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Concerning the war time photo of Charlotte, I asked the folks at the main library about that a couple of years ago, and they were not aware of any. At the time I was very surprised by that because you can find plenty of photos of the Old West from the mid 1800's, so you would think there might be some of Charlotte. One of them thought the best bet might be if one of the railroad companies from that time period took some photos of Charlotte that could be in some sort of photo collection somewhere. The oldest photo of Charlotte I know of is this one (http://treasuresofnorthcarolinamasonry.org/043-thomaspolkhouse.html - broken link)that was supposedly taken in 1873.
Discipline in the military was very strict. The Provost Marshal of the army was responsible for enforcing military rules, but regimental commanders also had the authority to dole out punishments for minor offenses. Petty offenses such as shirking camp duty or not keeping equipment in good order were usually treated with extra duties such as digging latrines, chopping wood, or standing extra hours on guard duty. Insubordination, thievery, cowardice, or other offenses were more serious and the guilty party was usually subjected to embarrassing punishments such as carrying a log, standing on a barrel, or wearing a placard announcing his crime. "Bucking and gagging" was also a common punishment- the soldier's limbs were bound and he was gagged so he could not speak. In the artillery, the guilty person might be tied to the spare wheel on the back of a caisson. Desertion, spying, treachery, murder, or threats on an officer's life were the most serious offenses to which the perpetrator was condemned to military prison or shot by a firing squad. Crimes committed against civilians were also punishable by the army and felons were executed by hanging before a formation of soldiers.
Sickness and disease were the scourge of both armies and more men died of disease than in battle. Sanitation in the camps was very poor. Germs and the existence of bacteria had not yet been discovered, and medical science was quite primitive by today's standards. Morning sick call was played in camp and ailing soldiers trudged to the surgeon's tent where the "sawbones" examined the sick. Quinine or other stimulants were administered, including an elixir called "Blue Mass". Whiskey was universally given for most ailments as was brandy and other stimulants. Extremely ill soldiers were sent to brigade hospitals where most were further affected by disease. Thousands of men in both armies died without ever firing a shot in battle.
The singular purpose of the soldier was to fight a battle and win.
There were a variety of small arms used during the Civil War.
The average infantryman carried a muzzle-loading rifle-musket manufactured in American arsenals or one purchased from foreign countries such as England.
The bayonet was an important part of the rifle and its steel presence on the muzzle of the weapon was very imposing.
When not in battle, the bayonet was a handy candle holder and useful in grinding coffee beans.
The typical rifle-musket weighed eight and one-half pounds and fired a conical shaped bullet called the Minie Ball.
Bullets were made of very soft lead and caused horrible wounds which were difficult to heal.
The artillery was composed of both rifled and smoothbore cannon, each gun served by a crew of fourteen men including the drivers.
The role of the artillery was to support the infantry while the infantry role was to either attack or defend, depending on the circumstances. Both branches worked together to coordinate their tactics on the field of battle. Cavalrymen were armed with breech loading carbines, sabers, and pistols. Cavalry was initially used for scouting purposes and to guard supply trains.
The role of mounted troops had expanded by the time of Gettysburg, with cavalry divisions acting as skirmishers and fighting mounted and on foot in pitched battles such as Brandy Station, Virginia on June 9, 1863.
Other branches of the armies included the signal corps, engineers, medical and hospital corps, as well as supply organizations including the quartermasters.
Location: The place where the road & the sky collide
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Originally Posted by Dave76
That's interesting about the hairdo thing. I wasn't aware of that. I was told by a Civil War buff that he could tell just from looking at one of the photos that the rifle was the more primitive type used early in the war before they began capturing Union rifles and before the technology improved on both sides. Just as an aside, and speaking of photos, it is amazing that there are apparently no known photos of Charlotte during the Civil War even though it served as the Confederate headquarters at the end of the war.
I looked in the NC State Archive online & found nothing. That doesn't mean that there isn't something there. . .
The end of the war in 1865 brought a welcome peace,
especially for the men who served as soldiers.
Armies were disbanded and regiments mustered out of service.
Former soldiers returned to the farms and stores they had left so long ago,
but the memories of their service and old comrades did not disappear
quite so rapidly.
In the decade following the end of the Civil War, organizations of veterans
of the North and South were formed.
Northern veterans joined the Grand Army of the Republic and
Confederate veterans enrolled in the United Confederate Veterans.
For many years, G.A.R. posts and U.C.V. chapters met over reunion
campfires retelling stories and recalling the friends who did not return.
Many veterans wrote articles, stories, and poems for the magazines of both organizations.
The G.A.R. and U.C.V. held powerful influence in political circles from 1878 through the turn of the century, but their influence faded as veterans
in congress retired and passed out of politics.
The last hurrah for both organizations came at Gettysburg in 1913 when
54,000 veterans attended the 1913 Anniversary celebration and
Grand Reunion, and both organizations formally joined in a singular
purpose of national unification and peace.
America's involvement in the Great War (World War I) four years later
brought hundreds of aged "Yanks" and "Johnnies" out to march together in
military parades for one last time before they quickly faded into the background as the nation's attention focused on her "doughboys" serving
in Europe.
Though the Civil War veterans faded away, the armies in which they once
marched were forever honored by the parks they helped establish at
Shiloh, Antietam, Vicksburg, Chickamauga and Gettysburg.
This thread was fun to do to honor my Great great great Granfather General Riley Leonard.
My late Dad would have been proud.
OK. Because I believe in the importance of history, I certainly support REMEMBERING Confederates and the war (most importantly WHY the war happened). But I'll stop short of honoring them.
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Please?
