Burial

[PrivateJoker]

After looking through several images taken of dead soldiers arranged for burial, I have been puzzled by the way they are laid out in a rough V shape. Images by Brady, Gardner, etc share this feature. My question is: why a V? Why not lay them in a straight line? This seems to have been a common practice throughout the war (the best examples are in images of Antietam and Gettysburg) and I am at a loss. Any insights would be appreciated.

~joker

PS: Examples of the V shape can be found here:

http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/images/306.jpg (this one especially)

http://www.albany.edu/jmmh/vol1no1/cw-deadsoldiers1.jpg

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Justin Runyon, AC Forum Mod.

[PMBwriter]

Re: Burial

Perhaps it was an ironic "V for Victory"??? Wish I knew, but will watch for an answer.

Paul M. Bauer
South Salem, NY

After looking through several images taken of dead soldiers arranged for burial, I have been puzzled by the way they are laid out in a rough V shape. Images by Brady, Gardner, etc share this feature. My question is: why a V? Why not lay them in a straight line? This seems to have been a common practice throughout the war (the best examples are in images of Antietam and Gettysburg) and I am at a loss. Any insights would be appreciated.

~joker

PS: Examples of the V shape can be found here:

http://www.civilwarphotos.net/files/images/306.jpg (this one especially)

http://www.albany.edu/jmmh/vol1no1/cw-deadsoldiers1.jpg

Sir, We do not allow posts with no names attached. Since you agreed to our rules upon registering, you may consider this your second warning... a third will result in a temporary suspension of your account.

Justin Runyon, AC Forum Mod.

[markj]

Re: Burial

We'll likely never know the precise reason(s) why the bodies were arranged in this fashion. It could range the whole gamut from "coincidence" to "convenience." We also cannot discount the possibility that the bodies were deliberately arranged to produce an "artistic" effect. William Frassanito has conclusively proved this was done in the case of that famous "dead sharpshooter by the wall" photo at Gettysburg. Rearranging bodies or "adding items" was also likely done in some of the Petersburg death studies.

Also, look closely at the Gettysburg images and you will note that one or more of the bodies are bound with strips of cloth around their knees. Needless to say, troops on burial details understandably avoided touching corpses as much as possible when moving them around, especially those that had been festering in the sun for two or three days....

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[The Pigman]

Re: Burial

This may be why they are in a V shape.

As you start dragging the bodies together you try not to get too close and drop it short. Thus inadvertenantly forming a V.

Thanks,
Mark C. Foster

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Burial

Along with what Mark said, if you are dragging @150 lbs of rotting human flesh from point A to point B you are not going to care if they end up in a straight line or not. You are going to say "good enough!" and drop the poor soul when you get close.

[markj]

Re: Burial

Along with what Mark said, if you are dragging @150 lbs of rotting human flesh from point A to point B you are not going to care if they end up in a straight line or not. You are going to say "good enough!" and drop the poor soul when you get close.

Indeed, in this particular case it was "rotting REBEL human flesh." The wonder is not that so many Confederate dead were arbitrarily dumped into mass graves at Gettysburg; rather, the wonder is that some kind-hearted folks actually took the time to identify as many of them as they did.

I might call your attention to one gruesome image in William Frassanito's "Early Photography at Gettysburg." This consists of a scene showing Confederate corpses clearly displaying painted or engraved wooden grave markers placed atop or next to them (one of the markers is marked "3rd SCV [South Carolina Volunteers]"). These markers had obviously been made and left behind by retreating Confederates in the expectation that Federal burial details would have the decency to properly mark the graves of their dead comrades. Whether this happened or not must remain a subject of speculation since getting placed on a burial detail, especially when one was tired, sick, or even wounded, must have been considered little more than "s*** work."

Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[Vuhginyuh]

Re: Burial

The bodies present in the images appear to be in the third stage of decomposition where cadaverine, putrescine, hydrogen sulphide and methane are being anaerobically produced. This is typically three or four days after death. High temperatures can cause this to accelerate.

These elements make being in close proximity to numerous bodies almost impossible.

My employer is forensic specialist. He and his associates agree that in small numbers and in controlled contact, being near to or working with decomposing humans is sufferable. He also says that people who do that work regularly are quite indifferent to the effect it has on your senses. A battlefield with thousands to deal with is a much different story.

I have to second the assumption that it is not a random or artistic formation but one of convenience, simply as straight a line as needed for the interments.

By the way, the images of the “Rebel sharpshooter” in the Devil’s Den does not display any attributes of decomposition.

[David Lanier]

Re: Burial

The tireder the men got, the more likely they'd be to drop the corpses short on the ends (less work). Also, if you had drug a corpse across a field and your pards were occupied dropping a body at the other end of the line, you'd go to the other end closest to you so you wouldn't have to stop dragging and start all over again. If they were getting tired also (close enough for government work!), you'd eventually get a V shape. (Just guessing). I'd imagine it was an exhausting, disgusting duty.

[WV_Reb]

Re: Burial

I would imagine that being detailed in a burial party would be among the most despised and reviled of tasks, even more so if the bodies have been exposed to hot and muggy conditions. Burial parties would have likely been as hasty as possible when going about their grim work, so the manner in which the dead were arranged would not have been taken into great account. Just my .02 pence...

[PogueMahone]

Re: Burial

Not sure how or why a 2004 thread got pulled to the top again, but ...

It was always my understanding that horses were used to drag several bodies at a time to mass graves or burial sites. My visual image of this is a rope tied or otherwise attached to the bodies individually and then attached to the horse's harness to pull bodies. Those closest to the horse are going to be pulled ahead of the ones at the ends of the ropes. When the horse stops, the rope is dropped and the men are lying there, center ones at the point of the V, end ones at the ends of each vector.

I've owned two Enfield bayonets that were bent crudely into hooks and was told anecdotally they were used to drag dead bodies.

[WV_Reb]

Re: Burial

Not sure how or why a 2004 thread got pulled to the top again, but ...

My apologies if I infringed upon a forum rule, as a newer member to the AC, I've been reading back through old threads on various topics so I can gain more insight into the war from different viewpoints and perspectives. The threads that I've commented on were older in some cases, but I found the information they contained to be very useful.

[Eric Tipton]

Re: Burial

My apologies if I infringed upon a forum rule, as a newer member to the AC, I've been reading back through old threads on various topics so I can gain more insight into the war from different viewpoints and perspectives. The threads that I've commented on were older in some cases, but I found the information they contained to be very useful.

Robert:

Don't worry. You didn't infringe on any rules. As a matter-of-fact, we encourage members to do exactly what you did. Search the archives first and bring them back to light for the current members. This is the reason we have archives and leave them open.

[WV_Reb]

Re: Burial

Thank you for the clarification sir! I must say that I am appreciative of the AC for keeping the archives open, as the information I've found so far has been very helpful to me in my path to developing my impression.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Burial

If you want to learn about the burial of the Gettysburg dead read"A Strange and Blighted Land, GETTYSBURG, The Aftermath of a Battle" by Greg Coco. I would put this book at the top of the list of Gettysburg books. You will never look at that battlefield quite the same way.