Order No. 33

[Steph-GB]

I was just looking up what a chiller coffin would look like but came across his advert that advertised coffins, all it says is that the ice doesn't touch the bodies but thought it was interesting.

I was also surprised to read that until 1864, General Ulysses Grant was lenient about permitting civilians to enter battlefields to retrieve their dead to bring them home for burial. As long as this practise did not hinder troop movement, families were allowed to search for their lost loved ones.

This must have been horrific walking through the battlefields amongst all the fallen soldiers in hope of finding their own loved one.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

I was just looking up what a chiller coffin would look like but came across his advert that advertised coffins, all it says is that the ice doesn't touch the bodies but thought it was interesting.

View attachment 304887

I was also surprised to read that until 1864, General Ulysses Grant was lenient about permitting civilians to enter battlefields to retrieve their dead to bring them home for burial. As long as this practise did not hinder troop movement, families were allowed to search for their lost loved ones.

This must have been horrific walking through the battlefields amongst all the fallen soldiers in hope of finding their own loved one.

Fascinating ad, Steph, describing exactly what you were talking about. And I didn't know that about Grant either. I did know about souvenir hunting on the battlegrounds, but not the search for loved ones. So thanks for filling us in on a bit more of the detail.

 

[Robtweb1]

I was watching a documentary the other day regarding the role of the morticians on the civil war battlefield, I understand that there was a concerted effort by the United States to organise the removal and burial of dead soldiers. The documentary stated that the morticians on the battlefield would receive payments related to the rank of the soldier, obviously the higher the rank the better the pay for the mortician.

Could someone please clarify for me, did either the union or the confederate army have a dedicated organisation for this, or was the job left to civilian morticians?

Many thanks in anticipation.

Go to Shiloh and you'll see how fallen soldiers were dealt with.

 

[Steph-GB]

Something interesting to read about - morbid, all right! - is Lincoln's funeral. As you note, he was embalmed but he took a train ride all over the place before he got to Illinois. Somewhere in Ohio two officers sneaked an extra photo of Lincoln in the coffin...and they had to apply a little putty and make up here and there! Stanton had had a photo taken and issued strict orders for no more - he confiscated the sneaked photo and hid it in his desk for ages. However, Abe certainly lasted a lot longer than if nothing had been done. His son Willie was travelling with him, but naturally the boy was not viewed by anyone, just along for the ride with his father. Mary had embalmed him as well so that when the Lincolns left the White House Willie could be taken home with them.

There was, at this time in America, a very big importance attached to 'native soil'. Families who could afford it used the embalming to have their loved one buried in the soil they were born on. This was very important. A poor Georgia family came to Carrie McGavock's large Confederate cemetery in Tennessee to find their son. With them they had brought a wagon full of red Georgia clay from the family farm. They didn't have the money to rebury him in Georgia, so they brought Georgia to him!

I was just reading about Lincoln's son Willie.. and how Lincoln stopped them sending his body back home due to not being able to be separated from him. Also that he had the coffin opened at least two occasions as he said he could not stand to leave the boy alone in the dark, cold tomb. The description of how Willie was presented after being embalmed is amazing and gave them chance to have that grieving time. Although reading that the embalmers were taking bodies of the soldiers, embalming them and then charging the families once they found their loved one, and holding the loved one hostage for the money is a saddening event. I read that soldiers were also pre-paying embalmers for their bodies to be embalmed should they be killed. Then in January 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant withdrew the embalmers' permits and ordered them beyond the lines to stop them effecting moral.

 

[Steph-GB]

Well that took me a while to find order 39.. to ensure only properly licensed embalmers could offer their services to mourners. This was to stop 'field embalmings' being preformed by nonprofessionals in make shift tents set up next to the battlefield, where results were unpredictable, with issues involving circulation, length of preservation and overal consistency.

 

[diane]

Well that took me a while to find order 39.. to ensure only properly licensed embalmers could offer their services to mourners. This was to stop 'field embalmings' being preformed by nonprofessionals in make shift tents set up next to the battlefield, where results were unpredictable, with issues involving circulation, length of preservation and overal consistency.

Pretty ghoulish how some people will do anything for a buck, isn't it?

 

[Steph-GB]

It's actually shocking! Couldn't imagine paying to be embalmed to find out it had been done wrong and the body not being preserved for the journey home! Soldiers thinking they were saving their loved ones some time if killed in battle, yet really they were just be scammed!

 

[Cavalry Charger]

I was just reading about Lincoln's son Willie.. and how Lincoln stopped them sending his body back home due to not being able to be separated from him. Also that he had the coffin opened at least two occasions as he said he could not stand to leave the boy alone in the dark, cold tomb. The description of how Willie was presented after being embalmed is amazing and gave them chance to have that grieving time. Although reading that the embalmers were taking bodies of the soldiers, embalming them and then charging the families once they found their loved one, and holding the loved one hostage for the money is a saddening event. I read that soldiers were also pre-paying embalmers for their bodies to be embalmed should they be killed. Then in January 1865, General Ulysses S. Grant withdrew the embalmers' permits and ordered them beyond the lines to stop them effecting moral.

So much great information being shared here. Any chance you could post more about Lincoln and his experience? I'd be really interested to hear more about that and also the name of the book you are reading. Might be one to add to the collection. For future reference.

 

[Steph-GB]

Thankyou .. I got the information online ..

https://connecticuthistory.org/death-and-mourning-in-the-civil-war-era/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/scie...-birthed-american-funeral-industry-180967038/

That's a couple of links that I used for it.

 

[Cavalry Charger]

Thankyou .. I got the information online ..

https://connecticuthistory.org/death-and-mourning-in-the-civil-war-era/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/scie...-birthed-american-funeral-industry-180967038/

That's a couple of links that I used for it.

Thanks, Steph. I wasn't sure if it was a book, but the information is great and I wanted to know where I might be able to access it.