"Star Battalion"

[Manassas 1861]

I was reading about the execution of Mike O'Brian and Dennis Corcoran of the Louisiana Tigers in December 1861. The book mentions that Daniel Corcoran (brother of Dennis) led several men from the "Star Battalion" with bayonets and bowie knifes to stop soldiers from taking relics from the execution site. What unit is the "Star Battalion"? What's its history? The book mentions nothing more about this unit. This took place in the winter camps around Centreville, so they were part of Johnston's Army of the Potomac.

 

[RedRover]

The remains of O'Brian and Corcoran were excavated by archaeologists some time ago.

A Tiger Execution

Why two Louisiana soldiers were sentenced to die in 1861.

archive.nytimes.com

The Star Battalion was among the nicknames for Lt. Col. Wheat's battalion, of which the "Tiger Rifles" were its B Company. Gary Schreckengost's history of the outfit observes...

Virginian Lucy Buck recorded that Captain Gardner (of the Delta Rangers of Wheat's Battalion) wore the battalion's badge or insignia (otherwise each company had its own uniform) which included the name "star battalion..."

 

[Manassas 1861]

The remains of O'Brian and Corcoran were excavated by archaeologists some time ago.

A Tiger Execution

Why two Louisiana soldiers were sentenced to die in 1861.

archive.nytimes.com

The Star Battalion was among the nicknames for Lt. Col. Wheat's battalion, of which the "Tiger Rifles" were its B Company. Gary Schreckengost's history of the outfit observes...

View attachment 552484

Virginian Lucy Buck recorded that Captain Gardner (of the Delta Rangers of Wheat's Battalion) wore the battalion's badge or insignia (otherwise each company had its own uniform) which included the name "star battalion..."

View attachment 552485

Awesome! I actually found the story in Schreckengost's book. Thank you.

 

[Manassas 1861]

Was the insignia only worn by officers of Wheat's Battalion, or by the men as well? Officers only would make sense.

 

[RedRover]

Was the insignia only worn by officers of Wheat's Battalion, or by the men as well? Officers only would make sense.

There is a photograph of Captain White of the Tiger Rifles showing a company tiger badge on his cap. But his coat is unbuttoned, so if he had a battalion badge on it is not visible

Ross Brook's 1999 article on the equipment of the battalion in Military Collector and Historian states that hand-made metal crescents have been recovered from the area of the battalion's camps about Centreville and Manassas by relic hunters.

Otherwise not much detail on the subject besides Lucy Buck's description of Captain Gardner's badge.

 

[Manassas 1861]

Thanks again. Sorry for so many questions, but Is this photograph available online?

 

[RedRover]

Thanks again. Sorry for so many questions, but Is this photograph available online?

No problem. This is the article with most of the known data on the battalion's clothing and equipment, including notices of the remains of the clothing of the unfortunate O'Brian and Corcoran as excavated with their remains in the late 1970s.

The Photograph of Captain White is viewable here...

Portraits of Conflict

Centering on the common soldier, this photojournalistic album tells the stories of individuals--their heroics, fear, boredom--with some 250 photographs, five maps, and related documents. It also documents, by-the-by, the rise of field photography. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc...

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