Federal use of captured equipment?

[ironbrigade6]

Hello all,
Ive searched through past threads and have not been able to find much on how often or in what instances Federal soldiers would use or wear captured Confederate or even civilian equipment, clothing, ect. Thank you in advance for any help that you can offer.

[Silas]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

I know that issue has been discussed on more than one occasion. In addition to here, try Szabo-land.

[Dan Munson]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

Back in the '80s, when I was with a group recreating Co. F, 55th Ohio V.I., I had the opportunity to examine the surviving regimental records in the National Archives. The regimental order book for the period of mid-1863 through the end of the war still exists (where the earlier volume went, the archivists do not know). In any event, there were a couple of entries in the order book, during the period of the Atlanta Campaign, announcing punishment for soldiers being caught wearing articles of "citizens clothes" mixed in with uniform items. Col. Charles Gambee being something of a martinet, this practice did not sit well at all with him. But it does illustrate that a Union soldier, now and then, might find himslef in such a hard way, clothing-wise, in the midst of a campaign, that he "extemporized."

[Doughboy]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

wonder how much of this had to do with the wearing of women's clothing which had to be embarrassing to the Command

[Conley]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

wonder how much of this had to do with the wearing of women's clothing which had to be embarrassing to the Command

Sorry I do not understand this ?- I have seen No docamentation on this . regards Conley Sluss -Mods fell free to delate this - if commet out of line

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

I'll have to dig out the actual quotes later but off-hand I remember three separate accounts of soldiers in the 1st and 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters carrying captured rebel blankets.

- Private Charles Mead, Co. F 1st U.S.S.S. had his "secesh" blanket washed by an Irish woman in the fall of 1863 while waiting to be sent back to the regiment after recovering from wounds. He did not mention where he acquired the blanket since his earlier journal has yet to be located.

- Private Wyman White of Co. F 2nd U.S.S.S. toured the battlefield of Cedar Mountain in 1862. At the top of the hill near the Slaughter's House he came upon an abandoned rebel field hospital and picked up a high quality white blanket. Interestingly, he surmised it to be an officer's blanket because it was "imported" and noted that it had been used as a liter to remove the wounded man from the field. White later paid a woman to wash the blood out of it.

- Sergeant Daniel Squires of Company E, 2nd U.S.S.S. noted that after the battle of Kelly's Ford his regiment crossed the river and rested in the evening. He picked up an abandoned rebel knapsack and discarded the previous owner's property except for a "blue woollin (sic) blanket," envelopes and paper, and tobacco.

[Bushrod Carter]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

Dan and Brian,

Thank you for your posts and for sharing some interesting info...and not simply giving a knee jerk reaction.

[rbruno]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

Brian,
Isn't your and Dan's latest blanket project based on a CS blanket that some how made it home with a Yankee soldier after Gettysburg? I can't remember the details, but thought it had something to do with that.

[AZReenactor]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

This article might be of some interest since it relates an anecdote about a Union soldier wearing a Secesh coat in Nashville during the winter of 62-63.

Mistaken for a Rebel
NASHVILLE DISPATCH
February 26, 1863
p. 2, c. 1

Some rather amusing incidents are told at the expense of some of our ladies.

The New Albany (Ia.) Ledger, of the 21st inst., publishes the following extract from a private letter from Nashville:

"A few days since two of our men were walking along the streets of Nashville. They belonged to a regiment which had gone there as an escort to a supply train, and while the wagons were being loaded, had gone for a stroll. One of them was dressed in a blue uniform, and carried his musket; the other had on him a secesh coat, which he had picked up on the battle-ground, and wore long, black hair; and, indeed, looked, to a stranger, more like a secesh than the honest soldier he is; when, as they passed by a fine house, in the door of which was standing a very pretty young lady, she suddenly cried out, "O, soldier, soldier, won't you let that man—he is a poor soldier of our army, the Southern army—whom you are guarding, come in? I know he wants something to eat. Isn't he a Texas Ranger?" "Yes," said the man with the gun, "we captured him only the other day. Go in, old fellow," giving him the wink. The supposed Ranger went in and quickly returned with his arms full of pies, cakes, nice bread, a bottle of good liquor, and a lot of good things generally. "Move on," said he with the gun; and so they moved on to the first convenient place, where they sat down and enjoyed a hearty meal, and carefully washed it down with the good liquor."

An incident has been related to us of a lady who concealed an escaped rebel prisoner (as she supposed) for two days, furnished him an entire new suit, and sent him rejoicing on his way to Dixie. That man was a detective!

Another lady had a permit to take a number of specified articles for family use out of the city. She thought she might make a handsome speculation by taking with her a bolt of grey cloth, which could be sold for a round price down in Dixie, and finding a gentleman who was as enthusiastic a rebel as herself, she soon struck a bargain with him to carry it to a given point beyond the pickets. That man was a detective, and of course the bolt of cloth was a prize.

Still another lady, with the assistance of a gentleman of rebellious proclivities, though a stranger to her, paroled a Federal soldier, for which she was to receive his gun and horse and equipments. A day or two afterward she had a polite invitation to visit the office of the Chief of Army Police.

Davy Crockett had a motto: "Be sure you are right, then go ahead." Where ladies practice this motto the detectives will not interfere with them.

[J. Donaldson]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

In The Lyon Campaign, Ware talks several times about the clothing hardships the First Iowa went through. This snippet from pages 204-205 really does an interesting job of discussing his mindset while stealing a pair of pants from a clothesline.

On the outside of the house was a big iron kettle, under which a fire had been recently built. On a clothesline hung a saddle-blanket, a gunny-sack, a pair of Texas spurs, and a pair of heavy jeans winter trousers. I gently separated the trousers from the line and gave them a solemn and efficient examination. They were butternut-colored, home-made jeans, lined with heavy cotton sheeting called "nigger cloth," and good for ten degrees below zero. The thermometer was now about 100 above. After communing with myself and satisfying myself that I ought to have those pants, I threw them over my shoulder and carried them to camp along with my share of the chickens. It took a good deal of argument to convince myself that I was entitled to that pair of pants. But I was partially successful; it was this way: The house was evidently deserted on our approach. I plainly, by intuition, saw that the man there was getting ready to go into the rebel army. The gunny-sack was to be his saddle-blanket; the saddle-blanket was to be his sleeping-blanket; the spurs were a part of his outfit, and the pants were the best he owned and had been washed up in anticipation of his departure. Next, it was the duty of all American citizens to do what they could to increase the efficiency of the army during active service, and to make such sacrifices as were necessary to accomplish that purpose. Thirdly, there could be no more worthy recipient of private charity than one who was serving the Government in an effort to put down the rebellion at eleven dollars per month. Fourth, I needed the pants. Fifth, I was defending the Constitution for him, the owner. I was preserving for him all that was dear for him,—life, liberty, the magna charta, the right of habeas corpus, and those inalienable and inestimable rights which he and his children would enjoy through all time. In this great drama I was his agent with power to act, and he must furnish the pants. Having fully satisfied myself upon this point, I went to bed on my blanket, and after looking up into the vast abyss of space and wondering if there were any other side to it I went to sleep.

There are several other instances in the book where he talks about pilfering civilian clothing, and one mention of raiding a supposed "rebel depot" full of clothes.

[Dan Wambaugh]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

Rob,

Yes, the documentation that accompanies the original CS blanket is a hand-written note that reads the following:

“The Battle of Gettysburg, Jul 2 & 3rd, 1863, some of the Troops as they were without blankets…… Edward took this blanket from a dead Confederate Soldier and slept under it.”

April, 1903 Sarah K. Bush

[GreencoatCross]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

Rob & Dan W.,

Thanks for remembering the blanket's provenance and posting the information. I can't believe I forgot about it!

[roundshot]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

As far as Yanks gleaning from Rebs, there is the account of J ohn Haley of the 17th Maine in front of Petersburg: 9/5/64 " Just previous to our exchange of pickets tonight, I went out and had an interesting interview with a young Johnny Reb . . . He was uncommonly well dressed . . . [and] had one desire that outweighed all others- to get something that belonged to a genuine Yankee. I had on a particularly shoddy cap and I noted he wore a fine one of English make. He seemed perfectly satisfied with the exchange, even though it was not a fair bargain. The usual Southron is alert to our devious character in sharp trading, but this young lad must have been new to the practice." From"The Rebel Yell and Yankee Hurrah."

[Union Navy]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

Navy practice was to take any arms and alcohol from captured Confederate vessels for immediate use - the former to replenish or augment inventory and the latter to replenish or augment "morale." Though the ships themselves and their cargo were subject to prize court adjudications, the needs of the moment often took precedence. Arms often consisted of single-shot pistols, boarding pikes, Enfield rifle muskets and 1841 model cutlasses, all of which could serve quite well on a US vessel.

[Forrestcavalryman]

Re: Federal use of captured equipment?

I read once of a Michigan cavalry unit that was ordered to cease wearing confederate shell jackets. Apparently they were stationed in the deep South and preffered the jean wool jackets to their wool ones!