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Folks, here are some very interesting numbers of arms from Dec. 1864, Hampton's Cavalry Corps, ANV. I "borrowed" this (with permission) from Todd Kern's Vally Light Horse web site ( http://www.valhallastablesvirginia.com/calvary). The research is courtesy of the always resourceful and indefatigable Neill Rose.
These wartime pieces of correspondence come from a narrative Wade Hampton’s had written for R.E. Lee, c. 1867, in response to Lee’s request for information pertaining to the last year of the war. At the time, Lee was considering writing a history of the Army of Northern Virginia. A work he never completed. It was uncovered by the fine research of Thomas Neil Rose in the South Carolina Library.
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War Department,
Ordinance Bureau,
Colonel,
Please to represent to General Lee, the impossibility of arming the cavalry with carbines, sabres & pistols, owing to the paucity of our resources. Request him to arm the cavalry brigades & divisions some with sabres & carbines & others with sabres & revolvers. We will do our utmost to supply him with two arms for each cavalryman. Beyond that it will be delusive to promise a supply. Assure Genl. Lee besides that every effort is being made to get the best character of repeating & breech loading arms from abroad.
It would be well to offer every inducement to the bringing in of Spencer Carbines & others. There should be aggregated in one brigade, or division. We will undertake to supply the peculiar ammunition in time for the campaign of next year. All these things, with a decimated force of mechanics tax our utmost energies. But we will not falter in our endeavors.
Very respectfully,
Yr Obt sr.,
J. Gorgas Chief Ordnance””
Head Qtrs. A. N. V. 6th Decr. 1864
Respectfully referred to Genl. Hampton for his information & action. I suppose this as all that can be done at present. It would be well to arrange the armament of the cavalry as proposed and to commence it at once.
R.E.Lee General””
Next is an extract from “Armament Report of the Cavalry Corps, December 15th 1864”. Hampton included this extract in his narrative. The source is the same as above.
Listed will be the individual regiment, number of men in the command, number of unarmed men, number of men without sabres, number of men without long range guns, number with out pistols, and then the totals for the Cavalry Corps. These are quoted from the narrative abbreviated to fit the page (hopefully they will fit the page)....
Reg. # Men Unarmed W/O Sabres W/O Long Range guns W/O Pistols
4th S.C. 183 3 ““ ““ 102
5th SC 353 122 222 ““ 209
6th SC 227 27 83 ? 144
Cobb Legion 223 79 53 77 186
Jeff Davis Leg. 228 39 94 67 141
Phillips Leg. 130 26 12 59 87
10th Ga. 80 23 * 26 80
8th Ga. 135 62 105 ““ 181
Hinton Co. 22 4 3 ““ 22
4th NC 485 4 ? 4 461
16th Batt. 294 15 100 19 235
1st NC 462 127 119 15 389
2nd NC 489 109 195 127 437
3rdNC 402 42 59 109 402
5th NC 437 75 ? 75 ?
9TH VA 600 229 228 229 336
10th VA 450 96 91 90 380
13th VA 322 22 2 22 226
TOTAL 5552 1100 1369 925 4079
19.8% 24.7% 16.6% 73.5%
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I note with great interest that out of 5,552 men (officers & men?) that 17% had no long arms, 20% were unarmed; 75% carried sabers; and 74% did NOT have pistols! This naturally brings up alot more questions (feel free to ask) such as what arms (for example pistols) they determined to be counted....such as "issue" arms, personal arms or, "all" (pistols) arms? Anyway, while we may not be able to qualify this entirely, at face value it does substantiate much of the other scholarly data out in recent years regarding typical arms among CS cavalrmen.
Comments?
Ken R Knopp
These wartime pieces of correspondence come from a narrative Wade Hampton’s had written for R.E. Lee, c. 1867, in response to Lee’s request for information pertaining to the last year of the war. At the time, Lee was considering writing a history of the Army of Northern Virginia. A work he never completed. It was uncovered by the fine research of Thomas Neil Rose in the South Carolina Library.
-----------------------
War Department,
Ordinance Bureau,
Colonel,
Please to represent to General Lee, the impossibility of arming the cavalry with carbines, sabres & pistols, owing to the paucity of our resources. Request him to arm the cavalry brigades & divisions some with sabres & carbines & others with sabres & revolvers. We will do our utmost to supply him with two arms for each cavalryman. Beyond that it will be delusive to promise a supply. Assure Genl. Lee besides that every effort is being made to get the best character of repeating & breech loading arms from abroad.
It would be well to offer every inducement to the bringing in of Spencer Carbines & others. There should be aggregated in one brigade, or division. We will undertake to supply the peculiar ammunition in time for the campaign of next year. All these things, with a decimated force of mechanics tax our utmost energies. But we will not falter in our endeavors.
Very respectfully,
Yr Obt sr.,
J. Gorgas Chief Ordnance””
Head Qtrs. A. N. V. 6th Decr. 1864
Respectfully referred to Genl. Hampton for his information & action. I suppose this as all that can be done at present. It would be well to arrange the armament of the cavalry as proposed and to commence it at once.
R.E.Lee General””
Next is an extract from “Armament Report of the Cavalry Corps, December 15th 1864”. Hampton included this extract in his narrative. The source is the same as above.
Listed will be the individual regiment, number of men in the command, number of unarmed men, number of men without sabres, number of men without long range guns, number with out pistols, and then the totals for the Cavalry Corps. These are quoted from the narrative abbreviated to fit the page (hopefully they will fit the page)....
Reg. # Men Unarmed W/O Sabres W/O Long Range guns W/O Pistols
4th S.C. 183 3 ““ ““ 102
5th SC 353 122 222 ““ 209
6th SC 227 27 83 ? 144
Cobb Legion 223 79 53 77 186
Jeff Davis Leg. 228 39 94 67 141
Phillips Leg. 130 26 12 59 87
10th Ga. 80 23 * 26 80
8th Ga. 135 62 105 ““ 181
Hinton Co. 22 4 3 ““ 22
4th NC 485 4 ? 4 461
16th Batt. 294 15 100 19 235
1st NC 462 127 119 15 389
2nd NC 489 109 195 127 437
3rdNC 402 42 59 109 402
5th NC 437 75 ? 75 ?
9TH VA 600 229 228 229 336
10th VA 450 96 91 90 380
13th VA 322 22 2 22 226
TOTAL 5552 1100 1369 925 4079
19.8% 24.7% 16.6% 73.5%
------------------------------------
I note with great interest that out of 5,552 men (officers & men?) that 17% had no long arms, 20% were unarmed; 75% carried sabers; and 74% did NOT have pistols! This naturally brings up alot more questions (feel free to ask) such as what arms (for example pistols) they determined to be counted....such as "issue" arms, personal arms or, "all" (pistols) arms? Anyway, while we may not be able to qualify this entirely, at face value it does substantiate much of the other scholarly data out in recent years regarding typical arms among CS cavalrmen.
Comments?
Ken R Knopp
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