THE OUTFIT MODIFIED.
With the men who composed the Army of Northern Virginia will die the
memory of those little things which made the Confederate soldier
peculiarly what he was.
The historian who essays to write the "grand movements" will hardly stop
to tell how the hungry private fried his bacon, baked his biscuit, and
smoked his pipe; how he was changed from time to time by the necessities
of the service, until the gentleman, the student, the merchant, the
mechanic, and the farmer were merged into a perfect, all-enduring,
never-tiring and invincible soldier. To preserve these little details,
familiar to all soldiers, and by them not thought worthy of mention to
others, because of their familiarity, but still dear to them and always
the substance of their "war talks," is the object of this book.
The volunteer of 1861 made extensive preparations for the field. Boots,
he thought, were an absolute necessity, and the heavier the soles and
longer the tops the better. His pants were stuffed inside the tops of
his boots, of course. A double-breasted coat, heavily wadded, with two
rows of big brass buttons and a long skirt, was considered comfortable.
A small stiff cap, with a narrow brim, took the place of the comfortable
"felt," or the shining and towering tile worn in civil life.
[Illustration: THE OUTFIT OF 1861.]
Then over all was a huge overcoat, long and heavy, with a cape reaching
nearly to the waist. On his back he strapped a knapsack containing a
full stock of underwear, soap, towels, comb, brush, looking-glass,
tooth-brush, paper and envelopes, pens, ink, pencils, blacking,
photographs, smoking and chewing tobacco, pipes, twine string, and
cotton strips for wounds and other emergencies, needles and thread,
buttons, knife, fork, and spoon, and many other things as each man's
idea of what he was to encounter varied. On the outside of the knapsack,
solidly folded, were two great blankets and a rubber or oil-cloth. This
knapsack, etc., weighed from fifteen to twenty-five pounds, sometimes
even more. All seemed to think it was impossible to have on too many or
too heavy clothes, or to have too many conveniences, and each had an
idea that to be a good soldier he must be provided against every
possible emergency.
In addition to the knapsack, each man had a haversack, more or less
costly, some of cloth and some of fine morocco, and stored with
provisions always, as though he expected any moment to receive orders to
march across the Great Desert, and supply his own wants on the way. A
canteen was considered indispensable, and at the outset it was thought
prudent to keep it full of water. Many, expecting terrific hand-to-hand
encounters, carried revolvers, and even bowie-knives. Merino shirts (and
flannel) were thought to be the right thing, but experience demonstrated
the contrary. Gloves were also thought to be very necessary and good
things to have in winter time, the favorite style being buck gauntlets
with long cuffs.
In addition to each man's private luggage, each mess, generally composed
of from five to ten men, drawn together by similar tastes and
associations, had _its_ outfit, consisting of a large camp chest
containing skillet, frying pan, coffee boiler, bucket for lard, coffee
box, salt box, sugar box, meal box, flour box, knives, forks, spoons,
plates, cups, etc., etc. These chests were so large that eight or ten of
them filled up an army wagon, and were so heavy that two strong men had
all they could do to get one of them into the wagon. In addition to the
chest each mess owned an axe, water bucket, and bread tray. Then the
tents of each company, and little sheet-iron stoves, and stove pipe,
and the trunks and valises of the company officers, made an immense
pile of stuff, so that each company had a small wagon train of its own.
All thought money to be absolutely necessary, and for awhile rations
were disdained and the mess supplied with the best that could be bought
with the mess fund. Quite a large number had a "boy" along to do the
cooking and washing. Think of it! a Confederate soldier with a body
servant all his own, to bring him a drink of water, black his boots,
dust his clothes, cook his corn bread and bacon, and put wood on his
fire. Never was there fonder admiration than these darkies displayed for
their masters. Their chief delight and glory was to praise the courage
and good looks of "Mahse Tom," and prophesy great things about his
future. Many a ringing laugh and shout of fun originated in the queer
remarks, shining countenance, and glistening teeth of this now forever
departed character.
It is amusing to think of the follies of the early part of the war, as
illustrated by the outfits of the volunteers. They were so heavily clad,
and so burdened with all manner of things, that a march was torture, and
the wagon trains were so immense in proportion to the number of troops,
that it would have been impossible to guard them in an enemy's country.
Subordinate officers thought themselves entitled to transportation for
trunks, mattresses, and folding bedsteads, and the privates were as
ridiculous in their demands.
Thus much by way of introduction. The change came rapidly, and stayed
not until the transformation was complete. Nor was this change
attributable alone to the orders of the general officers. The men soon
learned the inconvenience and danger of so much luggage, and, as they
became more experienced, they vied with each other in reducing
themselves to light-marching trim.
Experience soon demonstrated that boots were not agreeable on a long
march. They were heavy and irksome, and when the heels were worn a
little one-sided, the wearer would find his ankle twisted nearly out of
joint by every unevenness of the road. When thoroughly wet, it was a
laborious undertaking to get them off, and worse to get them on in time
to answer the morning roll-call. And so, good, strong brogues or
brogans, with broad bottoms and big, flat heels, succeeded the boots,
and were found much more comfortable and agreeable, easier put on and
off, and altogether the more sensible.
A short-waisted and single-breasted jacket usurped the place of the
long-tailed coat, and became universal. The enemy noticed this
peculiarity, and called the Confederates gray jackets, which name was
immediately transferred to those lively creatures which were the
constant admirers and inseparable companions of the Boys in Gray and in
Blue.
Caps were destined to hold out longer than some other uncomfortable
things, but they finally yielded to the demands of comfort and common
sense, and a good soft felt hat was worn instead. A man who has never
been a soldier does not know, nor indeed can know, the amount of comfort
there is in a good soft hat in camp, and how utterly useless is a
"soldier hat" as they are generally made. Why the Prussians, with all
their experience, wear their heavy, unyielding helmets, and the French
their little caps, is a mystery to a Confederate who has enjoyed the
comfort of an old slouch.
Overcoats an inexperienced man would think an absolute necessity for men
exposed to the rigors of a northern Virginia winter, but they grew
scarcer and scarcer; they were found to be a great inconvenience. The
men came to the conclusion that the trouble of carrying them on hot days
outweighed the comfort of having them when the cold day arrived. Besides
they found that life in the open air hardened them to such an extent
that changes in the temperature were not felt to any degree. Some clung
to their overcoats to the last, but the majority got tired lugging them
around, and either discarded them altogether, or trusted to capturing
one about the time it would be needed. Nearly every overcoat in the army
in the latter years was one of Uncle Sam's captured from his boys.
The knapsack vanished early in the struggle. It was inconvenient to
"change" the underwear too often, and the disposition not to change
grew, as the knapsack was found to gall the back and shoulders, and
weary the man before half the march was accomplished. The better way was
to dress out and out, and wear that outfit until the enemy's knapsacks,
or the folks at home supplied a change. Certainly it did not pay to
carry around clean clothes while waiting for the time to use them.
Very little washing was done, as a matter of course. Clothes once given
up were parted with forever. There were good reasons for this: cold
water would not cleanse them or destroy the vermin, and hot water was
not always to be had. One blanket to each man was found to be as much as
could be carried, and amply sufficient for the severest weather. This
was carried generally by rolling it lengthwise, with the rubber cloth
outside, tying the ends of the roll together, and throwing the loop thus
made over the left shoulder with the ends fastened together hanging
under the right arm.
The haversack held its own to the last, and was found practical and
useful. It very seldom, however, contained rations, but was used to
carry all the articles generally carried in the knapsack; of course the
stock was small. Somehow or other, many men managed to do without the
haversack, and carried absolutely nothing but what they wore and had in
their pockets.
The infantry threw away their heavy cap boxes and cartridge boxes, and
carried their caps and cartridges in their pockets. Canteens were very
useful at times, but they were as a general thing discarded. They were
not much used to carry water, but were found useful when the men were
driven to the necessity of foraging, for conveying buttermilk, cider,
sorghum, etc., to camp. A good strong tin cup was found better than a
canteen, as it was easier to fill at a well or spring, and was
serviceable as a boiler for making coffee when the column halted for the
night.
Revolvers were found to be about as useless and heavy lumber as a
private soldier could carry, and early in the war were sent home to be
used by the women and children in protecting themselves from insult and
violence at the hands of the ruffians who prowled about the country
shirking duty.
Strong cotton was adopted in place of flannel and merino, for two
reasons: first, because easier to wash; and second, because the vermin
did not propagate so rapidly in cotton as in wool. Common white cotton
shirts and drawers proved the best that could be used by the private
soldier.
Gloves to any but a mounted man were found useless, worse than useless.
With the gloves on, it was impossible to handle an axe, buckle harness,
load a musket, or handle a rammer at the piece. Wearing them was found
to be simply a habit, and so, on the principle that the less luggage the
less labor, _they_ were discarded.
The camp-chest soon vanished. The brigadiers and major-generals, even,
found them too troublesome, and soon they were left entirely to the
quartermasters and commissaries. One skillet and a couple of frying
pans, a bag for flour or meal, another bag for salt, sugar, and coffee,
divided by a knot tied between, served the purpose as well. The skillet
passed from mess to mess. Each mess generally owned a frying pan, but
often one served a company. The oil-cloth was found to be as good as the
wooden tray for making up the dough. The water bucket held its own to
the last!
Tents were _rarely seen_. All the poetry about the "_tented field_"
died. Two men slept together, each having a blanket and an oil-cloth;
one oil-cloth went next to the ground. The two laid on this, covered
themselves with two blankets, protected from the rain with the second
oil-cloth on top, and slept very comfortably through rain, snow or hail,
as it might be.
[Illustration]
Very little money was seen in camp. The men did not expect, did not care
for, or often get any pay, and they were not willing to deprive the old
folks at home of their little supply, so they learned to do without any
money.
When rations got short and were getting shorter, it became necessary to
dismiss the darkey servants. Some, however, became company servants,
instead of private institutions, and held out faithfully to the end,
cooking the rations away in the rear, and at the risk of life carrying
them to the line of battle to their "young mahsters."
[Illustration]
Reduced to the minimum, the private soldier consisted of one man, one
hat, one jacket, one shirt, one pair of pants, one pair of drawers, one
pair of shoes, and one pair of socks. His baggage was one blanket, one
rubber blanket, and one haversack. The haversack generally contained
smoking tobacco and a pipe, and a small piece of soap, with temporary
additions of apples, persimmons, blackberries, and such other
commodities as he could pick up on the march.
The company property consisted of two or three skillets and frying pans,
which were sometimes carried in the wagon, but oftener in the hands of
the soldiers. The infantrymen generally preferred to stick the handle of
the frying pan in the barrel of a musket, and so carry it.
The wagon trains were devoted entirely to the transportation of
ammunition and commissary and quartermaster's stores, which had not been
issued. Rations which had become company property, and the baggage of
the men, when they had any, was carried by the men themselves. If, as
was sometimes the case, three days' rations were issued at one time and
the troops ordered to cook them, and be prepared to march, they did cook
them, _and eat them if possible_, so as to avoid the labor of carrying
them. It was not such an undertaking either, to eat three days' rations
in one, as frequently none had been issued for more than a day, and when
issued were cut down one half.
The infantry found out that bayonets were not of much use, and did not
hesitate to throw them, with the scabbard, away.
The artillerymen, who started out with heavy sabres hanging to their
belts, stuck them up in the mud as they marched, and left them for the
ordnance officers to pick up and turn over to the cavalry.
The cavalrymen found sabres very tiresome when swung to the belt, and
adopted the plan of fastening them to the saddle on the left side, with
the hilt in front and in reach of the hand. Finally sabres got very
scarce even among the cavalrymen, who relied more and more on their
short rifles.
No soldiers ever marched with less to encumber them, and none marched
faster or held out longer.
The courage and devotion of the men rose equal to every hardship and
privation, and the very intensity of their sufferings became a source of
merriment. Instead of growling and deserting, they laughed at their own
bare feet, ragged clothes and pinched faces; and weak, hungry, cold,
wet, worried with vermin and itch, dirty, with no hope of reward or
rest, marched cheerfully to meet the well-fed and warmly clad hosts of
the enemy.