Historical Notes
Amputation - Advances in the field of medicine were vast during the Civil War. But with the damage to flesh and bone from large projectiles combined with the time involved in doing internal procedures that could take an hour or more when amputation could be done in under ten minutes, a hard decision sometimes needed to be made. Yes, an arm or leg might be saved with a new procedure but how many men waiting for help might die as the result. See July 11, 1863, Aug. 11, 1863.
Breastworks – A field defensive position constructed by building a low wall 3 to 4 feet high then digging down behind it and throwing the earth against the front of the wall. This would stop muslet balls but not artillery. See Dec. 29,1862.
Casteel (sic) Soap - This was a high end soap made not with animal fates but with Olive Oils.
See March 7, 1864.
Clothing – At the start of the war men tried to pack a change of cloths but after a few long marches most of these ended up in ditches as the men trimmed themselves down. An extra shirt and pair of socks was all the extra clothing they needed.
As a side note. The army sent wagons behind the line of march and picked up most of the cast off items. Consiquintly, if the men requested more items of clothing later, it was deducted from their pay. See Oct. 9, 1862.
Clothing Depot - The Cinncinati clothing depot was one of the clothing depots that accepted items sewn on a machine. If the machine provided a lock stitch. Not all did. How this was done was she would go to the depot and sign out a bundle of haversacks that had been cut out. She would take them home and sew them up. Then return to the depot, have them inspected, then, and only then, would she be paid for the work. Chances are she was working on a 'Wheeler & Wilson' machine, the first machine marketed for home use in the early 1950's. Singer was now giving Wheeler & Wilson a run for the money with the new marketing ploy. The installment plan. This would doom many other sewing machine companies. See March 17, 1863.
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| From the collection of Ken Gough |
Colored Regiment - Properly called United States Colored Troops or U.S.C.T's. As during the Civil War there were no Black officers in the standing army, white Officers were offered promotions if they transferred to U.SC.T. Regiments. See May 27, 1863, March 13, 1864, March 23, 1864.
Commisions – As most company grade officers were elected at the start of a new regiment it is not unusual for the army to wait on granting their commisions until they could show they could do the job. I think it interesting that his was the only commision granted on the spot as the other two had to wait. This tells me that he was not in the running for Captain and the field grade officers had yet to decide between the other two. See Nov. 29, 1862.
Conscripts - In military terms this is usually a term for men recruited from prisons. However I don's think this is what he means. As the Draft is not in use and Drafted men are looked down on by volunteers and veterans I think they are who Thorton is referring to. See Aug. 11, 1863
Contrabands - Before the U.S. Government allowed the confiscation of slaves the army couldn't do much to either help them in place or do anything about the growing train of runaway slaves that followed behind the army. So cutting the 'Gordinian Knot' they declared them to be 'Spoils of War' and they were classed as Contraband. See April 25, 1863.
Draft - When it became clear the war would last far longer than first thought a Draft was the answer. Each town filled out a Reserve Militia Roll each year and submitted it for Draft. When each Draft was called for the State was given its quota, they in turned issued a quota to each county, then to each town. If the quota was met through volunteers there would be no need for a draft in that county or town. See April 18, 1863.
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| 1861 Reserve Militia Roll for Elgin, Ill. Used with permission of the Elgin Area Hist. Soc. |
Exchamge – As prispmers of war became a burdon on boyh sides exchanges would be organised Private for private or three privates for one Sgt. And so on. Exchanged men would then receive a letter from their respective armys to report for duty. This time was not held against them. See Dec. 19, 1862.
File Closer, 3rd through 5th Sergeants - These Sergeants were posted two paces behind the line. They had a number of jobs. In the heat of battle orders from the Captain could not be heard down the line so they would make sure the men under their control were doing the right thing. If there were any malfunctions with muskets they would trade theirs for the musket on the line. They would clear the musket and return it. Privates only had cleaning tools, anything that required a screwdriver had to be done by a Sergeant who was issued a screwdriver and a wrench. See Fev. 29, 1863.
Foraging - He notes that his men won't steal unless it's for food. This indicates that he is now dealing with foraging by the men and is trying to rationalize it to himself. See Oct. 5, 1862.
French Furlough – He spells it Furlow. This was A.W.O.L. And a court marshal offence. The fact that he is concidering this and is looking to his wife to provide an excuse shows that he is depressed. Not uncommon after a few months in service. Remember that at the start of the war everyone thought it would be over in six weeks. He is now disenchanted with the adventure. He is very lucky he didn't act on this impuls. See Nov. 15, 1862.
Furlough – He spells it furlow, this is a pass to go home. It was unusual to receive one more than once during their service. At the start of the war men thought it was availible through a request of their company officers. This was not true. See Sept. 18, 1862, Oct. 9, 1862.
Haversack - This is a canvas bag hung on the left side of the body under the canteen. It was painted with tar to keep the grease from the meat ration from staining the uniform. See Oct. 5, 1862, March 17, 1863.
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| From the collection of Ken Gough |
Knapsack - The most common issued was the Model 1853-55 two bag soft pack. This held one wool blanket, one rubber blanket, and later in the war one half shelter. There was a place for a shirt and a couple pairs of socks. In colder whether a second blanket could be rolled and strapped on top of the pack. He mentions leaving packs behind. This was a real money maker for the army. The men were ordered before going into battle to drop their packs. A sick man was sometimes left behind to 'guard' the pile of packs. If the battle stagnated or the men fell back they may be able to get them back. If not then they would have to be re-issued new packs, with the government issued contents. Of course this would all be deducted from the soldiers pay! See Oct. 14, 1862.
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| M- 1853-55 Softpack From the collection of Ken Gough |
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| The pocket to the left held extra clothing and the four flap section to the right held a blanket and Gum blanket and later in the war, a half shelter tent. |
Mail - Thorton Thompson in over twenty of his letters kept track of when letters were posted and when he received them. Time in route was about five days. Even when he noted problems with the railroad, due in most part by Morgans men and moving camp while the mail was in transit, this only added about three days to the trip. See Dec. 29, 1862, June 29, 1863, July 6, 1863, July 11,1863.
Morgan – Of 'Morgan's Raiders' The band of Confederate Gurillas workinbg this area at this time. See Aug. 9, 1862, Dec. 19, 1862, June 21, 1863, July 6, 1863, July 19, 1863, July 21, 1863.
Mush – A.K.A. Stir-a-bout, oatmeal, porage. A tastless but filling oat stew. See March 21, 1863.
Musket – The 79th Ohio was armed with either the M-1855 or M-1861 .58 Springfield Rifled Muskets. At the start of the Civil War this was the most sought after infantry arm, it was light, fast to load (three shots a minute) and was sighted out to six hundred yards. Thornton notes he spent all day looking for Henry Bushes 'Gun'. If they had not found it Henry bush would have been charged with losing it and $14 would be deducted from his pay. This was over a months pay. See Dec. 19, 1862.
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| 1861 Springfield Rifled Musket As issued to the 79th Ohio Inft. From the collection of Ken Gough |
Musket Stack - This was done to both keep the muskets off the damp ground and to keep them in one place. The muskets were stacked while the men were in line of battle so that when they were assembled they fell in with their musket in front of them. This was there was no lost time while the men got into position. There were four muskets to a stack not counting Sergeants who worked just behind the line as 'file closers' who added their muskets to the stack in front of their position. See Nov. 12, 1862.
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| Capt. Ken Gough with B Co. 29th U.S.C.T. re-enactment group with muskets stacked in front of them. The one across the top would be that of the 1st Sergeant. |
Officers Blouse, Vest, Sash & Pants - Commonly known as an Officers Sack Coat. This was the everyday uniform coat with a loose cut and large pockets. See Feb. 22, 1863, June 21, 1863, June 29, 1863.
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| Civilian style shirt with Officers Vest and Pant. |
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| Officers Blouse (Sack Coat) with Sash. The dark red is for Company Grade Officers |
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| The Sash worn over the right shoulder showed that he was Officer of the Day. In other words, the 'Complaint Department'. |
Parol – An outfit like Morgan's didn't have any means to take on prisoners so Henry Bush was offered Parol. This was a signed promise to go home and await word that he had been exchanged before returning to military duty. See Dec. 19, 1862, Oct. 29, 1863.
Pencil - He hots at the end of teh letter that he had to write in pencil because his desk wasn't set up. Pencils were more expensive but because he was a low grade Company Officer he had to fill out forms on the go and sometimes in the dark. Thus pencils were the answer. Think about it. How can you walk around, in the dark, using a pen and ink? See March 13, 1864.
Pickets – These would be listening posts set up about a mile from camp every couple hundred yards. Their job was to fire at any advancing force to give warning to the camp. As each post was manned by 4 to 6 men they would of course, then be overrun and captured or killed. See Dec. 19,1862, June 29, 1863, Aug. 11, 1863.
Picket Duty – He would have been assigned charge of five or six picket posts. His camp would have been set up 3 or 4 hundred yards behind the line so he could respond to each as quickly as he could. See Dec. 19, 1862, June 29, 1863, July 6, 1863, July 21, 1863, Aug. 22, 1863, Jan. 3, 1864.
Provo – This is the military police properly called Provost Marshal. See June 9, 1863.
Pistol – I'm not sure who Henry Bush was but the fact he had both a gun (musket) that tells me he was an enlisted man. Many soldier bought or were presented, pistols. They soon learned that this was just extra weight they could ill afford to carry. As the 79th had racked up an impressive record of marches I'm supprised he still had it on him. See Dec. 19, 1862.
Photographs - Ambrotypes which were photographs on glass, and CDV's the same on thin cardboard were expensive but sought after by most men. Few could be printed and had to be taken for as many prints as were needed. See Oct. 29, 1863, Nov. 7, 1863.
Prostitution - By this time the 'Soiled Doves' were becoming a real problem to the army. Not only were they a health issue but their numbers were clogging up the rail lines. Declaring the railroads 'Military' and insisting on passes was the only way to slow down, by no means stop. this. See Aug. 1, 1863.
Re-enforcement - As the Federal army Mustered In their troops from State Militia they were somewhat hampered by the politics involved in raising and re-enforcing them. Awarding Colonelships was an easy way to pay off political debts. So instead of re-enforcing existing regiments they were allowed to shrink to the point they had to be combined to keep up a combat presence. The Officers of regiments that were caught up in this problem took matters into their own hands by sending Officers back to their home towns to recruit new men. In the rosters of these Companies they were listed not as Privates but as Recruits. They then had to withstand a period of hazing until they had proved themselves. See July 21, 1863.
Re-Enlistment - At the start of the war most men enlisted for three months. When their enlistments were up they were offered an incentive to re-enlist. There was usually a bounty and a Furlough offered. See Nov. 7, 1863.
Self Inflicted Wounds - In regards to shooting fingers off. Don't jump to the conclusion that was in effort to get out of the army. Charging a musket with powder was the most dangerous step in the loading process. The manuel stressed the most safe was to do this but this involved twisting your right wrist in an extended motion. During the heat of battle not only where the men loading and firing as fast as they could thus heating the barrels to the point of 'Cooking Off'. If they were charging with their fingers in the wrong place when the musket discharged even without a ball in the barrel the fingers would have been blown off. This was sadly a not uncommon battlefield accident. See Oct. 20, 1862.
Sesech - Slang for Disloyal to the Union, a Rebel. See Oct. 5, 1862, Oct. 14,1862, Oct. 20, 1862.
Shelter "Dog" Tents - These were issued to all field Regiments about this time. Each man carried one half of a tent, each half was about 5' by 5 1/2' with buttons along three sides. In good weather two would be buttoned together. In bad weather 4 or 6 would. These replaced the 4 man A-Frame or 10 man Sibly tents. The advantage was the men didn't have to rely on the baggage wagons to catch up on the march for their tents. They had them with them. The downside was they were small, with no ends! At first many men refused them. After getting so many complaints Gen. Sherman ordered any Regiment who didn't accept them was to get no tents at all and just sleep in the rain. In time the men warmed to them. See Feb. 2, 1864.
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| From the collection of Ken Gough |
Short Service - As the war progressed it became clear that using top of the line combat troops in rear area guarding duties (POW camps, rail lines, bridges, etc.) was a waste of manpower. The answer was using older men and younger men in short service regiments. They were enlisted for service from 3 months, 100 days, 6 months, and 1 year. See June 29, 1863
Socks - The army issue socks were not much more that wool cloth sewn into a tube. Home made socks was one of the most requested items from home. See Nov. 24, 1862, Dec. 29, 1862.
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| The Socks laid out are from 1860 civilian patterns The one being worn is a 1790 pattern Yarn spun by Beth Gough and Knitted by Diana Gough |
Stamps - by 1863 the post office had stopped requiring soldiers to use stamps for letters. All that was needed was to write 'Soldiers Letter' where the stamp was to be fixed. Perhaps this information was not forwarded to the 79th Ohio. See July 6, 1863.
Straggling - This is en falling out of line during the march. He notes that at the end of the day they stacked only 15 muskets. The regiment was organized starting in Aug. '62. It is unknown the strength when they left Ohio but I have learned they were not at full strength. However, a company would not have been mustered in with a strength of less than 80 men. So 15 muskets is a strength of 18 men (15 enlisted men and 3 officers.) They have not seen action yet however he notes some men in hospital at Louisville in other letters. This shows that possibly 60 men fell out on this days march. He seems to have granted permission for this. A risky decision for a 2nd Lieut. If he sought permission from the Company Captain he dosen't note it. I find it hare to believe the Captain didn't know this was happining as he marches just to the left of the company in line of march. The Lieut.s would march to the right. See Oct. 5,1862.
Sutler – A merchant authorised to sell to soldiers on a military post. Each regiment was allowed one. Not all regiments did as the profit margin was low contrary to what the soldiers thought. Prices may have been inflated but a limited customer base made this an unatractive venture at best. The Sutler would morph into the Post Exchange or PX of today. See Dec. 29,1862, March 22, 1863, June 25, 1863, Jan. 3, 1864.
Tin Cans - This was still a relatively new and expensive process. He refers to 'Sodered Cans.' The way this was done was to seal the contents and then heat the cans. A small hole in the top then had a drop of molten lead dropped on it and the can was allowed to cool. This would in effect vacum pack the contents. See Jan. 3, 1864, Feb. 22, 1863, March 30, 1864.
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| From the collection of Ken Gough |
Torpedo - Also known as 'Infernal Machines' In late 1862 the Torpedo Service was created by the Confederate forces. The torpedo was what we now call a mine. See June 29,1863.
Trading - Pickets sometimes would set up truces between the line to trade and converse. These truces would sometimes border on treason if caught by Officers. Company Grade Officers soon learned to look the other way, a handful of tobacco or coffee when a long way towards this. See Aug. 27, 1863.
Turnpike – An improved road. See Oct. 9, 1862.
Veterans - Around 1863 - 64 the army started enticing men who had served for a couple years to re-enlist as veterans. This retained trained men and saved the army in both training time and qualified men. The usual bonus was a Veterans Furlough of thirty days and a Veterans Bounty of $300 dollars. See Jan. 4, 1863.
Wagons - At this point in the war every Regiment would have had two or three wagons. Most Regiments were using the 'Common' four man tents. These were heavy and cumbersome and when packed wet were even worse. This along with the Mess pots and pans and everything else the early war soldiers thought they must have could not even fit into three wagons. See Nov. 12, 1862.
Water – This was the bane of any march. If the men were allowed to fall out to fill their canteens the march would fall apart. Cavalry was used to guard wells. If too many men crowded on a well the walls would collapse and the well buried.
It takes about 20 to 30 seconds to fill a Civil war canteen. Now think of thousands of men in a march stopping on their own to do this. See Oct. 9, 1862
Winter Quarters - Also known as 'Hutting up.' This involves building low walls about 3 feet tall and pitching the tent on top, digging the inside down a foot or two and throwing the dirt against these walls. This will help insulate the hut. A rude fireplace is then dug beneath the wall and mud lined barrels are stacked up as a chimney. See Oct. 5, 1862, Dec. 15, 1862, Jan. 3, 1864.
Wood the Cars - Most trains at this time used wood, not coal, for fuel. In this area most of this would have been Yellow Pine. This wood is heavy with pitch. This leaves a heavy soot on the inside of the firebox building to the point that the heat exchange is very poor. Cleaning this was a major maintanince issue. If it was not done more wood would be needed to drive the train and also this coating could catch fire overheating the system. See March 13, 1864.
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