Zack
First Sergeant
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2017
- Location
- Los Angeles, California
I’m wondering if there were any rivalries (friendly or otherwise) between different units during the Civil War. I’m mostly wondering about the Union Army of the Potomac but either side any theater is good. Did two regiments or brigades or divisions or corps hate each other?
For example, I know the 83rd Pennsylvania and the 44th New York liked to fight side by side, such as at Little Round Top.
I also know there was a lot of hostility towards the XI Corps because of its performance at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and the high density of German immigrants in its ranks.
As a hypothetical, would a II Corps soldier marching into the Wilderness say something to the effect of, “I’m glad the XI Corps is gone west but it’s sad to see the I Corps go.”
Or would they have said, “For a country with such a strong military tradition, those Germans sure do fight poorly.”
Would the soldiers even have been aware of Prussian militarism? Would they think the Germans were incompetent because of the Napoleonic Wars? How strong was the average soldier’s history and current events knowledge? Did average soldiers know about the Second Schleswig War for example fought largely while the armies were in their winter camps in 1864? Bismark?
This question became a little German-centric but really any units and any rivalries would be fun to hear about.
Just to clarify - I am NOT asking about rivalries between different officers or different armies (I think the East-West rivalry has been covered to death), but between companies, regiments, brigades, divisions, or corps.
For example, I know the 83rd Pennsylvania and the 44th New York liked to fight side by side, such as at Little Round Top.
I also know there was a lot of hostility towards the XI Corps because of its performance at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg and the high density of German immigrants in its ranks.
As a hypothetical, would a II Corps soldier marching into the Wilderness say something to the effect of, “I’m glad the XI Corps is gone west but it’s sad to see the I Corps go.”
Or would they have said, “For a country with such a strong military tradition, those Germans sure do fight poorly.”
Would the soldiers even have been aware of Prussian militarism? Would they think the Germans were incompetent because of the Napoleonic Wars? How strong was the average soldier’s history and current events knowledge? Did average soldiers know about the Second Schleswig War for example fought largely while the armies were in their winter camps in 1864? Bismark?
This question became a little German-centric but really any units and any rivalries would be fun to hear about.
Just to clarify - I am NOT asking about rivalries between different officers or different armies (I think the East-West rivalry has been covered to death), but between companies, regiments, brigades, divisions, or corps.