Shoot all the officers.

[major bill]

Leaderless troops are less likely to be effective. Having sharpshooters or even infantry try to shoot the officers among the enemy troops was a well established practice well before the start of the Civil War. The killing of the officers was considered good tactics for slowing a attack or disorganizing a defense. This was considered a fair thing to do during the American Civil War. As the war progressed the Confederates were taking a toll on Union officers. To combat this the Union issued a General Order No. 286 which allowed Union officers to be harder for Confederate marksmen to identify by doing away with odious rank indicators.

General Order No. 286
Officers serving in the field are permitted to dispense with shoulder straps and the prescribed insignia of rank on their horse equipment. The marks of rank prescribed to be worn on the shoulder-straps will be worn on the shoulder in place of the strap. Officers are also permitted to wear overcoats of the same color and shape as those of the enlisted men of their command. No ornaments will be required on the overcoat, hats or forage caps; nor will sashes or epaulets be required.

Some late war photographs show Union officers with rank directly on the shoulders, without the normal shoulder-straps.

 

[Story]

On the flipside, that habit created a ladder for career progression.

:-/

You oughta know not to stand by the window; somebody might see you up there.
Life During Wartime, THE TALKING HEADS

 

[USS ALASKA]

On the flipside, that habit created a ladder for career progression.

Wasn't there a British Army toast of "To bloody wars and sickly seasons."?

Cheers,
USS ALASKA

 

[redbob]

It was known as "Shooting for eppulettes".

 

[William G Hendry]

did all the Generals think they were invincible , or were they just proving a point for the men

 

[major bill]

It was known as "Shooting for eppulettes".

So if you eliminate the epaulettes there would be not more "shooting for epaulettes".

 

[JOHN42768]

A similar frame of mind as to eliminating officers causing disruption took the lives of a lot of medics through the wars.

 

[AndyHall]

Wasn't there a British Army toast of "To bloody wars and sickly seasons."?

It was a grim toast in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars period. Promotion there was strictly by seniority, so junior officers had good reason to hope for the death or retirement of their seniors.

 

[diane]

Hmm. I've always thought the Federals were aiming at the Confederate leaders - not particularly because of the uniform but because of who they were. Think that's really what happened to Morgan - he didn't have a uniform on when he ran into the yard of the house he was staying at but he was recognizable without it. Forrest was usually in a regular uniform but often wore a butternut jacket and a flannel shirt like any other of his men but not to obscure his rank. More than once he was picked out anyway - in his case, they had half a dozen buddies with them! Stuart - well, what can you say! Not going to mistake him for anybody but Jeb Stuart. I think it contributed to their high death rate - they didn't believe in following the Union advice about a muted uniform because of their belief in prominent leadership. So...stick a big plume in your hat, wrap up in a red cape and put on your gold spurs!

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

Sam Watkins, in his book "Company Aytch" states that he never shot at officers. He figured that they were not shooting at him, so they posed less of a threat than the Privates who were shooting at him.

 

[Package4]

I think that General Sedgwick and Leonidas Polk seem to prove the point..........

 

[alexjack]

Would their weapons not have singled them out as officers anyway?

 

[diane]

Would their weapons not have singled them out as officers anyway?

You mean swords? Lee's uniform said he was a colonel not a general and he wore no sword except for ceremonial occasions...like surrendering. Then you had the Forrest Flag - that signified Forrest himself was present on the field. Sherman wore a regular uniform but didn't lead charges - he sustained a couple wounds at Shiloh so that he had his arm in a sling when he met Forrest a-goin' through a bog. Forrest didn't shoot him and he knew who he was looking at. Scared Sherman right heartily, though. His right arm was out of order and his only gun was in his left saddle holster and his horse was in a mud hole. Couldn't get much more sitting duck than that! Forrest, however, had three or four pistols stuck in his belt, two in each saddle holster in addition to what was in his hands. I suppose the average soldier might aim at the guy with the arsenal on horseback sooner than the guy with all the stars and chicken guts!

 

[CW Watch & Sword Guy]

Hmm. I've always thought the Federals were aiming at the Confederate leaders - not particularly because of the uniform but because of who they were. Think that's really what happened to Morgan - he didn't have a uniform on when he ran into the yard of the house he was staying at but he was recognizable without it. Forrest was usually in a regular uniform but often wore a butternut jacket and a flannel shirt like any other of his men but not to obscure his rank. More than once he was picked out anyway - in his case, they had half a dozen buddies with them! Stuart - well, what can you say! Not going to mistake him for anybody but Jeb Stuart. I think it contributed to their high death rate - they didn't believe in following the Union advice about a muted uniform because of their belief in prominent leadership. So...stick a big plume in your hat, wrap up in a red cape and put on your gold spurs!

What about Jackson? He often dressed in a manner mistakable for an enlisted man.

 

[diane]

What about Jackson? He often dressed in manner mistakable for an enlisted man.

He usually had a fairly shabby uniform, too, which is why his wife sent him a new hat when his kepi finally wore out. (Think he gave it to Hotchkiss.) Then Jeb tried to gussy him up with a brand new uniform. That embarrassed him but eventually he did wear it...and when he did, his own men didn't recognize him! Have a feeling the enemy wouldn't have either... Still, with the Southerners, if you shot the guys out in front, you were very likely to be shooting some officers no matter what they looked like.