Typical Soldier

Before the War December 1860 –U.S. Regular Army had 16,367 soldiers. –Very Small number –This would make the “professional core” of both armies.

Numbers North and South War was fought by –2,500,000 Union –1,000,000 Confederates –Most were AMATEURS –Volunteers –Not “Professional Soldiers” –“Citizen Soldiers”

DRAFT! Both sides resorted to conscription. –C.S.A. in April 1862 –Union in March 1863 –Both sides allowed draftees to hire a Substitute. What is a Substitute?

Draftees Estimated 170,000 men were brought into the Union army through the draft. 120,000 of those are thought to be substitutes.

Bonus! Bounty was offered later in the war to stimulate enlistment. $1 - $300 dollars bonus for enlisting. What was a “bounty jumper”?

Bounty Jumpers Someone who would try to make money by getting an enlistment bonus, and then he would desert. Then he would enlist again for another bonus. Basically, someone who is trying to profit from the bounties.

Civilian “Citizen Soldiers” In an analysis of 25,000 soldiers on the enlistment rolls… Most were farmers by trade. 300 different trades represented “Common laborers” were second most common. Does this varied vocational background have any advantages?

Advantages Citizen Soldiers have skills. When something broke, there was someone who could fix it. What was a “Company Tailor”?

Age Similar age demographics in both armies. Of 1,100 soldiers examined, –3 were 12 –1 was 13 –971 were 18 –1 was 73 –80% of all soldiers were between 18 and 29.

Youngest The very young were usually drummers. Many cited for gallantry during battle. Among those, John Lincoln Clem, from Ohio.

John Lincoln Clem Newark, Ohio The Drummer of Chickamauga “Johnny Shiloh”

The very old… E. Pollard – 5 th North Carolina, age 73 –Likely the oldest Confederate –Spent most of his service in the hospital Curtis King – 37 th Iowa – Age 80 –Oldest Yankee –37 th Iowa had 145 men over 60. –Called them the “Greybeards”

Edmund Ruffin Claimed to have fired the first shot of the war at Sumter.

“Typical” farmerThe typical Civil War soldier was a white, American born, farmer, between 18 and 29 years of age.

One Typical Johnny Sam Watkins Author of Co. Aytch Maury Grays, Co. H, First Tennessee Volunteer Regiment. 22 years old when he enlisted. One of 7 men in his Regiment to survive the war.

Not all were American Born In C.S. 1:25 were foreign born In U.S. 1:4 were foreign born Germans and Irish were the most common foreign nationalities.

“Irish Brigade” Both sides had an “Irish Brigade” –Union “Irish Brigade” was one of the best in the Army of the Potomac. –Had Green flags with the Harp of Erin on them

Patrick Cleburne Confederate General Born in County Cork, Ireland

Scandinavians Common in the “Northwest” regiments from Wisconsin and Minnesota. One of the “Iron Brigade” regiments, the 6 th Wisconsin, had companies that were German & Scandinavian.

Not all were white Both sides used African- Americans as Laborers –Digging Fortifications and the like –In the North, they were paid for the work.

Body Servants “Early War” many “Body Servants” were seen in the armies –Body Servants did camp chores, cooking and cleaning etc. –In the North, body servants were paid.

African Soldiers Both sides had African-Americans soldiers –200,000 served in the Union Army –Few in Combat –54 th Massachusetts was an exception, they saw some hard fighting. –“The Crater” at Petersburg also had black Union troops leading the assault.

Black Confederates March 1865 – C.S. Government officially approves 300,000 slaves to be enlisted in the army. –No “hard” proof of service in combat –Some interesting reading: Black Confederates Black Southerners in Gray

Not all were men… John Evans Mary Owens

“Some one has stated the number of women soldiers known to the service as little less than four hundred. I cannot vouch for the correctness of this estimate, but I am convinced that a larger number of women disguised themselves and enlisted in the service, for one cause or other, than was dreamed of. Entrenched in secrecy, and regarded as men, they were sometimes revealed as women, by accident or casualty. Some startling histories of these military women were current in the gossip of army life.(2)” – Mary Livermore –U.S.S.C.(2)

Clara Barton Served as a battlefield nurse during the Civil War. Helped make nursing a professional career. Founded the American Red Cross (1873)