Rose Farm Dead

[Ken]

I noticed two things of interest in this photograph. At the time the photo was taken, this soldiers legs appear to have been bound. I can only assume that this was done to allow the body to be moved around more easily? I didn't notice this on any of the other bodies appearing in the image. Perhaps the burial detail had just begun their work. The other odd thing is the man's brogans. The top of his brogans, just short of the toes, appear to be cut into strips? Am I interpreting that correctly or am I missing something here? When I saw this, assuming my interpretation is accurate, my first thought was this soldier was trying out an ingenious way of gaining a little ventilation to cool off his feet on those long, late June early July Marches. Interesting image.

[Private Glover]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Ken, they look more like some sort of moccasins to me. Was this a confederate soldier who had to rely on alternative footware perhaps?

[Possum Skinner]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Those definitely appear to be brogans and not moccasins. While I do not know the exact reason for the slits, ventilation seems extreme. Those slits would allow for water and rocks to get in on the march as well as air.

Could his brogans have been too small?

Maybe he had a foot condition that needed more room. Maybe he had corns or bunions and tried to relieve pressure.

[Matthew.Rector]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

During World War Two, Yank magazine ran some photos of modified army boots from those serving in warmer climates. They got quite creative with them. If I recall correctly, some looked similar to the pair in this detail. I can’t say that this is the case here…but these shoes seem to be altered for some reason.

[Bob 125th NYSVI]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Ever had a pair of shoes that was too tight across the top of your foot? I suspect this guy did. He sliced the shoes to releave the pressure across the top of his foot. Since you got what the army gave you (or you could trade with someone for) I suspect he figured since he walked on the bootms that it was more importnat to have shoes than to do without.

[DougCooper]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Ken on your other question, it was quite common based on Gardner's photos at Antietam and elsewhere that the bodies were often bound and dragged to a central place/line for burial.

[markj]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Indeed. Refer to William Frassanito's books on Civil War photography. This series (there were at least four or five taken of the same bodies from different angles) also shows several other corpses displaying the same type of binding.

As memory serves, there were reportedly 138 rebel bodies found in this location alone, so one can readily understand why they were bound in this way since it a) almost eliminated the need for direct handling of rapidly decomposing corpses and b) provided a more efficient means of moving them pursuant to burial.

By the time this particular image was made, the bodies shown had already been exposed to the elements for the better part of four days and the stench of decomposition was nearly indescribable. Needless to say, the burial party in this local undoubtedly worked as quickly as possible to get them below ground.
Regards,

Mark Jaeger

[westcoastcampaigner]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Hello,

Yes usually a soldiers feet were bound so that the body could be dragged to nearby graves. If memory serves me right from the last time I was at the Gettysburg Visitors Center, they have a hook like device that was used to drag the bodies. It is essentially a curved piece of wrought iron with a handle on one end. I also did a google search for this and found something similar made from a bayonet. Very interesting.

http://www.civilwaroutpost.com/13.html?m7:cat=%2FFeatured+Relics%3Anonested&i878195:page=2

Josh Sawyer
Liberty Rifles

[lthull3rdla]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

very interesting photo. I have seen that picture dozens of times and have never noticed the shoe alterations. Pays to pay attention to detail!

Ronnie

[lukegilly13]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Could the slits be a post death alteration done by the opposing army to prevent later soldiers from obtaining new shoes?
I've never read of this....but, there are surely way more sources on this than I have read....anyone heard of soldiers destroying/altering equipment left on the dead to keep the cornfed's from picking it up?

[Jimmayo]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

I don't think any soldier in either army wanted to destroy items on a deceased soldier so the other side wouldn't use it. They had better things to do keeping themselves alive and attending to business. There was also an excess of any kind of gear needed on that battlefield. Now taking souvenirs, that is another matter.

However, for a long time I have wondered if the Confederate forces tried to break the stocks on Enfield rifles when about to be captured or in other circumstances to prevent them from falling into US hands. There are way more broken trigger mechanisms recovered from Enfield rifles than Springfields. It may be that they are just prone to breakage at the wrist of the stock but the thought of intentional destroying the weapon has crossed my mind more than once.

[Private Glover]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Didn't see the laces, D'Oh! My screen has been giving me fits lately, sorry.

Not sure about the Enfields. Josh Chamberlain talks about his men going forward after a battle to replace their Enfields with Springfields. He claimed they had less function problems although it could just be that the Mainers somehow felt a loyalty to items made in New England.

[Jimmayo]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Not sure about the Enfields. Josh Chamberlain talks about his men going forward after a battle to replace their Enfields with Springfields. He claimed they had less function problems although it could just be that the Mainers somehow felt a loyalty to items made in New England.

Good thing they didn't compare the Enfields to the modern day 61 model Springfield. If the 20th Main were armed with those the Confederates would have probably taken the hill.

[yeoman]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Sir, what a hawk eye to see this detail.

If I may here is a small quote from "Life with the Thirty-fourth Mass. Infantry in the War of the Rebellion" by William Sever. "Everything had been thoroughly soaked by the rain of yesterday, and, upon reaching camp, all hands had turned their energies to drying themselves, their clothing and equipments. Some taking off their boots, or shoes, had placed them by the fires to dry; and now found them a "world to small;" others had laid down with their feet to the fire, and so the leathers had been scorched to a crisp. Officers, magnificent in their long legged and stylish boots, were hunting privates with whom to exchange for the regulation shoe; and all, of whatever rank, unable to trade for shoes of size large enough to slip over their blistered and swollen feet, slit the uppers, from instep to toe, or cut out the whole front of the shoe leather."

Having read William Frassanito's book years ago, this image and this spot still hold my fascination.
O'sullivan, Gardner stereo # 227, Southwest edge of Rose Woods.
.

This photo was taken in the spring of 1982. Hard to see my daughters head above rounded rock in middle rear.

This photo was taken in the summer of 1983 with my daughter Amber.

Here are two photos taken in Nov. 2005. Left half.

Right half.

The two above photos.


Great eye, thanks again. My two cents.

[LibertyHallVols]

Re: Rose Farm Dead

Regarding the shoes:

Take a look at some of the AAR's from Doug Dobb's 6th Corps marches from 2003 and 2008. There is a specific reference to the beating the "pinky-toe" was taking during the march. The solution? ...cut a hole in the brogan to make room for the li'l toe to move without rubbing on the shoe. Could be that this poor fellow was seeking some relief on a long march.