How does someone become commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant upon enlistment in the Union Army?

squeaky

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My ancestor James Adolphus Goodell enlisted Sep. 8, 1862 in the 97th Illinois, Company B and was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant. He's a 27 year old farmer with no previous military experience. How was he able to obtain this rank upon enlistment? His older brother enlisted about the same time in a neighboring county and his rank at enlistment was private. The 97th Illinois was attached to Sherman and active in the Yazoo Campaign and the siege of Vicksburg. My Lieutenant ancestor is from Erie Co. PA and had only recently settled in Illinois. Knowing the involvement of the navy in the quest to secure the Mississippi, is it possible my ancestor has some maritime experience that I don't know about or ???
 
At their formation, most volunteer Union regiments commissioned their officers directly from civil life; the majority of these officers had no military experience. Some were commissioned based on their standing in the community, reputation, or their ability to gather men for enlistment to serve under them. In some cases, newly-formed companies held votes to elect their officers and non-comm's. Could be for any of those reasons.
 
Many higher ranking officers got their commissions as political favors and a few essentially bought theirs by virtue of raising and equipping a company with their own funds. So one other possibility is that your guy was a friend or associate of one of those types and was given his commission as a friendship gesture or payback for some favor. That said, I think one of the possibilities noted by captaxe is the most likely.
 
My ancestor James Adolphus Goodell enlisted Sep. 8, 1862 in the 97th Illinois, Company B and was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant. He's a 27 year old farmer with no previous military experience. How was he able to obtain this rank upon enlistment? His older brother enlisted about the same time in a neighboring county and his rank at enlistment was private. The 97th Illinois was attached to Sherman and active in the Yazoo Campaign and the siege of Vicksburg. My Lieutenant ancestor is from Erie Co. PA and had only recently settled in Illinois. Knowing the involvement of the navy in the quest to secure the Mississippi, is it possible my ancestor has some maritime experience that I don't know about or ???

Since he was in the 97th Ill. Vol. Infantry there's no reason anything naval would have entered the picture at all - Welcome to the forums!
 
Thanks much for all the great information. I'm sure many of the things mentioned are possibilities. I knew the earlier militia companies often voted their own officers so I wondered if that might be the case here. As was so often the case, Company B was composed mainly of men from one particular county who were close neighbors and probably knew each other pretty well.
 
Someone(s) had to become company officers and NCOs or they would all be privates marching around with no guidance.

I see your chap resigned his commission in June 1863 - must not have been fond of hanging around outside Vicksburg! :smile:
 
Thanks 7th Mississippi. I read all the posts on that thread and found them very interesting. Having read a great deal about the colonial militias, it would appear that many of those traditions were still alive and well in 1861 including the election of officers. Especially among companies of volunteers who all know one another, if you want to hold them together and create some kind of esprit de corps, it makes sense to give them a voice in the leadership, at least initially, and then have the battlefield decide the matter after that.
 
Thanks 7th Mississippi. I read all the posts on that thread and found them very interesting. Having read a great deal about the colonial militias, it would appear that many of those traditions were still alive and well in 1861 including the election of officers. Especially among companies of volunteers who all know one another, if you want to hold them together and create some kind of esprit de corps, it makes sense to give them a voice in the leadership, at least initially, and then have the battlefield decide the matter after that.
That's very true.

Those elections often led to disaster, especially during the early War years. Popularity within a company didn't always translate into the best man for the job.

Following the Battle of Shiloh, the Confederate Congress required all elected officer candidates to pass a test prior to receiving a commission from Richmond.

I may be mistaken, but I think basically the same happened within the Federal Volunteer Units.
 
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Officers with no prior military experience had a steep learning curve, but they could make rapid progress by intensive study of the available drill manuals, and learning from current and former military personnel. Fortunately, there was a small core of the latter possessing a professional military background of varying degree who served as drill instructors. However, some officers never bothered to apply themselves, or else a false sense of superiority sustained their blissful ignorance, and these types were worse than useless, because their lack of ability could get men killed, until they were weeded out in the crucible of battle. I contend that the Southern soldier often performed better than his Northern counterpart in the early part of the conflict because the numerous military schools existing in the south could be readily tapped to provide their citizen armies with a higher quality of military training at the outset.
 
My ancestor James Adolphus Goodell enlisted Sep. 8, 1862 in the 97th Illinois, Company B and was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant. He's a 27 year old farmer with no previous military experience. How was he able to obtain this rank upon enlistment? His older brother enlisted about the same time in a neighboring county and his rank at enlistment was private. The 97th Illinois was attached to Sherman and active in the Yazoo Campaign and the siege of Vicksburg. My Lieutenant ancestor is from Erie Co. PA and had only recently settled in Illinois. Knowing the involvement of the navy in the quest to secure the Mississippi, is it possible my ancestor has some maritime experience that I don't know about or ???
Elisha Hunt Rhodes who wrote arguably the most well known biography "All for the Union" started as a private in the 2nd Rhode Island and became it's Colonel commander.
George Kirk had no military background and was appointed by General Schofeld to become Colonel commanding 2nd North Carolina Mounted Infantry Union. Kirk was one bad well you know the rest.
There simply wasn't enough professionally trained officers to go around. A typical antebellum West Point class had only 45 to 60 graduates. Their were a relative handful of foreign officers on both sides but most were just ordinary guys who learned on the job.
Leftyhunter
 
My ancestor James Adolphus Goodell enlisted Sep. 8, 1862 in the 97th Illinois, Company B and was commissioned a 1st Lieutenant. He's a 27 year old farmer with no previous military experience. How was he able to obtain this rank upon enlistment? His older brother enlisted about the same time in a neighboring county and his rank at enlistment was private. The 97th Illinois was attached to Sherman and active in the Yazoo Campaign and the siege of Vicksburg. My Lieutenant ancestor is from Erie Co. PA and had only recently settled in Illinois. Knowing the involvement of the navy in the quest to secure the Mississippi, is it possible my ancestor has some maritime experience that I don't know about or ???
Actually during a more recent war one could become a lieutenant shortly after enlistment after a six week "shake and bake" or Officer Candidate School. When the army really needs lieutenants it's going to get lieutenants one way or the other.
Leftyhunter
 
Elias Hunt Rhodes was an example of rising up through the ranks. He enlisted as a private and at war's end he was a high ranking officer.

He enlisted on June 5, 1861 and was appointed as corporal.

Promoted to sergeant major on March 1, 1862.

Promoted to 2nd lieutenant on July 24, 1862.

Promoted to 1st lieutenant on April 15, 1863.

Promoted to captain on June 21, 1864.

Breveted to major on December 5, 1864.

Promoted to lieutenant colonel on February 6, 1865.

Breveted to colonel on April 2, 1865.

Ryan
 
Elisha Hunt Rhodes who wrote arguably the most well known biography "All for the Union" started as a private in the 2nd Rhode Island and became it's Colonel commander.
George Kirk had no military background and was appointed by General Schofeld to become Colonel commanding 2nd North Carolina Mounted Infantry Union. Kirk was one bad well you know the rest.
There simply wasn't enough professionally trained officers to go around. A typical antebellum West Point class had only 45 to 60 graduates. Their were a relative handful of foreign officers on both sides but most were just ordinary guys who learned on the job.
Leftyhunter
Was it also true that they promoted enlisted men rank to fill the gap of officers lost?
 
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