What are these men doing?

[cromagnondan]

This is a photograph taken by George Bernard shortly after Longstreet gave up on Knoxville and retreated. He was pursued and skirmished at the Strawberry Plains bridge among other places. This photograph is usually labeled 'battlefield'. Other photos in the series show the bridge. Large tif formats are available at the loc.gov site. My question is what are these two men doing? One seems to be picking up something and putting it in half barrels. The other seems to be swinging a stick. Interestingly, he is looking in the direction of the camera.

 

[redbob]

After battles, the victors would usually "police" or gleam the battlefield; picking up weapons, equipment and any other materials that they could use and to deny their use to the enemy. Often this would include scavenging used bullets to recast them as new bullets. The South especially would salvage the lead to reuse it.

 

[rickvox79]

I have never seen this picture before. Always interesting to see what you can find when you zoom in on some of these old photographs.

 

[redbob]

The South's lead shortage got so bad that at Petersburg they were offering leaves to men who brought in so many pounds of fired bullets.

 

[AndyHall]

Interesting picture. I'd guess that the guy in the second image is providing a running play-by-play commentary on the first guy who's actually working.

 

[southern blue]

Interesting picture. I'd guess that the guy in the second image is providing a running play-by-play commentary on the first guy who's actually working.

He's supervising.

 

[cromagnondan]

Thanks. @redbob I like the recycling lead idea. Also the supervising comment. Very funny.

 

[John Winn]

Looks to me like the working man is using a stick to carry both buckets. I've seen photos of people carrying water that way; stick across the shoulders with a bucket on a rope on each end.

I like the recycling idea, too, but he could have been carrying water (although at that distance it seems like it'd be easier for the men or horses to walk down to the river).

 

[TerryB]

Looks to me like the working man is using a stick to carry both buckets. I've seen photos of people carrying water that way; stick across the shoulders with a bucket on a rope on each end.

I like the recycling idea, too, but he could have been carrying water (although at that distance it seems like it'd be easier for the men or horses to walk down to the river).

I thought the same thing about Bucket Man.

 

[James B White]

Same here.

Out of context, just looking at the first picture, it appeared to me like a man carrying two buckets with a yoke, who had just stopped to readjust it and was getting ready to put it on again, leaning forward to get under it. The buckets are just the right distance apart, and I thought I could see the edge of the yoke diagonally in his hand.

But seeing the second picture, I thought that perhaps both are carrying short sticks, and rather than being part of the yoke, that's all there is, and it's the same kind of stick as the second man's.

 

[ole]

Although it is likely true that men and horses can walk to the river for a drink (as evidenced by the footpaths), there are other uses for water up in the redoubt.