Robbing the battlefield dead

[Bruce Vail]

I was reading an account of the Battle of Malvern Hill and a Union officer is quoted as commenting that unknown persons were observed robbing the dead soldiers on the filed under cover of night. I've heard of this before but wonder how common this was?

Anybody else know of any contemporary reports of these kinds of robberies?

 

[Stone in the wall]

This actually makes me wonder ... were there any accounts of scalping during the Civil War? I've heard of it happening a few times during WW2 (and despite the stereotypes, not just by Indian soldiers).
Maybe I should ask that question in a different thread though, don't want to drag this one too far off topic... although I guess taking someone's scalp is a type of "theft"...

William Anderson left this note:
"You come to hunt bush whackers. Now you are skelpt. Clemyent skelpt you".
Wm Anderson

 

[SeaTurtle]

William Anderson left this note:
"You come to hunt bush whackers. Now you are skelpt. Clemyent skelpt you".
Wm Anderson

Was this a figure of speech, or literal?

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

I'm reminded of the Walla Walla chief Peopeomoxmox who was killed, scalped, and skinned by a group of Oregon volunteers in 1855 during the Yakima War.

If the Oregon Volunteers were white people, I can assure you they weren't raised that way. That's just a proxy display of hatred on the dead.

 

[SeaTurtle]

If the Oregon Volunteers were white people, I can assure you they weren't raised that way. That's just a proxy display of hatred on the dead.

Yes, they were whites. The Oregon volunteers in that war drew members from the local American settler population.

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

This actually makes me wonder ... were there any accounts of scalping during the Civil War? I've heard of it happening a few times during WW2 (and despite the stereotypes, not just by Indian soldiers).
Maybe I should ask that question in a different thread though, don't want to drag this one too far off topic... although I guess taking someone's scalp is a type of "theft"...

Yes, there was scalping. @leftyhunter and others addressed this in a thread on guerrilla warfare.
I grew up hearing a story of a Union patrol attacked near my hometown in Ky and after all the men had been killed, they were scalped. I didn't quite believe this until I read that thread.

 

[leftyhunter]

Yes, there was scalping. @leftyhunter and others addressed this in a thread on guerrilla warfare.
I grew up hearing a story of a Union patrol attacked near my hometown in Ky and after all the men had been killed, they were scalped. I didn't quite believe this until I read that thread.

Scalping is nothing new it goes back to the French and Indian Wars when at least one if not both sides payed for scalp's. Scalping lasted well beyond the ACW.
Leftyhunter

 

[bayonet]

What if they were taking those gold teeth to sell/trade for food to avoid starving? I don't think this kind of thing is so clear cut ... I think that taking anything off the dead, whether clothes or personal items, has to be judged within the context of that specific situation.

Yup read a letter my deceased Uncle had wrote in WW2. Talked about taking gold teeth from Japanese skulls. Heard Japanese Dentists filled cavities with Gold. I won't go into details how he did it in the letter, as tough as I think I'am or all the **** I've been through I don't think I could do that.

 

[Stone in the wall]

Was this a figure of speech, or literal?

Some of Anderson's men were known for decorating their saddles with scalps.

 

[limestone1863]

In Vietnam, both sides robbed the dead. Do not believe nothing new in history. Many accounts in Bible about stripped the dead.

 

[James N.]

I think it was in Pfanz' Gettysburg - The Second Day that I read about a Union officer in Sickles' Third Corps who had been seriously wounded and left along the Hagerstown Pike. That night he heard a robber going among the wounded and dead, and as I recall killing the wounded in order to rob them if necessary. Fortunately for him he still had a small pocket pistol with which he shot the intruder!

 

[archieclement]

Yup read a letter my deceased Uncle had wrote in WW2. Talked about taking gold teeth from Japanese skulls. Heard Japanese Dentists filled cavities with Gold. I won't go into details how he did it in the letter, as tough as I think I'am or all the **** I've been through I don't think I could do that.

Yep happens every war, WW2 was probably most documented in photos and recorded in it was acknowledged in orders to stop the practices

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mutilation_of_Japanese_war_dead

 

[Bruce Vail]

Yep happens every war, WW2 was probably most documented in photos and recorded in it was acknowledged in orders to stop the practices

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_mutilation_of_Japanese_war_dead

This is pretty horrifying. But its not really robbing the dead. The story makes the round that some US soldiers collectect the ears of dead VC or NVA as trophies.

 

[Fairfield]

What if they were taking those gold teeth to sell/trade for food to avoid starving? I don't think this kind of thing is so clear cut ... I think that taking anything off the dead, whether clothes or personal items, has to be judged within the context of that specific situation.

You're right, of course. It's a slippery slope. Stealing to get food to avoid starving smacks of Les Miserables, doesn't it? Perhaps it comes down to NEED vs. PROFIT as motive. I suspect that we all feel more kindly towards something done for basic survival but are pretty uncomfortable with looting for personal gain.

 

[Fairfield]

If the Oregon Volunteers were white people, I can assure you they weren't raised that way. That's just a proxy display of hatred on the dead.

delete

 

[archieclement]

This is pretty horrifying. But its not really robbing the dead. The story makes the round that some US soldiers collectect the ears of dead VC or NVA as trophies.

Included in the article was stripping dead for money belts and gold teeth.........I think it shows such things usually happen to varying degrees, and our troops are no exception.

Though the money belts seemed odd to me, unless gold or silver coins, what use would be Japanese currency?

 

[Reconstructed Rebel]

Included in the article was stripping dead for money belts and gold teeth.........I think it shows such things usually happen to varying degrees, and our troops are no exception.

Though the money belts seemed odd to me, unless gold or silver coins, what use would be Japanese currency?

According to my dad, who was in the Pacific, soldiers and Marines could make good money selling Japanese currency to sailors as souvenirs. Flags were really high value.

 

[Stone in the wall]

It is well that war is so terrible,
otherwise we should grow to fond of it.
R.E. Lee

 

[bayonet]

According to my dad, who was in the Pacific, soldiers and Marines could make good money selling Japanese currency to sailors as souvenirs. Flags were really high value.

Served with a Vietnam Vet that did 3 tours. He said they had a local Vietnamese guy make them VC Commie Flags and the tire flip flops. Then they would sell or trade them to Air Force, Navy, and others troops in the rear with the gear claiming they captured them in battle. Made a nice profitable business he said.

 

[NH Civil War Gal]

Served with a Vietnam Vet that did 3 tours. He said they had a local Vietnamese guy make them VC Commie Flags and the tire flip flops. Then they would sell or trade them to Air Force, Navy, and others troops in the rear with the gear claiming they captured them in battle. Made a nice profitable business he said.

Nothing new under the sun! I wonder how many finger bones of St. John were sold to Medieval Pilgrims?

 

[Fairfield]

Nothing new under the sun! I wonder how many finger bones of St. John were sold to Medieval Pilgrims?

lol! As a student taking a class on international religions, I read about a tradition in southern India (or Sri Lanka) in which the bones of one of the local saints was paraded around the countryside once a year. Locals expressed wonder that there were any bones left considering how many of their neighbors already held pieces!