Rebels on the Rio Grande

[NH Civil War Gal]

From the National Museum of Civil War Medicine (with permission)

"Thursday, 17 April 1862...
About 7 o'clock we start with our whole force, artilery and pack and a few wagons, to try Coopwood's route through the mountains to the lower country. And now commenced one of the most remarkable retreats ever heard of. We left all our most valued articles scattered over the ground in profusion; left the wagons and left our sick men huddled around a fire, with the yellow flag of our hospital waving over them from the corner of the wagon.

"It was affecting to see the brave companions in arms of these sick men grasping them by the hand and bidding them an affectionate farewell. 'Good bye,' said one as he squeezed his companion's hand, "The abs will take me in tomorrow morning."

Source:
Peticolas, A.B., Rebels on the Rio Grande: The Civil War Journal of A.B. Peticolas, Don E. Alberts editor, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1985, page 109.

Image credit:
Library of Congress.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

A lot going on in this picture. I see hard tack laying on the ground. Do you think he's passed out or died from hard tack poisoning @johan_steele?

 

[johan_steele]

A lot going on in this picture. I see hard tack laying on the ground. Do you think he's passed out or died from hard tack poisoning @johan_steele?

More likely he was accidently killed when a sympathetic companion tossed him some hardtack. In trying to catch them he missed and met his fate when they struck him betwixt the eyes. This is evident from said companion sitting weeping at his mistake against the tree. You can see the rest of his companions are fleeing in a wagon as fast as they can as they fear a barrage of hardtack from such a helpful friend.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

It appears that the laying soldier pictured here might be dead, due to the following indicators:-

. the seated companion looks to be weeping in despair;
. the inanimate body is laid out in the supine position;
. the caption 'Played out' (at bottom of sketch) denotes permanent expiry;
. the body appears to be left in an isolated location (given that the journal entry refers to 'all of the sick men being huddled together around the fire').

Can see no evidence of visible wounds (blood stains, dressings, etc.) anywhere on the greater part of the body displayed, so it might be thought that this individual died of illness/disease.

 

[CowCavalry]

It appears that the laying soldier pictured here might be dead, due to the following indicators:-

. the seated companion looks to be weeping in despair;
. the inanimate body is laid out in the supine position;
. the caption 'Played out' (at bottom of sketch) denotes permanent expiry;
. the body appears to be left in an isolated location (given that the journal entry refers to 'all of the sick men being huddled together around the fire').

Can see no evidence of visible wounds (blood stains, dressings, etc.) anywhere on the greater part of the body displayed, so it might be thought that this individual died of illness/disease.

Disagree; "played out", in the South, means wore out, bone tired, all in, give out, finished, but not dead. I don't think the drawing goes with the story per se, though I may be wrong. These look like stragglers to me. They wouldnt leave hardtack next to a dead man, particularly at the late stages of the war, someone would be taking that.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

They wouldnt leave hardtack next to a dead man, particularly at the late stages of the war, someone would be taking that.

That's a fair point made about the hardtack. (Interestingly, the hardtack looks intact, with no bite marks shown in it).

If the soldier was still alive, and wounded or ill, would have thought the primary concern would have been with the thirst of, moreso than providing hardtack for, the incapacitated individual left behind. But cannot see any water container left nearby for him in the pictured scene.

 

[R. Porter]

The two guys in the fore ground are just exhausted and resting for a few minutes. Obviously, you folks have never campaigned with Jackson before.

 

[Story]

The two guys in the fore ground are just exhausted and resting for a few minutes. Obviously, you folks have never campaigned with Jackson before.

That's a level of exhaustion only a grunt can know and it transcends time.

This is the original sketch.

The tired soldier - a sketch from life at Petersburg during the siege / Edwin Forbes.

1 drawing : pencil.

www.loc.gov

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Agree, regarding the sketch in the OP. After considering all these contributed viewpoints, it seems feasible that this is a pair of extremely exhausted soldiers, who might be stragglers.

Those fellows briskly leaving en masse in the background, look like they are 'hard marchers'.

 

[Story]

Agree, regarding the sketch in the OP. After considering all these contributed viewpoints, it seems feasible that this is a pair of extremely exhausted soldiers, who might be stragglers.

Read my post again - "the Tired Soldier" is the same subject elaborated upon, by the same artist.

No doubts to be had. http://www.petersburgproject.org/edwin-forbes-special-artist-at-petersburg.html

 

[Nathan Stuart]

Okay - thanks.

If understood correctly, the two sketches featuring the same subject of the tired soldier are both done by Forbes (only the backgrounds shown are changed, plus some minor additions around the sleeping soldier). Of the two, it's the Petersburg sketch that was the original one (created first-in-time).

 

[Story]

Okay - thanks.

If understood correctly, the two sketches featuring the same subject of the tired soldier are both done by Forbes (only the backgrounds shown are changed, plus some minor additions around the sleeping soldier). Of the two, it's the Petersburg sketch that was the original one (created first-in-time).

War artists frequently did a sketch first, as a way of preserving the image in their memories, to work up with more detail at a later time.

 

[Package4]

A lot going on in this picture. I see hard tack laying on the ground. Do you think he's passed out or died from hard tack poisoning @johan_steele?

The title is "Played Out" which would mean exhausted, me thinks, from the Cambridge Dictionary:


"Meaning of played out in English played out adjective informal uk / ˌpleɪd ˈaʊt / us / ˌpleɪd ˈaʊt / tired and no longer having power or effectiveness: I'm about played out, Jack - it's time I retired. [ before noun ] figurative They won't get people to vote for those played-out old policies."

 

[UCVRelics]

Yep, Played out is drop by the side of the road and pass out from lack of sleep.

 

[Nathan Stuart]

War artists frequently did a sketch first, as a way of preserving the image in their memories, to work up with more detail at a later time.

That makes sense. Thanks for the insight.

 

[atlantis]

What caught my eye was the lack of shoes/boots. Trenches are hard on feet. June 1864 was hot and dry, and the Appomattox is a muddy brown river, still you use what is at hand.

 

[lupaglupa]

Who or what are "the abs" that will be taking the guy in the morning?