Rendezvous-what is it in 1862?

[Blessmag]

As I am reading the Supplement to the O.R., the 126th Ill. Inf., company by company, went " into rendezvous". Of course this term is not in our dictionary. Earlier, it was a term for trappers to gather. I presume it also means gathering in the CW context. But the 126th was mustered in Alton Illinois in Sept 1862 while you can see from my quotes they rendezvoused in different places.
"Stationed at Camp Richmond, two miles east of the penitentiary at Alton, Illinois, October 1862.
August 22—The companies composing the regiment were organized and full to the minimum standard or more on August 22.
Company A:
July 31 – August 7—Listed ninety members July 31 to August 7, when they were enrolled and rendezvoused at Mattoon, Coles County, from Lovington and Sullivan, Moultrie County, where the company officers were elected August 7.
Company B:
August 11-28—Listed ninety-eight members about Buffalo Prairie. Elected if officers at Edgington, perfecting its organization August 11. Marched to Rock Island an dmoved by rail August 28. Arrived at rendezvous at Dixon, Lee County, August 29.
Company C:
August 15-22—Listed its eighty members from August 15-22.
August 20-26—The officers were elected August 20 and it went into rendezvous at Mattoon (Camp Terry) August 26.
Company D:
August 15-22—Listed its eighty members from August 15-22 at Hillsborough, Montgomery County, where it elected company officers August 15 and went in rendezvous August 21.
August 29—Moved by rail (with company F) to Mattoon rendezvous.
Company E:
July 16-August 9—Listed its eight-two members from July 16 to August 9 at Port Byron, Rock Island County.
August 13-15—Elected its captain and first lieutenant August 13 and second lieutenant August 15, when it went into rendezvous at Dixon with organization complete.
Company F:
August 8-22—Listed its eighty-three members from August 8 to 22 at Irving and Nokomis, Montgomery County. Elected ifs officers August 15 at Nokomis and went into rendezvous at Hillsborough (county seat) August 22.
August 29—Moved by rail (with Company D) to Mattoon, Coles County, to rendezvous.
Company G:
August 9-15—Listed its eighty members at Port Byron, Rock Island County, from August 9-15.
August 18—Elected its officers and sailed to Fulton by boat and moved then by rail to Dixon, where it went into rendezvous.
Company H:
August 8-21—Listed is eighty-five members at Coal Valley from August 8 to 21, electing if officers August 15.
August 27---Moved to Rock Island by rail August 25, arriving August 27 at the rendezvous at Dixon.
Company I:
August 6-22—Listed its eighty-one members from August 6 to 22 at Rock Island (city and county). Elected the officers August 15.
August 28-29—Moved by rail and arrived at the rendezvous at Dixon August 29.
Company K:
August 15-21—Listed its eighty members August 15 and 21, when it elected its officers.
September 2 – It went into rendezvous at Mattoon, Coles County, from Shelbyville, Shelby County."
Supplement to the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Edited by Janet B. Hewett, Broadfoot Publishing Company, 1995. Pp. 661-662

 

[Arioch]

I'll take a stab....What it sounds like to me is: When the companies were originally recruited, they often waited until they received word to proceed to a certain, intermediary point,...before getting further orders/permission to proceed to point"C"....

Maybe an example would be better. I have been studying the Pa. Reserves. What happened with them was Pennsylvania had a tremendous response to the original call for troops (Lincoln's 75,000). They had to turn away enough companies that would have made up an additional 25+ regiments.....past their initial quota. The Governor (Curtin) had enough foresight to accept additional men for 15 Reserve state militia regiments.....in case they were needed (thus their nom de guerre....the Reserves). So, after Bull Run, Washington was in a panic for troops to defend the Capital, and called on Pennsylvania to send their Reserves.

During this 'gathering of forces' phase, for both the initial troops, and the reserves, the state was also setting up camps....it could not handle 25,000+ men all at once...Guys gotta eat, guys gotta sleep, and guys gotta go to the latrine (that brings it home doesn't it!).....They had zero facilities ready to do the job.....they were sleeping in barns, hotels, bordellos, fields, etc....anywhere you could lay a body out, it was quickly occupied.

So, by the time the state/Governor was ready to call for the reserves, they were also organizing meeting points BEFORE funneling the raw recruits into the boot camps. Example: What eventually became Co. D 7th Pa. reserves, 36th inf. was in Lock Haven Pa. (hometown) for a full month before they received permission to proceed to Harrisburg, where they waited for further permission/orders to proceed to camp Curtin, where they again waited for orders to proceed to Camp Wayne....for boot camp.

When the Reserves left for Washington in '61, their trip was in the same fashion. Go to one point and await further orders on where to go to next.....'taint easy moving 15,000+ men all at one time.

 

[frankconrad]

Here in Iowa the recuits came from many small townsat different times and at a givin time all rendezous at a set place, here in Fayette county normally at the fork of the Volga and the Little Volga.