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Height / age of CW soldiers

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  • Height / age of CW soldiers

    Found this on another site, attributed to Fox's regimental Losses. The height and age of some 118,000 of 200,000 Indiana Union volunteers was recorded with the results below. Those who have had Statistics 101 will note a "bell curve" created by the raw data for height, averaging about 5' 8". The predominant age is 18, with the numbers descending fairly regularly from there.

    --------------
    "The age and height of 118,254 Indiana soldiers (out of about 200,000 enlistments) was recorded, with the following interesting result:

    No. of men.
    Under 5 ft. 1 in.. 501
    At 5 ft. 1 in. 263
    At 5 ft. 2 in. 971
    At 5 ft. 3 in. 2,503
    At 5 ft. 4 in. 5,387
    At 5 ft. 5 in. 9,171
    At 5 ft. 6 in. 14,373
    At 5 ft. 7 in. 15,328
    At 5 ft. 8 in. 19, 140
    At 5 ft. 9 in. 15,472
    At 5 ft. 10 in. 15,047
    At 5 ft. 11 in. 8,706
    At 6 ft. -- in. 6,679
    At 6 ft. 1 in. 2,614
    At 6 ft. 2 in. 1,357
    At 6 ft. 3 in. 406
    Over 6 ft. 3 in. 336
    Total: 118,254

    Age # Men
    Under 17 years 270
    At 17 years 634
    At 18 years 21,935
    At 19 years 10,519
    At 20 years 9,435
    At 21 years 9,705
    At 22 years 7,835
    At 23 years 6,789
    At 24 years 6,013
    At 25 years 4,891
    At 26 years 4,283
    At 27 years 3,758
    At 28 years 3,929
    At 29 years 2,769
    At 30 years 3,001
    At 31 to 34 years 8,361
    At 35 years and over 14,127
    Total recorded, 118,254

    From the foregoing it will be seen that an entire division of stalwart Indianians could have been formed, in which every man would have been six feet or more in height.

    Over 80,000 Indiana soldiers, however, were enlisted without preserving any record of their age and height. These figures approximate closely the ages and heights of the American volunteers of the same classes. "
    Mike Ventura
    Shannon's Scouts

  • #2
    Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

    Thanks for posting this Mike. It helps dispell the myth that soldiers were only in the 5' range. I had three uncles who served in Iowa regiments, all three were over 6' in height, and two were in the color guard of the 33rd Iowa. The third was a Captain in the 2nd Iowa.
    Scott Cross
    "Old and in the Way"

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

      Here's the chapter it was taken from, Chapter 12. I'd never noticed that about the Indiana soldiers' heights before:

      http://www.civilwarhome.com/chapt12.htm

      The next sentence after the part you quoted is interesting, and fits with the usual party line that western soldiers were taller:

      "Dr. Gould, however, thinks that the figures show "that the Indiana men are the tallest of all natives of the United States, and these latter the tallest of all civilized countries."

      The usual chapter in Fox's Regimental losses talking about height is Chapter 7:

      http://www.civilwarhome.com/chapt7.htm

      The bell curve of the Indiana figures certainly tops out close to the overall average given in Chapter Seven: 5' 8 1/4" I actually get just a smidge less than that when averaging the Indiana soldiers' heights, just a little under 5' 8 1/8".

      So if that Indiana regiment is average for the state, it contradicts the claim later in Fox's, and that I've seen elsewhere, that western soldiers/citizens averaged taller (almost an inch taller according to Fox's) than the average of soldiers overall.

      Edited to add:

      Since I see this data as dispelling a different myth than the one Scott is referring to, here are some examples of westerners being considered taller:

      "Kentucky and Tennessee probably furnishes the largest number of men above the average height of any State or Territory in the Union." (1857)

      "So far as we could distinguish the native Westerner from the human intermixture around him, his physical development struck us as an improvement on that of his Eastern brethren. He is usually taller and stouter about the chest, though his climate gives him a more bilious, if not more cadaverous aspect." (1853)

      Hank Trent
      hanktrent@gmail.com
      Last edited by Hank Trent; 01-15-2011, 05:00 PM.
      Hank Trent

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      • #4
        Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

        Hank --

        I chose to edit out the statement by Dr. Gould for my post as I assumed that it was another example of "state" posturing that was common in the era, and, out of context, added nothing to the data. Since the Indiana sample is about 60&% of all Indiana soldiers who served, it would qualify as representative.

        I had two g-g-grandfathers who served in Indiana regiments (43rd Inf and 71st Inf / later 6th Cav) One was 5'9" and the other 5'7" according to their war records. The second was 37 years olod on the date of his enlistment and was (supposedly) motivated by the $300 bounty offered. Both survived the war.
        Mike Ventura
        Shannon's Scouts

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

          Originally posted by Mike Ventura View Post
          I chose to edit out the statement by Dr. Gould for my post as I assumed that it was another example of "state" posturing that was common in the era, and, out of context, added nothing to the data.
          That's true, but it's still useful for understanding the time period, since height isn't something that every state was bragging about. It seems to be reserved for rural and/or western states. Even Fox's in Chapter 7 claims that the tallest soldiers were from Maine and several western states, including Indiana.

          So I think it's a useful fact for someone portraying a person in the 1860s to know that he or she should probably believe westerners are taller, whether they are or not. The fact that the data shows they weren't is pretty fascinating, because it makes me wonder how the notion got started--or what exception is causing the Indiana soldier figures to be lower than the overall average population in the west.

          Here's another example where the author goes overboard in posturing about how tall Americans are, but mentions only Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee, neglecting any of the eastern states.

          This author credits it to Scotch-Irish heritage: "The Scotch-Irish, as we have said, were a tall and muscular race, well adapted by their physical qualities to become the pioneers of new settlements, and the founders of a new people. The whole population of the mountain and valley districts of Virginia were distinguished for their noble stature [he gives an 18th century example]... Such were the people who formed one of the advanced columns in the great army of pioneers, that conquered and settled the west."

          Hank Trent
          hanktrent@gmail.com
          Last edited by Hank Trent; 01-16-2011, 02:02 PM. Reason: typo
          Hank Trent

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          • #6
            Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

            All,
            I'm not sure where they got the data, and I'd have to do a little research, but when you enter the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe, there is a full length cutout in plexiglas of a CW soldier, and it says that the average soldier was 5'6" and 140 lbs. It is related to the explanation of why the ceilings are so low throughout the fort in the casemates. Now obviously Fortress Monroe pre-dates the war, but this particular exhibit is specific to the CW.
            I'm going to check and see what is the source of that data for that exhibit. I know it is in relation overall averages, and I know there are characters like Bull Nelson and others who were well over 6 feet and very big men, so sizes varied significantly. However, I have used the Fort Monroe exhibit as a reference for some time on average sizes during living history discussions, so now I'm going to have to go do more research!
            Frank Siltman
            24th Mo Vol Inf
            Cannoneer, US Army FA Museum Gun Crew
            Member, Oklahoma Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission
            Company of Military Historians
            Lawton/Fort Sill, OK

            Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay -- and claims a halo for his dishonesty.— Robert A. Heinlein

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

              Check out the celling height in the case mates at Fort Pulaski in Ga. Or Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortuga's. Both also pre war fortifications.
              Does that mean the peoples manning these Forts were Giants?
              Brick and stone structures offer support to the Fortification, not to the convenient height of the men.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

                For my ancestors where height was listed they averaged 5'10". The average age of my 9 ggg grandfathers that fought was 42 with the youngest being 35 and the oldest being 58. The 58 year old had a son age 22 in the 7th SC Battalion, Co A.
                Claude Sinclair
                Palmetto Battalion

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

                  Hallo!

                  Does anyone recognuze this chart:



                  It is connected to a document that explains its source that is trapped in my dead hard-drive. IIRC, it was for Missouri soldiers??

                  As an aside, what can drive heights and weights is ethnicity. Different folks due to countries of origin or the make up and mix of certain ethnicities living on one state may reflect a different range than those from another.

                  Curt
                  Curt Schmidt
                  In gleichem Schritt und Tritt, Curt Schmidt

                  -Hard and sharp as flint...secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.
                  -Haplogroup R1b M343 (Subclade R1b1a2 M269)
                  -Pointless Folksy Wisdom Mess, Oblio Lodge #1
                  -Vastly Ignorant
                  -Often incorrect, technically, historically, factually.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

                    All very cool documentation. And I might add not much different than what you will find in Modern stats after 150 years.
                    But, this does not account for low overheads and passageways in masonry fortifications due to the smaller stature of persons in that time period.
                    This is a complete docent/interpretive Farbisum.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

                      Blair,
                      As one who works with the Army Museum System under the Center of Military History, I can attest there is no docent interpretation. All exhibits are researched and documented thoroughly by the staff curators. That is a requirement of this very professional organization, full of professional historians and museum folks. Thus, why I said I'm going to research where they got that data. There is an explanation somewhere, but hardly something made-up in an accredited Army museum.
                      Frank Siltman
                      24th Mo Vol Inf
                      Cannoneer, US Army FA Museum Gun Crew
                      Member, Oklahoma Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission
                      Company of Military Historians
                      Lawton/Fort Sill, OK

                      Pacifism is a shifty doctrine under which a man accepts the benefits of the social group without being willing to pay -- and claims a halo for his dishonesty.— Robert A. Heinlein

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Height / age of CW soldiers

                        Frank,

                        Keep up the good work.
                        Historical sites, Museums and fortifications are full of myths and misconceptions. Whether promoted by docents, or posted misinformation.

                        ,"but when you enter the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe, there is a full length cutout in plexiglas of a CW soldier, and it says that the average soldier was 5'6" and 140 lbs. It is related to the explanation of why the ceilings are so low throughout the fort in the casemates. Now obviously Fortress Monroe pre-dates the war, but this particular exhibit is specific to the CW."
                        This is a prime example, and has not been checked into or changed for at least 30 years, that I am aware of.

                        Comment

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