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Dawna, I apppreciate the look at the CS POWs @ Chatanooga... more proof to me of the fallacy of the ill equipped Rebel.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
Dawna, I apppreciate the look at the CS POWs @ Chatanooga... more proof to me of the fallacy of the ill equipped Rebel.
I guess all the letters and diary entries I've read over the years concerning bloody footprints in the snow and eating green corn, would conflict with that view also. Pretty reprehensible of those Southern soldiers to lie so much, especially to their families.
__________________ Ancestors in CSA Army: 51st VA, 54th VA, 45th VA, 50th VA, 24th VA
John W, as I've stated before, they were not lieing. What do you remember the most? The highs & Lows. Shoes in particullar were not even close to as durable as those of today, rubber soles didn't exist the soles were either wood or leather w/ little or no give to them. Condition in the AoT after Atlanta were not good, supplies were not abundent partly due to Hood constantly moving, the supplies couldn't catch up and when they did they were distributed in the easiest fashion thus some units had plentiful suplly while others went w/out.
Eating green apples & green corn etc, bloody footprints in the snow, few or no rations etc were instances endured by both sides throughout the War especially while on campaign.. I've never said they never happened because they did and they did happen more often to CS troops especially the AoT & a good bit in the TMD. But they were not the norm.
You have to understand where I'm coming from, I have read thousands of letters, hundereds of diaries, looked at thousands of pictures and have been a Living Historian delving into research to the point of dropping other hobbies completely and focusing on one aspect of our history. In short this is not a fly by night theory but a conclusion I & other have come to over years of research. I am not alone in this view; I am supported (or support depending on how you look at things), perhaps most tellingly, by the most highly respected Civil War Living Historians in the country.
Several times I've suggested sources and in particular I have suggested individuals take a look at the Authentic-Campaigner: www.authentic-campaigner.com
To my knowledge noone has yet... please give the courtesy of at least doing a little checking. It takes no real time to become a member on the A-C & ask the question.
__________________ Few take the trouble to understand or to view the American scene with perspective. And we Americans love to find ourselves guilty of something. However, it is never I who am guilty, but those other Americans, the past or present government or the other political party. Americans almost never find other countries guilty. It is always ourselves or our fancied influence in other countries. Louis L'amour
In my reading and research it seems that that while a portion of the AOT was well well equiped others where not so.. And when the illequiped where finally re supplied those that once had where then the have nots..
And it varied not only by the corps but in the divisions and brigades... I have read where solders ate corn left on the ground after the horse were feed and in the same div. down the road where eating home made pies by the locals.
And as the war went on it got worse.. If you remember the photos we seem to be talking about (gettysburg Pows & the ones chattanooga are both from mid tyo ealy-fall 1863.
campaigns of of 1864 really took its toll on the confederate supply lines in the west.
In "A carolinian Goes To war" by Brig. General Arthur Manigault. CSA He has the to say about rations.
"It was a great mistake on the part our commanders to order the issue of more than three days' rations to the men, as was frequently done. I found that even with the three days in advance it was rearly that the command had mpore than a half supply for the last day, and in the case of there being four or five days issued they fell short in an increased portion.
The explanation is a very simple one. Soldiers like chedren are throughly thoughtless, thinking onlt to the day, little of to-morrow. Whilst on the march, their appetites were larger, and indeed a freater amount of sustance is required, but if anything, their supplies are not as large haveing no opportunity of providing for themself. Bent only on satisfying their hunger, they would intrench each day on the provision for the day after and on that last day find themself with out of food. the bread ration , consisting of flour backed into biscuits or corn meal "dogers" was bulky, giving the haver sack an unwieldy and comberous shape and adding to the difficulty of curring it, more so than if a pond or two of weight had been added.
The more one ate out of it the less it unwielding it became and there was somthing gained, they thought by that. But the most serious objection to theses large issues was that frequently and particulary in damp rainy weather the bread soured and bevcame mouldy, and not only unpalatable , but really unfit to eat. the cornm bread in such weather after the 2nd day was invarably spoiled and often had to be thrown away. . .
I never could understand why it was that our goverment did not supply our armies to a greater extent with what we know as "sailor's biscuits", called by the yankees "Hard Tack" which i think might have done and is far better suited to an army in the feild than anything else that I know of, yet flour was sent us which we had to cook ourselfs and many soldiers whose proper place was in the ranks with a musket in their hands, had to be detached as a cook.
The men however selected as cooks were such as were fit for little else such as wounded soldiers, convalescent, but perhaps with a stiff arm, leg loss of several fingers on the right hand or such defects so that really our effective force in the line was not muched diminished."
regards, Steven
__________________ Steven Noel Cone Living Historian and Battlefield Preservationest
"Silver Spring Mess" ; "Citizens of the Bonnie Blue" ; "46th Tn Inf. Co. K"
Bull Run, VA. Dedication of the Battle Monument; Judge Abram B. Olin of the District of Columbia Supreme Court who deleivered the address, stands by the rail. July, 1861
I would have to say in reading the posts re:well equiped soldiers that both opinions must be right. In times of war, any war, there are variying degrees of want. Some troops were better equiped than others. Once well equiped men would have worn out their clothes, shoes etc. Were uniforms, shoes, food in ready supply to these men to be replaced? It would have been difficult to get a new uniform out in the middle of nowhere should a poor man become lost or separated from the group.
I can see civilians taking supplies from the dead as they would have been suffering also. Perhaps, sometimes soldiers gave their own rations to civilians?
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