Could the average soldier read a book?

[Hank Trent]

Over in a music thread, Terre Schill wrote:

I understand that most Americans were literate by the standards of the day, i.e. they could write a letter, but by reading those letters it becomes obvious that they could not have read an ordinary book cover to cover, for example. I think "literate" by 19th cent. standards must have meant "Can write their own names and a few sentences, but not well or accurately or easily."

It's been almost 40 years since I learned to read, and not having children or knowing any schoolteachers, I have zero knowledge about education at the beginning levels. So...

To narrow down the discussion, let's define "average" as that kind of literacy you see all the time in soldier's letters: "Dear Mother I rite to let you no we is marchin to Pensyvany."

Judging by modern experience with writers at that level of skill, and/or period evidence, what would reading be like for that kind of person? Could he read a typical period novel cover to cover well enough to understand and enjoy it? Could he read a typical period newspaper article and get the editor's point, including sarcasm, humor, and similar nuances? Could he slog his way through short passages but miss some of the meaning and find it unenjoyable? Would he read for pleasure, or only as a last resort?

And, as a separate question, do you think that kind of literacy would indeed be average among privates?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[Joanna Jones]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

A quick observation - I frequently work with immigrants who struggle with English, and I have found that there is often a much greater ability to read English than to write it. To look at a word and understand it requires different skills than writing it, which requires coming up with the correct word, then remembering how to spell it.

Just my 2 cents

Joanna Jones

[redleggeddevil]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

I cannot speak to the average level of literacy of 19th century Americans (although my gut tells me that it was far higher than the writer Mr. Trent quoted implies), but I can add this: I work with school age children every day. Their level of literacy is no higher than that of the Civil War soldiers' letters I have read. In fact, it is often lower. Many American students have absolutely no concept of punctuation and grammar. Worse yet, they spell phonetically, but they begin with a mispronunciation (as in believing that the word "prolly" exists.)

If the ability to write a coherent sentence is the measure, I would say that 21st century American education is doing an astonishing job of reenacting mid 19th century America. Or perhaps Elizabethan England...

[Charles Heath]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

Hank,

The word "average" may be the deal killer here, as it is in so many other instances. A company recruited from a college campus would (I hope) have a relatively high literacy rate, and from time to time certain regiments are mentioned as being relatively well educated. Richard Moe mentions this about the 1st Minn., and at least some of those lads were mail ordering books, and carrying them in their knapsacks. One of the Taylor brothers had a penchant for Virginia geology.

This may be another one of those "it depends" situations.

[LWhite64]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

There are a lot of factors to consider into this, geography being a big one, where a soldier was from would play in a great deal, as well as when he enlisted. Soldiers from lowland South Carolina would be more literate than soldiers from Appalachia.

Lee

[DJCasey]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

I agree that the ability to write perfectly is not connected to someones ability to read or how oftern they read. I read constantly (as does my 62 year old father), but both of us are horrible spellers. I find myself looking up woods all the time, words I can read and understand perfectly.

[Lee Ragan]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

I cannot speak to the average level of literacy of 19th century Americans (although my gut tells me that it was far higher than the writer Mr. Trent quoted implies), but I can add this: I work with school age children every day. Their level of literacy is no higher than that of the Civil War soldiers' letters I have read. In fact, it is often lower. Many American students have absolutely no concept of punctuation and grammar. Worse yet, they spell phonetically, but they begin with a mispronunciation (as in believing that the word "prolly" exists.)

If the ability to write a coherent sentence is the measure, I would say that 21st century American education is doing an astonishing job of reenacting mid 19th century America. Or perhaps Elizabethan England...

I never even heard of the word "prolly", until I started reading militaria related forums on the internet. (Both collectors & reenactors forums.) Andrew, if you think American kids have horrible spelling and punctuation, you ought to try reading postings by some of the guys from Britian & Ireland. Many of them write like they only finished the 2nd grade!

[Hank Trent]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

The word "average" may be the deal killer here, as it is in so many other instances. A company recruited from a college campus would (I hope) have a relatively high literacy rate, and from time to time certain regiments are mentioned as being relatively well educated.

I know, and that's why I tried to define "average" arbitrarily, because I didn't want to get into accurate but meaningless facts like the average American today having only one testicle. :)

The original discussion was about "most Americans," but since that includes slaves, six-year-olds, and so forth, I thought I'd at least narrow it down to privates, who would generally be white male adults, and go even further to define the level of writing skill I mean.

So let's ignore the words "average" and "most," and just focus on the kind of letters we've all seen time and again. For example, the Vermont letters transcribed here: http://www.authentic-campaigner.com/...ad.php?t=13493 "Night before last we kecht 17 bushwackhers they say that Jackson will be heare with in 3 days"

How well could a person like that read? Could he read a typical period novel cover to cover for pleasure? Could he easily comprehend any article in a newspaper, or any transcription of a typical speech?

Hank Trent
hanktrent@voyager.net

[LindaTrent]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

I find myself looking up woods all the time, words I can read and understand perfectly.

ROTFLOL, me too! Of course, my mother is the ultimate bad speller in the family.

I have a collection of letters written between 1862 and 1864 by my gg grandfather to his son who was serving in the Union army. Reading them, you'd think the man was pretty much illiterate, consistantly he can't even spell the county seat correctly -- granted Gallipolis isn't the easiest thing to spell. Here are a few examples of his writing:

"we received your letter of the 15nth and was glad to hear again from you..."
"we got your letter and money by Mr. Walters all wright (30 dollars)..."
"it is a very nice dress in deed Martha McCarrol pict it..."
"the weather here now is ruff it has been very mudy time and still is so but we had a hard hail storme on thursday night..."
we no nothing about John Fierbaugh here except what his parents noes and they wont tell but I think he has gone up north to se Rob.

The above is just the first two paragraphs of one letter. The rest of that letter and his others would leave one wondering what his education level must have been. This is all I knew of him for a long time. However, I learnt a lot more. He was a justice of the peace, a regular reader of the Gallipolis Journal, who sent the Journal to his son as long as his son was able to receive it (according to his letters).

As JP he settled cases ranging from small and large debts ($1 up to $150), to disturbing church worship, assault, assault with intent to kill, and married several couples including two grandchildren.

According to the Gallipolis Journal, they were sending large numbers of the newspaper to the soldiers in the field who wanted to keep up with what was going on back at home.

Dunno if this proves anything or not, but he was a subscriber of the Gallipolis Journal and I would assume that that means he read it. :D And we also know, based upon my grandfather's letters and an editorial in the paper, that the Journal was being sent to the boys in the field.

Linda.

[Rob Weaver]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

I'm a pretty smart person, and with a better education than the average bear, but every time I read Melville, I end up looking up words in the dictionary. He knew more big words than any other American author I can recall.
There are two groups whose thoughts and motivations about the war are greatly under-represented: 1) the black troops and 2) foreign draftees because of the same reason. Literacy was low in those two people groups. Americans were remarkably literate, but the percentage goes way down if you factor in those two large blocks.

[Rev]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

I've talked to my father who was an English professor and a linguist about this many times. One thing that he has mentioned regarding all the 'alternate' spelling found among letters was that spelling at that time in the English language had not been standardised across the board. In many instances if you read the writing of the soldiers, even officers and look beyond the variant spelling they are merely writing in their regional vernacular.

[Silvana Siddali]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

About 19th century literacy statistics: According to instructions given to US census takers in the mid-19th century, "literacy" was usually defined as "ability to sign one's name." In many cases, the census taker only asked the head of the household whether he could read and write; that may mean that people reported a greater degree of literacy than they actually possessed. So, that means that we have to take the following statistics with a grain of salt. More than 90 percent of white people living in the North reported literacy by 1860. A high, but debatable percentage of free black people were literate as well. In the South, about 80 percent of white people possessed at least the ability to sign their names (this means, in ink on a legal document.)

Hank's question refers to the practical end uses of literacy, though, rather than basic statistics. There's a lot of helpful anecdotal evidence in Frank Luther Mott's work. (See his Golden Multitudes, for example.) Now, Mott's books are a little outdated now, and they're not fully cited, so I'm not positive how reliable the evidence is. But Mott indicates that reading matter was in constant demand in the camps, bivouacs, and military prisons of both sides. Also, check out Andy Coopersmith's excellent Fighting Words for a discussion of soldiers & newspapers. There are also dozens of soldiers' newspapers in various historical societies -- sure, that's not exactly a stunning statistical sample, but it does indicate a desire for the printed word.

By the way, I don't believe that a lack of proper spelling or grammar is any indication of illiteracy. 19th century education focused on memorization and recitation. I've always thought that accounted for the beauty & poetry in some of the soldiers' letters -- i.e., because they were memorizing the KJ Bible, Shakespeare, the Columbian Orator & Bunyan -- but they didn't get a great deal of training in spelling. There are hundreds of thousands of schoolbooks out there in collections, but most of them are readers, histories, and basic arithmetic books. Spellers and other subjects are much rarer. A good source for information on antebellum & CW era school books can be found at the online Nietz collection -- this is a really fantastic resource for just this kind of question: http://digital.library.pitt.edu/n/nietz/

[Dreamer42]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

Just recently I have returned to the pages of Coffee and Hardtack, as well as doing some comparisons from The Life of Johnny Reb. In Johnny Reb I came across some VERY interesting letters, many of which we have all heard read on Ken Burn's Civil War. Hearing them spoken they make perfect sense, but to read (decifer???) the passages opens up other insights into the soldier's world. Such as..."...I have seen the monkey show at last and can tell you I don't want to see it no more..." (my own spelling). To read it is altogether different - but very understandable. So, I guess my .02 is "average" by one can read it and comprehend the meaning, or it is gramatically correct in all respects?

- Jay Reid
Dreamer42

[styler]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

Just to build on what Silvana wrote, does anyone have the numbers for free schools in the US in the '50s to, say, '63? I have a period quote on the subject I've used before from "History of the Sixtieth New York." The quote comes from a letter to the author written Sept. 1, 1863, regarding the Gettysburg campaign:

"Soon after crossing "Mason & Dixon's line," we came to a snug little brick house, standing at the corner of the road, with woods near, and a play-ground in front, and as we passed it, we all took off our hats, going by uncovered, and gave three hearty cheers for the Free Common Schools of America![italics original] A friend of mine, of Frederick, Captain W., being in our company was at first inclined to take the demonstration as a reflection on his State, the one we had jut left, but, on consideration, seeing that nothing of the kind was intended, he paid a high tribute to popular education, and the necessity ofr its support and encouragement. He had formerly been a teacher."

[Charles Heath]

Re: Could the average soldier read a book?

Or perhaps Elizabethan England...

Andrew,

That can also apply to Ocracoke or Tangier Islands well into the late 20th Century. I remember a young lady from Tidewater trying to explain "krugers" to an English teacher from Kentucky, and she only compounded the matter by innocently mentioning "taggers." It took a well known Wizard of Oz feline reference to bring these two people separated by a common language together. This was circa 1974.