Civil War Rivalries

Zack

First Sergeant
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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.
 
I have heard that the 22nd Massachusetts and 118th Pennsylvania had some issues with one another... the story is below from Bruce Catton's Glory Road, taking place during the Mud March.

Never read what the aftermath of this was, but I'm guessing these regiments weren't hanging out and sharing stories around the campfire!

http://antietam.aotw.org/officers.php?unit_id=259

http://www.americancivilwarforum.co...ry-of-mud-whiskey-and-frustration-126992.html

"There were in this brigade two regiments which did not get along too well, the 118th Pennsylvania, known as the Corn Exchange Regiment, and the 22nd Massachusetts. Just after the battle of the Antietam the brigade had been thrust across the Potomac in an ineffectual stab at Lee's retreating army and it had been rather badly mauled. Most of the mauling had been suffered by the Pennsylvanians (it was their first fight and they carried defective muskets), and somehow they had got the notion that the Massachusetts regiment had failed to support them as it should. This morning, in the dismal rain by the river, with all the woes of the world coming down to encompass them round about, the Pennsylvanians recalled this ancient grudge and decided to make complaint about it.

In no time the two regiments were tangling, and when some of the 2nd Maine came over and tried to make peace, the argument became three-sided. Before long there was a tremendous free-for-all going on, the men dropping their rifles and going at one another with their fists, Maine and Massachusetts and Pennsylvania tangling indiscriminately, inspired by whisky and an all-inclusive, slow-burning anger which made hitting someone an absolute necessity. The thing nearly took an ugly turn when a Pennsylvania major drew a revolver and made ready to use it, but somebody knocked him down before he could shoot, and in the end the fighters drifted apart with no great damage done."

Bruce Catton, Glory Road, pp. 90-91
 
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I have heard that the 22nd Massachusetts and 118th Pennsylvania had some issues with one another... the story is below from Bruce Catton's Glory Road, taking place during the Mud March.
Never read what the aftermath of this was, but I'm guessing these regiments weren't hanging out and sharing stories around the campfire!

http://antietam.aotw.org/officers.php?unit_id=259

http://www.americancivilwarforum.co...ry-of-mud-whiskey-and-frustration-126992.html

"There were in this brigade two regiments which did not get along too well, the 118th Pennsylvania, known as the Corn Exchange Regiment, and the 22nd Massachusetts. Just after the battle of the Antietam the brigade had been thrust across the Potomac in an ineffectual stab at Lee's retreating army and it had been rather badly mauled. Most of the mauling had been suffered by the Pennsylvanians (it was their first fight and they carried defective muskets), and somehow they had got the notion that the Massachusetts regiment had failed to support them as it should. This morning, in the dismal rain by the river, with all the woes of the world coming down to encompass them round about, the Pennsylvanians recalled this ancient grudge and decided to make complaint about it.

In no time the two regiments were tangling, and when some of the 2nd Maine came over and tried to make peace, the argument became three-sided. Before long there was a tremendous free-for-all going on, the men dropping their rifles and going at one another with their fists, Maine and Massachusetts and Pennsylvania tangling indiscriminately, inspired by whisky and an all-inclusive, slow-burning anger which made hitting someone an absolute necessity. The thing nearly took an ugly turn when a Pennsylvania major drew a revolver and made ready to use it, but somebody knocked him down before he could shoot, and in the end the fighters drifted apart with no great damage done."

Bruce Catton, Glory Road, pp. 90-91

That is a interesting topic . Their probably was many different rivalries during the civil war. And it does make you wonder how much rivalries affected the civil war. From regiments to Generals .
 
Until the University of Missouri joined the SEC, the 2nd oldest college rivalry was between the "Tigers" of old Mizzou and the "Jayhawks" of the University of Kansas. Their annual football game was known as "The Border War," no doubt making reference to the little spat Missouri and Kansas got into in the late 1850's.

I read a newspaper account of the 1910? Game. The reporter mentioned a heavy police presence at the game, as the rivalry was so fierce. When Kansas took the field, their band played "Bulla Bulla." When Missouri took the field, their band played "Dixie"!!!!

Missouri won the game 12-6 and kicked something like 50 field goals during the contest. Obviously, our filed goal kicking wasn't very good.
 
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On a thread I posted about the 110th Pennsylvania having a brawl between its own soldiers, @connecticut yankee and @LoyaltyOfDogs brought to my attention a great story about how the 26th New Jersey and the 5th Vermont had a pretty heated rivalry, which culminated in one side tricking the other into eating dog meat, tauntings over said dog eating, and a brawl!

https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/26th_Regiment,_New_Jersey_Infantry
https://www.civilwartalk.com/threads/the-vagaries-of-war-claim-two-dogs.136560/
 
No joke about Missouri and Kansas, there was a lot of hate there. The games in Columbia were still heavy with cops in the 70's and 80's. Not much love in the border areas either.

I was sorry to see Mizzou go to the SEC just because of the MU/KU rivalry.
I kinda miss not having something to hate. OK, Hate's too strong of a term. How about "really, really dislike"? I can't help it. When you grow up in Missouri, you're taught three things, (at least), "yes ma'am", "no sir", and, "KU sucks!"
 
Cannot speak much for the East, but in the West there are many instances of infighting between the US Regulars and volunteers given in That Body of Brave Men.

The volunteers did not care for the strict military discipline of the regulars, and the lack of discipline of the volunteers was said by the US Regular officers to be rubbing off on their men.
 
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