Elected officers

[atlantis]

Were there any conditions you had to meet?

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Were there any conditions you had to meet?

From the existing 1861 letters that remain from my relatives, elections appeared to be a popularity contest within the unit.
But I 'm sure other members know many more details.

After The Battle of Shiloh, it was very obvious (within the Western CS Army ) men should be promoted on ability, not popularity.

From reading my relative's letters during 1861, the major things they talked about were:

#1 Returning home on a one week furlough.

#2 Asking their Mothers & Sisters to send more home-sewn clothes.

#3 Complaining about Company officer elections.

But I can only speak about what my relatives said in their personal letters.

 

[CowCavalry]

Have these letters been passed down? Dang, makes me wonder if my MS relations have any.

 

[7th Mississippi Infantry]

Have these letters been passed down? Dang, makes me wonder if my MS relations have any.lucky

Yes.

The letters were digitized and were once available to any one that wished copies.

These were letters from my 7th Mississippi uncles in the early days after they left Amite/Pike/Marion Counties and were stationed on the Gulf Coast in Hancock County.

The letters are absolutely fascinating.

We have many Gulf Coast letters, but the the letters seem to end after Shiloh.

There were only three or four letters that describe arriving in Corinth prior to Shiloh.
After that battle, there were only two letters, both being extremely hard to read.

One could tell the guys writing were not the same after the Battle of Shiloh.

But yeah, I am lucky to have copies of those letters.

 

[rpkennedy]

From what I've seen, the only requirement was getting the men to vote for you. Although, as the armies became more regular and professional-like during the reorganizations in the spring of 1862, a lot of incompetent officers were squeezed out or were returned to the ranks while more capable men took over. This wasn't universal and not everyone who should have been removed was, but there definitely was a pattern to it.

Ryan

 

[Tom Elmore]

Good question! I have recorded five examples. Through a ballot of a company's enlisted men, typically a sergeant was elected to fill the position of junior second (third) lieutenant. Junior officers would usually just move up to fill a vacancy for first lieutenant or captain, but a vote might also be taken among the men to select a first lieutenant or even captain if there was no junior lieutenant available, or for some reason that individual was not considered suitable for higher rank. In all five cases there was no outside interference in the selections made.

Captain Robert E. Park of the 12th Alabama mentions just such an election of a sergeant to a junior lieutenant, but he also noted that he appointed the non-commissioned officers in his company, so in essence he decided the available pool of NCOs who might eventually be considered for election as an officer.

 

[RedRover]

Companies near universally elected their officers on being organized, and on reorganization, etc. This was a common mode from the early republic on.

W.W. Blackford of the Virginia Cavalry was opposed to it. From his memoir...

It would perhaps not be surprising to note that Mr. Blackford failed to be reelected in the spring of '62; and after being reduced was appointed an engineer officer with the army...

George Baylor of the 12th VA Cavalry was not so opposed to the process. He explained;

For the Confederates, it appears there was an effort to keep the army from approaching a "regular" establishment. Many units reenlisted for the war in early 1864, sending notices to the government of their determination to serve, but dread of being "consolidated" with other units, placing them under officers not of their own choosing (like the draftees). However, in early 1865, a CSA law was passed allowing for Pres. Davis and the generals to consolidate the skeleton units, and to determine which officers would be retained, and which sent home as supernumeraries...

J. Marshall,
Hernando, FL.

 

[atlantis]

Did you have to be 21 to vote or was just being a member of the company sufficient. If you were elected to be an officer did your commission have an expiration date.

 

[RedRover]

Did you have to be 21 to vote or was just being a member of the company sufficient. If you were elected to be an officer did your commission have an expiration date.

Under US law (1792, which the CSA also recognized as statute) all free white men, aged 18 to 45 were required to arm and enroll in their State militia. They elected their officers therein, who were then appointed by the States.

The federal/confederate armies were principally made up of "volunteers" mustered into national service, drawn from the militias of their States, who elected their own officers for appointment by the national government. In such volunteer units, the commissions generally expired when the unit's enlistment concluded, or the unit was "reorganized" or disbanded.

However, like in W.W. Blackford's case, when his commission was voided at his unit's reorganization in '62 (he lost the election) the army kept him by appointing him a commissioned rank to the engineer corps...