Calling of the roll

[Ken Cornett]

At Pickett's Mill it was required that all Orderly Sergeant's on the Union side call roll at every stop along the march. Baumgartner mentions that the 82nd OVI Co.B called roll after a fast march into Gettysburg on day 1. My question is "How often was this done?" Was this a regular occurance or just an NCO thing? What would be the best reference source?

Thanks,

Ken Cornett
Buckeye Mess
Mess #1

[DougCooper]

Re: Calling of the roll

I have read that 82nd OVI piece and it makes sense if one is doing an extended march - about the best way to determine the number of stragglers, and may have been a medical/safety thing as well. A man might lay down just off the road to rest or curl up in a fence corner overcome by heat stroke and be missed. Most comrades in battle would of course note one of their number missing but in a jaded condition themselves might not sing out right away. A roll call would be one of those "discipline points" used by the chain of command in a stressful situation like a forced march.

I wasn't at Picketts Mill (unfortunately) but perhaps calling the roll that often was a safety check in the high humidity/ruggedness of the march?

[john duffer]

Re: Calling of the roll

Even in a stationary position per U.S. REGULATIONS

234. There shall be daily at least three roll-calls, viz., at reveille, retreat,
and tattoo. They will be made on the company parades by the first sergeants, superintended by a commissioned officer of the company.

From Kautz's Custom Of Service, on the 1st sergeant

425. He should memorize the roster of the company in alphabetical order, so that he can at all hours form the company and call the roll, day or night. Much natural shrewdness is required in this duty, to associate in the memory the name, the face, and voice of the soldier and his proper position in the ranks; for the men are frequently in the habit of answering absentees, and if they find that the sergeant can be deceived in this respect they are very likely to practice it on him.

The Pickett's Mill calls were indeed a safety precaution, I pretty much always see this at events where we're moving, frequency depending on the likelihood of straggling. Speaking in the experimental archeology realm it seems a sensible procedure and at Port Gibson especially, more than once it reminded that we were a unit rather than just a gaggle of tired men.

[BrianHicks]

Re: Calling of the roll

At Pickett's Mill, while hunkered down behind the rail fences, it was quit an experiance to try and call roll between the tides of the Battle.

Those whom were there know... the movement throught the thickets, down and up the ravine and then the assualt on the Conf. line, was very damaging to the good order and cohesiveness of the advancing Federal Lines.

It was very telling when the rolls were called, and there were men who failed to answer. And the call went out 'Did anyone see him go down?'. It was almost chilling....

And then on withdrawing from the far fence, to the near fence on Sat. evening, calling the roll and getting a count of how many rounds each man had. That too was telling... how many shots were fired, and how depleted were not only our cartirdge boxes , but our ranks as well.

-Orderly Sergeant
Co. 'K' 5th Ky Volunteer Infantry
Pickett's Mill

[JACKSONVC]

Re: Calling of the roll

Getting a head count after the march is quite important, not as much from being worried about your men dying of heat or exposure during the march, but rather from Operational Security. The more men you lose that can be gathered up by the enemy, the more information he may be able to gather as to your forces condition, moral, strength and location. Stragglers are never a good sign to an army on the move. They hurt combat effectiveness. I guess this is one of the reasons privates were never really told the battle plan and their part in the overall scheme of things.

[markj]

Re: Calling of the roll

I don't have "Viele's" handbook in front of me (I'm at work) however, as I recall, it noted that captains were to fall back to the rear of their companies while on the march and hand out presigned passes (i.e., "Get out of jail free cards") to troops forced to fall out of ranks. Presumably, then, captains would note the names of such individuals and inform first sergeants taking rolls that they had been accounted for.

The big question is, of course, how often this happened; a logical answer would be "it all depended on time, place, and availability of said passes."

Regards,

Mark Jaeger