Three cheers for the Quartermasters!

Billy1977

Sergeant
Joined
Mar 18, 2016
Location
Flippin, Arkansas (near Yellville)
Hip-hip-huzzah! Hip-hip-huzzah! Hip-hip-huzzah!!! (I think that's how they did it back in the day.) Anyway I'm starting this thread to post pictures of relics and uniforms etc. related to the Civil War quartermasters of both sides and the related commissary/subsistence depts., though as with most things there are a ton more Union pictures than Confederate of course, but here's what I've found so far. I'll start with the C.S. Army quartermasters since I have a lot fewer of them. (As always, for new members of the forum, if you right-click on the larger version of the thumbnail that comes up you can open it in a new tab and it will be full size.)

Here's a frock coat from the chief quartermaster on Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard's staff:
Civil War; Confederate.chief.QM.on.Beauregard's.staff.frock.coat..jpg

Here's a frock coat from a captain in the C.S. Army Subsistence Dept. serving in South Carolina:
Civil War; Confederate.supply.Subsistence.Dept.,captain.in.S.C.,frock.coat..jpg

Here is an assistant commissary of subsistence:
Civil War; Confederate.supply.Subsistence.Dept.,asst.commissary.of.subsistence..jpg

This is the quartermaster of the 18th South Carolina Artillery Battalion:
Civil War; Confederate.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermaster.of.18th.South.Carolina.Arty.Bn..jpg

This is an illustration of the Confederate quartermaster depot at Manassas Junction, here in Union hands.

Civil War; Confederate.supply.depot.at.Manassas.Jct.,in.Union.hands..jpg

These are photos of the C.S. Army Quartermaster Dept. manual of regulations published in 1862:
Civil War; Confederate.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,manual.of.regulations,1862..jpg Civil War; Confederate.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,manual.of.regulations,1861..jpg

Here is a C.S. quartermaster document written on wallpaper complete with a wallpaper envelope:
Civil War; Confederate.QM.document.on.wallpaper.with.wallpaper.envelope..jpg Civil War; Confederate.QM.document.on.wallpaper.with.wallpaper.envelope...jpg

And these are reenactors driving Confederate supply wagons though one has what appears to be an Ordnance Dept. insignia on its canopy (I can't vouch for how authentic the wagons are):
Civil War; Confederate.supply.wagon.[reenactors]..jpg Civil War; Confederate.supply.wagons,here.reenactors..jpg
 
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O.K. I'm back, and here are images related to the U.S. Army quartermasters. Here's a frock coat of a quartermaster officer, a brigadier general:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermaster.officers.frock.coat,here.a.brig.gen..jpg
Here is the Quartermaster-general Maj. Gen. Montgomery Meigs in a frock coat:
Civil War; Union.QM.Gen.MG.Montgomery.Meigs..jpg Civil War; Union.QM.Gen.MG.Montgomery.Meigs...jpg Civil War; Union.QM.Gen.MG.Montgomery.Meigs.....jpg

and Maj.Gen. Meigs wearing another coat (or the same one worn a different way) with his general's stars pinned directly to the coat:
Civil War; Union.QM.Gen.MG.Montgomery.Meigs....jpg
He did the same thing when he was a brigadier general:
Civil War; Union.QM.Gen.MG.Montgomery.Meigs......jpg

Here's the assistant quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac when it was at Acquia Creek, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,asst.quartermaster.at.Acquia.Creek,VA..jpg

And the chief quartermaster of the Army of the Potomac, Gen. Stewart Van Vliet:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,chief.quartermaster.of.AoP.Gen.Stewart.Van.Vliet..jpg

Here is an unidentified quartermaster officer:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,asst.quartermaster.of.volunteers..jpg

Here are original quartermaster officer shoulder straps:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.quartermaster.officers.shoulder.straps...jpg
Here faded to brown:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.quartermaster.officers.shoulder.straps..png


Though I think they were actually considered to be technically part of whatever unit they were serving with rather than being a field surrogate of the Quartermaster Dept. (hopefully someone with a much more thorough knowledge of the Civil War quartermasters than I have can clear this up), here are some pictures of enlisted quartermaster sergeant uniforms for various unit types.
A shell jacket of a quartermaster sergeant in an artillery unit:
Civil War; Union.artillery.QM.sergeant..jpg Civil War; Union.artillery.QM.sergeant...jpg

A quartermaster sergeant of a light artillery regiment in full dress looked like this:
Civil War; Union.QM.sgt.of.lt.arty.regt.full.dress..jpg

His counterpart in a cavalry regiment:
Civil War; Union.QM.sgt.of.cav.regt.full.dress..jpg

And in an infantry regiment:
Civil War; Union.QM.sgt.of.inf.regt.full.dress..jpg
 
This is a quartermaster account book or ledger from the Civil War:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,account.book.or.ledger,here.in.3rd.New.Jersey.Inf..jpg Civil War; Union.QM.account.book.or.ledger..jpg Civil War; Union.QM.account.book.or.ledger...jpg

and the Quartermaster Dept. general orders and circular for 1862 (though it looks more rectangular to me):
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermaster.general.orders.and.circulars.for.1862..jpg

and a Quartermaster Dept. field manual:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,manual..jpg


This is a picture of the Assistant Quartermaster's office in Washington, D.C. in 1865:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.asst.quartermasters.office,in.Washington,D.C.,1865. ..png


the quartermasters office at Acquia Creek Landing, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermaster's.office.at.Aquia.Creek.Landing,VA..jpg

the quartermasters supply depot at Acquia Creek Landing:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,supply.depot.at.Aquia.Creek.Landing,VA..jpg

the quartermasters wharf at Alexandria, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermasters.wharf.at.Alexandria,VA..png Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermasters.wharf.at.Alexandria,VA...png

the quartermaster supply depot at Chickasaw Bayou to supply Grant's army around Vicksburg:
Civil War; Union.QM.depot.at.Chickasaw.Bayou..jpg

the quartermasters office at Chattanooga, Tennessee:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.office,Chattanooga,Tenn..png

the quartermaster and commissary office at (Union-occupied) Fort Fisher, North Carolina:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.quartermaster.and.commissary.office,Fort.Fisher,N.C..png

the Quartermaster Dept. hay barns in Alexandria, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.hay.barns,Alexandria,VA,July.1863..png

Quartermaster Dept. warehouses in Washington, D.C. during the war:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.quartermaster.warehouses,in.Washington,D.C..png

Quartermaster Dept. Warehouse No. 1 in Washington, D.C.:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.quartermaster.Warehouse.No.1,in.Washington,D.C...png

More to follow soon.
 
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...Here is an unidentified quartermaster officer:
View attachment 127183 ...

As a former acting Quartermaster I appreciate the cheers. :D

As for that unidentified quartermaster, that is Maj. Sylvanus Bangs Bean (1814-1896). A veteran of the Aroostock War; he was quartermaster of the 11th Maine Infantry Regiment, in which his son also served (and fell in 1864). He later became quartermaster of the Artillery Reserve of the AoP and then for a brigade and a division in the V Corps.
 
Here is a Quartermaster Department corral for livestock in Chattanooga, Tenn.:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermaster.corral,in.Chattanooga,Tenn..png

and the same thing near Alexandria, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermaster.corral,near.Alexandria,VA..png

the quartermasters landing and storehouses at Chattanooga, Tenn.:
Civil War; Union.QM.landing.and.storehouses,Chatta..png

the QM transportation office at Fort Monroe, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.transportation.office,in.Fort.Monroe,VA..png

the QM repair shops located next to the Franklin Turnpike in Tennessee in March 1864:
Civil War; Union.QM.repair.shops,Franklin.Tpke..png Civil War; Union.QM.repair.shops,Franklin.Tpke...png

the QM storehouses in Cairo, Illinois:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.quartermasters.storerooms,Cairo,Ill..png

and in Nashville, Tenn.:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.quartermasters.storehouses,Nashville,Tenn.,Mar.1864..png

the quartermaster office at the 7th Street Wharf in Washington, D.C. in May 1865:
Civil War; Union.QM.office,7th.St.Wharf,Wash.D.C.,May.'65..png

the commissary depot at Acquia Creek Landing, Virginia, in Feb. 1863:
Civil War; Union.supply.Commissary.Dept.,commissary.depot.at.Aquia.Creek.Landingl,VA,Feb.1863..jpg

commissary depot at Cedar Level, Virginia in August 1864:
Civil War; Union.supply.Commissary.Dept.,commissary.depot.at.Cedar.Level,VA,Aug.1864....jpg Civil War; Union.supply.Commissary.Dept.,commissary.depot.at.Cedar.Level,VA,Aug.1864.png

a commissary stockpile at Brandy Station, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.supply.Commissary.Dept.,stockpile.of.food.at.Brandy.Station,VA..png

a commissary slaughterhouse at City Point, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.supply.Commissary.Dept.,slaughterhouse.at.City.Point,VA..png

commissary personnel dressing beef (and I don't mean in an outfit):
Civil War; Union.supply.Commissary.Dept.,regt'l.commisary.dressing.beef...jpg


commissary storehouses at Brandy Station, Virginia in February of '64:
Civil War; Union.CD.storehouse,HQ.AoP,Brandy.Stn.,Feb.'64..jpg
 
Here are some Quartermaster Dept. mechanics at the QM wheelwright shop in Washington, D.C. in April of '65:
Civil War; Union.QM.mechanics,wheelwright.shop,Wash.D.C.,Apr.'65..png Civil War; Union.QM.mechanics,wheelwright.shop,Wash.D.C.,Apr.'65...png

and the tools they would have used would have been similar to these QM mechanic tools, displayed at Ford Tejon, California:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,quartermaster.tools,here.at.Fort.Tejon,Calif..JPG

Here are some other tools of the trade for U.S. Army quartermasters of the Civil War, these pertaining to storing and distribution of supplies.

In order to sling around those big heavy barrels of salt pork and salt beef and flour etc. and stack them up where you want them to go it's much easier to use a block and tackle like is seen in the right-hand side of this photo:
Civil War; Union.supplies- food,flour,salt.beef.etc.barrels..JPG

But what if you want to weigh one of those big fellas to see if the contractor shortchanged you out of some flour/salt pork/etc.? You'd have to put it on a platform scale like this:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,scale,platform.scale.for.weighing.supplies..jpg

Somewhat less heavy items can be weighed on a scale like this:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,scale,heavy.scale.here.from.steamer.'Arabia'..jpg

and lighter fare than that can be weighed out on scales such as these found on the wreck of the steamer Arabia which sank in 1856 but was carrying U.S. Army personnel, equipment and supplies such as these quartermaster scales:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,scales,here.from.steamer.'Arabia'....jpg Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,scales,here.from.steamer.'Arabia'...jpg Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,scales,here.from.steamer.'Arabia'..jpg

Here's a grain scoop that a Civil War quartermaster would use to scoop out loose rations like grain, beans, shucked corn etc.
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,grain.scoop..jpg

and along the same lines was a dipper:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,rations.dipper.,,,..jpg

this dipper is missing its handle but provides a better view of the embossed label on the front of the dipper:
Civil War; Union.supply.Quartermaster.Dept.,rations.dipper,missing.handle..jpg
 
This thread reminds me of "Forrest Gump" and Bubba Blue........“Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. There’s shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That, that’s about it.” – Bubba

Just substitute "Quartermaster" for shrimp. A true compendium of all things QM.
 
Finally we have the aspect of this humongous and varied department that deals with controlling the movement of supplies and personnel from one place to another, as all Army-owned transportation assets (as far as I know), all road, rail and water transport, were under the purview of the Quartermaster Dept. As we can see this was one sprawling, vast and important department! We'll start with the roadbound transportation.

The 6-mule supply wagon (Model 1860 I think?) saw extensive service on all fronts of the war and surely was a familiar sight to many a weary bluecoat trudging along a dirt road in Dixie in those terrible years, bringing up his unit's supplies and dropping them off, going back to the depot or the railhead for more in a seemingly neverending process that would only cease with the cessation of hostilities in the summer of '65.

The classic 6-mule wagon:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule...........jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule.jpg

Here's one at City Point, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule,City.Point,VA...jpg

and at Savage Station, Virginia in 1862:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule,Savage.Station,VA,1862..jpg

here being used to carry headquarters baggage:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,here.headquarters.baggage.wagon.jpg

Sherman's wagon trains in Atlanta:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule,wagon.train,Union.in.Atlanta...jpg

and leaving Atlanta:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule,wagon.train,leaving.Atlanta...jpg

a wagon train near Falmouth, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.QM.wagon.train.near.Falmouth,VA..jpg

And here are some restored 6-mule wagons, apparently painted up to the right colors though I doubt they would look that fresh after much use in the field.
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule........jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule.......jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule...jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule......jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule....jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,road- supply.wagon,6-mule.....jpg

For German-American troops in the field there was at least one lager beer wagon (!) in the summer of '61:
Civil War; Union.QM.lager.beer.wagon,summer.'61..jpg

and since not everything with wheels was a wagon, here's a mess cart:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- mess.cart,here.in.1863..jpg
 
Another two-wheel cart:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- two-wheel.cart.and.ox.yoke..jpg


Some of the fellows who drove the wagons, the teamsters, are shown here:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- teamster.with.bullwhip..jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,road- teamsters......jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,road- teamsters.....jpg

and a bullwhip they used:
Civil War; Union.transportation,road- teamster's.bullwhip...jpg


The Quartermaster Dept. was also (as far as I know) responsible for military rail transport which was handled by the U.S. Military Railroads (U.S.M.R.R.). This is a fascinating subject in and of itself which I can only just touch on here. Here are some U.S.M.R.R. locomotives:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.locomotive.........jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.locomotive...jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.locomotive.....jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.locomotive........jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.locomotive......jpg

and rolling stock, starting with boxcars:
in Atlanta:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.rolling.stock,Atlanta,GA..jpg
at Acquia Creek Landing, Feb. '63:
Civil War; Union.USMRR.rolling.stock,Acquia.Creek.Lndg.,Feb.'63..jpg

at Alexandria...
Civil War; Union.USMRR.rolling.stock,Alexandria..jpg
...and Catlett's Station, Virginia
Civil War; Union.USMRR.rolling.stock,Catlett's.Stn.,'62..jpg
Here are models of boxcars:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.rolling.stock,boxcar.[model]...jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.rolling.stock,boxcar.[model]....JPG
 
U.S.M.R.R. cattle cars at City Point, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.USMRR.rolling.stock,cattle.cars,City.Pt.,VA..jpg

and models of cattle cars:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.rolling.stock,cattle.car.[model]..jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.rolling.stock,cattle.car.[model]...jpg


five-stake flatcars:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.rolling.stock,5-stake.flatcar...jpg

model of a five-stake flatcar:
Civil War; Union.USMRR.rolling.stock,5-stake.flatcar.[model]..jpg

and its larger cousin the nine-stake flatcar:
Civil War; Union.USMRR.rolling.stock,9-stake.flatcar.[model]..jpg Civil War; Union.USMRR.rolling.stock,9-stake.flatcar.[model]...jpg

a U.S.M.R.R. passenger car at City Point:
Civil War; Union.USMRR.rolling.stock,passenger.car,City.Point..jpg

These are other shots of the same U.S.M.R.R. depot at City Point as in the above photo of the passenger car:
Civil War; Union.USMRR.depot.at.City.Point..jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.depot.at.City.Point,VA...jpgCivil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.depot.at.City.Point,VA..jpg

and here are the U.S.M.R.R. machine shops and east yard of the Orange & Alexandria R.R. depot:
Civil War; Union.USMRR.machine.shops.&.E.yard.of.O.&.A.RR.depot..jpg
 
Here are a few U.S.M.R.R. relic photos I've found:

oil cans:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.oiler..jpg

lanterns:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.lantern.,..jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.lantern..jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.lantern....jpg

padlock:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.padlock..jpg

U.S.M.R.R. conductor's badge:
Civil War; Union.transportation,rail- U.S.Military.Railroad.conductor.badge..jpg




And finally we have the U.S. Army water transportation that was the responsibility of the Quartermaster Dept. I only have a few examples of those so far.
Here is the famous steamer Star of the West:
Civil War; Union.transportation,water- steamer.'Star.of.the.West'..jpg

Here we have Army transports at Deep Bottom, Virginia:
Civil War; Union.transportation,water- Army.transports.at.Deep.Bottom,VA...jpg Civil War; Union.transportation,water- Army.transports.at.Deep.Bottom,VA....jpg

and here are Maj. Gen. John Pope's transports for his Army of the Mississippi on the Mississippi River:
Civil War; Union.transportation,water- Army.transports.of.Maj.Gen.John.Pope,on.the.Mississippi..jpg


Hope you all enjoyed the pictures and anyone who has anything Quartermaster-related to add is more than welcome to add to it.
 
Oh yeah, does anyone know if chuck wagons existed and were used in the Civil War by either side? As someone mentioned in another thread recently, cooking was generally done at the (very) small-unit level by whoever was the best at cooking in your squad using whatever utensils were available but were there any chuck wagons e.g. to go out and deliver hot dinner to pickets in cold weather in a low-risk area where it wouldn't present much of a hazard of being captured? Or were chuck wagons strictly a civilian pioneer/civilian wild west thing and not in the Civil War?
 
Hip-hip-huzzah! Hip-hip-huzzah! Hip-hip-huzzah!!! (I think that's how they did it back in the day.) Anyway I'm starting this thread to post pictures of relics and uniforms etc. related to the Civil War quartermasters of both sides and the related commissary/subsistence depts., though as with most things there are a ton more Union pictures than Confederate of course, but here's what I've found so far. I'll start with the C.S. Army quartermasters since I have a lot fewer of them. (As always, for new members of the forum, if you right-click on the larger version of the thumbnail that comes up you can open it in a new tab and it will be full size.)

Here's a frock coat from the chief quartermaster on Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard's staff:
View attachment 127159

Here's a frock coat from a captain in the C.S. Army Subsistence Dept. serving in South Carolina:
View attachment 127161

Here is an assistant commissary of subsistence:
View attachment 127162

This is the quartermaster of the 18th South Carolina Artillery Battalion:
View attachment 127163

This is an illustration of the Confederate quartermaster depot at Manassas Junction, here in Union hands.

View attachment 127164

These are photos of the C.S. Army Quartermaster Dept. manual of regulations published in 1862:
View attachment 127165 View attachment 127166

Here is a C.S. quartermaster document written on wallpaper complete with a wallpaper envelope:
View attachment 127167 View attachment 127168

And these are reenactors driving Confederate supply wagons though one has what appears to be an Ordnance Dept. insignia on its canopy (I can't vouch for how authentic the wagons are):
View attachment 127169 View attachment 127170
Billy, one of my g-g grandfathers was a Captain and AQM of the 31st Louisiana. While his regiment was at Vicksburg during the Spring of 1863 he was in North Louisiana rounding up supplies and doing what quartermasters do. In his old wallet was found this document; his accounting for disbursements for supplies, labor, transportation, etc., during the second quarter of 1863, April 30 - June 30. As you can see it was done under orders from Maj. Gen. Stevenson at Vicksburg. When the quarter began Grant had not yet crossed the river below the city and when it ended Vicksburg was invested and 4 days from surrender. He may have never been reimbursed for his own expenses shown to be $290.00.

Also in his wallet was a letter from his wife from 1864, his voter registration and oath in New Orleans from 1868, and a tiny one dollar gold coin.

IMG_1810.JPG



IMG_1811.JPG


IMG_1814.JPG
 
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