Need period descriptions of a "mess"

[threepdr]

My Round Table has spawned a splinter group who meets for dinner once a month and discsses various CW topics. They are considering a name, but when I suggested a "mess" name like many of us Living History folks use they were at a loss. None of them were familiar with the concept.

Does anyone have a first person description of how a mess was organized and issued rations and how they occasionally adopted unofficial names. That will help when I make a pitch to name this group of scholars.

I looked without success in the obvious places like Hardtack and Coffee and Si Klegg. They mention the messes, but without descriptions of such.

Thanks
Mark Hubbs, formerly of the "Blackberry Pickers Mess"

[c.irelan]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

Mess, Mess-mates a group of pards or comrades, who not only eat together but participate in both work and social activities as a group as well.



This is the simplest definition I can give you.



Christopher Irelan

[Silas]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

Read this recently and thought it worth reproducing here :

The field is low and black soil, very slippery in wet weather, with water convenient, but wood very inconvenient — had to be carried from the tops of the big hills by the men. The lazy mess, to-wit: Capt. Willett, Lieuts. Terry, Latham and Wier hauled some very heavy one horse loads off the hills. It worried the teams very much, but the Weather was cold and rainy and there was no other chance.

See, pg. 20, History of Company B (originally Pickens Planters) 40th Alabama Regiment, Confederate States Army, 1862-1865 (1902).

This is a gem of a diary about a company and incidentally its regiment and brigade (Moore's). I've been referring to it due to the unit's service during the Vicksburg and Chattanooga campaigns.

[Michael Comer]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

Ephriam Anderson in his memoirs of service with the First Missouri Confederate Brigade used the term several times in the book to describe a group of friends in the company who commonly ate together, pooled rations etc. He speaks of new men joining the mess as they return from sick leave or as they replace a dead or wounded comrade in the group. It would seem there was some fluidity in it, at least in his case.

[Matthew.Rector]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

This may or may not help. It doesn't address the naming of a mess, but does describe one and how they supplemented their rations. Here's a portion from a letter written by my 4th Great Uncle-William G. Wright, Co. H, Seventeenth Indiana Mounted Infantry. (Wilders Brigade). Written to his sister, Mary, on February 3rd 1865 from Gravely Springs, Alabama.

I have suffered more from hunger many a time than I have since coming here and the simple truth is that no man has really suffered at all for something to eat they all had meat and could make lye Hominy and that by itself would keep a fellow alive for a long time if not longer if some of the good old woman of Princeton could have seen the difficult method used by the Boys in making it there old sides would have shook with laughter. The premium given for the best sample made in our Company was to Charly Loomis. I tried some of his and I thought it tasted better than any I ever eat in Princeton. in fact I know it was. nearly every mess in the Company have one or two men in them that don’t do anything else but forage for something to eat and by that means our mess got along finely until we got rations. Hugh Brownlee is our forager and one of the best in the Co. So the day before we got into camp here Hughy was on a raid as he calls it and came in at night with three hams, one canteen of molasses, two or three pecks of dried apples, some corn meal, and other articles that should not be mentioned for fear some persons might think it very wrong for the boys to take such things. He asked an old woman at one house if she had any flour. She said “Lord Mr, it has been so long since I seed any that I’se done forgot what it looks like.” As a matter of course, Hugh did not get any flour at that house. The above is true.

So you see the Boys in our mess have been getting along first rate if others have not. We have rations now but do not know how long it will be before we get any more, that is the trouble.

[PetePaolillo]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

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The Lazy Jacks wrote a nice piece on the subject here.

http://members.multimania.co.uk/lazyjacks/messname.htm

http://openlibrary.org/b/OL6605523M/...gone_1862-1865.

A good book above


A diary entry from A. L. Peel
Adjutant, 19th. Mississippi Regiment

September 19 1861 - I am Corporal of the guard have three Prisoners I have spent a dull day. My hungry mess mates did'nt sae me any Breakfast or dinner so I had to eat the scraps

http://myweb.cableone.net/4jdurham/peel/61peelsep.html

A good description of messes below here

http://books.google.com/books?id=PKg...0mates&f=false

[threepdr]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

Thanks folks,

Excellent replies and very helpful. The link to the article with all the first person accounts was especially helpful.

[dwar]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

Sir
From The Webb Garrison's Civil War Dictionary
MESS a Group of four to six men who ate together and took turns cooking and cleaning. A federal soldier's standard dinnerware consisted of a tin plate, tin cup, knife fork. Spoons were not issued into the Union army until 1863. Confederates carrined cooking utensils in their Haversacks. They too were organizedinto messes that seldom included fewer than five or more than ten men. Much the same practice was carried out by naval crew.

[-Zach-]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

A mess was a small group of men that cooked and ate and bunked together and fought together.

Hope that helps.


Zach Wiles

[yeoman]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

Sir, here are a couple of remembrances you may find useful, if I may quote.
"The men divided into messes of three, four or even six taking turns at cooking, but the best cook usually had most of it to do, the others building fires, cutting wood or bringing water. I did not like large messes and never had more than three to divide duties with, and believe I got along better for it. We had skillets, a kind of oven with a handle and lid and would cut up our beef, put it in the oven, fill with water, put coals of fire on top and bottom and let it stew all night, occasionally getting up to replenish the fire and water. This made an excellent and savory stew and was highly relished. We could do this very well while in camp, but afterward on forced marches we had no time for utensils, but used sticks or our ramrods to scorch the meat and baked our bread on the coals if we were so fortunate as to have anything to cook." (page 22)

"We had, in our ranks, men of every calling, sailors, soldiers of the Mexican war, a French Zouave who had served in Algiers, men who had been educated in Europe, travelers, circus clowns, poets, authors and musicians. It was at first, hard to get accustomed to camp life. Men divided into messes, according to their likes and dislikes, but soon one found that his best friend was not inclined to cut wood, fetch water, make a fire or do his share of washing the tin plates. Others who had been foppish in dress at home, became careless and dirty, and others used much profanity and vulgarity. So these messes in four years became greatly changed, sometimes by death, sometimes by weeding out objectionable fellows.
I remember one man, whose ill temper, profanity and obscenity was such that he could not find a messmate who would stay with him. Another one who knew more Shakespeare than any man I ever saw, was so lazy and dirty that he messed alone. Another in the next company, an old bachelor of means was so objectionable that a detail of men cut off his hair and scrubbed him, not so lightly, in effort to get him less offensive. But long campaigning, dangers shared together, hungers and the brotherhood of comrades, finally made many of those who messed together regard each other with a love like Jonathan and David, passing that of women. However, it was the rule of one mess to the close of the war that during our meals, however taken, standing or sitting, no profanity or vulgarity was permitted." (page, 57,58)

These can be found here,http://docsouth.unc.edu/fpn/houghton/houghton.html

[lukegilly13]

Re: Need period descriptions of a "mess"

Here's one you may enjoy about how a mess was chosen:
Thomas Winton Fisher of the 51st VA Co. K on March 23, 1863;
..."I must inform you that I have changed my base, that is, I have left my old mess and have gone into another. You ask what made me do so. Well, I can tell you I didn't fall out with them, not at all, and would liked to have stayed in the mess with Cameron, but I found a chance to get into a mess where they do not use God s name and point a finger of scorn at those who try to live a Christian life. I have tried to quit swearing every since I have been in the army, but finding that some cared nothing for the feelings of those that are trying to live for Eternity, I thought I had better withdraw and get into a mess where my feelings would be respected. I am now with Bro. Epperson, C. W. Umberger, Win. E. Miller, R. E. Umbarger, Isaac N. Umberger and others. I hope Cameron will be able to get with us as soon as we get out of the shanties and get into tents again..."
The entire letter: http://ted.gardner.org/630323tf.htm