- Joined
- Jan 16, 2015
A wagon master essentially managed the teamsters and their wagons of his unit – whether a regiment, brigade or higher echelon command. For this extra duty assignment, records show he received an additional 25 cents per day, added to the base pay of his military rank. He was also entitled to a horse to enable supervision and oversight of the teamsters and wagons under his charge. As part of the quartermaster's department, he reported directly to the designated quartermaster of his particular unit, and no doubt kept the latter informed on issues involving personnel or equipment that required attention.
Major General Dan Butterfield, Chief of Staff to General George G. Meade at Gettysburg, mentioned some duties of a Federal wagon master in his 1862 reference work, Camp and Outpost Duty for Infantry, which most likely applies to their Confederate counterpart as well: "Quartermasters will see that the wagon master or teamsters have had the wagons greased, bolts, chains, and everything in order; tar buckets on hand, and not empty; spare parts (duplicates of those likely to break or give out on the march) ready."
Below are brief entries on identified wagon masters.
CSA
8th Georgia Infantry: Palemon J. King, Company K. King enlisted as a private in 1861 and ended the war as a sergeant. Scanty records show him as wagon master in the period April-May 1863, which may have continued through the Gettysburg campaign. (Compiled service records of P. J. King, Fold3)
8th South Carolina Infantry: Private Richard Jalias Tatum, Company G. Tatum enlisted as a corporal on April 13, 1861. By October 1862, he was listed as a wagon master, serving in that capacity until captured just after Gettysburg, either at Hagerstown on July 6 or at Kelly's Ford on July 13. He was first taken to a military prison at Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was recorded as being 31 years old. Soon sent to Camp Chase, he was transferred to Fort Delaware on February 29, 1864 and released on June 10, 1865. (Compiled service records of Richard J. Tatum, Fold3)
13th Mississippi Infantry: Private Thomas J. Patty, Company A. Patty was enlisted a sergeant on May 14, 1861 and a year later reenlisted as a private in Company A. On October 17, 1862, he was detailed to the quartermaster department and was identified as the regiment's wagon master on the June-July 1863 roll, until after November 1863, when he returned to the ranks. Patty was promoted to 1st Sergeant on May 19, 1864. (Compiled service records of Thomas J. Patty, Fold3)
21st North Carolina Infantry: Private Joseph A. Hubbard, Company M. Enlisting on July 21, 1861, Hubbard appears as wagon master by early 1863. During the retreat from Gettysburg, he accompanied the wagon train to Williamsport. On July 6, when Federal cavalry menaced them, the teamsters and other support personnel, together with some lesser wounded soldiers, were mobilized and armed to successfully defend the wagons, in an action known as the "Teamster's Fight." Here, Hubbard was severely wounded in the arm. Afterwards, he became the brigade's commissary sergeant (at the rank of private). (Compiled service records of Joseph A. Hubbard, Fold3)
13th Georgia Infantry: Sergeant Edward B. Thompson, Company D. Enlisting July 8, 1861, he served as the regiment's wagon master from at least May 1863 until the end of the year. But on November 1, 1863, the company elected Thompson as 2nd Lieutenant. On September 19, 1864, he sustained gunshot wounds in the hand and shoulder at Winchester and recovered to surrender at Appomattox. (Compiled service records of E. B. Thompson, Fold3)
8th Louisiana Infantry: Private William H. Fox, Company E. Enrolling on June 19, 1861, by the end of the year he was serving as a teamster, and from February 10, 1863 until August 12, 1863 was identified as the regiment's wagon master. Captured at Cedar Creek in October 1864, he took the oath of allegiance on November 4, 1863, and was released from captivity. (Compiled service records of William H. Fox, Fold3)
10th Virginia Infantry: Private Erasmus C. Haas, Company F. Upon enlisting on April 18, 1861, he was immediately appointed as wagon master of the regiment and remained in that position through the May-June 1863 roll, being marked present as of June 30, after which he may have returned to the ranks. He was captured on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania and released on May 11, 1865. (Compiled service records of Erasmus C. Haas, Fold3)
31st Virginia Infantry: Private Thomas A. Compton, Company I. Enlisting in June 1861, he was soon after appointed sergeant, but he held the rank of private when designated wagon master from May 10, 1862 through at least March 1863 and perhaps as late as September of that year. By 1864, he had been promoted to Lieutenant in Company D and was wounded at Spotsylvania on May 12 of that year. (Compiled service records of Thomas A. Compton, Fold3)
Jeff Davis Legion, Cavalry: Private James L. Carruth, Company B. Enlisting on August 20, 1861, he was detailed to the quartermaster department in the Spring of 1863 and by the end of that year was described as wagon master of the legion (regiment). (Compiled service records of James L. Carruth, Fold3; Horsemen of the Jeff Davis Legion)
Daniel's Brigade: Private John W. A. Paine, Company E, 32nd North Carolina. He joined the army on August 14, 1861, at the age of 22. By October 1862, Paine was detailed as a wagon master, and was identified as the brigade's wagon master on the May-June 1863 roll. He was captured by Federal cavalry near Waterloo, Pennsylvania on July 5, during their attack on the wagon train of wounded, in the vicinity of Monterrey Springs. He was paroled from Point Lookout in January 1865 and furloughed to his home to await a formal exchange. (Compiled service records of John W. A. Paine, Fold3)
Lang's Brigade: Jefferson Burgay (or Burgy), Company F, 2nd Florida. He was mustered into the service in July 1861 at the age of 29. Designated as the brigade wagon master by October 1862, he served in that capacity at least through the end of 1863. He simultaneously held the title of Forage Master from July-September 1863. (Compiled service records of Jefferson Burgy, Fold3)
USA
20th Maine Infantry. John Stockman, Company H. Hailing from Oldtown, Maine, Stockman was present at Gettysburg as the regiment's wagon master. (Maine at Gettysburg, 20th Maine, p. 269)
Ward's Brigade: Private James Bolcomb, Company C, 4th Maine Infantry. Bolcomb was present at Gettysburg as the brigade wagon master. (Maine at Gettysburg, 4th Maine, p. 169)
Other source mentions:
CSA: "One day while we were yet in Pennsylvania, I noticed the road blocked with wagons for two miles. A pelting rain was making the mud and things in general worse every moment. … The men were getting impatient – wagon masters were galloping about, whooping and hollering, swearing at the drivers and hurrying them up, but it did no good." ("NAT," 4th North Carolina, Salisbury Watchman, August 3, 1863)
CSA, 5th Alabama Infantry: Diary entry, 21 August 1861 – "Squire Griggs [James E. Griggs] has been appointed wagon master of the regiment. He gets the pay of forty-five dollars a month and a horse to ride." (Diary of John Henry Cowin, Voices from Company D, 5th Alabama) Corporal Griggs was detached as the wagon and forage master with 25 cents extra daily pay. Because of his age (47), he was entitled to a discharged by April 1862. (Compiled service records of James E. Griggs, Fold3)
USA, 82nd Ohio Infantry Private George W. Ault, Company D. During the war he served as wagon master and once had 33 wagons in his care. He was also in charge of an ammunition train. (History of Marion County, Ohio, p. 711)
USA, Carr's Brigade: As of the last quarter of 1862, 43 teamsters were assigned to the brigade headquarters staff at 25 cents/day, and also one Wagon Master and one Forage Master at 25 cents/day. (Documents from 1st Lieutenant Charles Lafayette MacArthur, Quartermaster of Carr's brigade, CivilWarTalk.com post, July 9, 2015)
USA, 3rd Division, Fifth Corps. An individual named Ridgeway was wagon master of the division's supply train in the war. (Avery Harris Civil War Journal, 143rd Pennsylvania, p. 212)
Major General Dan Butterfield, Chief of Staff to General George G. Meade at Gettysburg, mentioned some duties of a Federal wagon master in his 1862 reference work, Camp and Outpost Duty for Infantry, which most likely applies to their Confederate counterpart as well: "Quartermasters will see that the wagon master or teamsters have had the wagons greased, bolts, chains, and everything in order; tar buckets on hand, and not empty; spare parts (duplicates of those likely to break or give out on the march) ready."
Below are brief entries on identified wagon masters.
CSA
8th Georgia Infantry: Palemon J. King, Company K. King enlisted as a private in 1861 and ended the war as a sergeant. Scanty records show him as wagon master in the period April-May 1863, which may have continued through the Gettysburg campaign. (Compiled service records of P. J. King, Fold3)
8th South Carolina Infantry: Private Richard Jalias Tatum, Company G. Tatum enlisted as a corporal on April 13, 1861. By October 1862, he was listed as a wagon master, serving in that capacity until captured just after Gettysburg, either at Hagerstown on July 6 or at Kelly's Ford on July 13. He was first taken to a military prison at Wheeling, West Virginia, where he was recorded as being 31 years old. Soon sent to Camp Chase, he was transferred to Fort Delaware on February 29, 1864 and released on June 10, 1865. (Compiled service records of Richard J. Tatum, Fold3)
13th Mississippi Infantry: Private Thomas J. Patty, Company A. Patty was enlisted a sergeant on May 14, 1861 and a year later reenlisted as a private in Company A. On October 17, 1862, he was detailed to the quartermaster department and was identified as the regiment's wagon master on the June-July 1863 roll, until after November 1863, when he returned to the ranks. Patty was promoted to 1st Sergeant on May 19, 1864. (Compiled service records of Thomas J. Patty, Fold3)
21st North Carolina Infantry: Private Joseph A. Hubbard, Company M. Enlisting on July 21, 1861, Hubbard appears as wagon master by early 1863. During the retreat from Gettysburg, he accompanied the wagon train to Williamsport. On July 6, when Federal cavalry menaced them, the teamsters and other support personnel, together with some lesser wounded soldiers, were mobilized and armed to successfully defend the wagons, in an action known as the "Teamster's Fight." Here, Hubbard was severely wounded in the arm. Afterwards, he became the brigade's commissary sergeant (at the rank of private). (Compiled service records of Joseph A. Hubbard, Fold3)
13th Georgia Infantry: Sergeant Edward B. Thompson, Company D. Enlisting July 8, 1861, he served as the regiment's wagon master from at least May 1863 until the end of the year. But on November 1, 1863, the company elected Thompson as 2nd Lieutenant. On September 19, 1864, he sustained gunshot wounds in the hand and shoulder at Winchester and recovered to surrender at Appomattox. (Compiled service records of E. B. Thompson, Fold3)
8th Louisiana Infantry: Private William H. Fox, Company E. Enrolling on June 19, 1861, by the end of the year he was serving as a teamster, and from February 10, 1863 until August 12, 1863 was identified as the regiment's wagon master. Captured at Cedar Creek in October 1864, he took the oath of allegiance on November 4, 1863, and was released from captivity. (Compiled service records of William H. Fox, Fold3)
10th Virginia Infantry: Private Erasmus C. Haas, Company F. Upon enlisting on April 18, 1861, he was immediately appointed as wagon master of the regiment and remained in that position through the May-June 1863 roll, being marked present as of June 30, after which he may have returned to the ranks. He was captured on May 12, 1864 at Spotsylvania and released on May 11, 1865. (Compiled service records of Erasmus C. Haas, Fold3)
31st Virginia Infantry: Private Thomas A. Compton, Company I. Enlisting in June 1861, he was soon after appointed sergeant, but he held the rank of private when designated wagon master from May 10, 1862 through at least March 1863 and perhaps as late as September of that year. By 1864, he had been promoted to Lieutenant in Company D and was wounded at Spotsylvania on May 12 of that year. (Compiled service records of Thomas A. Compton, Fold3)
Jeff Davis Legion, Cavalry: Private James L. Carruth, Company B. Enlisting on August 20, 1861, he was detailed to the quartermaster department in the Spring of 1863 and by the end of that year was described as wagon master of the legion (regiment). (Compiled service records of James L. Carruth, Fold3; Horsemen of the Jeff Davis Legion)
Daniel's Brigade: Private John W. A. Paine, Company E, 32nd North Carolina. He joined the army on August 14, 1861, at the age of 22. By October 1862, Paine was detailed as a wagon master, and was identified as the brigade's wagon master on the May-June 1863 roll. He was captured by Federal cavalry near Waterloo, Pennsylvania on July 5, during their attack on the wagon train of wounded, in the vicinity of Monterrey Springs. He was paroled from Point Lookout in January 1865 and furloughed to his home to await a formal exchange. (Compiled service records of John W. A. Paine, Fold3)
Lang's Brigade: Jefferson Burgay (or Burgy), Company F, 2nd Florida. He was mustered into the service in July 1861 at the age of 29. Designated as the brigade wagon master by October 1862, he served in that capacity at least through the end of 1863. He simultaneously held the title of Forage Master from July-September 1863. (Compiled service records of Jefferson Burgy, Fold3)
USA
20th Maine Infantry. John Stockman, Company H. Hailing from Oldtown, Maine, Stockman was present at Gettysburg as the regiment's wagon master. (Maine at Gettysburg, 20th Maine, p. 269)
Ward's Brigade: Private James Bolcomb, Company C, 4th Maine Infantry. Bolcomb was present at Gettysburg as the brigade wagon master. (Maine at Gettysburg, 4th Maine, p. 169)
Other source mentions:
CSA: "One day while we were yet in Pennsylvania, I noticed the road blocked with wagons for two miles. A pelting rain was making the mud and things in general worse every moment. … The men were getting impatient – wagon masters were galloping about, whooping and hollering, swearing at the drivers and hurrying them up, but it did no good." ("NAT," 4th North Carolina, Salisbury Watchman, August 3, 1863)
CSA, 5th Alabama Infantry: Diary entry, 21 August 1861 – "Squire Griggs [James E. Griggs] has been appointed wagon master of the regiment. He gets the pay of forty-five dollars a month and a horse to ride." (Diary of John Henry Cowin, Voices from Company D, 5th Alabama) Corporal Griggs was detached as the wagon and forage master with 25 cents extra daily pay. Because of his age (47), he was entitled to a discharged by April 1862. (Compiled service records of James E. Griggs, Fold3)
USA, 82nd Ohio Infantry Private George W. Ault, Company D. During the war he served as wagon master and once had 33 wagons in his care. He was also in charge of an ammunition train. (History of Marion County, Ohio, p. 711)
USA, Carr's Brigade: As of the last quarter of 1862, 43 teamsters were assigned to the brigade headquarters staff at 25 cents/day, and also one Wagon Master and one Forage Master at 25 cents/day. (Documents from 1st Lieutenant Charles Lafayette MacArthur, Quartermaster of Carr's brigade, CivilWarTalk.com post, July 9, 2015)
USA, 3rd Division, Fifth Corps. An individual named Ridgeway was wagon master of the division's supply train in the war. (Avery Harris Civil War Journal, 143rd Pennsylvania, p. 212)
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