Volunteer: Why the label?

[Blessmag]

As I have been reading/writing on the 126th, I am noticing a trend for MANY regiments, many a labeled Volunteer Infantry or Volunteer Cavalry or Volunteer Artillery. If SO MANY were volunteer, why state it? Easier to state who was the pro/standing army than add a long word to the official title such as 126th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

See this trend through readings/memos/etc from 1863 through the end of the war.

Why add the word? Special bragging point for the men? the State? to ward off the pros??

 

[JRJ]

Because they truly were volunteers? Its not like they gathered a committee one day and decided "From this day forth, all fighting men shall be dubbed Volunteer!" These men were farmers, bankers, doctors, preachers, business men, they were not professional soldiers. If you look at muster in records I'd argue that any new units formed after Lincoln's call for volunteers would be volunteer units, but that is just my opinion. There was a US Army, and anyone outside the command chain was a volunteer.

 

[1SGDan]

The small professional army was very protective of its status. The tiny engineer community in particular was disdainful of the volunteers. The volunteer engineers proved every bit as capable.

 

[NedBaldwin]

As I have been reading/writing on the 126th, I am noticing a trend for MANY regiments, many a labeled Volunteer Infantry or Volunteer Cavalry or Volunteer Artillery. If SO MANY were volunteer, why state it? Easier to state who was the pro/standing army than add a long word to the official title such as 126th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

See this trend through readings/memos/etc from 1863 through the end of the war.

Why add the word? Special bragging point for the men? the State? to ward off the pros??

When Lincoln issued the first call for troops it was the State Militia that he called up. These units had names like 1st New Jersey Militia. Later Lincoln called for volunteers -- these were formed into new regiments with names like 1st New Jersey Volunteer Infantry. Both 1st NJs were at Bull Run.

 

[James B White]

If SO MANY were volunteer, why state it? Easier to state who was the pro/standing army than add a long word to the official title such as 126th Illinois Volunteer Infantry.

In addition to what others said, if one starts out with a standing army, then gradually adds volunteers, there's some point at which the volunteers will become "so many"--or too many--but where is that point?

There was just no incentive for anyone to decide, "well, today, with these last three volunteer regiments that were raised, the volunteers now have so many regiments they can no longer add volunteer to their name, and instead we'll require the regular army regiments to change their names." So things continued the way they'd always been done.

 

[23rdYahoos]

There were actually some significant differenced between the "US Army", and the "Volunteers":

During the Civil War, an officer could hold rank in the United States Army (USA) or in the United States Volunteers (USV). The USA was the permanent army; it existed before the war and would remain after the war. The USV was the temporary army, raised to put down the rebellion and it would be disbanded after the war. It was thus possible for officers to hold four different ranks at any given time during the war. For example, a West Point graduate might be a Captain in the USA (his permanent rank at the beginning of the war). When the war progresses he might be brevetted a Colonel in the USA, hold a regular commission as a Brigadier General in the USV and be a Major General by brevet in the USV.

In the United States Army, officers were appointed by the President, with the consent of the Senate. In state regiments, officers were appointed by the governor.

 

[Blessmag]

Ok, perhaps I am unclear with my question. ONLY label the militias or the standing army. Why label the 1,000;s volunteer. TO me it is "well duh" moment

 

[Shadow9216]

Ok, perhaps I am unclear with my question. ONLY label the militias or the standing army. Why label the 1,000;s volunteer. TO me it is "well duh" moment

The militias and standing army WERE labelled- US Army and/or Illinois Militia. They were in existence before the war, and, as has been pointed out, would remain after the war. We still use the system today- I was USN, I served with guys who were USNR. The Army and Air Force have USA/USAF, USAR/USAFR, and NG/ANG for the state units. Unit history and lineage are important and a source of morale. The distinction between regular Army (full-time, professional soldiers), militia (part-time, semi-professional), and volunteers (joined for a specific term during the war, no/limited prior experience) was important in determining unit formations and battle strategies. As the war went on, and volunteer units gained combat experience, the distinction became less important in overall strategy (a veteran volunteer regiment was more valuable than a new regiment of regulars, as an analogy), but it was still important in the overall organization of the Army itself, which was congressionally mandated to be of a specific size in terms of units and manpower. Referring back to the rank comparison above, post-war the Union officers reverted back to actual US Army rank; volunteers could transfer to the regulars, but (usually) at a reduced rank.

 

[Republican Blues]

The differentiation between the standing regular Army and the additional troops that join during wartime has a long tradition in the United States. Up to WWI, you had the the Regulars, who were the United States Army, and then the Organized Militia, and then the Volunteers. The Regulars as stated earlier, were very Jealous of that title, and the states proud of thiers, and the title volunteer set the aside from the Regulars.

During the Civil War, you had two organizatins, the Volunteers and the Regular US Army, the combination was known and the Federal Army or Union Army. During WWI, it became the National Army, combining the Regular Army, the National Guard, and the Volunteer/Conscripted troops. During WWII, it was titled the Army of the United States, consisting of the US Army, the National Guard, and then Volunteers/Draftees again. It wasnt until after WWII that the TOTAL FORCE idea was born, combinin the US Army, the Army Reserve, and National Guard into one Force, the US ARMY

 

[Freddy]

Lincoln's Proclamation of April 1861 calls for "the militia of the several States of the Union". It was like calling out the National Guard units from the states today to be federalized.

April 14, 1861

"Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, in virtue of the power in me vested by the Constitution and the laws, have thought fit to call forth, and hereby do call forth, the militia of the several States of the Union, to the aggregate number of seventy-five thousand, in order to suppress said combinations, and to cause the laws to be duly executed."

Lincoln's call for 300,000 in 1862 asks for, " an additional force of 300,000 men." He did not use the term "volunteers". However, my GGF said he was a volunteer in 1862 as his regiment was designated the 35th MA Vol. Infantry.


Executive Mansion, Washington, July 1, 1862

To the Governors of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana, Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois, and Wisconsin, and the President of the Military Board of Kentucky:
Gentlemen: Fully concurring in the wisdom of the views expressed to me in so patriotic a manner by you in the communication of the 28th day of June, I have decided to call into the service an additional force of 300,000 men. I suggest and recommend that the troops should be chiefly of infantry. The quota of your State would be ______. I trust that they may be enrolled without delay, so as to bring this unnecessary and injurious civil war to a speedy and satisfactory conclusion. An order fixing the quotas of the respective States will be issued by the War Department tomorrow.

Abraham Lincoln

On Aug. 4, 1862 President Lincoln called up another 300,000 men for nine months service, additional to the 300,000 he previously had requested from the States 0n July 1, 1862 for three years service. The General Oder No. 94 uses the term, "Draft", three times. "Volunteers" is found once.

General Order No. 94:

Ordered:​

I. That a draft of 300,000 militia be immediately called into the service of the United States, to serve for nine months unless sooner discharged. The Secretary of War will assign the quotas to the States and establish regulations for the draft. ​

II. That if any state shall not by the 15th of August furnish its quota of the additional 300,000 volunteers authorized by law, the deficiency of volunteers in that State will also be made up by special draft from the militia. The Secretary of War will establish regulations for this purpose.​

Lincoln in the 1863 call does use therm "Volunteers" and also refers to those previously called as "Volunteers". Lincoln also refers to the "draft".

By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Whereas the term of service of a part of the volunteer forces of the United States will expire during the coming year; and

Whereas, in addition to the men raised by the present draft, it is deemed expedient to call out 300,000 volunteers to serve for three years or the war, not, however. exceeding three years:

Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy thereof and of the militia of the several States when called into actual service, do issue this my proclamation, calling upon the governors of the different States to raise and have enlisted into the United States service for the various companies and regiments in the field from their respective States their quotas of 300,000 men.

I further proclaim that all volunteers thus called out and duly enlisted shall receive advance pay, premium, and bounty, as heretofore communicated to the governors of States by the War Department through the Provost-Marshal-General's Office by special letters.

I further proclaim that all volunteers received under this call, as well as all others not heretofore credited, shall be duly credited on and deducted from the quotas established for the next draft."

Lincoln was never consistent from 1861-1865 on his terminology for US soldiers, Militia, men, volunteers, enlisted, quotas, and draft are all used at various stages.

 

[NedBaldwin]

Lincoln's Proclamation of April 1861 calls for "the militia of the several States of the Union". .....
...
Lincoln's call for 300,000 in 1862 asks for, " an additional force of 300,000 men." He did not use the term "volunteers". However, my GGF said he was a volunteer in 1862 as his regiment was designated the 35th MA Vol. Infantry.
...

There were other proclamations and laws in between, such as:

May 3, 1861 -- "Now, therefore, I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States and Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy thereof and of the militia of the several States when called into actual service, do hereby call into the service of the United States 42,034 volunteers to serve for the period of three years, unless sooner discharged, and to be mustered into service as infantry and cavalry."

July 22, 1861 -- "An act to authorize the employment of volunteers to aid in enforcing the laws and protecting public property: ... Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the President be, and he is hereby, authorized to accept the services of volunteers, either as cavalry, infantry, or artillery, in such numbers, not exceeding five hundred thousand, as he may deem necessary..."

 

[NedBaldwin]

Lincoln was never consistent from 1861-1865 on his terminology for US soldiers, Militia, men, volunteers, enlisted, quotas, and draft are all used at various stages.

I disagree. He used different terms in different situations because the different categories were subject to different parameters.

 

[rhp6033]

Just a note on the differences between being a U.S. Army "regular" vs. a "Volunteer" in the Civil War.

A "regular" enlisted man was bound to serve a number of years, and unlike an officer, he couldn't get out of that simply by resigning. So there sere some instances during the Civil War where U.S. Army regular soldiers would be fighting even though they might have preferred to have been on the other side. An office could resign, but an enlisted men could be charged with desertion if he left, and treason if he went on to fight for the South. Few did.

The "regular" officers were, as was noted above, jealous of their ranks and their status. Many were highly skilled professionals in their field - engineers, artillarists, cavalry - who had spent decades in the service while the army was very small and promotions came at a glacial pace. It wasn't at all unusual for a regular army officer to spend most of his career as no more than a captain. With no retirement system, the pre-war army required death or resignation to create an opening for promotion or transfer, and with no pension system (other than the occassional "special act" by Congress for a particular officer), few were inclined to resign, no matter how old or infirm they might be. If tens of thousands of volunteer officers were to thrown into this mix, many of those with regular army commissions feared that they would drop back to the middle or back of the list, as political considerations might have more to do with appointments and promotions than pre-war seniority lists. Ultimately you have the duplicate rank structure mentioned earlier - a captain in the U.S. Army, a colonel's volunteer commission, and a brevet brig. general's commission in the volunteer army, for example. Which makes me wonder how officers figured out who was senior on the battlefield - date of rank is just one of the things to be considered.

Also the "volunteers", both officers and enlisted men, were rather proud of their status. There was some class snobbery connected with this at the time - lots of civilians, pre-war, considered enlisted soldiers to be socially lower-rung, those who simply had no other skills and could only be controlled by harsh discipline. Volunteers (in their viewpoint) were from good homes and often with good educations or professions, who were graciously volunteering their services in the emergency.

 

[prroh]

My Great Grandfather's regiment was formed as the 15thNYVI then was changed to the 15thNY Engineers. Since there was no conscription, the men were enlistees or volunteers. The 50thNYVI also became the 50thNY Engineers. Wonder why the term "Volunteer" was dropped from their Regimental names when they switched from Infantry to Engineers.

 

[NedBaldwin]

My Great Grandfather's regiment was formed as the 15thNYVI then was changed to the 15thNY Engineers. Since there was no conscription, the men were enlistees or volunteers. The 50thNYVI also became the 50thNY Engineers. Wonder why the term "Volunteer" was dropped from their Regimental names when they switched from Infantry to Engineers.

I think it depends on the reference source for whether the term was dropped or not.
See here for example.