Let's talk about the weather

[Billy1977]

Hello everybody, here's something I've been wondering about for some time now: is there any website or hard-copy almanac or anything else that has compiled all in one place a record of the weather during the Civil War in the different theaters? Sort of like E.B. Long's and Barbara Long's The Civil War Day By Day but focused on the weather, e.g. "26 July 1863 - Eastern Theater: partly cloudy in Virginia, high of 87° F, low of 56° F with scattered showers in the Outer Banks of North Carolina; Lower Seaboard Theater: heavy rain in coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia..." etc.? Anything like that? Or is it a pipe dream and nobody has ever compiled such a thing because it would be impossible as not enough weather records exist to make it worthwhile? Many thanks from myself and on behalf of the historical record in general to anyone who might be able to help uncover what would really be a multifaceted diamond of information. If it exists that is.

 

[huskerblitz]

I'm not familiar with one, comprehensive source but I wouldn't be surprised if a Web site exists. You might find some for specific theaters but I doubt a comprehensive source for the entire nation.

 

[MaryDee]

I know that records were kept at Gettysburg by a local college professor.

Last night's chat featured Brice's Crossroads. The weather (hot and very humid) was definitely a factor there, and Forrest counted on it to reduce the Union infantry's fighting ability after double-timing for several miles. Forrest suggested it would be hotter than hell. As Shelby Foote put it, in the absence of any thermometers in the latter place. . . .

 

[Tom Elmore]

http://www.weather.gov/timeline describes the history of data gathering in the U.S., which was actually interrupted by the Civil War. I suppose if all of the existing weather observations by citizens and soldiers around the country could be collected and analyzed, it would be possible to describe the passage of fronts, etc. I have actually done such a study on the Gettysburg campaign (The Gettysburg Magazine, issue 13, July 1995). As MaryDee noted above in post #3, Professor Michael Jacobs at Pennsylvania College (now Gettysburg College) recorded temperature, wind and cloud cover observations during the period of the campaign that have proven invaluable. Most soldier comments about the weather ("hot," "rainy" etc.) are too generic to be of much value.

 

[Billy1977]

Thanks Huskerblitz, MaryDee and Tom Elmore for your detailed responses. I figured it would be a long shot that there would be any one comprehensive source in print that would serve as a handy reference for Civil War weather but I'm glad I asked as I had been wondering about that for a while and never got around to asking anyone until now. I imagine trying to put together a single-volume Civil War weather book would take a lifetime of research.

Most soldier comments about the weather ("hot," "rainy" etc.) are too generic to be of much value.

I'm sure that's correct and I don't think we'll ever be able to know this stuff with the kind of granular accuracy I would prefer (e.g. "20° and cloudy in Petersburg, heavy rain with ¼" of rainfall in the afternoon"). One upside to this whole situation however occurred to me and that's that if in a given instance, a particular campaign or battle or engagement, if weather was a major factor exerting significant influence on operations in that instance then as thorough (not perfect but thorough) as the Official Records are I would think that some officer in some relevant after-action report would mention it as being a major factor in the outcome.

For example in Sherman's small expedition around Eastport, Miss. just before the Battle of Shiloh he mentions in his report how the constant rain caused flooding (including behind them!) which so impeded the operation that they had to ultimately turn back. In reports by Confederates in the Romney campaign in winter 1861-'62 the horrible icy winter weather is constantly mentioned. Et cetera. So even if we can't ever have as detailed of a record of the weather during the war as I would like we can at least take comfort in knowing that it's highly unlikely that in instances when the weather played a significant role in an operation that all the officers writing reports about it would neglect to mention it. So at least we have that.

 

[DaveBrt]

Someone with a passion for the weather and for research could put together pretty much what you are asking for, just not in the detail you mentioned. There are weather stories in most southern newspapers when something unusual happened in the vicinity of the newspaper. Add that information to what is available from northern weather sites and newspapers and from soldier's reports and you could get a reasonable picture of significant events.

However, the searching through the southern newspapers will be very time consuming, even with on-line search capabilities.

 

[Keiri]

I have looked like something like this myself, as the two guys whose diaries i worked with throughout the entire war noted the weather daily. I bet if diaries were compared it'd be interesting, but that's a lifetime of work right there. Some newspapers noted it, so you might try chronicling america for the area you are looking at.

 

[donna]

Since we have many tornadoes in our area, wondered if any recorded during Civil War years. Also about Hurricanes too.

This is an interesting subject and since weather affects us all, know it had to affect the soldiers of this time.

 

[DaveBrt]

Since we have many tornadoes in our area, wondered if any recorded during Civil War years. Also about Hurricanes too.

This is an interesting subject and since weather affects us all, know it had to affect the soldiers of this time.

Yes, I have seen three or four tornadoes mentioned in southern newspaper articles. They tore things up, but nothing that would affect the war effort.

For hurricanes, checking naval records would be more accurate. I don't recall any mentioned.

 

[zburkett]

I can't help with the specifics, but the "little ice age" was ending in the early 1800s so the War Between the States was warmer than the American Revolution but colder than it is now. The swings between hot and cold also seem to be greater. Hotter summers, colder winters. The hotter summers might be more due to wool uniforms. There would be a major rain storm after many battles. Some attribute that to battle smoke seeding the clouds. Keiri is right, good diaries sometimes give you an overview of where one soldier was. Major wars seem to produce bad weather, 44 was one of the worst winters of the 20th century in Europe.