Battlefield Pickups

[orngblsm]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

Gentlmen,

Thank you all for your exceptional posts. I have noticed a comonality among them all in that they all refer to confederates pilaging the union. Since I am a federal reenactor I am very much interested in acounts of union troops picking up items. Thanks again for all your imput

I am Respectfully,

[RyanBWeddle]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

John Stillwagon had some good quotes from Laws Alabama Brigade regarding the use of Federal stuff. They were to the effect that the veterans of the brigade preferred Federal equipage and a quote from a recruit wanted to acquire some as soon as he could so he would fit in with the veterans of his regiment. This was around or before G'brg.

I don't have them here with me, Stillwagon could post some of them when he sees this thread.

To your other point in the thread:

There are scant references of Federals using CS issue gear. The Federal Ordnance and QM system was overall a very efficient entity. There are some quotes on Federals wearing some captured CS clothing on the March to the sea and such, but it is such a rare occurance. Most of the time when Federals took "battlefield pick-ups" they were sending them home as souveniers rather than using them in the field. There are some famous images of Penna reg'ts at Lookout Mountain wearing snake buckles (see Strayer's Echoes of Battle Chattanooga), but who can say if they were issued, privately purchased, or taken from a battlefield because the soldiers thought they were "cool"????

[John E. Tobey]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

Ryan McIntyre,

There are plenty of references to Union troops picking up things from the field and elsewhere. One example would be the member of the 143 PA at Gettysburg who discovered an abandoned knapsack and,

"...found a quantity of writing paper, some tobacco, and some other trinkets. I took some of the writing paper and all the tobacco, leaving the other things in the knapsack with the exception of an artillery jacket, which I appropriated. I removed the red stripes from the jacket and slipped it over my blouse." (Winey, Union Army Uniforms at Gettysburg, p.37.)

Patrick Chesnut of the 126th NY picked up a Confederate shirt after a battle and wore it because his US issue one was "populated by a race of inferior beings."

Sometimes things weren't just "picked up," they were outright stolen: Stephen Chase of the 86th NY stole a comrade's Enfield on the march because it was cleaner than his. (Recollections of Stephen Chase)

The artilleryman Frank Wilkeson was advised by veterans to steal haversacks from sleeping infantrymen while on the march (which he did). He himself had the contents of his knapsack stolen while he was on board a steamer. (Recollections of a Private Soldier in the Army).
A soldier of the 85th NY named Charlie Mosher delighted in stealing things. His journal indicates he would steal anything from frying pans to gum blankets. (Charlie Mosher's Civil War)

Hope this helps.

John Tobey

[Smokey Toes]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

At the Battle of Belmont MO, (Grant's first real fight in the war) his own troops stopped to loot the Confederate camp, after they had driven them a considerable distance. Many Federal troops did stop fighting and turned their attention to looting. The confusion in the Federal ranks caused a stall that nearly cost Grant the battle, as his troops had to be herded back into formation by their officers. Meanwhile, the Confederates sent a body of troops to cut him off from his transports, while the rest rallied for a counterattack. See Grant's published Memoirs for his account of the action.

[1stMaine]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

Comrades,
The 20th Maine refitted themselves with Springfield rifle-muskets after Gettysburg by simply searching the area around where they were posted. Although equipped with Enfields, the Mainiacs felt that it just wasn't as nice an arm as the Springfield, and so they dropped the Enfields in a pile and took what they needed.
In "The Rebel Yell and the Yankee Hurrah", John Haley of the 17th Maine recounted the part his unit played at Spotsylvania. He said that they were sent to support a brigade that had got itself into trouble, but when they arrived they found it was the 1st Maine Heavy Artillery, which was as large as most brigades. These fellows (the 1stMHA) had dropped their knapsacks into a long line, and afterwards were moved off without the chance to recover them. The 17th Maine boys discovered them, and promptly went to town helping themselves to the contents. Apparently, the 1st Maine HA had drawn new clothing, plus had brought loads of extra items with them (they were new to campaigning, having spent their time in the defenses of Washington). The overstuffed knapsacks, groaning with these "luxuries" were too tempting, and many a soldier of the 17th got a clean shirt, socks, pens, papers, and tinned goods in the bargain. Later it was let on the the Confederates had overrun the area and looted the knapsacks, but in later years, Haley admitted it was the 17th who did the "liberating".
Respects,

[coffee boiler]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

Gentlmen,

Thank you all for your exceptional posts. I have noticed a comonality among them all in that they all refer to confederates pilaging the union. Since I am a federal reenactor I am very much interested in acounts of union troops picking up items. Thanks again for all your imput

I am Respectfully,

I suggest you read "Turned inside out" recollections of Frank Wilkenson. While I don't recall any references to pillaging from the dead. He does go into detail of the common practice of stealing from other Union soldiers, such as the following.
"as I had that day found a haversack - truth is that its owner, a heavy artillery man, was asleep when I found it..."
His book is full of accounts like that, as well as many accounts of the coffee boilers.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

After the battle of Antietam, the 14th Indiana was assigned to buring the massive task of buring the dead. Major E. H. Cavins uged his men to pick up rifle muskets from the battlefield. He later wrote " we are a rifle rgt now."

[Silas]

What a farb!

Doesn't he know that every Confederate inverted those plates to create the Southern Nation plate? Infernal farbs! They'll never learn.

[marlin teat]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

"As we were in the charge I had an old U.S. musket that would not fire but seeing a wild Yankee lying in a ditch in the pike road with a fine rifle I asked him if it was any good, he said that it was. I told him to take off his belt and cartridge box and give it to me, which he did. I cut off my old belt, cartridge box, and shoulder strap with my jack knife, put on the Yankee accoutrements, took his rifle and went into the charge."

William Judkins
Co. G, 22nd Ga.
Wright's Brigade, Anderson's Div.
Gettysburg, Day 2

There are several things that are interesting about this quote.
Judkins is quite specific in reference to "old U.S. musket" and "new rifle." He knew the difference and didn't interchange the terms as most reenactors do (a pet peeve of mine). Also, his "old U.S. musket" was most likely a different caliber (.69 smoothbore?) other wise why would he have taken time to change accoutrements.

[coffee boiler]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

"I cut off my old belt, cartridge box, and shoulder strap with my jack knife, put on the Yankee accoutrements, took his rifle and went into the charge."

What's interesting is that he had to cut off his old belt to get it off.

[Enfilade]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

Actually, I believe he cut off his belt and cartridge box sling so as the Yank or anybody else couldn't use them. What d'ya think?

Mark Berrier
North State Rifles
combinations@northstate.net

[10TnVI]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

A federal example- from "This Widerness of War" The C.W. letters of George S. Squier(44th Indiana)

From a set of letters written from Murfreesboro during the period after the battle of Stone's River-

Jan. 24, 1863

"Not far from this place and by a large tree lay four dead rebels, By the side of one lay a fine English rifle. It being the same caliber of our guns, I left my musket and took the rifle, simply exchanged with the gentleman. You know, in fifteen minutes after the fight[Jan. 2 engagement], every rebel's pocket was turned in and out. I relieved one of a very good pocket ink stand, which now furnishes me with ink-also a pair of buckskin gloves, which I needed. "

[marlin teat]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

Actually I think that Judkins cut off his accoutrements more as a matter of expediency than not wanting them to be used by the Feds. There is an excellent article in the current Blue and Gray about Wrights attack and the actions around the Codori farm. There wasn't a lot of time for him to think that far ahead. I think he was a Sgt. at that time (his service records indicate he bounced around in rank like a yo-yo), most likely a file closer, and had to hurry to keep up with the line.

[GreencoatCross]

Blankets and other

Wyman White, of Co. F 2nd U.S. Sharpshooters, noted that around August 1862 he left his regiment while off-duty and went up "Slaughter Mountain" in Virginia a few days after a battle had passed. In his memoirs he made note that while on the top of the mountain near the Slaughter House (not shambles but an estate) he found along the road a blood-drenched "very fine English blanket" that he supposed belonged to a rebel officer. White stated that he took his new blanket to a "negro washwoman" and had her wash the bood out for five cents.

Charles Boardman Mead, a private in Co. F 1st U.S. Sharpshooters made note in his diary of carrying a "secesh" blanket after he left Camp Convalescent in Washington and before he arrived at his regiment in the field in late October of 1863. Where he picked it up or what it looked like was not mentioned but I got the idea that it could have been a battlefield pickup before he went to the hospital or after he left for his regiment.

As far as rebel battle-field pickups go, W. White told a story of needing dry cloth to clean his rifle with. He was on the skirmish line pushing through some woods around the Wilderness in 1864 and happened to find a dead officer and horse. The shell that had killed both rider and horse, he said, had passed through the horse's head cutting it completely off and went through the body of the officer riding on top. White noticed the officer was wearing a rubberized talma or coat that he said was marked with the name of a New Jersey officer, and under the coat he found no less than four layers of cloting on the officer (he thought the officer wore that much clothing to give himself a more stocky appearance-he must have been a specimine of a southern lank). He cut through the top layers of the man's trowsers, these being rebel issue and wet and blood-soaked, and White cut his rifle swabs from a pair of sky blue Federal trowsers. Later that night while telling the 2nd Regiment's major of the dead officer and the job of getting swabs from his pants, the major noted that later that same day soldiers had taken $300 in greenbacks and a gold watch from the officer. So I guess the rebel had the talma, pants, and a ton of cash which all may have been battlefield pickups!

Brian White
Randolph Mess, USSS
Slackerz Saloon Mess, GHTI

https://www.wwandcompany.net

[Jack Booda]

Re: Battlefield Pickups

More Union recycling. From Memoirs of U.S. Grant:

"As Vicksburg 31,600 prisoners were surrendered, together with about 60,000 muskets and a large amount of ammunition. Up to this time our troops at the West had been limited to the old U.S. flintlock muskets changed into percussion... The enemy had generally new arms which had run the blockade and were of uniform caliber. After the surrender I authorized all colonels whose regiments were armed with inferior muskets, to place them in the stack of captured arms and replace them with the latter. A large number of arms turned in to the Ordance Department as captured, were thus arms that had really been used by the Union army in the capture of Vicksburg."

BTW, remember Grant had been a Quartermaster officer early in his career. Thus he knew how to avoid redtape! :)