11. Of the four men who, at one time or another, commanded the Confederate Corps of Engineers, which one held the highest rank?
12. What term was used to describe those who scavenged for supplies for Sherman’s army on his march to the sea?
13. What was the “wooden mule?”
14. Who was the first general officer killed in action during the Civil War? (For this question, a correct answer must include both first and last name.)
15. (Two point question) What Harrisburg-born reporter for the Philadelphia Press became the first African-American to serve as a war correspondent for a major daily newspaper when he covered the Union campaigns against Richmond during the last nine months of the Civil War?
Responses to this week's questions are due by 6:00 PM Eastern time on Saturday, March 12.
11. Big variance in the listings of who commanded the Confederate Corps of Engineers. I’ve seen longer lists, but most of the additional commanders where Colonels ‘Acting’ as commanders. Four different Chiefs made it to General during the war: Brig. Generals Josiah Gorgas and Danville Leadbetter and Major Generals Jeremy F. Gilmer and Martin L. Smith.
12. Bummers
13. A form of punishment was riding the "wooden mule." A soldier was forced to sit on a narrow rail set high enough so his feet did not touch the ground for hours.
14. Confederate General Robert S. Garnett
15. Thomas Morris Chester
__________________ Mark W. Swarthout, Esq.
GGGrandson of Pvt. John W. Swarthout, Company E, 148th NYVI - Wounded at Cold Harbor.
GGGGrandson of Pvt. Henry Stephens, Company D, 137th NYVI - Wounded at Culp's Hill, Gettysburg.
Since we have acquired some new players, I would like to remind everybody that the rules for the game are shown in the "Trivia Game #28 - Rules" thread.
Please read those rules carefully, and take particular note of what I said about posting sources if you know that there is more than one correct answer to a question.
MAJOR GENERAL MARTIN L. SMITH: Another West Point trained engineer, Smith served in Mexico before pursuing a civilian career in Florida, he was with the Confederate Corps of Engineers in many locations, including Vicksburg, Mobile, and Savannah. At Vicksburg, having been largely responsible for the design of the defenses, he commanded a division in its defense. On November 4, 1862, he had been promoted to major-general. After his exchange he continued to serve the Confederacy as chief of engineers until the close of the war, his last service being at Mobile, Ala. He did not long survive the war, dying at Savannah, Ga., July 29, 1866.
__________________ Mark W. Swarthout, Esq.
GGGrandson of Pvt. John W. Swarthout, Company E, 148th NYVI - Wounded at Cold Harbor.
GGGGrandson of Pvt. Henry Stephens, Company D, 137th NYVI - Wounded at Culp's Hill, Gettysburg.
11- Ranking commander of Confederate Bureau of Military Engineers. I found 5 men held the office. Two were major generals while holding the office, 1- Jeremy Francis Gilmer- MG 8-25-63, just after his first term as chief of engineers, promoted directly from colonel so he could take department command on the south Atlantic coast to attend to coastal defenses. Returned as chief 6- 64 till the end of the war. And 2- Martin Luther Smith, already MG (11-4-62) when appointed chief March 9, '64. He served through March and April only. Smith's commission is senior to Gilmer's, though Gilmer had been the highest ranking engineer, being a colonel of engineers CSA dating 10-62 until his promotion. http://www.csaengineers.org/Gallery.html ,
12- Sherman's bummers,
13- wooden mule- minor military punishment of enlisted men whereby a soldier sits on a beam suspended above the ground and so that his feet do not touch supports, for a prescribed period of time,
14- 1st general KIA- Confederate Brigadier General Robert Selden Garnett, killed commanding his rearguard, at Carrick's Ford, WVa, 13 July, '61, from which time Union forces were in firm control in West Virginia,
15- Philly Press reporter- Thomas Morris Chester, a most amazing man.
11. Major Generals Jeremy F. Gilmer & Martin L. Smith
12. Sherman's Bummers
13. The "Wooden Mule" was a form of punishment whereby a soldier was forced to sit for hours on top of a narrow rail, which was set high enough so that his feet did not touch the ground (yikes).
I'll start out by noting that Cindyscoops answered all the questions correctly this week. She posted her answers in the wrong place (on the Trivia Game #28 - Rules thread), but she will get credit for them, since they were correct answers and they were submitted on time.
Here are the answers for the Week 3 questions.
11. As Aggie80 suspected, I was looking at a source which indicated there were only four people who served as head of the Confederate Corps of Engineers, and of those four, only Jeremy Gilmer ranked as high as Major General. But, as many of you pointed out, Martin L. Smith was also a Major General and also served as head of the Corps of Engineers - only for a month or two, but he did serve in that capacity. So I'm accepting either or both answers as correct.
12. Those who scavenged for supplies for Sherman's army were called bummers.
13. The "wooden mule" was a form of punishment in which the soldier being disciplined was forced to sit for hours atop a narrow rail set high enough so his feet did not touch the ground.
14. The first general officer killed in action during the Civil War was Robert Garnett, killed at Carrick's (or Corrick's) Ford on July 13, 1861, during retreat from the Battle of Rich Mountain.
15. Thomas Morris Chester became the first African-American to serve as a war correspondent for a major daily newspaper when he covered the Union campaigns against Richmond during the last nine months of the war for the Philadelphia Press .
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Trivia Game #29 - Week 3 
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