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THE GRAND ADVENTURE
As we all begin to prepare our individual impressions and expectations of The Grand Adventure, I thought it would be appropriate to relate what I have found that will guide what we do. First let’s cover what we know about uniforms and equipment. On Oct. 24th, 1861 in Keokuk, Iowa, we know Co. G had to dispose of their civilian clothes and draw from the quartermaster on Johnston street, a complete suit of Army blue. At this point in the war the regulation trousers were still dark blue. No mention of the specific coats has yet been found by those of us who have researched. We do know that other Iowa regiments that fought at Shiloh wore frocks and another was clad in blouses (sack coats). On March 15th, 1862 Cyrus Boyd states, “We are drawing clothing and complete equipments except arms” which is while they are in Keokuk, Iowa. By Feb. 22, 1862, Cyrus Boyd recorded in his journal that their uniforms were “in bad plight.” Fear not for we won’t be in muddy rags, so keep reading.
The regiment moved from Keokuk, Iowa to Benton Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri. And while there on March 28th, the men drew what clothing they needed for the campaign. Now let’s cover a worthy point. General Order No. 108, given on December 16th, 1861 directed that infantry trousers for regimental officers and enlisted men be sky blue instead of dark blue. I have not found what the quartermaster who was serving Keokuk, nor what the quartermaster in St. Louis had in their stores by March 28th,1862. Many of the men in the 15th Iowa went into the battle with two suits of clothes which would indicate they did in fact draw clothing on March 28th as recorded in Cyrus Boyd’s journal. It is feasible that with regiments being clothed as fast as possible and quartermasters being hard pressed to obtain sufficient clothing, that the dark blue stores of trousers may have been exhausted and replaced with sky blue trousers by March 28th, approximately three and a half months after the General Order was made. Since we do not know definitively if they wore dark blue, or sky blue, the only color allowed for this event is sky blue.
It is known that the hats worn by the men were “high black hats with a brass eagle on the side.” This we all will recognize as a Hardee hat with the Jeff Davis eagle pinning up the left brim for infantry. We also know they had knapsacks, canteens and overcoats. Rifles and accoutrements were issued at Benton Barracks but not ammunition. Philip Goode states in his journal on March 25th that the men were issued Springfields and tents. Cyrus Boyd specifies the guns were “Springfield Rifled Muskets” which were “bright and fine,” but doesn’t record if they were Model 1855s or Model 1861s. Nathan "Holler" Hellwig has a friend that researched the 15th Iowa and tells us they were given Model 1861s, but we do not have the source at this time. The only other specific record we have yet found about a uniform is for one of the officers, Lt. Philip Goode. Just after being ordered ashore at Pittsburg Landing, Lt. Goode took off his uniform coat, put on his blouse coat, ripped the bugle off of his cap, and put crackers in his pocket. This is the summary of the recorded uniform, accoutrement and weapon’s record.
So we know what some of the items were definitively, but others we are left to make an educated guess. Another thing that I am taking into consideration is that we need 420 guys to fill the boat and keep the cost down. To get 420 authentics that come from east and west, or might normally portray Confederate as their main impression, if we do not definitively know, we have made the guidelines easier to follow with a best educated guess. As an example, if you do not own a Model 1855 or 1861 Springfield, you have some other acceptable options in the Guidelines section of the 15th Iowa/Shiloh website. And to make sure the guidelines are reasonably appropriate, they have also been examined and adjusted by two of our own that are Iowa regiment experts, Nathan “Holler” Hellwig and Bob Welch. I want to thank both of them publicly for their help putting this together for all of us. I am certain that we will give a most convincing impression if we look uniform, “the same,” which will be more appropriate for an early war regiment that just their camp of instruction and the St. Louis quartermaster a week earlier. Please examine the guidelines in another thread in this event folder, and do your best to get the first item listed, which will be the “preferred” item/model. If you just can’t get the preferred item, look across the list of other accepted items and I’m sure you’ll be able to meet the overall guidelines with minimal effort or purchases. If you would ask me for a list of the most important items, I’d say they are the sack coat, light blue trousers, a Hardee hat, and a tan blanket. If we can all have those, we will be a most impressive sight. And remember a good soldierly attitude for the weekend will go a very long way.
Now I’d like to relate the some of the facts that you would be familiar with if you were in the 15th Iowa Infantry at Shiloh. The regiment left from Keokuk, Iowa on March 19, 1862 bound for St. Louis aboard the steamer Jennie Deans. Upon arriving in St. Louis, the regiment disembarked and marched to Benton Barracks where 8000 soldiers were quartered and being drilled. It was a muddy place where they were drilled for the short eleven days they were there. During those cold, snowy, muddy days the men also watched cavalry drill at Benton Barracks, and on one day saw a trooper fall from his horse which broke his neck and killed him instantly. A bigger threat to the lives of the men that would have been discussed were southern sympathizing “huckster women” who would sell poisoned fruit, pies, etc. to the soldiers who would then get very sick and in many cases die. The men learned quickly not to buy anything from them and to begin relying on their own sutler, H. H. Sullivan, who had a contraband that cooked.
On April 1st, 1862 the regiment was ordered to Pittsburg Landing so they boarded the paddle wheel steamer Minnehaha. Cyrus Boyd recorded in his journal that the men kept their guns and knapsacks with them on board the steamer, so we will do the same, instead of stowing them with the quartermaster. The trip south to Pittsburg Landing was not without trouble which included getting stuck on a sandbar, the rope to the tiller breaking twice and encountering a bad storm. And it is worthy to note that Mrs. Ann Wallace, wife of General W. H. L. Wallace who was already moving for the front line at Shiloh, was aboard the Minnehaha on the trip to Pittsburg Landing. On April 5th the Minnehaha stopped for about two hours for the men to cook rations as their cooked supply from St. Louis had run out. It is also known that the steamer stopped for a short time at Savannah, TN on April 5th. I cannot determine if there were two stops that day or if they were the same stop. For our purposes, they will be the same and we will begin our adventure from Savannah, TN.
During the crisis of war in 1862, soldiers were tightly crammed aboard transport ships to rush as many men as possible to the front. Modern maritime law doesn’t think so highly of that method and we have to follow modern law. That being said we will likely have to transport one wing at a time to ferry the entire regiment to “our” Pittsburg Landing. You have a great logistical team in place to see that all of this happens for you, so you need not worry. We intend to embark from Savannah via a gang plank laid on the dirt bank as you might have seen in period wood cuts. We want to avoid modern marinas that would detract from our experience. And while modern maritime law has requirements of today’s paddle wheelers, our ship has given us permission to cover or hide as many of those modern intrusions as feasible. It will not be perfect, but being dimly lit with candles and intrusions covered with patriotic bunting, etc., we will have as close an experience as we can have in 2012. Look at your friend’s faces as it may be the last day you see them alive. Look at your plate of food as it may be your last meal. Look at the passing bank and the stars in the sky as they are the same ones that the original boys saw in 1862. The sound of the paddle wheel and the lapping waves against the bank will be the same too. If you do these things, you’ll make your visit back.
The Minnehaha reached Pittsburg Landing at 4:00am as recorded by 1st Sgt. W. P. L. Muir. Another source says it was 4:30am. As such we will operate through the night as they did, but with two or three trips our times will be a little off. On April 6th, 1862 at “7 o’clock we ate breakfast on board the Minnehaha…” At “10 o’clock we are ordered ashore, with knapsacks, overcoats, 2 blankets, an extra suit of clothes, haversacks filled with hard tack and a big high hat with a brass eagle on the side.” Ammunition was distributed after they disembarked and for the first time they loaded their rifles. The regiment was ordered by General Grant to hold the road going to the landing as wounded and panicked men made their way to the landing in an effort to board a boat. The 15th held the road for about an hour during which time they also “were engaged in making coffee,” according to Cpl. W.H. Goodrell. When the battle really started going badly for the Federals ahead, one of General Grant’s staff members passed the order for the 15th Iowa and the nearby 16th Iowa to move up to support General Prentiss. One of Grant’s staff officers took the 15th into the fight according to the 15th Iowa’s Asst. Surgeon, Dr. W.H. Gibbon. This same Dr. Gibbon bravely set up his field hospital that day only 250 yards behind the Federal battle line. The 15th Iowa lead the two regiments toward the fighting two miles away. During this march it was noted by Cyrus Boyd that the 15th Iowa’s Lt. Col. Dewey swears a lot and drinks whiskey from a pint bottle on his horse. Upon reaching a field where the Confederates were concealed in woods and behind tents, the enemy opens fire on the 15th and their battle baptism begins. Col. Reid gives an order that initially faces the regiment away from the enemy, but then faces them properly to begin firing. In Col. Reid’s official report of the battle he says they fired by file as the men had not yet learned proper firing commands. And so for the 15th Iowa began the great battle which was later to be called the Battle of Pittsburg Landing by the Federals or the Battle of Shiloh by the Confederates. It was the largest battle to be fought on American soil at that time.
As you read the experiences of the original 15th Iowa, know we will to the best of our ability execute all of the same. You will be fed breakfast aboard our paddle wheeler, you will initially hold a road to the landing, you will boil coffee during this time and be issued ammunition, you will be lead to the first days battle by some of “Grant’s staff,” we’ll see that our Lt. Col. Dewey spouts off a few foul words between swigs of whiskey, etc., etc. And if we time it right, we’ll arrive at the event site just in time to go into the first day’s battle. We intend to have a fully mounted staff, a horse drawn wagon or two for our regiment, couriers, fifers and drummers, a color guard of all Iowans, surgeons, a sutler, and oh yeah, a paddle wheeler! And if all that gets boring, as I’ve said before, we’ll throw a chair through a window and see what that scares up.
BIG BOY DISCLAIMER: You must know that the minimum age for this adjunct event is 16 years old. Yep, really. We’ll be boarding the paddle wheeler from the bank in the dark and it could be wet. If you fall over into the river, whether getting on or off, or going down the river, the paddle wheeler is too big to turn around fast and you will sink before you can get your gear off. You WILL drown, so you MUST be careful on the boat. Adventure and risk is fun, but none of us want to really lose a friend. This event has the chance for that to happen. Use your head, be careful, move slowly and watch over each other.
Also our march will be FIVE miles to the event and at least half of it on paved roads and hills. There are modern houses on the route so don’t expect an immersion experience. But our march is on the original battlefield! You don’t need to carry two suits of clothes or two blankets, etc., but you do need to be able to carry ALL of the gear you bring for the five miles. You MUST go carry your gear for five miles before the event so you know you won’t be left behind. The column cannot stop for you or the rest of the guys will miss the first day’s battle. If your gear is too heavy, leave something at home and try carrying the lighter load for five miles. Only pack what you can successfully carry the full five miles. We will have a modern combat nurse with us for injuries, but you must be able to handle the dangers and rigors of this event. Get in shape! You don’t have to run the five miles, but you should get used to walking five miles. And I don’t believe in dispensing advice I wouldn’t take myself. I’m walking 3-5 miles daily, Monday through Friday. I’ll be ready and I want all of you to be ready too. OK, I’ve now told you what you can expect out of this event because that’s how I’d want to be treated, like an adult. This event is will be a once in a lifetime blast, and one so good you’ll tell your grandkids about it when you’re 80! All your friends are coming, so don’t miss the boat!
Below are a number of links where the above information has been compiled. There is alot more in the links than my brief review above. Please take the time to study each of them completely. It will help you get in the right frame of mind when you pull away from the shore for your trip south to Dixie.
Sources for 15th Iowa Infantry facts:
http://www.archive.org/details/historyoffifteen00inbelk
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regimen...ist15thinf.htm
http://files.usgwarchives.net/ia/sta...ok/cwbk_15.txt
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regimen...riverboats.jpg
http://www.iowahistory.org/museum/ba...nvitation1.pdf
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regiment/ Scroll down to the 15th Iowa Infantry.
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regimen...urnalgoode.htm
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regimen...rdis_main.html
As we all begin to prepare our individual impressions and expectations of The Grand Adventure, I thought it would be appropriate to relate what I have found that will guide what we do. First let’s cover what we know about uniforms and equipment. On Oct. 24th, 1861 in Keokuk, Iowa, we know Co. G had to dispose of their civilian clothes and draw from the quartermaster on Johnston street, a complete suit of Army blue. At this point in the war the regulation trousers were still dark blue. No mention of the specific coats has yet been found by those of us who have researched. We do know that other Iowa regiments that fought at Shiloh wore frocks and another was clad in blouses (sack coats). On March 15th, 1862 Cyrus Boyd states, “We are drawing clothing and complete equipments except arms” which is while they are in Keokuk, Iowa. By Feb. 22, 1862, Cyrus Boyd recorded in his journal that their uniforms were “in bad plight.” Fear not for we won’t be in muddy rags, so keep reading.
The regiment moved from Keokuk, Iowa to Benton Barracks in St. Louis, Missouri. And while there on March 28th, the men drew what clothing they needed for the campaign. Now let’s cover a worthy point. General Order No. 108, given on December 16th, 1861 directed that infantry trousers for regimental officers and enlisted men be sky blue instead of dark blue. I have not found what the quartermaster who was serving Keokuk, nor what the quartermaster in St. Louis had in their stores by March 28th,1862. Many of the men in the 15th Iowa went into the battle with two suits of clothes which would indicate they did in fact draw clothing on March 28th as recorded in Cyrus Boyd’s journal. It is feasible that with regiments being clothed as fast as possible and quartermasters being hard pressed to obtain sufficient clothing, that the dark blue stores of trousers may have been exhausted and replaced with sky blue trousers by March 28th, approximately three and a half months after the General Order was made. Since we do not know definitively if they wore dark blue, or sky blue, the only color allowed for this event is sky blue.
It is known that the hats worn by the men were “high black hats with a brass eagle on the side.” This we all will recognize as a Hardee hat with the Jeff Davis eagle pinning up the left brim for infantry. We also know they had knapsacks, canteens and overcoats. Rifles and accoutrements were issued at Benton Barracks but not ammunition. Philip Goode states in his journal on March 25th that the men were issued Springfields and tents. Cyrus Boyd specifies the guns were “Springfield Rifled Muskets” which were “bright and fine,” but doesn’t record if they were Model 1855s or Model 1861s. Nathan "Holler" Hellwig has a friend that researched the 15th Iowa and tells us they were given Model 1861s, but we do not have the source at this time. The only other specific record we have yet found about a uniform is for one of the officers, Lt. Philip Goode. Just after being ordered ashore at Pittsburg Landing, Lt. Goode took off his uniform coat, put on his blouse coat, ripped the bugle off of his cap, and put crackers in his pocket. This is the summary of the recorded uniform, accoutrement and weapon’s record.
So we know what some of the items were definitively, but others we are left to make an educated guess. Another thing that I am taking into consideration is that we need 420 guys to fill the boat and keep the cost down. To get 420 authentics that come from east and west, or might normally portray Confederate as their main impression, if we do not definitively know, we have made the guidelines easier to follow with a best educated guess. As an example, if you do not own a Model 1855 or 1861 Springfield, you have some other acceptable options in the Guidelines section of the 15th Iowa/Shiloh website. And to make sure the guidelines are reasonably appropriate, they have also been examined and adjusted by two of our own that are Iowa regiment experts, Nathan “Holler” Hellwig and Bob Welch. I want to thank both of them publicly for their help putting this together for all of us. I am certain that we will give a most convincing impression if we look uniform, “the same,” which will be more appropriate for an early war regiment that just their camp of instruction and the St. Louis quartermaster a week earlier. Please examine the guidelines in another thread in this event folder, and do your best to get the first item listed, which will be the “preferred” item/model. If you just can’t get the preferred item, look across the list of other accepted items and I’m sure you’ll be able to meet the overall guidelines with minimal effort or purchases. If you would ask me for a list of the most important items, I’d say they are the sack coat, light blue trousers, a Hardee hat, and a tan blanket. If we can all have those, we will be a most impressive sight. And remember a good soldierly attitude for the weekend will go a very long way.
Now I’d like to relate the some of the facts that you would be familiar with if you were in the 15th Iowa Infantry at Shiloh. The regiment left from Keokuk, Iowa on March 19, 1862 bound for St. Louis aboard the steamer Jennie Deans. Upon arriving in St. Louis, the regiment disembarked and marched to Benton Barracks where 8000 soldiers were quartered and being drilled. It was a muddy place where they were drilled for the short eleven days they were there. During those cold, snowy, muddy days the men also watched cavalry drill at Benton Barracks, and on one day saw a trooper fall from his horse which broke his neck and killed him instantly. A bigger threat to the lives of the men that would have been discussed were southern sympathizing “huckster women” who would sell poisoned fruit, pies, etc. to the soldiers who would then get very sick and in many cases die. The men learned quickly not to buy anything from them and to begin relying on their own sutler, H. H. Sullivan, who had a contraband that cooked.
On April 1st, 1862 the regiment was ordered to Pittsburg Landing so they boarded the paddle wheel steamer Minnehaha. Cyrus Boyd recorded in his journal that the men kept their guns and knapsacks with them on board the steamer, so we will do the same, instead of stowing them with the quartermaster. The trip south to Pittsburg Landing was not without trouble which included getting stuck on a sandbar, the rope to the tiller breaking twice and encountering a bad storm. And it is worthy to note that Mrs. Ann Wallace, wife of General W. H. L. Wallace who was already moving for the front line at Shiloh, was aboard the Minnehaha on the trip to Pittsburg Landing. On April 5th the Minnehaha stopped for about two hours for the men to cook rations as their cooked supply from St. Louis had run out. It is also known that the steamer stopped for a short time at Savannah, TN on April 5th. I cannot determine if there were two stops that day or if they were the same stop. For our purposes, they will be the same and we will begin our adventure from Savannah, TN.
During the crisis of war in 1862, soldiers were tightly crammed aboard transport ships to rush as many men as possible to the front. Modern maritime law doesn’t think so highly of that method and we have to follow modern law. That being said we will likely have to transport one wing at a time to ferry the entire regiment to “our” Pittsburg Landing. You have a great logistical team in place to see that all of this happens for you, so you need not worry. We intend to embark from Savannah via a gang plank laid on the dirt bank as you might have seen in period wood cuts. We want to avoid modern marinas that would detract from our experience. And while modern maritime law has requirements of today’s paddle wheelers, our ship has given us permission to cover or hide as many of those modern intrusions as feasible. It will not be perfect, but being dimly lit with candles and intrusions covered with patriotic bunting, etc., we will have as close an experience as we can have in 2012. Look at your friend’s faces as it may be the last day you see them alive. Look at your plate of food as it may be your last meal. Look at the passing bank and the stars in the sky as they are the same ones that the original boys saw in 1862. The sound of the paddle wheel and the lapping waves against the bank will be the same too. If you do these things, you’ll make your visit back.
The Minnehaha reached Pittsburg Landing at 4:00am as recorded by 1st Sgt. W. P. L. Muir. Another source says it was 4:30am. As such we will operate through the night as they did, but with two or three trips our times will be a little off. On April 6th, 1862 at “7 o’clock we ate breakfast on board the Minnehaha…” At “10 o’clock we are ordered ashore, with knapsacks, overcoats, 2 blankets, an extra suit of clothes, haversacks filled with hard tack and a big high hat with a brass eagle on the side.” Ammunition was distributed after they disembarked and for the first time they loaded their rifles. The regiment was ordered by General Grant to hold the road going to the landing as wounded and panicked men made their way to the landing in an effort to board a boat. The 15th held the road for about an hour during which time they also “were engaged in making coffee,” according to Cpl. W.H. Goodrell. When the battle really started going badly for the Federals ahead, one of General Grant’s staff members passed the order for the 15th Iowa and the nearby 16th Iowa to move up to support General Prentiss. One of Grant’s staff officers took the 15th into the fight according to the 15th Iowa’s Asst. Surgeon, Dr. W.H. Gibbon. This same Dr. Gibbon bravely set up his field hospital that day only 250 yards behind the Federal battle line. The 15th Iowa lead the two regiments toward the fighting two miles away. During this march it was noted by Cyrus Boyd that the 15th Iowa’s Lt. Col. Dewey swears a lot and drinks whiskey from a pint bottle on his horse. Upon reaching a field where the Confederates were concealed in woods and behind tents, the enemy opens fire on the 15th and their battle baptism begins. Col. Reid gives an order that initially faces the regiment away from the enemy, but then faces them properly to begin firing. In Col. Reid’s official report of the battle he says they fired by file as the men had not yet learned proper firing commands. And so for the 15th Iowa began the great battle which was later to be called the Battle of Pittsburg Landing by the Federals or the Battle of Shiloh by the Confederates. It was the largest battle to be fought on American soil at that time.
As you read the experiences of the original 15th Iowa, know we will to the best of our ability execute all of the same. You will be fed breakfast aboard our paddle wheeler, you will initially hold a road to the landing, you will boil coffee during this time and be issued ammunition, you will be lead to the first days battle by some of “Grant’s staff,” we’ll see that our Lt. Col. Dewey spouts off a few foul words between swigs of whiskey, etc., etc. And if we time it right, we’ll arrive at the event site just in time to go into the first day’s battle. We intend to have a fully mounted staff, a horse drawn wagon or two for our regiment, couriers, fifers and drummers, a color guard of all Iowans, surgeons, a sutler, and oh yeah, a paddle wheeler! And if all that gets boring, as I’ve said before, we’ll throw a chair through a window and see what that scares up.
BIG BOY DISCLAIMER: You must know that the minimum age for this adjunct event is 16 years old. Yep, really. We’ll be boarding the paddle wheeler from the bank in the dark and it could be wet. If you fall over into the river, whether getting on or off, or going down the river, the paddle wheeler is too big to turn around fast and you will sink before you can get your gear off. You WILL drown, so you MUST be careful on the boat. Adventure and risk is fun, but none of us want to really lose a friend. This event has the chance for that to happen. Use your head, be careful, move slowly and watch over each other.
Also our march will be FIVE miles to the event and at least half of it on paved roads and hills. There are modern houses on the route so don’t expect an immersion experience. But our march is on the original battlefield! You don’t need to carry two suits of clothes or two blankets, etc., but you do need to be able to carry ALL of the gear you bring for the five miles. You MUST go carry your gear for five miles before the event so you know you won’t be left behind. The column cannot stop for you or the rest of the guys will miss the first day’s battle. If your gear is too heavy, leave something at home and try carrying the lighter load for five miles. Only pack what you can successfully carry the full five miles. We will have a modern combat nurse with us for injuries, but you must be able to handle the dangers and rigors of this event. Get in shape! You don’t have to run the five miles, but you should get used to walking five miles. And I don’t believe in dispensing advice I wouldn’t take myself. I’m walking 3-5 miles daily, Monday through Friday. I’ll be ready and I want all of you to be ready too. OK, I’ve now told you what you can expect out of this event because that’s how I’d want to be treated, like an adult. This event is will be a once in a lifetime blast, and one so good you’ll tell your grandkids about it when you’re 80! All your friends are coming, so don’t miss the boat!
Below are a number of links where the above information has been compiled. There is alot more in the links than my brief review above. Please take the time to study each of them completely. It will help you get in the right frame of mind when you pull away from the shore for your trip south to Dixie.
Sources for 15th Iowa Infantry facts:
http://www.archive.org/details/historyoffifteen00inbelk
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regimen...ist15thinf.htm
http://files.usgwarchives.net/ia/sta...ok/cwbk_15.txt
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regimen...riverboats.jpg
http://www.iowahistory.org/museum/ba...nvitation1.pdf
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regiment/ Scroll down to the 15th Iowa Infantry.
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regimen...urnalgoode.htm
http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/regimen...rdis_main.html
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