Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

[FloridaConscript]

I know the trend lately has been all about stressing the CS QM system especially mid to late war, and that the "ragged rebel" is mostly a lost cause myth. We get hung up in blockade runner manifests (myself especially), clothing bureau receipts, supposed battle field pick ups and the like. I'll be the first to say, the common notion of ragged rebel (everyone was barefoot all the time, 1 spoon for 5 men, charging the yankees with sticks etc) is lost cause fantasy. However, I do think that for the common Johnny, even when times was good, they were still bad. Check out some of the following from the ANV inspection reports. All were pulled from the brigade or division level.

The whole command, however, is sadly in need of under and outer clothing, and I beg that immediate steps be taken to furnish a supply which the report of deficiencies shows to be so urgently needed. In Wharton's (Forsberg's) Brigade, I noticed men at inspection standing in their drawers, without either coat or pants. Shoes are also needed, but not so urgently as clothing.

Fosberg's brigade, Nov. 1864

I find great deficiencies in clothing in all the brigades, especially in trousers and, with the exception of Thomas's Brigade, in shoes. Thomas's Brigade was not with the division on the late march to Jarrett's, which will account for this command being better off for shoes. Reference is asked to the detailed report for deficiencies in clothing.

Wilcox's Division (pender's old div) Dec. 1864

Clothing, shoes, blankets, and hats are greatly wanted. Two brigades, Battle's and Cook's, have not been supplied this fall, and a large proportion of the other two is of convalescents and recruits who were not present when these brigades were supplied on month ago, and who are in great want. Many men are actually barefooted, and a large number of shoes are badly worn. Many of the men are yet without jackets or coats and very many need pants badly.

Rode's Division, October 1864

The clothing of the troops of this division [?] at present. Many of the men in Terry's (Va) Brigade having recently entered service, all being well clad, but the old soldiers [?] are very poorly clad. Also so of the company officers. Many of them are dependent altogether upon their pay, which is insufficient for the purchase of uniforms from private parties, and not one in ten has ever been supplied by the government with cloth. The regulations which obtain at present in the Q.M. Department in the field in the matter of clothing amount to an exclusion of the officers from the privilege of purchase, as the supply furnished is always inadequate for the men whose wants are declared to take precedence. Company officers generally are no longer distinguishable by character of dress.

Gordon's Division November 1864.

Clothing is much needed. The supplies that were received were in such small quantities that the troops never present a uniform appearance, some being well clad, others in rags.

Pegram's Division, August 1864.

Note all of these are from late 1864 when the ANV was relatively static around a central rail head. Rode's inspection reports some men without jackets and shoes. Folsberg talks about men having nothing but drawers. Sounds like ragged rebel stuff to me.

Many thanks to Jim Schruefer for all of his work and sharing it with us on www.blueandgraymarching.com

[Steve Acker]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Great job pard,

Filtering through all the post war romanticism text, there is still too much proof of a confederate army suffering from a lack of supplies for us to think clean and pristine is an accurate impression of a confederate soldier.

From an Archie McLaurin letter dated October 30, 1862, almost a third of his letter is filled with a plea for clothing. His need of almost an entire suit of clothes, I beleive, supporst Bryant's point about the men lacking basic uniform items.
"I want you to send me a jean coat, pair of pants, pair of shoes and two or three pair socks. Tel Ma to make the coat tolerably large. I will send you $5o. Webb will leave it at Storms. You can get it. I would send you more but I don’t know when I will draw. I will keep $30. Tell Mary that I want a comforter very bad. Tell her if she hasn’t got time to know to get Miss Sallie to knit it. We had a pretty deep snow on the night of 26th. It was about 5 inches. Well I must close as it is very cold. Give my love to the balance of the family. Excuse bad writing for I am so cold I can scarcily write. From your affectionate son Archie"

Steve Acker
Former authentic, now prefering historical research

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

I don't think it took much time for a new shirt or suit of clothes to acquire a healthy coating of grime, once in the field. Even in winter camp, there is cooking grime and the dirt from living in a crowded camp. So, I agree that, in many circumstances, a CS infantryman impression should included a healthy dose of dirt and wear.

The question is, then, how does one achieve that "look". Personally, I believe that allowing items to age "naturally" (aka... just using the stuff) is the best method. Your gear and clothing gets dirty and ages as it would have then, and puts you in a position to deal with the same/similar maintenance and repair issues.

By contrast, some folks artificially age and "dirty-up" their gear. To my eye, this looks artificial. Clothing with scorch marks from being torched, or shoes with the uppers ripped off are not authentic, in my opinion. Why? Gear doesn't naturally wear that way. Soles wear out before uppers. If clothing gets a hole worn in it, there's no burn mark associated.

The men we portray were trying their hardest to prolong the life of their clothing. I would rather see a careful mending job, or a skillfully applied patch, than a hole. And, nothing beats a sun-bleached shirt!

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Brother Wick,

I agree whole-heartedly regarding the wear and tear, grime, and general 'soldier funk' issues that you brought up. But I think that applies evenly to both sides. I agree in that some guys way over due the fake wear and tear, but my post was more in regard to actual lack of clothing and equipment available to Confederates, even in the period of the war when CS production was at it's peak.

I've got a Wambaugh shirt that is all funk nasty with the sun bleach. good stuff.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Heck, regiments were getting worn and missing equipment after 1 month in the field, pre-Manassas. Information from my screen-name's sake indicates widespread lack of bayonet scabbards and many already receiving new trousers from home in June/early-July of '61, before Manassas.

I think this kind of stuff can be a bit situational, as well. Pre-g-burg, there is evidence of a lot of new uniforms, etc. being issued (re: Ted Barclay of the 4th VA referencing his English "Blue suit"), as well as Longstreet's corps being re-clothed pre-Chicamauga. Even in these circumstances, time, travel, hard duty, and weather would tell in the general appearance of a unit.

Consider Shiloh and the 15th IA -vs- Rebs at Donelson
All of us should be in a similar condition, given that we were all supplied at the same time. Some light to moderate wear would make sense, but "rags" would be incorrect. By contrast, at "Withdrawal to Donelson" 2012, guys should look much more worn. I would expect guys to pull out older, worn uniforms for this, similar in condtion to what one might expect for a CS Sharpsburg impression.

[Todd Watts]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

My own humble opinion is that these were still men of the Victorian Era military. They had easy access to oils/greases to make sure weapons did not rust, vinegar and ash to make sure brass was polished, and plenty of buttons and thread to make sure their uniforms were not long tattered or buttonless. Any Sgt. worth a stripe would not have lasted in that rank had he allowed a mess of Pvt.s to lounge around not polishing, cleaning or mending. Arthur Fremantle reported when he visited Bragg's army in Mid-TN in May of '63 that they were mostly wearing shoes, and although there was no standard uniform pattern, their clothing was in decent condition and their weapons (mostly British he said) were well maintained. I'll try to locate his memoir to cite the exact statement, but that was the jist of his observation of that army at that place and at that moment in history. Of course nothing can guarantee he'd have said the same about them a month or two before or after.

[john duffer]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Even with only one impression and doing an event every month you get less than a month of wear in a year so I have to imagine a summer of campaigning wore things out more than four years of hard reenacting. I too think artificial aging looks artificial but then I was always able to somehow get filthy walking in from the parking lot.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Hallo!

Going Zen... what is the sound of one hand clapping?
Going Pointless Folksy Wisdom... no matter how flat one makes a pancake, it still has two sides.

IMHO, and in my Heresies..

There is no "one answer," as between 1861 and 1865, it is a matter of, or issue, of time, place, circumstance, and unit. All driven not only by time, place, and circumstance, but also such factors as when the unit was formed; how long or short it was between last reissuance or last full or partial resupply; how far, how long, or how hard the current campaign/march/battle was; etc., etc.

But, IMHO, if we are talking about the two sides of the same coin, there is also the "edge" or rim. Meaning, "we" have a Hobby Culture that values the "campaigner look" with use, wear, mended and too new to yet be mended tears, sun-fading, grease, dirt, blackpowder stains, sweat stains, the punched in or out hat, the smell of dirt, sweat, woodsmoke, or dead leaves, etc., etc. And "we" devalue" the 'band box' "fresh fish" newbie/recruit with his "out of the box" for the first time "newness" and "shine."
Why?
Many reasons. Some basic such as we see the signs of "use" as the mark or badge of the veteran campaigner who has experienced in the field, the mud or dirt, the sun, or the snow/rain/sun. It makes for what we consider to be a more Believable Image. It suspends more Disbelief that "we" are not CW soldiers if we looked "lived in" versus "new out of the box." We just like, to borrow from WWII, the Army Air Corps '25 Mission Crush" look over the new and stiff look.
And that drives some lads to try to counterfeit or fake the natural look, so as to look "Veteran" instead of "Fresh Fresh." I will admit it myself. I hate getting "new" kit, and have come to prefer buying used to "get a jump" on the Hobby Culture's "Look."

:) :)

But coming Full Circle... yes, where at first "we" were driven by the Lost Cause of the starving, naked Rebel as to why the War was lost... to where "we" "Cherry Picked" more narrowly among a number of historically correct options to serve our Hobby Culture need to look "veteran" and more "believable."

Curt

[Mississippian]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Bryant,

I find fault with your inspection report quotes in one regard, all of them, except one, come not from the ANV around Richmond/ Petersburg but Early's Army of the Valley. They had been tramping up and down the Valley since the raid into Maryland in July, they sure as heck weren't "static". This was one of the low points in the C.S. supply situation, as all the active campaigning tore up whatever clothing could be gotten to Early's Army. The troops around Richmond would have been better off in some ways, as some states (NC, SC, GA,) sent clothing to their soldiers to supplement what was coming out of the C.S.Q.M.D.

Perhaps a larger sample size is in order.....

Will MacDonald

[AndrewGrim]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

The question is, then, how does one achieve that "look". Personally, I believe that allowing items to age "naturally" (aka... just using the stuff) is the best method. Your gear and clothing gets dirty and ages as it would have then, and puts you in a position to deal with the same/similar maintenance and repair issues.

Gear will age by going to events, staying for the whole event , and not riding in a truck out.

By fall of 1864 Virginia was cut off from everyplace but North and South Carolina. The Army of Northern Virginia was not isolated in a bubble and was affected by the fall Atlanta even if they were not getting finished goods from there.

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Will,

Jim has some AOT inspection reports up, but I have yet to comb through them extensively. The sample size is certainly limited, but so are existing Confederate inspection reports. Those are just the one's I grabbed. The Florida brigades reports are similar and they were not in the Valley.

As far as different states go, old Tar Heelia still stands tall. Check out Jim's comparison of Heth's division...pretty interesting. It also seems amoung the NC units, there were favorites there as well. Anderson's brigade apparently recieved non CS clothing in Feb. of 65 though I'm not sure where it came from as Georgia was pretty well wore out at that point in time.

Todd,

Check out some of the comments on arms. There are many reg'ts and brigades with arms marked "dirty" or "poor". Those also go hand in hand with units that are suffering from a severe lack of line officers and disciple suffered.

http://blueandgraymarching.com/third-corps/sanders-brigade-al.html

Wilcox's old Alabama brigade, not a conscript outfit, has 4 out of 5 regiments with Arms listed as dirty. I've also seen a lot of "serviceable, but not clean" references.

[Curt Schmidt]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Hallo!

"Gear will age by going to events, staying for the whole event , and not riding in a truck out."


It does...

For years I have been trying to devise a "Mathematical Formula" for it.
Something along the lines of:

"L = DU Squared"

Where L is look, and DU is 24 hour day use

Let's see.

A reenactor might "live" in his kit for say two (2) days per event on average, times say six (6) events a year. So, the Look Factor is twelve squared or 144.
A Civil War soldier might "live" in his kit for say thirty (30) days a month for say three (3) months. So the Look Factor is ninety squared or a Look Factor at the end of three months of 8100.

LF of 144 versus 8100.

I don't have the facts to back it up, but I am.... just a-funnin' and being silly on a slow cloudy day. :) :)

But, while the math is made up and bogus, the concept is still valid. ;) :)
Because the reenactor might "look" similar to the real CW soldier where the lines cross. Meaning, the reenactor at the end of his season might be somewhat approaching the look of the CW soldier say on the 12th day of the soldier's new issuances (if the soldier was not too worn or used up in marching or campaigning.)

Curt

[bAcK88]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Here's what an inspector though the reason the ANV was going through so much clothing even though it was "static" in the last year of the War:

Experience has shown that the semi-annual allowance of clothing which would be sufficient to clothe men comfortably in less onerous duty will last scarcely three months in the Trenches, from the greater wear of material in rubbing against the sides of the ditches.

Pg 445, Joseph Glatthaar's "General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse.

[FloridaConscript]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Here's what an inspector though the reason the ANV was going through so much clothing even though it was "static" in the last year of the War:

Experience has shown that the semi-annual allowance of clothing which would be sufficient to clothe men comfortably in less onerous duty will last scarcely three months in the Trenches, from the greater wear of material in rubbing against the sides of the ditches.

Pg 445, Joseph Glatthaar's "General Lee's Army: From Victory to Collapse.

Bill,
that one is on my amazon list. One inspector makes mention of the continuous labor being devoted to "throwing up works" as a reason for the clothing deficiencies.
One of the most universal things I have seen in the reports is a lack of soap and personal cleanliness. we can debate clothing returns, but no 2 ways about it, those fellas were "filthy dirty" as my momma used to say.

[Marine Mike]

Re: Ragged Rebel: has the pendulum swung too far the other way?

Another way to fatigue your clothing is to wear it at home doing fatigue duties such as raking leaves, splitting wood, shoveling snow and digging up the garden. It will get thread bare in the right locations and get a little skanky as well. You don't need to wait for an event.