Funny research finds

[Stryker65]

I've been doing orders of battle and army organizations for several years now, and I've found a lot of funny, weird, and interesting mistakes or occurrences in the sources I use. Over time, I'll paste the ones I find here.
Everybody/Anybody can post!

 

[Aaron Vinson]

A funny story around Brown's Ferry from " A History of the services of the First Regiment Michigan Engineers and Mechanics during the Civil War, 1861-1865" By Charles R. Sligh

"When the Engineers returned to Chattanooga they forgot a big , fat contraband , a fine cook - when there was anything in the mess box . He was saving up for his own use a walnut tree on the river bottoms . Walnut meats beat corn flakes many points . Also he found an old musket that was loaded to the muzzle and deeply coated with rust . There came a cold , rainy day , adding more misery to our existence . The cook came to the captain with the query , " Where youns goin ' to get your dinner ? There is only a pinch of meal in the sack . " In the dripping rain he turned the sack inside out , shaking every particle of meal out , and with it full as much hemp fibre that looked like hairs from a mule's tail . Bound to die game , the stuff was wet up with river water , put in a frying pan and placed over a good fire , around which the officers sat . It was about ready to serve when General " Baldy " Smith , Engineer - in - Chief , Army of the Cumberland , and General Buell , Brigade Commander , came in and were properly received . Said General Smith , " If you have anything to eat we will join your mess . I am as hungry as a wolf . " We did not love " Baldy " , but remembering the old adage , " Hospitality is hospitality , business is business , " we tried to do the proper thing . The general was a regular and not cordial to volunteer officers . While we did not fear him we did not receive him with noisy greetings . A poncho was spread under the branches of a tree that kept off part of the rain and " all set up " . The cook brought the grub in the frying pan , for just then we were shy of plates and other table ware . Every one expected to break off his share of the dodger ; dishwashers were not on the pay - roll at Brown's Ferry . Turning the frying pan bottom up the cook left in the center of the poncho what resembled a half - grown porcupine . There was more gunny sack hair than meal . All it needed was legs and a wild woods odor to have a page in animal lore . And then " Baldy " Smith said things that did not get into the records of the rebellion ; words that would cause a wave of blushes upon the cheeks of the most expert mule - driver in our brigade . That contraband evidently thought this charge of grape and canister aimed directly at him for as the general got upon his feet the black brother grabbed his prize package gun and ran into the deep woods . The two generals mounted , old " Baldy " still boiling over , and General Buell - in early life an Indian fighter - delivering fierce war whoops . In the meantime the corn dodger had been forgotten . Later a strange sounding explosion in the forest - not a shell from the enemies ' guns— called for investigation . The man sent out came back reporting the finding of the contraband's body . He had succeeded in firing the charge , bursting his old musket into scrap iron . The barrel was split open full length . The man's head received full benefit and he was evidently killed outright . Orders were given to get a shovel and bury the body before the buzzards found it . A couple of hours later the burial party came in to report ; said he had a dispute with the corpse and asked further instruction . He had gone to the place and dug a perfectly good hole in the ground . When he attempted to roll the subject in it gave him a kick , then wiped his bloody head and face on his shirt saying , " White man , what for you make that hole in the ground ? This n****r ain't dead . " " I got my orders to bury and I am going to do it , " said the undertaker . Then the subject came fully to life and with all the strength left in his body he ran from sight . Although there were many close calls I think this was the only casualty for the Engineers at Brown's Ferry."

P.80 and 82

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89077130805&seq=9

 

[Stryker65]

(source)

Did not know RCTs were prevalent during the Civil War! I suppose all those sources saying Combat Teams were created in 2002 must be wrong!

 

[13 IL Cav & 64 GA Inf]

Also I just realized... "Sharp" is an actual name...

I have ancestors named "Sharp."

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

This was a very effective way to get mules who were stuck in a mud hole moving again…..

After a spell a careless driver ran his wagon off the corduroy and down it went to the axle. Here was a pretty fix. The mules couldn't haul it out and no other team could get by. It was decided to unload the wagon, so the mules could pull it out.

The load, consisting of beef and hardtack, was dumped into the creek, but the mules knew nothing of this arrangement, they only knew they were hopelessly stuck, and when they were appealed to to haul out the wagon, they obstinately refused; bracing out their forelegs and sticking their ears straight up in the air, they seemed to proclaim themselves a fixture.

No amount of swearing and belaboring them with hooppoles had the slightest effect. Capt. Schenck, who was standing by watching the fun, told them he would hitch on one of his teams and haul them out. Tbe captain had a battery of 20-pounder Napoleon guns, with teams of eight heavy horses. He ordered in one of the teams and told them to hitch on to the mules, and when all was ready, he would give the order.

When all was ready, the captain yelled, "Forward, march !" The horses, understanding the order, stepped smartly off; while the mules, not understanding it, did not keep step with the horses, but standing there braced out, the heels of three or four of them went up in the air, and they came down on their heads ; in this way, sometimes under water and sometimes out, kicking and floundering, trying to regain their feet, they were dragged out through the mudhole, to the great delight and amusement of the captain and all other spectators.
Source: page 70

My diary of rambles with the 25th Mass. volunteer infantry, with Burnside's coast division; 18th army corps, and Army of the James : Day, D. L. (David L.) : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The metadata below describe the original scanning. Follow the All Files: HTTP link in the View the book box to the left to find XML files that contain more...

archive.org

 

[gary]

At the Battle of Baton Rouge, a black man was among the Confederate attackers.

 

[gary]

The Merrimac had a sister, Roanoke. When the Merrimac was burned at Norfolk, the Confederates rebuilt her as the casemate ironclad Virginia. The Union went the other route. The Roanoke was razed and rebuilt as a three turret monitor. Two sisters, opposing sides, two very different ironclads.

Was going through an appendix of Vol. III of Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships when I learned it.

 

[gary]

Slave Robert Smalls, the Planter's pilot, who delivered the Planter to the Du Pont's blockading squadron, post war founded the Republican Party in South Carolina. Wouldn't that make some heads explode?

 

[gary]

George Washington was a deserter.

Private George Washington deserted from Co. G, 76th Pennsylvania on Feb. 29, 1864.

 

[TerryB]

OR V48P2: He really didn't have to say "killed one-third of Jeff.'s command" when it was just. three.
View attachment 487239
Perryville Confederate Order of Battle (wikipedia): Aren't these the same unit?
View attachment 487241
I kinda feel bad for this guy: Mr. Minor Major. What were his parents thinking?
View attachment 487242

I'm thinking the organization was OAK the Order of American Knights which replaced the Knights of the Golden Circle. The OAK was big in Missouri and I can only hope Minor Major was his nom de guerre.

 

[gary]

Butler reviews the troops (May 5, 1864) of Hawley's Brigade.

"Soon a tremendous cheering in the rear excited our curiousity. As the bands played 'Hail to the Chief' we realized that it was a visit from General Butler, the commander of the Army of the James. He came at a rapid pace, with numerous staff in blue and gold, and a strong body guard. We hastily formed on the reserve and gave the proper salute. We hoped that when he reached the center of the brigade he would stop and give us a word of encouragement, but with a bare acknowledgement of our salute the party continued rapidly along the road.

"A short distance ahead the road turned to the right and our sight of the party was obscured by intervening woods. We only heard the ratttle and clank of their accoutrements and thunder of their horses' hoofs.

"A few minutes passed in which we wondered if our general was going to ride into the back door of Richmond without letting us be there to see.

"Then crack! crack! went the rifles of the enemy's mounted videttes and in a moment the party returned in great haste. We stood to our arms, and as the general approached it was evident that 'Hail to the Chief who in Triumph Advances" would not fit him as well as before. As he passed us he shouted, "Take care of yourselves, boys, take care of yourselves,' so we had a speech from him after all. We afterward learned that the roll call of his mounted escort showed one man missing."

Taken from History of the Seventh Connecticut Volunteer Infantry.