E.P. Alexander: Why it is better to use opium than booze in the Army of Northern Virginia

Still reading E.P. Alexander's Personal Memoirs. Found this interesting incident from Alexander's account of July 3, 1863. This was the morning of Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg. I was surprised that the doctor in question got off easier because he was using opium instead of alcohol. Anyone know why being stoned was better than being drunk?

I recall one incident of a ride this morning to our extreme right flank, to visit the guns assigned for its protection. I came upon two lieutenants, of a Miss. regt., apparently robbing the dead body of a Confederate officer, lying in the road. I stopped to reproach them & they said, “He is not dead, dam+ him, he is drunk. It is our surgeon & he is drunk too off whiskey issued for the wounded; and it’s not the first time, either. We are just taking his instruments to take care of them.” I said, “Toss him about! Roll him! Shake him! See if you can’t arouse him.” They did so but he would no more arouse than a dead man. Then I said, “Every officer owes it to discipline to report such a case. Give me all your names.” When we returned to Virginia I preferred charges against the surgeon. He was left in Pa. in charge of our wounded, at houses near the battlefield, when we retreated to Virginia, & the case only came on for trial, by our military court, next spring in East Tenn. The poor fellow’s friends had prevailed upon the two lieutenants to say that it was possible he might have only been under the influence of opium, & not drunk; & in spite of my testimony the court, I am exceedingly glad to say, divided, which operated as an acquit[ t]al. Three judges composed the court, but only two were present. I am very grateful for the result because I had perhaps too much youthful indignation at a crime to which I never had any personal inclination, and I had made the charges too severe: “Misbehavior before the enemy,” or something like that, which might even have allowed him to be shot.

Fighting for the Confederacy: The Personal Recollections of General Edward Porter Alexander (Civil War America) (p. 253). The University of North Carolina Press. Kindle Edition.

I've read it & enjoyed it. Some inaccuracies as with any autobiographies. But a good read. Nice resource as far as one mans personal experience.
 
Opium and its various forms have been an interesting birdie batted back and forth in American culture. Around the time of the CW, there were complaints about the Chinese opium dens. I suspect that was prejudice to support other anti-Chinese legislation that came along as Americans clearly didn't have to find a Chinese opium den to get some! Thomas Jefferson grew poppies at Monticello, after all. It may have gotten somewhat scarce in the South, though - somewhere around here we have a thread about a little doll with a secret compartment inside her stuffings. She was innocently journeying around Europe and, not for sure but strongly suspected, was smuggling laudanum. She wasn't the only dame doing it, either - some of the Confederate lady spies used their hoops and skirts to get fairly good sized amounts down South. I'm not so sure it was entirely for the good of the troops, either!
 
America was and is a drinking society. Unfortunately we always have been.

Numerous officers were accused of drunken behavior on both sides. If they succeeded it wasn't mentioned. If failure occurred in a certain battle or situation; an officers occasional or habitual use of booze was used by opponents to remove or try to remove them. But it was definitely not seen as a weakness until failure ensued. IMHO

The troops of several Rebel generals nicknamed their commanding general as, "Ole whiskey barrel"! I believe "Shank" Evans was among that number. He died of a heart condition in 62'.

Yankees accused by media were Grant & Hooker (likely more justified accusation then Grants) just to name a couple. One incident that stands out is that of general Leslie. He had command over troops attacking the Crater at Petersburg.

He did not advance with his troops into that hell. Instead he remained behind the lines drinking booze in a bomb proof shelter. He had good company with Gen. Ferraro who was surprisingly a teetotaler! Ferrero btw, was the commander who promised reestablishment a whiskey ration to his troops if they would attack and carry the Burnside Bridge at the battle of Antietam!
The CSN also had a potential scandal. It concerns the launching of an ironclad at Charlestown. The vessel ran aground on a sunken hulk with serious damage. A Confederate petty officer later claimed in his memoirs that the incident happened because some of the officers supervising the launch had begun celebrations a bit early. I have to wonder about this story as I'd have to believe that the building yard had their own experienced people for the launch. I think that the its possible the Navy didn't have any responsibility until she was in the water and commissioned. This was one of the late vessels, heavier armor and at least a match for the Texas at Richmond.
 
Maybe part of the difference was the actions of drunk officers like Brigadier General James Hewett Ledlie and Colonel William H. Irwin who wasted Union soldiers lives by not giving needed commands or giving suicidal commands.
 
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Read Doctor to the Front a couple of years back. The book recounts the wartime experiences of an assistant surgeon in the 3rd NC State Troops, a regiment of the Army of Northern Virginia. He writes that medicinal whisky was hard to obtain and that he ultimately gave up trying to keep the regiment stocked. Why? Because the officers kept stealing the whisky and drinking it themselves.
 
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One thing that is notable is the lack of consistency in dealing with the problem. The aforementioned BG James H. Ledlie (not Leslie) sat in a bombproof passing a bottle of rum with fellow division commander BG Edward Ferraro while their men were being slaughtered in the Crater. Ledlie was cashiered, Ferraro was breveted to Major General in December "for bravery and meritorious service." BG Henry L. Eustis, commander of a brigade in the VI Corps resigned for health reasons in June, 1864. It seems likely his resignation was forced because an opium addiction resulted in his neglecting his duties. A distant relative of mine, BG Alexander Hays was rumored to have been drunk during a fiasco at Morton's Ford in February, 1864, though that was disputed by number of officer in his command. Hays would die at the head of his troops in the Wilderness a few months later. He was shot thru the head while taking a swig from a canteen later rumored to be filled with whiskey.
 
One thing that is notable is the lack of consistency in dealing with the problem. The aforementioned BG James H. Ledlie (not Leslie) sat in a bombproof passing a bottle of rum with fellow division commander BG Edward Ferraro while their men were being slaughtered in the Crater. Ledlie was cashiered, Ferraro was breveted to Major General in December "for bravery and meritorious service." BG Henry L. Eustis, commander of a brigade in the VI Corps was resigned for health reasons in June, 1864. It seems likely his resignation was forced because an opium addiction resulted in his neglecting his duties. A distant relative of mine, BG Alexander Hays was rumored to have been drunk during a fiasco at Morton's Ford in February, 1864, though that was disputed by number of officer in his command. Hays would die at the head of his troops in the Wilderness a few months later. He was shot thru the head while taking a swig from a canteen later rumored to be filled with whiskey.
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ErnieMac. In my opinion Hays is a fascinating character and from what I have read a fine officer. Did you know there is a biography of him?
 
Link to the only recent biography of Hays of which I am aware. There was another written in the 1910s.
 
One thing that is notable is the lack of consistency in dealing with the problem. The aforementioned BG James H. Ledlie (not Leslie) sat in a bombproof passing a bottle of rum with fellow division commander BG Edward Ferraro while their men were being slaughtered in the Crater. Ledlie was cashiered, Ferraro was breveted to Major General in December "for bravery and meritorious service." BG Henry L. Eustis, commander of a brigade in the VI Corps was resigned for health reasons in June, 1864. It seems likely his resignation was forced because an opium addiction resulted in his neglecting his duties. A distant relative of mine, BG Alexander Hays was rumored to have been drunk during a fiasco at Morton's Ford in February, 1864, though that was disputed by number of officer in his command. Hays would die at the head of his troops in the Wilderness a few months later. He was shot thru the head while taking a swig from a canteen later rumored to be filled with whiskey.


Thanks for catching my misspelling.
 
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