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This is an extension of a thread started by Ryan Meyer of the Skulkers Mess. Ryan specifically asked about blouses and their early history of issue in the Western theater.
This is the first of a four-part offering, the second part being a history of support of the Western Department, sometimes called the Department of Missouri and Illinois, under the command of General John C. Fremont. Because much of the area making up the Western Department fell initially into the earlier Department of the Ohio, it is in that department that we shall begin.
What should be understood by the reader is that during this earliest period of the Civil War, "the" Western army was organized and led into the mountains of Virginia as ordered by the War Department. The supply of this army by the USQMD, had a direct effect on later Western commands.
"Clothing the Department of the Ohio"
On April 23, 1861, General George B. McClellan wrote from Columbus Ohio to Lieut. Gen. Winfield Scott a letter describing conditions in the command that had just been offered him by the War Department. Among other things, McClellan asked General Scott for staff officers, and particularly a Quartermaster officer, naming Capt. John H. Dickerson, explaining:
I find myself general, in the position of a command with nothing but men-neither arms or supplies. (1)
The request was granted and Dickerson soon found himself at Cincinnati Ohio, headquarters of the newly created Department of the Ohio.
Headquarters, Department of the Ohio,
Cincinnati, Ohio,
May 13, 1861,
General Orders, No 1,
By General Orders, No. 14, dated War Department, Adjutant General's Office, Washington, May 3, 1861, the States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois have been embodied in a new military department called the Department of the Ohio, the distinguished honor of commanding which has been assigned to the undersigned, who hereby assumes command.
All reports required by the Army Regulations will hereafter be forwarded to the headquarters of the Department of the Ohio.
Geo. B. McClellan,
Major General (2)
On May 10, 1861, Dickerson, already in Cincinnati, received the following from E. S. Sibley, acting Quartermaster General.
Capt. John H. Dickerson
A. A. Quartermaster
Cincinnati, Ohio
May 10th, 1861
Sir;
I have received your letter of the 4th instant and have required a remittance in favor of the Assistant Treasurer of the United States in New York of $30,000, to be placed to your credit, for the service of the Quarter Masters Department. This is all that can be supplied at this time, owing to the exhausted state of our appropriations and the lack of money in the treasury.
When funds are required, an estimate in detail should be forwarded. No part of this remittance can be applied to the purchase of clothing, as the money appropriated for that object has all, or nearly all, been drawn from the treasury. (3)
Realizing that Ohio volunteers needed clothing, Ohio Governor William Dennison offered Dickerson a position with the Ohio Quartermasters Department, heretofore much of state clothing procurement having been done by Dennison himself.
Columbus, May 3,
Gov. Dennison has appointed Captain Dickerson, USA, Quartermaster General and Captain Burns, USA Commissary General of the State forces. They exercise the active duties of these positions, while at the same time they exercise similar functions in relation to the Ohio volunteers mustered into the US service. (4)
Because of criticism of the efforts made by the Ohio Quartermaster's office from newspaper editors and others, a military board was formed in early June 1861 for the further procurement of supplies. Cincinnati Commercial Agent, and former wool merchant, A. D. Bullock was appointed Assistant Quartermaster of Ohio. Bullock related what happened in his testimony before a Congressional committee investigating the purchase of army supplies in March 1862.
Before my attention was called to the matter by the authorities at Columbus the business was transacted here by the United States Quartermaster, Captain Dickerson. there appeared to be considerable newspaper talk, and considerable complaint from camp in regard to the quality of goods furnished by Dickerson. The governor requested me to act as such an agent, and in that capacity I first acted. (5)
Several contracts signed by Dickerson are recorded in the Ohio State Contract Book for 1861, Series 1382, of the Ohio Adjutant Generals Records housed at the Ohio Historical Society. Only one advertisement however, has been found placed by him during this period as a dual procurement officer.
Ad to contractors:
Sealed proposals for 2,500 blouses, pairs Pants, pairs Drawers, Hats, Blankets, 5,000 Shirts, 5,000 pairs Socks. These supplies must conform in every particular to the supplies in my office at no. 34 Broadway.
Jno. Dickerson
Lt. Col. and Asst. QM Gen'tl OVM (6)
Dickerson later explained his method.
Q. Will you state in the manner in which supplies have been generally procured by your department in this city: whether by contract, open purchase in the market, or by requisition on particular parties?
A. Supplies have generally been procured by me by purchase in the open market. I have made but few contracts for anything. When supplies have been wanted, I have generally advertised to get the lowest market price, and then distributed my orders among parties dealing in the kind of supplies wanted. If I want thirty-thousand suits of clothes, I advertise for say, five thousand suits. The lowest responsible bidder gets the amount called for in the advertisement, and the remainder wanted is distributed among the clothing houses which do the best work, at the same prices at which the award was made. (7)
By late June or early July, Dickerson was procuring clothing for the USQMD only:
June 14, 1861
Sir;
A remittance has been required in your favor of $141,000 for the service of the Quarter Master's Department on your estimate for the present month.
M. E. Meigs
QuarterMaster Genl. (8)
It should be noted that in Quartermaster Support of the Army, Erna Risch makes mention that a special session of the Congress convened in June 1861, in order to allocate funds for purchases by the Quartermasters Department.
By August, Dickerson was requested by Genl. Meigs to provide clothing to Ohio regiments being organized. Two letters in Series 147, dated August 9, outline suggestions for the governor by Dickerson, on how to direct mustering officers to supply him with the names of both field and staff of regiments mustering into service in order to provide both clothing and camp equipage (see Series 147-4: 78 and 79).
On August 24, 1861, Dickerson again wrote to Dennison stating that starting on August 26, he would commence issuing knives, forks, spoons, tin cups, and plates. and that he would issue these items as fast as possible without interfering with the issuing of other supplies. Dickerson advised Dennison that he was not only responsible for volunteers organizing in Ohio camps, but also with the army in Western Virginia, as well as volunteers organizing in Indiana. He requested of Dennison to make demands in such a way as to advise him of where there was the most pressing needs for goods. He stated that Genl. Rosecrans requisition was for 20,000 men and that there were nineteen regiments of Indiana troops to be supplied. He also made mention that he would be able to send several thousand overcoats to Western Virginia during the next week (see Series 147-5: 123).
Capt. John H. Dickerson
Cincinnati, Ohio
August 20, 1861
Telegraph
Fill governor Dennison's Requisition for tin cups, plates, iron spoons, knives, and forks-charge to appropriations for equipping troops.
Signed,
M. C. Meigs
QuarterM. General (9)
It is unclear at this time as to what degree Dickerson supplied Indiana volunteers with clothing and equipage. Indiana's Governor O. P. Morton in late August, received a letter from Meigs advising him that Major Alexander Montgomery had been ordered to Indianapolis in order to assist or take over procurement for volunteers by the Federal government. Until this time, Indiana had provided for her volunteers, at least at their initial camps of instruction.
Captain Montgomery had arrived in Cincinnati on July 7, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, ordered to act as an assistant QM to Dickerson. The facts regarding his promotion and the exact duties of his new assignment are not as yet completely understood. In another installment of this series, I hope to include a complete listing of contracts made in Indianapolis for this period which are listed in House Executive Document 101. Of some note is that the very first contracts signed by Montgomery, in late August 1861, were let in Cincinnati.
In November of 1861, The Department of the Ohio was re-organized under Genl. Buell (General Orders 97, 9 November 1861). Col. Thomas Swords was sent to Louisville from Fort Scott, and assumed command as Quartermaster General of the Department.
Captain John H. Dickerson continued on as Chief Quartermaster of the newly established principle depot at Cincinnati.
Abstract of clothing and camp equipage purchased at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Capt. Jno. Dickerson, A. Q. M., U. S. A., from May 22 to December 28, 1861, inclusive.
33,000 hats
90,000 caps and covers
185,000 blue kersey pants
20,000 reinforced pants
165,000 blouses, lined
15,000 cavalry jackets
5,000 artillery jackets
159,700 pairs, pegged shoes
128,595 regulation 5 lb. blankets
225,000 pairs of drawers, canton and flannel
235,000 shirts
93,600 infantry overcoats
7,750 cavalry overcoats
375,000 pairs of stockings
65,200 knapsacks and straps
80,000 canteens and straps
94,000 haversacks
3,200 wall tents, pins and poles, complete
5,677 bell tents, pins and poles, complete
3,624 Sibley tents, pins and poles, complete
300 hospital tents, pins and poles, complete
14,000 camp kettles
35,000 mess pans
13,800 axes and handles
13,800 picks and handles
13,800 spades
13,800 hatchets and handles
17,000 pairs of boots
45,000 regulation frock coats
25,000 not regulation
John Dickerson,
Captain and A. Q. M. (10)
One note; an article published by Cincinnati USMSK (United States Military Storekeeper) Captain Gill in Nov. 1861, outlines in a tabular statement what exactly had been issued from his warehouses as opposed to what had been purchased and in storage. The one important point from this is that under blouses, he mentions that right around 100,000 had been issued from the warehouse to the date of the article, which again was in November. During the same period, only 12,000 uniform coats had been issued. From early November to late December, some 35,000 uniform coats were added to the list, or on hand not accounted for in this notice. Overwhelmingly, the garment available to the soldiers of the National Army in Western Virginia, was the humble blouse. Will edit this in when I find my copy of this notice as I seem to have misplaced this photocopy.
List of prices of clothing and camp equipage and garrison equipage issued to the troops in the "Department of the Ohio" previous to the 31st of July 1861.
Hats.............................................. ......................$ 1.00
Blouses, lined............................................. ...........$ 3.12 1/2
Pants, gray satinet........................................... ..... $ 2.60
Shirts, gray mixed............................................. .....$ 1.32
Drawers, gray mixed............................................. ..$ . 54
Blankets.......................................... .....................$ 1.75
Price list from 31 July to 30 September shows;
Black hats, both felt and wool
Caps and cover
Pants, dark blue kersey, light blue kersey, light blue kersey, reinforced.
Blouse lined
Blouse unlined
Drawers gray, mixed
Drawers cotton flannel
Canteens with leather straps
Canteens with duck straps
Knives
Forks
Spoons
Tin cup
Tin plate
Prices since 30 September, following also mentioned
Overcoats, blue satinet
Overcoats, steel mixed
Overcoats cavalry (11)
(1) OR's, Series 1, Vol. 3, Pg. 333.
(2) " " " Pg. 376.
(3) NARA Publications, M-745, Roll 36, Pg. 364 entry 127/382.
(4) Cincinnati Daily Commercial, May 4, 1861 Pg. 1.
(5) Serial Set, Vol. 1143, Pg. 939
(6) Cincinnati Daily Commercial, June 5, 1861 Pg. 2.
(7) Serial Set, Vol. 1143, Pg. 743
(8) NARA Publications, M-745, Roll 37, Pg.440, entry 411/447.
(9) " " " Pg. 737
(10) Serial Set, Vol. 1143, Pg. 747
(11) " " " Pg. 748
Notes from the Serial Set.
The following notes on uniforms and equipments are taken from the testimony given to the Van Wycke Committee investigating the purchase of army supplies in the Department of the Ohio. Contained in the Serial Set, Vol. 1143.
Pg. 741, Dickerson, Have made some purchases, both of material and clothing, through C. C. Roumage, of New York.
Pg. 742, Dickerson, About the 10th of October, I received a dispatch form General Meigs to purchase any material outside of regulation that would make suitable overcoats; that there was not enough in the country to supply the army; that perhaps I might get some from Vinton, in New York. I went to New York for that purpose. On reaching there I found Colonel Vinton could not supply me. Then I went to Boston and purchased material for about twenty-five thousand overcoats, dark satinette and Union goods. I had about twelve thousand of these manufactured in Boston and the balance in Cincinnati. Beside these I bought about ten thousand overcoats that were not regulation coats-blue satinette, regulation in color but not in quality. The purchases made in Boston were made by G. A. Shaw, who was recommended to me by Col. Vinton as an agent, and in the employ of the government.
It is of some interest to note that Dickerson continued to issue irregular overcoats over the next couple of months from this purchase. On page 135 of Don Troini's Soldiers in America 1754-1865, a letter is published, written by Maj. Wm. A. Stokes of the 18th Regt. U. S. Infantry to G. H. Crosman, QM General in Philadelphia complaining of irregular "gray" coats drawn by the 18th U. S. Regt.
As Dickerson supplied all of the camps in Ohio, of which Camp Thomas, where the letter was written was one, there is little reason not to believe that the coats referred to by Stokes were likely from this lot. The situation became so bad that Meigs penned the following dated Oct. 18, 1861.
If a regiment will agree to accept white undyed wool clothing, and the cloth can be made West, it should be used. Anything in this extremity is better than to wait.
Series M745, Roll 36, "Main Series, Letters sent by the Office of the Quartermaster General, Volumes 56-57," entry 77/127.
Pg. 743, Dickerson, I have manufactured, to a limited extant, shirts and drawers. I have had 800-1,500 laborers (mostly women) thus employed during the summer and fall, and have found that from 10 to 30 percent can thus be saved by the government.
Pg. 745, Dickerson, Clothing has been purchased from nearly all the clothing houses in this city. I have dealt largely with the following houses; Heidelbach, Seasongood & Co.; Rindskopf & Co.; Kuhn, Netter & Co.; Leopold & Goodheart; Cohen & Guiterman; Heidlebach, Wertheimer & Co.; Jones Bros. & Co.; A. J. Wolf; Jacob Elsas & Co.; Mack, Stadler, & Glazer; W. H. Comstock & Co.; A. & J. Trounstine. I have purchased also from W. F. Enders & Co., of Boston; J. D. Baldwin, of Pittsburg; and William Comstock, of Columbus. George Clark, W. W. Northrup, and E. M. Brown, are inspectors of clothing.
Pg. 794, Bowers, Chief Clerk,
Q. Do you have more than one inspector of clothing?
A. We have two-George Clark and W. W. Northrup. One gets $100 per month, and the other $124.00. Both are judges of clothing.
Pg. 913, Trimble 60th OVI, The blankets, for instance, were some of them white, some of them half size, and so course, there was no warmth to them.
The clothing was received from the quartermaster's department in Cincinnati, and has been doled out piecemeal through four months of time.
Pg. 914, Trimble, 60th OVI, None of them were regulation overcoats. They were half cotton goods, and there were three or four varieties even of those.
Pg. 919, H. Mack, Clothier, I saw some clothing sent out here from the department in Boston which the inspector objected to and said he would not have.
Q. What were they?
A. They were coats, and they were marked as inspected by Inspector Shaw of Boston.
Pg. 930, Odiorne, 60th OVI, I saw from the books that the dark blue pants were shipped from the east-some from Boston, some from New York, and some from Philadelphia; a majority of the pants were from Boston. There was a Boston mark on the boxes, and a card on the pants. The satinet was kind of blue, some were satinet, and some were tweed. Mentions uniform coats of black cloth.
Pg. 945, Bullock, The great difficulty in most of the gray goods furnished is owing to the admixture of shoddy and other inferior articles, and consequently I insisted upon all the pantaloons being lined. I noticed in some of the gray suits upon the backs of the soldiers this fine stuff, shoddy, which had worked down between the cloth and the lining. Some of the pantaloons which were gotten before I came were by parties with whom I contracted, and they were surprised that I required the goods to be shrunk. I found a good deal of the clothing on the backs of the soldiers in Western Virginia which had not been shrunk before they were made, and the consequence was that when they were put on the backs of the soldiers the goods shrunk more than the linings.
Pg. 948, Gill USMSK,
Q. What are your duties as storekeeper?
A. To receive and issue all clothing, camp and garrison equipage. Everything issued here has a makers mark upon it-not only on the garment but upon the case in which it is shipped.
Q. Do you know anything of the overcoats issued Colonel Harris's second regiment, Ohio volunteers?
A. Yes, Sir,
Q. What do you know about them?
A. They were black felt overcoats, which ought to never have been issued.
In addition to the irregular clothing which I reported to the quartermaster general, I find that we have 9,000 satinet overcoats, 8,000 of which are quite good; 10,000 pairs of satinet pantaloons which are good, and 6,000 doeskin overcoats which are good.
960. Mention of M. C. Hickox of knapsacks of painted cloth and painted duck. India-rubber haversacks and blankets.
962. Dickerson, I purchased materials, as stated before in my former testimony in Boston, for about 15,000 overcoats, which were not regulation; it was all cassinets; as far as practicable I got regulation colors, I could get none from the East. I had engaged about thirty-five thousand overcoats, and had ninety-thousand men to clothe.
964. The clothing which was was such as I had, for I could get nothing from eastern depots. I had supplied about ninety-thousand troops from this market. The clothing was issued as rapidly as it could possibly be made up to those regiments I thought needed it the most.
Those white blankets were purchased by Col. Vinton of New York; he sent me 25,000. As to blankets I purchased here, none but five pound blankets, with the exception of eight or ten thousand; those were four pound over.
974. Clark, Inspector, When Captain Dickerson first got me to take hold of this work, I asked him what the standard should be. He brought a sample from Philadelphia.
We had no difficulty with our clothing until the latter part of September; then the supply became short on account of there being parties here from Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri contracting. We got along to the middle of October, and then we had great difficulty in obtaining clothing at all.
Pg. 978 Northrup, Inspector, The clothing purchased of Enders & Co. which were not all strictly regulation clothing, was good in kind, and I suppose as good as any other delivered of that description of clothing, and as far as size and cutting were concerned they were better, more liberal.
The superiority of the clothing received of Enders & Co. consisted in their cut, in the liberality of material put in the clothing, less piecing, better size than usual, &c. &c. &c. I asked Mr. Enders, when he was here, whether his clothing was cut from his own pattern or whether he got it from the department, He told me he got them from the arsenal at Philadelphia.
Pg. 979, Brown, Inspector, I reside in Cincinnati, and hold the position of inspector of blankets, shirts, trousers, and socks.
Q. How many blankets have you purchased?
A. About 175,000. some 30,000 or 40,000 were received from Colonel Vinton in New York
Pg. 1490, Tracy, Enders, I took a contract in August with captain Dickerson, at Cincinnati, for 15,000 pairs, pants, 1,000 cavalry pants, 20,000 skeleton blouses, 15,000 shirts, 10,000 haversacks, 5,000 pairs pants, 18,000 shirts, 20,000 lined blouses, 20,000 infantry frocks, 20,000 lined blouses, 10,000 sky-blue satinet overcoats, 20,000 blankets, 10,000 pairs, doeskin pants, 5,000 skeleton blouses.
1491
Q. To what amount has the house of Enders & Co. furnished from their establishment?
A. I think he has furnished for 250,000 to Massachusetts and the New England States, and about $628,000 to Cincinnati, and to New York and the department of the West, an amount that in the aggregate exceed $2,000,000.
For information on Ordnance Department support of the Department of the Ohio, would recommend Civil War Cartridge Boxes of the Union Infantryman by Paul D. Johnson.
Beginning on page 122, one can read about Captain Kingsbury, McClellan's Ordnance officer in Cincinnati.
Hope to follow this up with a history of supply of Fremont's Western Department, and then a shorter history for my fellow Buckeyes on clothing, both initial and supplemental, purchased by Ohio. Will also provide a list of contracts made by Montgomery in Indianapolis, as well as, my conclusions and thoughts.
Regards,
John
Jno. Sarver
Cin. O.
This is the first of a four-part offering, the second part being a history of support of the Western Department, sometimes called the Department of Missouri and Illinois, under the command of General John C. Fremont. Because much of the area making up the Western Department fell initially into the earlier Department of the Ohio, it is in that department that we shall begin.
What should be understood by the reader is that during this earliest period of the Civil War, "the" Western army was organized and led into the mountains of Virginia as ordered by the War Department. The supply of this army by the USQMD, had a direct effect on later Western commands.
"Clothing the Department of the Ohio"
On April 23, 1861, General George B. McClellan wrote from Columbus Ohio to Lieut. Gen. Winfield Scott a letter describing conditions in the command that had just been offered him by the War Department. Among other things, McClellan asked General Scott for staff officers, and particularly a Quartermaster officer, naming Capt. John H. Dickerson, explaining:
I find myself general, in the position of a command with nothing but men-neither arms or supplies. (1)
The request was granted and Dickerson soon found himself at Cincinnati Ohio, headquarters of the newly created Department of the Ohio.
Headquarters, Department of the Ohio,
Cincinnati, Ohio,
May 13, 1861,
General Orders, No 1,
By General Orders, No. 14, dated War Department, Adjutant General's Office, Washington, May 3, 1861, the States of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois have been embodied in a new military department called the Department of the Ohio, the distinguished honor of commanding which has been assigned to the undersigned, who hereby assumes command.
All reports required by the Army Regulations will hereafter be forwarded to the headquarters of the Department of the Ohio.
Geo. B. McClellan,
Major General (2)
On May 10, 1861, Dickerson, already in Cincinnati, received the following from E. S. Sibley, acting Quartermaster General.
Capt. John H. Dickerson
A. A. Quartermaster
Cincinnati, Ohio
May 10th, 1861
Sir;
I have received your letter of the 4th instant and have required a remittance in favor of the Assistant Treasurer of the United States in New York of $30,000, to be placed to your credit, for the service of the Quarter Masters Department. This is all that can be supplied at this time, owing to the exhausted state of our appropriations and the lack of money in the treasury.
When funds are required, an estimate in detail should be forwarded. No part of this remittance can be applied to the purchase of clothing, as the money appropriated for that object has all, or nearly all, been drawn from the treasury. (3)
Realizing that Ohio volunteers needed clothing, Ohio Governor William Dennison offered Dickerson a position with the Ohio Quartermasters Department, heretofore much of state clothing procurement having been done by Dennison himself.
Columbus, May 3,
Gov. Dennison has appointed Captain Dickerson, USA, Quartermaster General and Captain Burns, USA Commissary General of the State forces. They exercise the active duties of these positions, while at the same time they exercise similar functions in relation to the Ohio volunteers mustered into the US service. (4)
Because of criticism of the efforts made by the Ohio Quartermaster's office from newspaper editors and others, a military board was formed in early June 1861 for the further procurement of supplies. Cincinnati Commercial Agent, and former wool merchant, A. D. Bullock was appointed Assistant Quartermaster of Ohio. Bullock related what happened in his testimony before a Congressional committee investigating the purchase of army supplies in March 1862.
Before my attention was called to the matter by the authorities at Columbus the business was transacted here by the United States Quartermaster, Captain Dickerson. there appeared to be considerable newspaper talk, and considerable complaint from camp in regard to the quality of goods furnished by Dickerson. The governor requested me to act as such an agent, and in that capacity I first acted. (5)
Several contracts signed by Dickerson are recorded in the Ohio State Contract Book for 1861, Series 1382, of the Ohio Adjutant Generals Records housed at the Ohio Historical Society. Only one advertisement however, has been found placed by him during this period as a dual procurement officer.
Ad to contractors:
Sealed proposals for 2,500 blouses, pairs Pants, pairs Drawers, Hats, Blankets, 5,000 Shirts, 5,000 pairs Socks. These supplies must conform in every particular to the supplies in my office at no. 34 Broadway.
Jno. Dickerson
Lt. Col. and Asst. QM Gen'tl OVM (6)
Dickerson later explained his method.
Q. Will you state in the manner in which supplies have been generally procured by your department in this city: whether by contract, open purchase in the market, or by requisition on particular parties?
A. Supplies have generally been procured by me by purchase in the open market. I have made but few contracts for anything. When supplies have been wanted, I have generally advertised to get the lowest market price, and then distributed my orders among parties dealing in the kind of supplies wanted. If I want thirty-thousand suits of clothes, I advertise for say, five thousand suits. The lowest responsible bidder gets the amount called for in the advertisement, and the remainder wanted is distributed among the clothing houses which do the best work, at the same prices at which the award was made. (7)
By late June or early July, Dickerson was procuring clothing for the USQMD only:
June 14, 1861
Sir;
A remittance has been required in your favor of $141,000 for the service of the Quarter Master's Department on your estimate for the present month.
M. E. Meigs
QuarterMaster Genl. (8)
It should be noted that in Quartermaster Support of the Army, Erna Risch makes mention that a special session of the Congress convened in June 1861, in order to allocate funds for purchases by the Quartermasters Department.
By August, Dickerson was requested by Genl. Meigs to provide clothing to Ohio regiments being organized. Two letters in Series 147, dated August 9, outline suggestions for the governor by Dickerson, on how to direct mustering officers to supply him with the names of both field and staff of regiments mustering into service in order to provide both clothing and camp equipage (see Series 147-4: 78 and 79).
On August 24, 1861, Dickerson again wrote to Dennison stating that starting on August 26, he would commence issuing knives, forks, spoons, tin cups, and plates. and that he would issue these items as fast as possible without interfering with the issuing of other supplies. Dickerson advised Dennison that he was not only responsible for volunteers organizing in Ohio camps, but also with the army in Western Virginia, as well as volunteers organizing in Indiana. He requested of Dennison to make demands in such a way as to advise him of where there was the most pressing needs for goods. He stated that Genl. Rosecrans requisition was for 20,000 men and that there were nineteen regiments of Indiana troops to be supplied. He also made mention that he would be able to send several thousand overcoats to Western Virginia during the next week (see Series 147-5: 123).
Capt. John H. Dickerson
Cincinnati, Ohio
August 20, 1861
Telegraph
Fill governor Dennison's Requisition for tin cups, plates, iron spoons, knives, and forks-charge to appropriations for equipping troops.
Signed,
M. C. Meigs
QuarterM. General (9)
It is unclear at this time as to what degree Dickerson supplied Indiana volunteers with clothing and equipage. Indiana's Governor O. P. Morton in late August, received a letter from Meigs advising him that Major Alexander Montgomery had been ordered to Indianapolis in order to assist or take over procurement for volunteers by the Federal government. Until this time, Indiana had provided for her volunteers, at least at their initial camps of instruction.
Captain Montgomery had arrived in Cincinnati on July 7, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer, ordered to act as an assistant QM to Dickerson. The facts regarding his promotion and the exact duties of his new assignment are not as yet completely understood. In another installment of this series, I hope to include a complete listing of contracts made in Indianapolis for this period which are listed in House Executive Document 101. Of some note is that the very first contracts signed by Montgomery, in late August 1861, were let in Cincinnati.
In November of 1861, The Department of the Ohio was re-organized under Genl. Buell (General Orders 97, 9 November 1861). Col. Thomas Swords was sent to Louisville from Fort Scott, and assumed command as Quartermaster General of the Department.
Captain John H. Dickerson continued on as Chief Quartermaster of the newly established principle depot at Cincinnati.
Abstract of clothing and camp equipage purchased at Cincinnati, Ohio, by Capt. Jno. Dickerson, A. Q. M., U. S. A., from May 22 to December 28, 1861, inclusive.
33,000 hats
90,000 caps and covers
185,000 blue kersey pants
20,000 reinforced pants
165,000 blouses, lined
15,000 cavalry jackets
5,000 artillery jackets
159,700 pairs, pegged shoes
128,595 regulation 5 lb. blankets
225,000 pairs of drawers, canton and flannel
235,000 shirts
93,600 infantry overcoats
7,750 cavalry overcoats
375,000 pairs of stockings
65,200 knapsacks and straps
80,000 canteens and straps
94,000 haversacks
3,200 wall tents, pins and poles, complete
5,677 bell tents, pins and poles, complete
3,624 Sibley tents, pins and poles, complete
300 hospital tents, pins and poles, complete
14,000 camp kettles
35,000 mess pans
13,800 axes and handles
13,800 picks and handles
13,800 spades
13,800 hatchets and handles
17,000 pairs of boots
45,000 regulation frock coats
25,000 not regulation
John Dickerson,
Captain and A. Q. M. (10)
One note; an article published by Cincinnati USMSK (United States Military Storekeeper) Captain Gill in Nov. 1861, outlines in a tabular statement what exactly had been issued from his warehouses as opposed to what had been purchased and in storage. The one important point from this is that under blouses, he mentions that right around 100,000 had been issued from the warehouse to the date of the article, which again was in November. During the same period, only 12,000 uniform coats had been issued. From early November to late December, some 35,000 uniform coats were added to the list, or on hand not accounted for in this notice. Overwhelmingly, the garment available to the soldiers of the National Army in Western Virginia, was the humble blouse. Will edit this in when I find my copy of this notice as I seem to have misplaced this photocopy.
List of prices of clothing and camp equipage and garrison equipage issued to the troops in the "Department of the Ohio" previous to the 31st of July 1861.
Hats.............................................. ......................$ 1.00
Blouses, lined............................................. ...........$ 3.12 1/2
Pants, gray satinet........................................... ..... $ 2.60
Shirts, gray mixed............................................. .....$ 1.32
Drawers, gray mixed............................................. ..$ . 54
Blankets.......................................... .....................$ 1.75
Price list from 31 July to 30 September shows;
Black hats, both felt and wool
Caps and cover
Pants, dark blue kersey, light blue kersey, light blue kersey, reinforced.
Blouse lined
Blouse unlined
Drawers gray, mixed
Drawers cotton flannel
Canteens with leather straps
Canteens with duck straps
Knives
Forks
Spoons
Tin cup
Tin plate
Prices since 30 September, following also mentioned
Overcoats, blue satinet
Overcoats, steel mixed
Overcoats cavalry (11)
(1) OR's, Series 1, Vol. 3, Pg. 333.
(2) " " " Pg. 376.
(3) NARA Publications, M-745, Roll 36, Pg. 364 entry 127/382.
(4) Cincinnati Daily Commercial, May 4, 1861 Pg. 1.
(5) Serial Set, Vol. 1143, Pg. 939
(6) Cincinnati Daily Commercial, June 5, 1861 Pg. 2.
(7) Serial Set, Vol. 1143, Pg. 743
(8) NARA Publications, M-745, Roll 37, Pg.440, entry 411/447.
(9) " " " Pg. 737
(10) Serial Set, Vol. 1143, Pg. 747
(11) " " " Pg. 748
Notes from the Serial Set.
The following notes on uniforms and equipments are taken from the testimony given to the Van Wycke Committee investigating the purchase of army supplies in the Department of the Ohio. Contained in the Serial Set, Vol. 1143.
Pg. 741, Dickerson, Have made some purchases, both of material and clothing, through C. C. Roumage, of New York.
Pg. 742, Dickerson, About the 10th of October, I received a dispatch form General Meigs to purchase any material outside of regulation that would make suitable overcoats; that there was not enough in the country to supply the army; that perhaps I might get some from Vinton, in New York. I went to New York for that purpose. On reaching there I found Colonel Vinton could not supply me. Then I went to Boston and purchased material for about twenty-five thousand overcoats, dark satinette and Union goods. I had about twelve thousand of these manufactured in Boston and the balance in Cincinnati. Beside these I bought about ten thousand overcoats that were not regulation coats-blue satinette, regulation in color but not in quality. The purchases made in Boston were made by G. A. Shaw, who was recommended to me by Col. Vinton as an agent, and in the employ of the government.
It is of some interest to note that Dickerson continued to issue irregular overcoats over the next couple of months from this purchase. On page 135 of Don Troini's Soldiers in America 1754-1865, a letter is published, written by Maj. Wm. A. Stokes of the 18th Regt. U. S. Infantry to G. H. Crosman, QM General in Philadelphia complaining of irregular "gray" coats drawn by the 18th U. S. Regt.
As Dickerson supplied all of the camps in Ohio, of which Camp Thomas, where the letter was written was one, there is little reason not to believe that the coats referred to by Stokes were likely from this lot. The situation became so bad that Meigs penned the following dated Oct. 18, 1861.
If a regiment will agree to accept white undyed wool clothing, and the cloth can be made West, it should be used. Anything in this extremity is better than to wait.
Series M745, Roll 36, "Main Series, Letters sent by the Office of the Quartermaster General, Volumes 56-57," entry 77/127.
Pg. 743, Dickerson, I have manufactured, to a limited extant, shirts and drawers. I have had 800-1,500 laborers (mostly women) thus employed during the summer and fall, and have found that from 10 to 30 percent can thus be saved by the government.
Pg. 745, Dickerson, Clothing has been purchased from nearly all the clothing houses in this city. I have dealt largely with the following houses; Heidelbach, Seasongood & Co.; Rindskopf & Co.; Kuhn, Netter & Co.; Leopold & Goodheart; Cohen & Guiterman; Heidlebach, Wertheimer & Co.; Jones Bros. & Co.; A. J. Wolf; Jacob Elsas & Co.; Mack, Stadler, & Glazer; W. H. Comstock & Co.; A. & J. Trounstine. I have purchased also from W. F. Enders & Co., of Boston; J. D. Baldwin, of Pittsburg; and William Comstock, of Columbus. George Clark, W. W. Northrup, and E. M. Brown, are inspectors of clothing.
Pg. 794, Bowers, Chief Clerk,
Q. Do you have more than one inspector of clothing?
A. We have two-George Clark and W. W. Northrup. One gets $100 per month, and the other $124.00. Both are judges of clothing.
Pg. 913, Trimble 60th OVI, The blankets, for instance, were some of them white, some of them half size, and so course, there was no warmth to them.
The clothing was received from the quartermaster's department in Cincinnati, and has been doled out piecemeal through four months of time.
Pg. 914, Trimble, 60th OVI, None of them were regulation overcoats. They were half cotton goods, and there were three or four varieties even of those.
Pg. 919, H. Mack, Clothier, I saw some clothing sent out here from the department in Boston which the inspector objected to and said he would not have.
Q. What were they?
A. They were coats, and they were marked as inspected by Inspector Shaw of Boston.
Pg. 930, Odiorne, 60th OVI, I saw from the books that the dark blue pants were shipped from the east-some from Boston, some from New York, and some from Philadelphia; a majority of the pants were from Boston. There was a Boston mark on the boxes, and a card on the pants. The satinet was kind of blue, some were satinet, and some were tweed. Mentions uniform coats of black cloth.
Pg. 945, Bullock, The great difficulty in most of the gray goods furnished is owing to the admixture of shoddy and other inferior articles, and consequently I insisted upon all the pantaloons being lined. I noticed in some of the gray suits upon the backs of the soldiers this fine stuff, shoddy, which had worked down between the cloth and the lining. Some of the pantaloons which were gotten before I came were by parties with whom I contracted, and they were surprised that I required the goods to be shrunk. I found a good deal of the clothing on the backs of the soldiers in Western Virginia which had not been shrunk before they were made, and the consequence was that when they were put on the backs of the soldiers the goods shrunk more than the linings.
Pg. 948, Gill USMSK,
Q. What are your duties as storekeeper?
A. To receive and issue all clothing, camp and garrison equipage. Everything issued here has a makers mark upon it-not only on the garment but upon the case in which it is shipped.
Q. Do you know anything of the overcoats issued Colonel Harris's second regiment, Ohio volunteers?
A. Yes, Sir,
Q. What do you know about them?
A. They were black felt overcoats, which ought to never have been issued.
In addition to the irregular clothing which I reported to the quartermaster general, I find that we have 9,000 satinet overcoats, 8,000 of which are quite good; 10,000 pairs of satinet pantaloons which are good, and 6,000 doeskin overcoats which are good.
960. Mention of M. C. Hickox of knapsacks of painted cloth and painted duck. India-rubber haversacks and blankets.
962. Dickerson, I purchased materials, as stated before in my former testimony in Boston, for about 15,000 overcoats, which were not regulation; it was all cassinets; as far as practicable I got regulation colors, I could get none from the East. I had engaged about thirty-five thousand overcoats, and had ninety-thousand men to clothe.
964. The clothing which was was such as I had, for I could get nothing from eastern depots. I had supplied about ninety-thousand troops from this market. The clothing was issued as rapidly as it could possibly be made up to those regiments I thought needed it the most.
Those white blankets were purchased by Col. Vinton of New York; he sent me 25,000. As to blankets I purchased here, none but five pound blankets, with the exception of eight or ten thousand; those were four pound over.
974. Clark, Inspector, When Captain Dickerson first got me to take hold of this work, I asked him what the standard should be. He brought a sample from Philadelphia.
We had no difficulty with our clothing until the latter part of September; then the supply became short on account of there being parties here from Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri contracting. We got along to the middle of October, and then we had great difficulty in obtaining clothing at all.
Pg. 978 Northrup, Inspector, The clothing purchased of Enders & Co. which were not all strictly regulation clothing, was good in kind, and I suppose as good as any other delivered of that description of clothing, and as far as size and cutting were concerned they were better, more liberal.
The superiority of the clothing received of Enders & Co. consisted in their cut, in the liberality of material put in the clothing, less piecing, better size than usual, &c. &c. &c. I asked Mr. Enders, when he was here, whether his clothing was cut from his own pattern or whether he got it from the department, He told me he got them from the arsenal at Philadelphia.
Pg. 979, Brown, Inspector, I reside in Cincinnati, and hold the position of inspector of blankets, shirts, trousers, and socks.
Q. How many blankets have you purchased?
A. About 175,000. some 30,000 or 40,000 were received from Colonel Vinton in New York
Pg. 1490, Tracy, Enders, I took a contract in August with captain Dickerson, at Cincinnati, for 15,000 pairs, pants, 1,000 cavalry pants, 20,000 skeleton blouses, 15,000 shirts, 10,000 haversacks, 5,000 pairs pants, 18,000 shirts, 20,000 lined blouses, 20,000 infantry frocks, 20,000 lined blouses, 10,000 sky-blue satinet overcoats, 20,000 blankets, 10,000 pairs, doeskin pants, 5,000 skeleton blouses.
1491
Q. To what amount has the house of Enders & Co. furnished from their establishment?
A. I think he has furnished for 250,000 to Massachusetts and the New England States, and about $628,000 to Cincinnati, and to New York and the department of the West, an amount that in the aggregate exceed $2,000,000.
For information on Ordnance Department support of the Department of the Ohio, would recommend Civil War Cartridge Boxes of the Union Infantryman by Paul D. Johnson.
Beginning on page 122, one can read about Captain Kingsbury, McClellan's Ordnance officer in Cincinnati.
Hope to follow this up with a history of supply of Fremont's Western Department, and then a shorter history for my fellow Buckeyes on clothing, both initial and supplemental, purchased by Ohio. Will also provide a list of contracts made by Montgomery in Indianapolis, as well as, my conclusions and thoughts.
Regards,
John
Jno. Sarver
Cin. O.
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