigades are shown on the maps. The 2nd Texas
Partisan Rangers was in Major's cavalry brigade and Green's division, so its
activities can be inferred by following the action at the brigade or division
level even though the regiment itself is not mentioned anywhere in the book. [Top]
Section 5: Miscellaneous
Q5.1:
What is the "Stars and Bars"?
The "Stars and Bars" IS NOT the familiar
"rebel" flag one sees adorning license plates and often carried by the
KKK-- that is the CS Naval Jack, based on the CS battle flag. The Stars and Bars
design was approved by a committee of the Provisional Congress on 4 Mar 1861,
but was never made official by law. The bottom red stripe ran the entire length
of the flag and was 6 units long and 1 unit wide. Above it, and to the left was
a blue square, 2 units on a side. In the blue square, a circle of stars (one for
each state, initially seven, to represent the original seven Confederate States,
eventually thirteen). To the right of the square, two stripes, white below, red
above, each 1 unit wide and 4 units long.
The Stars and Bars' similarity to the U.S.
flag caused problems of mistaken identity at 1st Bull Run/Manassas, so a battle
flag for the Army of Northern Virginia was designed. It was blue saltire
("X" shape) on a red SQUARE field. On the saltire was placed stars
equal to the number of Confederate States (in principle, eleven at the time of
the initial design, but up to thirteen by the end of 1861). This flag design was
soon picked up by the other armies and branches of service. The CS Navy flew an
oblong version as a Naval Jack which is identical to the oblong
"rebel" flags seen today. By a law approved 1 May 1863, a new national
flag was adopted by the Confederate States-- the "Stainless Banner".
It was a field of white twice as long as wide, in the upper left was the battle
flag (square) with a side two-thirds the width of the field. This flag had the
drawback that when partially wrapped around the flagstaff, the non-white part
was covered. This made it look like a white flag of surrender. Furthermore, its
length to width ratio of 2 to 1 made it an unusually long flag which exacerbated
the problem.
A law approved 4 Mar 1865, modified the
"Stainless Banner" to correct its problems. The revised flag was 10
units wide and 15 units long. In the upper left was an oblong battle flag 6
units wide and 7 units long. The field was white, as before, except on the fly
end there was a vertical red bar 4 units wide. The above dimensions, in terms of
units, are derived from the much more convoluted description given by the flag
act. This flag was the last national flag of the Confederacy.
[Top]
Q5.2:
What changes to the U.S. flag occurred during the war?
The admission of two states affected the U.S. flag during the
war. By the Flag Act of 1818, a new star was added on the 4 July following the
admission of a state. Stars were added on 4 July 1861 for Kansas (admitted 29
Jan 1861, the 34th state) and on 4 July 1863 for West Virginia (admitted 20 June
1863, the 35th state). Nevada, the 36th state, was admitted during the war on 31
Oct 1864, so its star was added 4 July 1865 after hostilities were over (more or
less, see Q3.1). [Top]
Q5.3:
How was the state of West Virginia created?
On 17 Apr 1861, the Va Secession Convention passed an
ordinance of secession (to be ratified by the people). A mass meeting was held
in Clarksburg and called for a Convention of western/unionist counties to meet
in Wheeling. The 1st Wheeling Convention met 13 May 1861 with 425 delegates from
25 counties, it decided to adjourn until after the vote on the secession
ordinance. The ordinance of secession was ratified by popular vote on 23 May
1861 at which time new legislators were also elected.
The 2nd Wheeling convention met 11 June 1861
and included the western counties' members-elect to the VA legis. On 19 June,
the convention passed an ordinance "reorganizing" the state government
(creating a "loyal" one), and on 20 June, Francis Pierpont was chosen
governor. On 1 July 1861, the members of the legislature elected on 23 May and
some holdovers from the old legislature met, finished the organization of the
Reorganized state govt., and elected 2 U.S. Senators-- this government was
recognized as legitimate by the U.S. On 6 Aug, the Wheeling convention
reconvened, and on 20 Aug 1861 passed an ordinance to divide the state. The
division ordinance was ratified by the people on 24 Oct. From 26 Nov 1861 to 18
Feb 1862, the convention wrote a constitution for the proposed new state which
was approved by the voters on 11 Apr 1862.
Lincoln signed the enabling act on 31 Dec
1862 which admitted W.VA on the condition that its constitution include a
provision for the gradual abolition of slavery. The Convention reconvened yet
again, and on 12 Feb 1863 amended the state constitution to abolish slavery.
This amendment was approved by the voters on 26 Mar 1863. Lincoln proclaimed (on
20 Apr 1863) that W.Va would officially be admitted in 60 days. During the
interval, W VA elected new officers-- A.I. Boreman was elected 1st governor, and
VA unionist government under Gov. Pierpont was moved to Alexandria. On 20 June
1863, West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union. In 1866, Virginia
repealed the act approving the division, and brought suit in the U.S. Sup. Crt.
to have the division overturned. In particular, it wanted Berkeley and Jefferson
Cos. returned. On 10 Mar 1866, Congress passed a joint
resolution approving the previous transfer of the counties to W.Va. In 1871 the
Supreme Court decided in favor of W.Va., thus settling the matter of division.
Source: Virginia and West Virginia articles in Encyclopaedia Britannica, 10th ed.
[Top]
Q5.4:
What war records did the post-war presidents have?
From: tecump@sulu.ucsb.edu (Dominic J.
Dal Bello) I have looked up what the presidents after Lincoln and up to McKinley
did in the war (from _The Complete Book of US Presidents_ or something like
that.)
|
ANDREW JOHNSON: In March, 1862, President Lincoln appointed
Johnson military governor of Tennessee with the rank of brigadier
general. |
|
ULYSSES GRANT: No intro necessary (lieut. general) |
|
RUTHERFORD B. HAYES: served with the 23d Ohio Infantry from
June, 1861, entering service as a major. October '61: promoted to lt.
colonel; Oct. '62 promoted to colonel, commanding the 23d. After Cedar Creek
(Oct. '64), promoted to brigadier general of vols. Received one of the
infinitely many brevets dated March 13, 1865 to major general, vols.
Resigned June, 1865. |
|
JAMES GARFIELD: Commissioned a lt. col in the 42nd Ohio,
Aug. 1861, and promoted to Col. in November, '61. Commanded the 18th Brig.
at Middle Creek, Jan. '62, defeating superior numbers, and was subsequently
promoted to brigadier general. January, 1863-- appointed Chief of Staff to
Rosecrans, "In a daring ride under enemy fire, during which his horse
was wounded, he conveyed vital information from flank to flank. For this he
was promoted to major general." Rosecrans said of him: "I feel
much indebted to him for both counsel and assistance in the administration
of this army...He possesses the instinct and energy of a great
commander." Elected to Congress in Sept., 1863 Garfield resigned in
Dec., 1863. |
|
CHESTER A. ARTHUR: Served in New York State militia from
Feb. '58 to Dec. '62, rising from brigade judge advocate to quartermaster
genl. In Jan, '61, appointed engineer-in-chief with rank of brigadier
general. Apr, '61, promote asst. QM genl; Feb '62 inspect. genl; July `62,
QM general. Spring `62 inspected NY troops in Virginia. War Gov. Edwin D
Morgan said: "He was my chief reliance in the duties of equipping and
transporting troops and munitions of war. In the position of Quarter Master
General he displayed not only great executive ability and unbending
integrity, but great knowledge of Army Regulations. He can say No (which is
important) without giving offense." |
|
GROVER CLEVELAND: Drafted, but purchased a substitute. Paid
$150 to George Brinske (or Benninsky), a 32-year-old Polish immigrant to
serve in his place. |
|
BENJAMIN HARRISON: Was approached by Indiana Governor Oliver
P. Morton in early July, 1862 to raise a regiment in the congressional
district in and around Indianapolis. Was given a provisional recruiting
commission as 2nd Lt. on 9 July 1862, promoted to Captain on 22 July, and
commissioned Colonel of the 70th Indiana Volunteer Infantry regiment on 7
Aug 1862 when the regiment was full. The commissions as Lt. and Capt. were
essentially pro forma, as Harrison understood that he was to have command of
the 70th IVI. Commanded a brigade under Hooker in the Atlanta campaign.
Hooker recommended him for promotion to brigadier general for foresight,
discipline and fighting spirit. He was brevetted Brigadier General 23 Jan
1865, and mustered out of the service 8 June 8 1865. He said, "I am not
a Julius Caesar, nor a Napoleon, but a plain Hoosier colonel, with no more
relish for a fight than for a good breakfast and hardly so much."
[Additional info contributed by Steve Towne, <STEVE_TOWNE_at_ICPRLAN@IMA.ISD.STATE.IN.US>] |
|
WILLIAM McKINLEY: 23d Ohio Infantry from June 61 to July
'65, starting out as a private. April '62 commissary sergeant; for valor at
Antietam (in getting rations to the men) promoted to 2nd Lt. commd'g Co. D,
but put on Col. Rutherford Hayes' staff. Feb 63, promoted 1st Lt.; July 64,
promoted captain. Served on staffs of George Crook and Winfield S Hancock.
March, 1865, breveted major. In uniform, cast his first vote in 1864 (for
Lincoln). Hayes said of him: "Young as he was, we soon found that in
the business of a soldier, requiring much executive ability, young McKinley
showed unusual and unsurpassed capacity, especially for a boy of his age.
When battles were fought or service was to be performed in warlike things,
he always filled his place." [Top] |
Q5.5:
What are the various alternative names for the war?
From: pdunn@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu
(Patrick L Dunn) From Davis, B. (1982), _The Civil War: Strange and Fascinating
Facts_ (Originally published as "Our Incredible Civil War). ISBN
0-517-37151-0 Chapter 13. Which War? pp. 79-80.
|
The War for Constitutional Liberty |
|
The War for Southern Independence |
|
The Second American Revolution |
|
The War for States' Rights |
|
Mr. Lincoln's War |
|
The Southern Rebellion |
|
The War for Southern Rights |
|
The War of the Southern Planters |
|
The War of the Rebellion |
|
The Second War for Independence |
|
The War to Suppress Yankee Arrogance |
|
The Brothers' War |
|
The War of Secession |
|
The Great Rebellion |
|
The War for Nationality |
|
The War for Southern Nationality |
|
The War Against Slavery |
|
The Civil War Between the States |
|
The War of the Sixties |
|
The War Against Northern Aggression |
|
The Yankee Invasion |
|
The War for Separation |
|
The War for Abolition |
|
The War for the Union |
|
The Confederate War |
|
The War of the Southrons |
|
The War for Southern Freedom |
|
The War of the North and South |
|
The Lost Cause |
|
The War Between the States |
|
The Late Unpleasantness |
|
The Late Friction |
|
The Late Ruction |
|
The Schism |
|
The Uncivil War and of course.... THE War, "as if the
planet had not heard a shot fired in anger since '65." Yet another
alternative name: The Slaveowners' Rebellion [Top] |
Q5.6: What
are good books on the war?
Steve Schmidt (schmidsj@unvax.union.edu)
has compiled a recommended reading list which will be posted monthly as a
supplement to this FAQ. Other lists are archived at byrd.mu.wvnet.edu/pub/history/military/civil_war_usa/
in that directory are two files civ_war_biblio_1.txt, which is an annotated
bibliography of Civil War bibliographies, and civ_war_biblio_2.txt, which is a
bibliography of Civil War books arranged by subject, similar to Schmidt's, but
without descriptions. [Top]
Q5.7:
How can I get the soundtrack to Ken Burn's "Civil War"?
From Wayne J. Warf (WWARF@ucs.indiana.edu):
<Original Soundtrack Recording> The Civil War <A Film by Ken Burns>
Elektra Nonesuch #9 79256-2 copyright 1990 ISBN# 0-681-92609-0 Songs of the
Civil War Produced by Ken Burns and Don DeVito Columbia #CK 48607 Copyright 1991
by Sony Music Entertainment no ISBN# listed* [Top]
Q5.8:
Did U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee both own slaves and free them?
[from the late Paul Cowan and James Epperson with amendments by JMS]
|
1. R. E. Lee personally owned at least one slave, an elderly
house servant that he inherited from his mother. It is said that Lee
continued to hold the slave as a kindness, since he was too feeble to have
made his way as a free man. Although it is commonly believed that Lee owned
the Arlington Plantation and the associated slaves, these and two other
plantations totaling over 1,000 slaves were the property of Lee's
father-in-law, George Washington Parke Custis. Upon Mr. Custis's death in
1858, Lee did not personally inherit either the plantations or slaves, but
was named the executor of the estate. Mr. Custis willed that his slaves
should be freed within 5 years. Legal problems with the fulfillment of other
terms of the will led Lee to delay in the execution of the terms of
manumission until the latest specified date. On 29 Dec 1862, Lee executed a
deed of manumission for all the slaves of the Custis estate who were still
behind Confederate lines (Arlington was in Union hands by then). Sources:
_Lee & Grant_, by Gene Smith; _R.E. Lee: A Biography_, by D.S.
Freeman. |
|
2. In 1858, while attempting to make a go in civilian life
as a farmer near St. Louis, MO, U.S. Grant acquired a slave named William
Jones, probably from his father-in-law, although the record is not entirely
clear. In March, 1859, Grant gave Jones his freedom despite the fact that
Grant desperately needed the money he might have recovered by selling him.
Grant's wife, Julia, had the use of four slaves as personal servants; the
record is unclear as to who held legal title to them (it could well have
been Julia's father). In her own memoirs, Julia states that these were freed
at the time of the Emancipation Proclamation. Sources: _Captain Sam Grant_,
by Lloyd Lewis; _The Personal Memoirs of Julia Dent Grant_, by Julia Grant;
_Let Us Have Peace, etc._ by Brooks D. Simpson. [Top] |
Q5.9: What
is the recipe for hardtack?
Recipes for hardtack vary from extremely simple to more elaborate. The simplest
is: 6 parts flour to 1 part water, mix, knead, roll out thin, and bake until
hard.
From: tecump@sulu.ucsb.edu
(Dominic J. Dal Bello)
For about 10 crackers (1 ration):
|
3 cups flour |
|
1 1/2 or so tsp baking soda |
|
1 1/2 tsp salt |
|
water to form to a workable dough. |
Kneed the dough. Crackers should be cut to about 3"x3"
(although some contractors made 'em 5x5, even 7x7). When you cut the dough, I
have found that it should not "pull away" - if it does, it is still
too wet. With a nail, or similar object, punch about 16 holes in each cracker
(4x4 pattern - although this was not the only way to do it). Put in oven at
about 375F for about 50 minutes - this is what I find to work for me; different
ovens may act differently. In any event, it should be brownish on the bottom.
Your not "baking" cookies here, you are essentially trying to heat all
the water out of the cracker.
Take out and cool. - they should get hard. "Evidence"
indicates that hardtack was made with "self-rising" flour. If I recall
right, however, no specifications have been found as to what the government
actually called for. Some recipes call for oil, but I have found that it has no
effect on the final product. In any event, experiment with kneading, etc., time
to bake to get a final product which is a nice hard slab of flour.
From: zursch@solaris.wpd.sgi.com
(Jeff Zurschmeide)
|
2 cups flour |
|
1/2 cup buttermilk |
|
2 tbsp baking soda |
|
2 tbsp vegetable oil |
|
salt to taste water to consistency |
Mix up well, (dry ingredients first, then wet) roll out thin,
bake at 450 degrees about 15 minutes, or to tooth-breaking quality.
From Merle Kirck: We make it for our Living History programs.
here it is:
|
3 cups milk |
|
8 cups plain flour |
|
8 tbl spoons shortening (Crisco) |
|
6 tea spoon brown sugar (opt) |
|
3 tea spoon salt |
Mix, roll on floured board, to 1/2" thickness. cut into
3" squares, punch holes 3 rolls of 3 with ice pick, Lightly grease baking
pan, Bake in oven 400 deg for 45 min or till golden brown, cool in open air.
Don't store in plastic (no plastic in 1800's) because of moisture. This recipe
is the same they used except the sugar. We have found that a good dose of
cinnamon, and not cooking it as long is good eating'. [Top]
Q5.10:
Where can I get a copy of the Sullivan Ballou letter quoted in Ken Burn's
"Civil War"?
The text of Maj. Ballou's letter can be found at Bryan Boyle's Civil War Web
site:
[Top]
Q5.11:
What were the lyrics to "Dixie", "The Bonnie Blue Flag",
etc.?
Also Kathie Fraser has the lyrics to several songs on her homepage http://www.erols.com/kfraser/index.html
[Top]
Q5.12:
How can I get the "Official Records" on CD-ROM?
There are currently three publishers who have the "Official Records of the
Union and Confederate Armies" on CD-ROM. Guild Press of Indiana 435 Gradle
Drive Carmel, IN 46032 (317) 848-6421 sales@guildpress.com
http://www.guildpress.com Broadfoot
Publishing Co. 1907 Buena Vista Circle Wilmington, NC 28405 Order Line (800)
537-5243 Fax Line (910) 686-4379 General Information (910) 686-4816 bropubco@wilmington.net
http://broadfoot.wilmington.net/
H-Bar Enterprises 1442 Davidson Loop Oakman, AL 35579 1-800-432-7702 http://www.hbar.com
Guild Press and H-Bar have several other Civil War-related titles on CD-ROM as
well, while Broadfoot is well-known for its reprints (in paper) of essential
Civil War reference materials. |
