Gamesters

[bamaman]

I've been a chess player since highschool. Love the game! My question is what kind of games did both armies play in camp or during a campaign. I'm sure that thousands of men did. If so, what did they play? Chess, poker, cribbage, checkers? Monopoly . Darts? Dice games?

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

For sure there are pictures of men in camp playing some sort of card game. Eucher was one that Custer knew. I'm not sure if I spelled that right and I also don't know how to play it!

 

[Kurtlg]

I've been a chess player since highschool. Love the game! My question is what kind of games did both armies play in camp or during a campaign. I'm sure that thousands of men did. If so, what did they play? Chess, poker, cribbage, checkers? Monopoly Darts? Dice games?

Definitely not Monopoly.

 

[TallTallMan]

Eucher was one that Custer knew. I'm not sure if I spelled that right and I also don't know how to play it!

In Eucher do you bet all your cards on the others you can't see, separate them into columns, and lose?

 

[DixieRifles]

If so, what did they play?

There is another post about the time the Confederates evacuated Richmond and the generals, the President and a few staff played Marbles. I wasnt sure if this is the same marbles that was played by kids in the mid-1900's.

 

[hoosier]

I remember a re-enactor showing my son and me how to play a dice game called chuck-a-luck, which he said was popular among Civil War soldiers. I'm afraid I don't remember the rules. My son was quite successful in the few throws of the dice that he played, though I suppose it was just beginner's luck.

 

[Bur Oak]

I'm sure many played chess, though I suspect that may have been much more prevalent among officers. I can't imagine that many soldiers would be carrying around chess sets. I've heard that chess is taught at West Point. I'd be curious to know if that was true back then. It would also be interesting to know what percentage of the general population knew how to play the game. I would suspect checkers was more common, but these are only guesses.

(Anybody else here playing on Chess.com?)

 

[Bur Oak]

In Eucher do you bet all your cards on the others you can't see, separate them into columns, and lose?

Euchre is a "trick" playing game. One player leads, the others in turn try to beat the highest card if they can with one of a higher value or trump card. The goal is to win as many tricks as possible.

 

[7thWisconsin]

Checkers was overwhelmingly the most popular board game. Men drew a board on the back of a gum blanket or poncho and used any old thing for men. Pat Cleburne was playing checkers with different colored leaves and a board scratched on the ground before Franklin. Chess was played and was popular, especially in winter camps where a man could take the time to carve pieces. It was seen as an educated man´s game, or an officer´s game. Paul Morphy had just had his run as champion in the 1850s, and was well-known. Backgammon was popular also. Men played card games like cribbage and euchre, whist and bridge. My 1864 edition of Hoyle´s lists them, as well as lesser known games like piquet, loo, and ecarte. The modern card deck was in use, but the European deck with suits of cups, coins, swords and clubs was also in use.
Gambling was one of the vices of the army. Men in groups really liked gambling games. They played poker in many varations, blackjack, known as ¨vignt-un¨. Faro and its cousin ¨chuck-a-luck¨ or ¨sweat¨ was probably the most popular gambling game. It´s easy to play and requires few props. The cards are drawn on a table, then bets are placed on the chance of the appearance of the next card pulled off the deck. This game remained popular during western expansion where it was often called ¨bucking the tiger.¨ ¨Chuck a luck¨ requires even fewer props. The numbers 1 through 6 are drawn on a board. Bets are placed on how many times a number will appear on the roll on 3d6. A winner every time! There was also a card trick called ¨Spanish Monte¨ which was really a scam; think of it as the pea under the cup game, only with 3 cards.
A lot of these men were little more than boys, and when boys are bored anything can become a game. When the 7th Wisconsin was still wearing the grey state uniforms, the boys were playing a Scandavanian children´s game called ¨hop step and a jump¨ or something like that. You start at a line, run a distance, then take a hop, a big step and a jump. Winner is the one who goes the farthest. The boys were marking their end points with their caps, and making a point of trying to jump on each other´s caps when they landed (because they didn´t pay $200 for that cap and wait 6 months for it to be made). Ah, youth...

 

[Jim in Wisconsin]

I wonder if euchre is something like sheepshead? Here in Wisconsin, sheepshead is (or used to be) very popular.
It is said Custer liked gambling and card playing.

 

[nc native]

James Robertson relates the following story in his 18th Virginia History which is part of the Virginia Regimental History series. During the winter of 1861-1862 the tent of a Captain Turner, who was a good natured fellow, had become a gathering place for nightly card games. One night an fellow officer entered the tent under the pretext of adding more wood to the fireplace that was in the tent. He threw in some old shoes and other trash with the wood and went outside and covered the chimney with a wooden board. Not long after the men who were in the tent ran out coughing, sneezing and cursing. This incident ended up putting and end to the card games in Captain Turner's tent.

 

[JackADriscoll]

Euchre is kinda like spades. Both are popular in the military to this day. Dominoes was common I believe. That is still a popular one in the military.Do any of you collectors have a hand carved period chess set?

 

[Bur Oak]

Euchre is kinda like spades. Both are popular in the military to this day. Dominoes was common I believe. That is still a popular one in the military.Do any of you collectors have a hand carved period chess set?

I collect chess sets, but nothing that old, nothing home made. My discretionary (hobby) funds have gone more toward CSA currency, as some old sets can get pricey if you can find them at all. The oldest chess set I have is a "Regency" set, vaguely similar to the one below. I don't know the exact age.

Mine is small and light weight. If old enough, it wouldn't have been too much of a hassle to have around camp.

I do have a reproduction of the "Northern upright" set, similar to the one below. I believe sets with that design would have been around at that time.

 

[JackADriscoll]

I collect chess sets, but nothing that old, nothing home made. My discretionary (hobby) funds have gone more toward CSA currency, as some old sets can get pricey if you can find them at all. The oldest chess set I have is a "Regency" set, vaguely similar to the one below. I don't know the exact age.
View attachment 496862

Mine is small and light weight. If old enough, it wouldn't have been too much of a hassle to have around camp.

That's great thank you for sharing

 

[7thWisconsin]

I collect chess sets, but nothing that old, nothing home made. My discretionary (hobby) funds have gone more toward CSA currency, as some old sets can get pricey if you can find them at all. The oldest chess set I have is a "Regency" set, vaguely similar to the one below. I don't know the exact age.
View attachment 496862

Mine is small and light weight. If old enough, it wouldn't have been too much of a hassle to have around camp.

I do have a reproduction of the "Northern upright" set, similar to the one below. I believe sets with that design would have been around at that time.
View attachment 496863

Both these sets have a strongly mid-19th century look. I would love a set like this, but antique chess sets are very expensive. During the war, men carved pieces from bullets. I´d love to make a set like that but the pieces would end up weighing a couple pounds.

 

[TallTallMan]

James Robertson relates the following story in his 18th Virginia History which is part of the Virginia Regimental History series. During the winter of 1861-1862 the tent of a Captain Turner, who was a good natured fellow, had become a gathering place for nightly card games. One night an fellow officer entered the tent under the pretext of adding more wood to the fireplace that was in the tent. He threw in some old shoes and other trash with the wood and went outside and covered the chimney with a wooden board. Not long after the men who were in the tent ran out coughing, sneezing and cursing. This incident ended up putting and end to the card games in Captain Turner's tent.

He was always one for ancedotes!

 

[Bur Oak]

Both these sets have a strongly mid-19th century look. I would love a set like this, but antique chess sets are very expensive.

The first version of the "Staunton" design most people are familiar with today was produced in 1849 in England. Some Staunton sets could have made it over here, but I would suspect they hadn't had enough time to become widespread. Bone "barleycorn" sets may still have been in use. Originals of those are expensive today, as they are hard to find in good condition. Most surviving sets have damaged and/or missing pieces, some with mismatched replacements. Even new reproductions ain't exactly cheap.