Wearing False Uniforms?

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

I'm reading Shenandoah Summer. Patchan recounts an incident in which a small Union reconnaissance patrol went out to scout.

On the way back to camp it met up with another small patrol of "Union" horsemen. As the two groups rode along together, a signal was given and all the fake Union soldiers pulled pistols and shot dead the real Union cavalryman closest to them. The only one not thusly executed was the Lt. leading the reconnaissance, who was taken prisoner. The deceitful Confederates wearing captured Union uniforms were supposedly from Mosby's battalion.

Had the ruse failed and the Confederates been captured in the wrong uniform they have been hung, comparable to spies?

Was deceit like this (deliberately wearing the other side's uniform to trick them) commonly practiced by Mosby or anyone else during the war?

 

[Josh The Lighthouse Guy]

Keep reading and you will learn all about Sheridan's Jessie Scouts who regularly patrolled in Confederate garb. They were organized as a counter to Mosby's Rangers.

I'm finishing up Shenandoah Summer. The scouts were crucial in the surprise attack by Averill at Moorefield. Besides capturing the picket line without firing a shot, some rode into the Confederate camp prior to the main attack. This led to an interesting incident recounted by Patchan.

Major Gilmour, commander of the 2nd MD Cavalry, was snoozing by a fence. One of the disguised Federals rode up and roused him from his sleep, then demanded the Major surrender his pistol. Gilmour managed to discretely cock his gun while slowly pulling it from the holster and was able to shoot his would-be captor off his horse.

Another horseman in Confederate gray rode up and expressed shock at the fratricide. When Gilmour asked what unit the horseman belonged to he erroneously responded "Captain Gilmour's" and was promptly shot off his horse by the Major.

The Chambersburg raid should be a movie, especially since Moorefield provides an incredible climax.

 

[leftyhunter]

I think it was @leftyhunter who had a thread that discussed this topic, among other things. As I recall, it was an act more commonly restricted to guerrillas and bushwhackers.

Yes per the Lever Code aka General Order 100 being a guerrilla or Confedrate soldier captured wearing a Union uniform could be executed on the spot . Sometimes they where sometimes not it just depended on who's doing the capturing. If said guerrilla wearing a Union uniform is captured by a Kansas regiment good luck. During the Confederate invasion of Missouri by General " Pappy " Price in September 1864 those members of the " Paw Paw " milita meaning former Confederate Missouri State Guardsmen

Just to clarify - I was referring to scalping, and assume you are as well in your reply? And apologies for drifting off topic.

I'm not familiar with regulars on either side that did that (scalping), but again, @leftyhunter would be someone with a definitive answer.

Archie Clement and other members of the Anderson gang of Missouri did scalp captured Union soldiers. The guerrilla war in Missouri like in all counter insurgency conflicts torture, mutilation and executions are features not bugs of said conflict.
Leftyhunter

 

[leftyhunter]

I think it was @leftyhunter who had a thread that discussed this topic, among other things. As I recall, it was an act more commonly restricted to guerrillas and bushwhackers.

Yes per the Lever Code aka General Order 100 being a guerrilla or Confedrate soldier captured wearing a Union uniform could be executed on the spot . Sometimes they where sometimes not it just depended on who's doing the capturing. If said guerrilla wearing a Union uniform is captured by a Kansas regiment good luck. During the Confederate invasion of Missouri by General " Pappy " Price in September 1864 those members of the " Paw Paw " milita meaning former Confederate Missouri State Guardsmen

Just to clarify - I was referring to scalping, and assume you are as well in your reply? And apologies for drifting off topic.

I'm not familiar with regulars on either side that did that (scalping), but again, @leftyhunter would be someone with a definitive answer.

Archie Clement and other members of the Anderson gang of Missouri did scalp captured Union soldiers. The guerrilla war in Missouri like in all counter insurgency conflicts torture, mutilation and executions are features not bugs of said conflict.
Leftyhunter

Yes per the Lever Code aka General Order 100 being a guerrilla or Confedrate soldier captured wearing a Union uniform could be executed on the spot . Sometimes they where sometimes not it just depended on who's doing the capturing. If said guerrilla wearing a Union uniform is captured by a Kansas regiment good luck. During the Confederate invasion of Missouri by General " Pappy " Price in September 1864 those members of the " Paw Paw " milita meaning former Confederate Missouri State Guardsmen who then took an oath of loyalty to the Union if captured could be executed on the spot as well.
Leftyhunter

Spell check got me it was the Leiber code.
Leftyhunter

 

[gjpratt]

Here's a twist. During Hunter's brief occupation of Buchanan in 1864 a Confederate soldier in uniform infiltrated the Jessie Scouts in their Confederate uniform. The real Confederate was smoked out and summarily executed. Walker, Hunter's Fiery Raid p. 223.

 

[gjpratt]

SPOILER

Keep reading and you will learn all about Sheridan's Jessie Scouts who regularly patrolled in Confederate garb. They were organized as a counter to Mosby's Rangers.

I beliieve you are correct. If a soldier icaptured in the uniform of the other side he would be treated as a spy and summarily executed. Both sides followed this practice.

I was a bit hasty and superficial in my characterization of Jessie Scouts. While Sheridan made the best known use of the Jessie Scouts, their origin and employment go back to the beginning of the War. Fremont first organized them in Missouri and named them for his wife, Jessie Benton Fremont. Sheridan consolidated the various loosely coordinated groups, expanded their numbers and formalized a command structure.

Here is a nice recap: http://www.jessiescouts.com/JS_Overview.html

 

[TerryB]

A pdf of a newspaper article on the death of Lawton. It's on the left side and you need to use the + to zoom.

 

[DorwinBlack]

I'm reading Shenandoah Summer. Patchan recounts an incident in which a small Union reconnaissance patrol went out to scout.

On the way back to camp it met up with another small patrol of "Union" horsemen. As the two groups rode along together, a signal was given and all the fake Union soldiers pulled pistols and shot dead the real Union cavalryman closest to them. The only one not thusly executed was the Lt. leading the reconnaissance, who was taken prisoner. The deceitful Confederates wearing captured Union uniforms were supposedly from Mosby's battalion.

Had the ruse failed and the Confederates been captured in the wrong uniform they have been hung, comparable to spies?

Was deceit like this (deliberately wearing the other side's uniform to trick them) commonly practiced by Mosby or anyone else during the war?

Yes, in fact you will find Union cavalry use of the tactic later in Patchan's book.

Just before the Battle of Moorfield, Averell sent a group of Jessie Scouts through the West Virginia mountains to come up behind Confederate Pickets, and trick them into thinking they were confederate troops sent there to relieve them. Then once the confederates were off guard, they were captured and the path was clear for Union Troops to quietly sneak up on the confederate encampment at the river, and leading to a devastating route of McCausland's Cavalry.

 

[TerryB]

I read a story told by a trooper in Wheeler's Cavalry in which two columns had become widely separated and a rider was needed to carry a message to the rear column about how to meet up and thus close the gap. A sergeant was asked to make the ride and told them he would agree to do it only if he could wear his own uniform, presumably rather than a Union one. That speaks volumes. Yet my research has turned up cases of Confederate couriers being captured in Union uniform and sent to prison camp rather than executed because couriers were not considered spies