Specific enlistment questions

librarianbeth · Jul 13, 2016

I have a few specific questions about enlistment procedures, rules and regulations. This would be for Union army, early in the war (let's say early summer 1861). It is research for a novel I am working on:

-was any proof of identity (proof of name, age, etc) such as a birth certificate or other such paperwork required when volunteering to enlist? I have characters who will likely be lying about their age (and possibly gender) and also a character with literally no documentation available at all, and am trying to understand whether they would have been able to enlist without any paper proof, or if they would have needed forged documentation in order to do so. I know this happened a lot, but I can't figure out if they needed forged papers or if the recruiting station officers just took their word for it.

-what was a soldier allowed to bring with him from home, vs supplied to him upon enlistment, vs. supplied to him during training, vs. supplied to him at encampments? Was anything contraband or forbidden?

-would a new volunteer report to a recruitment office, complete paperwork and submit to physical examination, and then immediately be transported to a training camp? Or would one usually complete those necessary tasks and then be given a later date to report to the camp (a week later or so)?

-at what point in the process might a new recruit be assigned to a specialty corps, such as Signal Corps? Would they be sent to a new training camp location at that point (I know there was specialized Signal Corps training and testing)? Would the Signal Corps members return to perform their duties from within their original regiment, or would their movements and encampments be separate for the remainder of their service?

Thanks!

leftyhunter · Jul 13, 2016

I can't comment on specialty units but the vast majority of soldiers on both sides were just basic infantry.Their are simply to many regiments from various states with widely varying enlistment standards to make generalizations about recruiting standards.
Many teenage boys served as infantry soldiers on both sides. We will never know how many women disguised themselves as men but enough to know medical screening was haphazard at best
.
Leftyhunter

leftyhunter · Jul 13, 2016

I think we make a big mistake when we try to equate modern military recruitment ( I am not an expert but my son joined the USMC so I am somewhat familiar with it) with Civil War recruitment.
Training varied tremendously from regiment to regiment. I once read of a Union soldier from a Tennessee regiment who was sent to the front lines with only 3 weeks training.No doubt some soldiers on both sides got less then that.
Identity document's often did not exist. Union officials didn't require them of Unionist( Southern born whie men) troops and black Southerners simply didn't have them.
Leftyhunter

leftyhunter · Jul 13, 2016

We should also keep in mind that just because a regiment is named for a given state does not mean everyone is from that particular state. "Lincoln's Loyalists by Richard Current has many examples of Northern regiments recruiting local Unionists.
One Union officer Colonel George Kirk commander of 2nd and Third North Carolina Mounted Infantry Union was authorized by his commander Major General Schofield to recruit Confederate deserters in Western North Carolina .
Some Union regiments did go to formal "Camps of Instruction" a good account is" A Southern Boy in Blue the memoirs of Marcus Woodcock 6th Kentucky Volunteers. Woodcock was from central Tennessee and he and many other young Unionists fled to Kentucky to join the Union Army. I have seen no evidence that they had to submit identity document's.
Leftyhunter

leftyhunter · Jul 13, 2016

Woodcock describes his experience at Camp Dick Robertson where mostly regiments from Kentucky and Tennessee wemt early in the war for basic training.
It was commanded by General George Thomas.
Leftyhunter

7th Mississippi Infantry · Jul 13, 2016

I notice in this and your other thread, one of the characters in your novel may be in the Signal Corps.

This link may provide some specific information that might help you.
http://civilwarsignals.org/pages/signal/signal.html

huskerblitz · Jul 13, 2016

Based off the research I have done for one particular regiment from Kentucky, no proof of age comes up in their records. However, those that were underage could have a parent sign a waiver that allows them to enlist (I've seen these). Other times they could be signed up as buglers or drummers to get around the requirement.

Here is a link that may assist you:
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/children-in-the-civil-war/children-on-the-battlefield.html

MajGenl.Meade · Jul 13, 2016

Early in the war, the local recruiting officers (usually trying to form their own regiment with them as colonel or company with them as captain) knew the people who tried to sign up. They all lived in the same environs. In more rural areas, yes they cared about age somewhat - the kid's mother might come after them. In the big cities, there were less exacting notions - the recruiter more often did not know the families. Even so, I have papers on a young man who left Brooklyn and travelled up to Albany because no one there would know him - and he could join up without his parents knowing. Later in the war, recruiters didn't care if the recruit showed up or deserted - let alone his age. As long as he got the bounty (and they got their share), all was well.

There were no "IDs" - that's how so many signed up using names of friends, especially if they'd already deserted under their own name. As to gender, well it's your novel - enjoy.

leftyhunter · Jul 13, 2016

Both sides had men who pretended to be someone ellse to join a regiment collect the bounty and disappear. This happened much more on the Union side. On the other hand Elvis Presley's Ggrandpa manged twice to join two different Ms Confederate Cavalry units collect the bounty to buy a horse and somehow live to tell the tale. Has noted Id's didn't really exist back then other then say a birth certificate.
Leftyhunter

major bill · Jul 13, 2016

One thing you need to do is decide on a time frame and a state or regiment. The raising of regiments changed from the start of the war to the end of the war. The states did it a bit different.

major bill · Jul 13, 2016

Early in the war towns formed companies to be included into forming regiments or perhaps an establish militia company would expand to a war size unit and then join a regiment. In cases like this most to the men knew each other and the recruits might stay in their home towns for several days or even several weeks.

Later many regiments were desperate for men and would send out recruiters by train. These recruiters were not very picky about who they recruited and were only interested in getting enough men. Men could also ride on a train to some city that was forming a regiment and thus not be known by any of their fellow soldiers.

leftyhunter · Jul 14, 2016

In addition some Northern states would send recruiters into newly liberated Southern territory to recruit local Southerners so that they could meet their state recruitment quota with out having to draft men from their own state. Current covers that. Another form of recruitment was meeting immigrants at the docks and signing them up. Also Indians were eagerly recruited by both sides and many Indians originally joined the CSA before deserting to the Union.
Also both sides recruited POWs. Union POWs were recruited at Camp Salisbury, Nc and many joined to escape starving to death. Many of these recruits rejoined the Union when the opportunity presented itself. I covered that with sources in Major Bills thread'Why no galvanized Confederates. The Union recruited Confederate POWs mostly at Camp Douglas, Il . Most of the"galvanized Yankees" where sent to Montana to fight the Indians. One motivation to join the Union Army was better rations plus they got paid in real money.Their are a few book about it and Current covers that as well.
Leftyhunter

Suzanne A · Jul 14, 2016

Birth certificates as we know them did not come into common use until the tail end of the 19th C or the 20th C depending on the state, county or city. Government records of marriages and deaths were kept long before births were recorded. It is very likely true that no government-issued birth certificates existed anywhere in the country at the time of the Civil War. No written ID that I know of was carried by anyone. Many people were functionally illiterate and believe it or not, some people did not actually know how old they were, particularly if they had lost their parents as children. Churches were the original recorders of baptisms which records did not necessarily contain dates of birth. Informal churches without a strong central church organization (Methodist & Baptist come to mind) might not have archived or maintained those records and people often moved away from their place of birth. Births generally were recorded in family Bibles but that assumes a degree of literacy on the part of an adult family member at the time. Family Bibles were not infrequently lost and destroyed accidently.

John Winn · Jul 14, 2016

What would have been brought from home would generally be small convenience or sentimental items such as a photo, a bible, a pocket knife, extra clothing like socks, eating utensils, a blanket - that sort of thing. One could bring whatever one could carry but many brought too much and had to dump it in fairly short order. When you have to march twenty miles a day you reduce weight quickly. The only contraband I can think of would probably have been alcohol. Drugs weren't viewed as they are today and dependencies weren't that common; there weren't any illegal drugs. So I'd say if somebody wanted to carry a bottle of Dr. McMunn's elixir of opium it would be just fine.

What was issued would have varied by which branch one served in. I don't know about the signal corps per se (my interest is more in field artillery) but they'd have certainly got a uniform, shoes, a belt, maybe a rubberized ground cloth, a tent half, a pack, a haversack, a canteen, and maybe a tin cup. Infantry would have also got a long arm (rifled or smoothbore), leather pouches for ammunition and percussion caps, and a bayonet. I'd guess signal corps men might generally not have been armed as they weren't really a combat arm (at least on the Union side although they certainly could have been shot at) but I can't say for sure. I'd certainly wager that most of them weren't armed most of the time although they might have had some pickets who were.

I'd also guess that the signal corps was generally not camped with the other branches as they'd have been mostly at the edges of the troop concentrations so as to relay and receive messages to and from adjacent units. I know the various other branches didn't camp together (although they might have been near one another) so it seems likely that signal corps units would have done that also.

Hope that helps.

BrianB · Jul 14, 2016

I may be repeating what was said before to some extent but:

(a) No paperwork whatsoever was available to verify age, gender etc. As a result, some tens of thousands of boys exaggerated their age to enlist (army regulations required that consent of parents be obtained for a minor to enlist but there is rarely documentation in 1861 of this. In later years, in Union service records, it is common to find a printed enlistment paper, filled out and signed by the recruit, and where necessary, with a consent signed by a parent or guardian -- but these are seldom seen in files for soldiers who enlisted in 1861). Technically, in 1861, there was no minimum age to enlist as a musician.

(b) Some women did enlist although nowhere near the numbers of boys. Albert Cashier (AKA Jenny Hodges) joined the 95th Illinois in 1862 and served until the end of the war. She was probably the exception. Most women who were enlisted seem to have had difficulty concealing their gender long-term, and were found out and discharged.

(c) There was utterly no physical exam in 1861. Not only did women and boys enlist but individuals who were very much physically unqualified to be a soldier enlisted. Most of this last category were discharged within weeks or months.

(d) Typically, in small town America in 1861, a local big shot would wire the governor and get permission to raise a volunteer company. He would then go about signing up locals. Sometimes a party was held, with speeches by local celebrities, and with pressure for the young men in attendance to sign up. When the company had been recruited up to 80 or 100 members, it would travel to a camp to meet with other companies and be formed into a volunteer regiment. (i.e. there might be a delay between signing up and departing).

(e) In the haphazard days of 1861, no one really had any clear restrictions or rules on what a soldier could/could not bring with him. Fierce-looking Bowie knives were popular in some areas.

(d) In the Civil War, one did not usually enlist in the US Army or the Confederate Army. One enlists in a particular regiment -- the 23rd Virginia, the 36th Illinois or whatever. One who would be assigned to a specialty corps (such as the Signal Corps) would probably have enlisted directly into this service. Since the Signal Corps was part of the Regulars, one would go to a recruiting office for the regular army. These were usually located only in major cities (I once heard a speaker joking state that "in 1861, the US does not have an army -- New York City had an army" - referencing the fact that most recruiting for the Regular army occurred in major cities. It would be possible to enlist in a volunteer regiment, then transfer to the Regulars and thus to the Signal Corps, but probably such a transfer would have happened later -- say post 1861. If one did transfer to the Signal Corps, and to the Regulars, it was probably permanent.

Borderruffian · Jul 15, 2016

As a great many Units were locally raised, and unlike today documentation in the form of Birth Cert's or other ID was not requireed and many younger men enlisted by swearing that they were indeed of age and the name was Smith.Most documentation including BC's did not exsist in great number.

Uniforms and Weapons were supplied for the most part . You brought other items you thought you might need , now if you got to keep them was another thing. In 61 recruits brought all manner of trick gear with them till they reak=lized they had to hump all their high speed low drag toys and generally got rid of them.

They reported to a recruiting/mustering officer, generally early in the war Militia units were expanded and recruited up to strength before being Mustered into Federal Service as a volunteer unit.They could be given some time to report , it would vary by unit .

If a man was detailed to Signals, many of whose members were Regular Army at the beginning of the war, they would not return to say 21st Ohio Volunteer infantryas thier parent unit but more likely be attached to Corps or Division were they would actually get to preform the work they were trainthey my be assigned at lower level if their was need.d for IE. Telegraph ,symphore etc. From their they would be detailed out as needed. In the case of a telgrapher

Suzanne A · Jul 15, 2016

I wish I could remember who this was, but at the outset of the War in a Maine regiment a brother and sister joined the regiment together -- she joined openly as a female and went with him as a member of the unit. She was accepted, mustered in and later served as an Army nurse. I have often wondered what she wore while traveling with the regiment. There were other young women who went with their husbands or brothers and did not conceal their identity. I don't know of a woman doing this openly without a connection to a husband or brother. At the time there evidently was no uniform federal policy (or maybe no policy at all) forbidding females from joining a Union regiment. Later on (and I don't know the month or year) an aggravated general issued a general order to force all women out of service and forbid their enlistment (female Army nurses were allowed but they were not assigned to a regimental command, they were under the Medical department if in the Army). I'm sorry not to cite sources for this, I know most of the literature about women soldiers assumes they were in disguise and had deceived their commanders, but that was not always the case. I'm trying to remember where I read this, but it was somewhere in my general reading about female nurses. I will try later to find the roster for the Maine regiment, I might have a way to do that.

As you construct your story, remember there are two steps to serving. The first is to enlist (literally sign up) and the second is to be mustered in (officially accepted and placed on the muster rolls) by the military unit. Even today, these two events don't necessarily happen at the same time. A person who merely enlists and does not report or get mustered in to his unit is not AWOL or a deserter, military law only applies once a soldier is mustered in. An enlisted man could be refused when presenting initially for duty when ill or not in suitable condition for duty or for other reasons at the discretion of the commander. I know of one soldier who was ill when the unit formed and was sent home. When he recovered, he returned and was allowed to be with the unit in uniform as it traveled to its engagement but on probation so-to-speak, i.e. not mustered in, until he had proven himself. I don't know if this practice was in any way approved of by the higher officers. Since these were community-based recruitments, outside of the big cities an officer might know of a soldier's bad reputation or of his previous record of service in another unit that was problematic and might not accept the soldier. Older men who enlisted in the Infantry might have been considered too old to keep up, etc.

photoman475 · Jul 15, 2016

Birth certificates really did not exist as an official, government-issued document, as has been said in other posts. Driver's licenses did not exist; cars didn't exist either! The numbers and kinds of legal documents that exist today simply didn't back then.

Family Bibles were unreliable as a record of birth dates. It was too easy to change the "change" a child's birth date in a family Bible to avoid scandal in the family-out of wedlock children were not considered a good idea back then.

jackt62 · Jul 15, 2016

I seem to have read somewhere that the only medical criteria was that a recruit have enough teeth to be able to bite off a cartridge to release the powder.

Suzanne A · Jul 16, 2016

I wasn't thinking that there were official criteria about who could be mustered in. But it doesn't make sense to muster in a man with measles or TB or whatever's going around and send him to the hospital, that's a waste of Army resources (not to mention a way to spread disease throughout the unit, which they probably didn't realize at the time). And in these locally-raised units, everybody knew or knew of the volunteers. I think the Captain sometimes knew that he didn't want a man in his unit and he saved himself some problems by not mustering him in. This could be a person who didn't get anything right (think F Troop), who would not take orders or would challenge them, who was suspected of theft or violent or criminal behavior, etc. At the beginning of the War in the Union states, they didn't need these problems and tried to avoid them. The recruiter had a financial incentive to sign these men up no questions asked, but the Captain or whatever officer was creating the unit was thinking of what he would have to deal with long-term.

Specific enlistment questions

Cadet

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Major

Sergeant Major

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Brev. Brig. Gen'l

Corporal

Lt. Colonel

Corporal

Captain

Corporal

Sergeant

Major

Corporal

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