CW_FAQ

Archive-name: civil-war-usa/faq/part1Posting-frequency: monthlyLast-modified: 1998/5/19Version: 6.01

U.S. Civil War FAQ v6.01 (19 May 1998)

This is part 1 (of 2) of a collection of answers to frequently askedquestions (and some not-so-frequently, too!) about the Civil War. It isposted on or about the 20th of each month. It was compiled by Justin M.Sanders ([email protected]) who tried to be as complete andaccurate as possible, but who is definitely human and has probably madeseveral errors.

Please send comments, suggestions, or corrections to the address above.

The topics covered are (a plus means a new entry, an asterisk means arevised entry):---Part 1---Section 0: alt.war.civil.usa, soc.history.war.us-civil-war, and net stuff*Q0.1: What are these groups anyway?*Q0.2: Are the FAQ and Reading List archived somewhere?Q0.3: Where can I find Civil War images, documents, and soforth on-line?Section 1: Secession and the beginning of the WarQ1.1: When did state X secede?Q1.2: Was there a declaration of war or something?Q1.3: Was Texas given a right to secede by the Treaty of Annexationthat brought it into the Union?Q1.4: Did the Supreme Court ever rule on the legality of secession?Q1.5: What were the populations of the states at the outbreak ofthe war?Section 2: Battles and fighting forcesQ2.1: What are the alternative names of various battles?Q2.2: Who were the U.S. Generals at the outbreak of the war, andwho were the first Generals appointed after the war began?Q2.3: Who were the first C.S. Generals appointed?Q2.4: What were the naval ranks during the Civil War?Q2.5: What were the organization and strengths of various unitsin the armies?Q2.6: What is the difference between grapeshot and canister? Q2.7: How did prisoner exchanges and paroles work?Q2.8: What did a brevet promotion indicate, and what did an officergain by being given a brevet?---Part 2---Section 3: The end of the WarQ3.1: When did the war end?Q3.2: If the rebel states were never considered legally out of theUnion, how was Reconstruction justified?Q3.3: When were the different states readmitted to representation inCongress?Q3.4: Who was the last surviving veteran of the Civil War?Section 4: Genealogy and Unit HistoriesQ4.1: My ancestor fought in the war-- how do I find out about his service?Q4.2: How can I find information about a particular regiment?Section 5: MiscellaneousQ5.1: What is the "Stars and Bars"?Q5.2: What changes to the U.S. flag occurred during the war?Q5.3: How was the state of West Virginia created?Q5.4: What war records did the post-war presidents have?Q5.5: What are the various alternative names for the war?Q5.6: What are good books on the war?

Q5.7: How can I get the soundtrack to Ken Burn's "Civil War"?Q5.8: Did U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee both own slaves and free them?Q5.9: What is the recipe for hardtack?Q5.10: Where can I get a copy of the Sullivan Ballou letter quoted in Ken Burn's "Civil War"?Q5.11: What were the lyrics to "Dixie", "The Bonnie Blue Flag", etc.?Q5.12: How can I get the "Official Records" on CD-ROM?

Answers

Section 0: alt.war.civil.usa, soc.history.war.us-civil-war, andnet stuff

------------------------------*Q0.1: What are these groups anyway?

The USENET newsgroup alt.war.civil.usa was created in the Springof 1992 at the suggestion of Patrick L. Dunn (Thanks!). The charter of alt.war.civil.usa reads:The purpose of this group is the discussion of topics related to the United States Civil War (1861-65). Topics can involve military, political, social, economic or other factors which impacted upon this period of history. This newsgroup will also serve as a source of information, assistance, or referralfor persons seeking guidance via responses from more knowledgeable subscribers.

The USENET newsgroup soc.history.war.us-civil-war is a moderated groupcreated in June 1995. Andrew McMichael spearheaded the drive to createthe group (thanks Andrew!). Its purpose is very similar toalt.war.civil.usa; the whole panoply of topics related to the U.S. CivilWar may be discussed. However, it is moderated. This means that articlesare screened by volunteer moderators to insure that they remain on topic,do not excessively quote other articles, are not flames, and do notcontain racial or other attacks. A more detailed explanation of themoderation policy is posted in the group at the beginning of each month. It is also available at the soc.history.war.us-civil-war Web Page at

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/7002

------------------------------*Q0.2: Are the FAQ and Reading List archived somewhere?

Yes, the latest versions of the FAQ and Reading List are available foranonymous ftp at:

ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/civil-war-usa/faq/part1ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/civil-war-usa/faq/part2ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/civil-war-usa/reading-list

An HTML version of this FAQ and Reading List is at

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/Delta/7002/faqidx.htm

The HTML version is a little behind the posted version, since it takessome time to make the conversion.

------------------------------Q0.3: Where can I find Civil War images, documents, and so forth on-line?

[Your humble FAQ maintainer asks the net cruisers among you to keep himnotified of changes and errors.]A large collection of e-texts relating to the Civil War including the

Confederate Constitution, secession ordinances, Lincoln's Inaugurals, theEmancipation Proclamation, lists of CS Navy ships, the autobiography ofCSA Gen. D.H. Maury, plus images of famous people on both sides areavailable at the anonymous ftp archive site

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/academic/history/marshall/military/civil_war_usa

Here is list of URL's that will lead to dozens more[Compiled with assistance from Steven Rohr]:

The American Civil War Homepage (Univ of Tennessee)http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/

U.S. Civil War Center (LSU)http://www.cwc.lsu.edu

Civil War Page (Jim Janke)http://homepages.dsu.edu/jankej/civilwar/civilwar.htm

Civil War Information, Documents, and Archives (Bryan Boyle)http://www.access.digex.net/~bdboyle/cw.html

Civil War Resourceshttp://www.usafa.af.mil/dfeng/cwarres.htm

The Gettysburg Discussion Grouphttp://www.arthes.com:1030/gettys.html

Causes of the Civil War site (Jim Epperson)-- lots of documents from the period leading to secession)http://members.aol.com/jfepperson/causes.html

The Library of Congress has a Civil War image collection athttp://rs6.loc.gov/amhome.html

An archive of articles previously posted in alt.war.civil.usa (since about 1 Jan 1996) and soc.history.war.us-civil-war (since about 1 Apr 1996) is available at http://www.dejanews.com

Section 1: The beginning of the War

------------------------------Q1.1: When did state X secede?

Before Lincoln's call for troops, the following states seceded:1. South Carolina, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 20 Dec 18602. Mississippi, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 9 Jan 18613. Florida, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 10 Jan 18614. Alabama, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 11 Jan 18615. Georgia, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 19 Jan 18616. Louisiana, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 26 Jan 18617. Texas, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession, 1 Feb 1861, totake effect 2 Mar 1861 provided it was ratified by the voterson 23 Feb 1861 (approved 46,153 to 14,747). Texas admitted to the Confederacy, 2 Mar 1861.

After Lincoln's call for troops on 15 Apr 1861, the following statesseceded: 8. Virginia, Convention rejected secession 4 Apr 1861, Conventionpassed Ordinance of Secession 17 Apr 1861 and ratified C.S.A.Constitution, both subject to ratification of voters 23 May 1861

(approved 132,201 to 37,451). Virginia admitted to CSA 7 May 1861. 9. Arkansas, Convention rejected secession ordinance on 18 Mar 1861and called for referendum in August, Convention passed Ordinance of Secession 6 May 1861. Arkansas admitted to C.S.A. 20 May 1861.10. North Carolina, Voters narrowly rejected (47,705 to 47,611) calling aConvention 28 Feb 1861. Legislature called Convention 1 May 1861. Convention passed Ordinance of Secession 20 May 1861. North Carolinaprovisionally admitted to CSA 17 May 1861.11. Tennessee, Voters rejected (69,772 to 57,708) calling a Convention 9 Feb 1861. On 6 May 1861 Legislature passed "Declaration of Independence" and ratification of CSA Constitution subject to referendum on 8 June 1861 (approved 104,471 to 47,183). Tennessee admitted to CSA 17 May 1861.

The following two states never seceded via any mechanism provided by a "regular" government:12. Missouri, Convention rejected secession 9 Mar 1861; Conventionreconvened in July 1861 and declared offices of governor andlegislature vacant; rump legislature, meeting in Neosho, passed Ordinance of Secession 31 Oct 1861 and requested admission to CSA. Missouri admitted to CSA 28 Nov 1861.13. Kentucky, southern sympathizers called for convention Oct 1861,Convention passed Ordinance of Secession 18 Nov 1861. Kentuckyadmitted to the CSA 10 Dec 1861.

Sources: Civil War Day-by-Day; Official Records, Ser. IV, Vol 1; D.W. Crofts, *Reluctant Confederates* (1989); W.L. Buenger, *Secession and the Union in Texas* (1984).

------------------------------Q1.2: Was there a declaration of war or something?

1. The United States never declared war. This was in keeping with itsposition that the rebel states did not form a new nation, rather they werestates in which a rebellion was taking place. Abraham Lincoln issued aProclamation that an insurrection existed in the states of SC, GA, FL, AL,MS, LA, and TX on 15 Apr 1861 (Messages & Papers of the Presidents, vol. V, p3214). He also proclaimed a blockade of Southern harbors on 19 Apr1861, and the date of this proclamation was taken by the Supreme Court inseveral cases to be the official beginning of the insurrection. 2. The Confederate States passed "An Act recognizing the existence ofwar between the United States and the Confederate States" on 6 May 1861. This act exempted MD, NC, TN, KY, AR, MO, DE, and the territories of AZand NM, and the Indian Territory south of KS.

Sources: McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom; Official Records, Ser. IV, Vol. 1

------------------------------Q1.3: Was Texas given a right to secede by the Treaty of Annexationthat brought it into the Union?

Texas *was not* brought into the Union by treaty. There was an attemptto do this in 1844, but the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the treaty. Texas was annexed by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1845. Neither the failed annexation treaty nor the Resolution of Annexationreserved any right for Texas to secede. In fact, the treaty would havemade Texas a mere territory, but the Joint Resolution gave immediatestatehood. In addition, the Resolution provided that Texas might divideitself into as many as five states, if it so desired. In 1845, Texas didnot avail itself of this provision of the Resolution, and it is not clearwhether the provision would still be operable after that time.

------------------------------Q1.4: Did the Supreme Court ever rule on the legality of secession?

Yes, it did-- after the war. Perhaps the clearest statement is in the case Texas v. White (74 U.S. 700). Chief Justice Chase, writing for the court in its 1869 decision, said:

"The Constitution, in all its provisions, looks to an indestructibleUnion, composed of indestructible States. ... Considered, therefore, astransactions under the Constitution, the Ordinance of Secession, adoptedby the convention and ratified by a majority of the citizens of Texas, andall the Acts of her Legislature intended to give effect to that ordinance,were absolutely null. They were utterly without operation in law. ... Ourconclusion, therefore, is, that Texas continued to be a State, and a Stateof the Union, notwithstanding the transactions to which we have referred."

The entire decision is available on the Web athttp://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/historic.htm

------------------------------Q1.5: What were the populations of the states at the outbreak of the war?

The following statistics are from J.C.G. Kennedy, Supt. of Census,_Population of the United States in 1860_ (Washington, G.P.O., 1864)

State White Free Colored Slave Total[1] Military[2]AL 526,271 2,690 435,080 964,201 99,967AR 324,143 144 111,115 435,450 65,231CA 323,177 4,086 0 379,994 169,975CT 451,504 8,627 0 460,147 94,411DE 90,589 19,829 1,798 112,216 18,273FL 77,747 932 61,745 140,424 15,739GA 591,550 3,500 462,198 1,057,286 111,005IL 1,704,291 7,628 0 1,711,951 375,026IN 1,338,710 11,428 0 1,350,428 265,295IA 673,779 1,069 0 674,913 139,316[3] KS 106,390 625 2 107,206 27,976KY 919,484 10,684 225,483 1,155,684 180,589LA 357,456 18,647 331,726 708,002 83,456ME 626,947 1,327 0 628,279 122,238MD 515,918 83,942 87,189 687,049 102,715MA 1,221,432 9,602 0 1,231,066 258,419MI 736,142 6,799 0 749,113 164,007MN 169,395 259 0 172,023 41,226MS 353,899 773 436,631 791,305 70,295MO 1,063,489 3,572 114,931 1,182,012 232,781NH 325,579 494 0 326,073 63,610[4] NJ 646,699 25,318 18 672,035 132,219NY 3,831,590 49,005 0 3,880,735 796,881NC 629,942 30,463 331,059 992,622 115,369OH 2,302,808 36,673 0 2,339,511 459,534OR 52,160 128 0 52,465 15,781PA 2,849,259 56,949 0 2,906,215 555,172RI 170,649 3,952 0 174,620 35,502SC 291,300 9,914 402,406 703,708 55,046TN 826,722 7,300 275,719 1,109,801 159,353TX 420,891 355 182,566 604,215 92,145VT 314,369 709 0 315,098 60,580[5] VA 1,047,299 58,042 490,865 1,596,318 196,587[5] VA1 691,424 55,269 472,494 1,219,299 129,786[5] WV 355,875 2,773 18,371 377,019 66,801WI 773,693 1,171 0 775,881 159,335Territories 76,214 (all terr.)

CO 34,231 46 0 34,277DK 2,576 0 0 4,837NE 28,696 67 15 28,841[6] NV 6,812 45 0 6,857[7] NM 82,979 85 0 93,516UT 40,125 30 29 40,273WA 11,138 30 0 11,594DC 60,763 11,131 3,185 75,080 12,797

The bottom line:White Free Colored Slave Total MilitaryUnion* 21,475,373 355,310 432,650 22,339,989 4,559,872CSA 5,447,220 132,760 3,521,110 9,103,332 1,064,193*includes MO and KY, DC, and territories

The following statistics are from J.C.G. Kennedy, Supt. of Census,_Preliminary Report on the Eighth Census, 1860_ (Washington, G.P.O., 1862)and from Annie Abel, _The American Indian as Slaveholder and Secessionist_ (1915, repr 1992: U of Nebraska Pr)The Five Civilized TribesTribe White Free Colored Slave IndianChoctaw 802 67 2,297 18,000Cherokee 713 17 2,504 21,000Creek 319 277 1,651 13,550Chickasaw 146 13 917 5,000Seminole 8 30 0 2,267

The following statistics are from J.C.G. Kennedy, Supt. of Census,_Agriculture in the United States in 1860_ (Washington: G.P.O., 1864)[ratios calculated by JMS]

State Slave- Slaveholders in slaves perholders white pop. (%) slaveholderAL 33,730 6.4 12.9AR 11,481 3.5 9.7DE 587 0.65 3.1FL 5,152 6.6 12.0GA 41,084 6.9 11.2KY 38,645 4.2 5.8LA 22,033 6.1 15.0MD 13,783 2.7 6.3 MS 30,943 8.7 14.1MO 24,320 2.3 4.7NC 34,658 5.5 9.6SC 26,701 9.2 15.1TN 36,844 4.4 7.5TX 21,878 5.2 8.3VA [5] 52,128 5.0 9.4VA1 [5] 48,523 7.0 9.7WV [5] 3,605 1.0 5.1Total 393,967 4.9 [8] 10.0

The number of free households in the 15 slave states was 1,515,605. Since the census generally counted only one slaveholder per household, thenumber of slaveholding households will be roughly equal to the number ofslaveholders. So there were roughly 393,967 slaveholding households in1860. Taking the ratio shows that 26% of Southern households wereslaveholding households.

Notes:[1] Total includes other racial/ethnic groups.[2] White males aged 18-45[3] KS became a state in 1861; it was a territory during the Census.

[4] "Slaves" are "colored apprentices for life."[5] VA includes the present state of WV, VA1 is just the present state of VA, and WV is just the present state WV. The whole of VA in 1860 (i.e. VA1 plus WV) was used in later calculations. [6] NV became a state in 1864.[7] White includes "half-breeds."[8] White population used was the total of the 15 states (WV included with VA) in the table.

Section 2: Battles and fighting forces------------------------------Q2.1: What are the alternative names of various battles?

Union ConfederateBull Run, VA Manassas 21 July 1861Wilsons Creek, MO Oak Hills 10 Aug 1861Logan's Cross Roads, KY Mill Springs 19 Jan 1862Pea Ridge, AR Elkhorn Tavern 6-8 Mar 1862Pittsburg Landing, TN Shiloh 6-7 Apr 1862Fair Oaks, VA Seven Pines 31 May-1 Jun 1862Bull Run, VA (2nd) Manassas 29-30 Aug 1862Antietam, MD Sharpsburg 17 Sept 1862Chaplin Hills, KY Perryville 8 Oct 1862Stones River, TN Murfreesboro 30 Dec 1862-2 Jan 1863Elk Creek, Ind. Terr. Honey Springs 17 July 1863Ocean Pond, FL Olustee 20 Feb 1864Sabine Cross Roads, LA Mansfield 8 Apr 1864Opequon Creek, VA Winchester 19 Sept 1864

------------------------------Q2.2: Who were the U.S. Generals at the out-break of the war, and whowere the first Generals appointed after the war began?[Contributed by Carlton Andrews ([email protected])]

USA Generals - Prior to Army Expansion

Name Rank *Commission Date Age 7/1/61---- ---- --------------- ----------Winfield Scott M.G. 6/25/1841 75John Ellis Wool B.G. 6/25/1841 77David Emanuel Twiggs B.G. 6/30/1846[Twiggs was dismissed 3/1/1861 for handing/surrendering all men andequipment in Texas to the state of Texas]William Selby Harney B.G. 6/14/1858 60[Harney went to Europe rather than fight for either side]Joseph E. Johnston QM-B.G. 6/28/1860 [staff appt.]Edwin Vose Sumner B.G. 3/16/1861 64

ARMY EXPANSION May 1861-----------------------

Regular CommissionsGeorge Brinton McClellan M.G. 5/14/1861 34John Charles Fremont M.G. 5/14/1861 48Henry Wager Halleck M.G. 5/19/1861 46Joseph K. F. Mansfield B.G. 5/14/1861 57Irvin McDowell B.G. 5/14/1861 42Robert Anderson B.G. 5/15/1861 56William Starke Rosecrans B.G. 5/16/1861 41

Volunteer CommissionsJohn Adams Dix M.G. 5/16/1861 62

Nathaniel Prentiss Banks M.G. 5/16/1861 45Benjamin Franklin Butler M.G. 5/16/1861 4237 officers B.G. 5/17/1861

* Commission Date is date to rank from, not date appointed.

-------------------------------Q2.3: Who were the first C.S. Generals appointed?

[31 Aug 1861 will be the cut-off date for this answer.]Generals in the CS Army (all were appointed on 31 Aug 1861, to date from the date given below):Samuel Cooper 16 May 1861 (Adjt & Insp. Gen)Albert Sidney Johnston 30 May 1861Robert Edward Lee 14 Jun 1861Joseph Eggleston Johnston 4 Jul 1861Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard 21 Jul 1861

Prior to 16 May 1861, the highest rank in the CS Regular Army wasBrigadier General (5 were authorized): Samuel Cooper 16 Mar 1861 (Adjt & Insp. Gen)Robert Edward Lee 14 May 1861Joseph Eggleston Johnston 14 May 1861

In addition to the CS Regular Army, there was the Provisional Army (PACS). Which had the ranks of Brigadier and Major General. Major Generals (PACS):David Emanuel Twiggs 22 May 1861Leonidas Polk 25 Jun 1861The first Brigadier General (PACS) was Pierre Gustave Toutant Beauregard 1 Mar 1861 at least 35 others appointed between Mar and Aug 1861

The rank of Lieutenant General was authorized for the PACS on 18 Sep 1862.

----------------------------------Q2.4: What were the naval ranks during the Civil War?

[Information from Richard Staley with amendments from Justin T. Broderick]

Admiral (grade created for David Farragut 25 Jul 1866)Vice Admiral (grade created 21 Dec 1864, Farragut being the first to hold this rank)Rear Admiral (created 16 July 1862, the only flag rank that has been maintained continuously to this day)Flag Officer (title created 16 Jan 1857, replaced by Commodore on 16 Jun 1862)Commodore (courtesy title until 16 Jul 1862 when the grade was formally adopted to replace Flag Officer)CaptainCommanderLieut. Commander (grade created 16 Jul 1862)LieutenantMaster (originally "sailing master"; after the period was changed to Lieutenant Junior Grade.)Ensign (title for a passed Midshipman after 16 Jul 1862)Passed Midshipman (Midshipman who had passed his examination for promotion to Lieutenant; called Ensign after 1862 although the term continued in use.)Midshipman (grade given undergraduates of the U.S. Naval Academy; not strictly in the line of the Navy in the latter part of the century).Master's MateShipped or Rated Master's Mate (usually a warrant officer).

References:_Todd's American Military Equippage: 1851-1870_W.B. Cogan, _Dictionary of American Admirals_, US Naval Institute Press, 1989C.G. Reynolds, _Famous American Admirals_, Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1978C.O. Paullin, "Naval Administration, 1842-1861", _USNI Proceedings_, vol. 33J.C. Tily, _The Uniforms of the United States Navy_, Thomas Yoseloff, 1964

-------------------------------Q2.5: What were the organization and strengths of various units in thearmies?

[Compiled with the assistance of Stephen Schmidt<[email protected]> and Dominic J. Dal Bello<[email protected]>]

(A good source of information is Richard Zimmermann, _Unit Organizationsof the Civil War_.)

First, always remember that most Civil War units in the field were onlyat anywhere between 20% to 40% of their full strength. Thus, while intheory a company contained 100 men, and would be recruited at that size,by the time they reached the army they'd be down to 60 or so and after thefirst battle down to 40 or so. The full-strength sizes are given below, soremember to knock them down by 50% or more when reading about unitsengaged in battles. Second, due to casualties among the officers, frequently units wouldfind themselves commanded by an officer one or two grades below the rankhe should have for the job (e.g., a regiment commanded by a lieutenantcolonel or major). Third, keep in mind that in the early stages of the war and in the moreremote areas (such as the Trans-Mississippi), unit organizations tended todeviate more from the norm. What follows will be the ideal, your mileagemay vary.

I. Infantry.

COMPANY.The basic unit is the company, commanded by a captain100 men = 2 platoons = 4 sections = 8 squadsA company has the following officers (commissioned and non-coms):Captain (1), 1st. Lieut. (1), 2nd. Lieut. (1)1st Sgt. (1), Sgts. (4) and Corporals (8).When the company was divided into platoons, the captain commanded one andthe 1st Lt. the other. There was a sergeant for each section, and acorporal for each squad. The 1st Sgt. "ran" the whole company.

BATTALION and REGIMENT.Battalions and regiments were formed by organizing companies together.In the volunteers (Union and Confederate), 10 companies would be organizedtogether into a regiment. The regiment was commanded by a colonel. Aregiment has the following staff (one of each): Col.; Lt. Col.; Major; Adjutant (1st Lt); Surgeon (maj.); Asst Surgeon (capt.); Quartermaster (lieut); Commissary (lieut);Sgt-Major; Quartermaster Sgt.There were also volunteer organizations containing less than 10 companies:if they contained from 4-8 companies, they were called battalions, andusually were commanded by a major or lieutenant colonel. The (Union) Regular regts organized before the war (1st-10th) were 10company regiments like the volunteers. When the NEW Regular regts. were

authorized, a different organization was used. The new Regular regts wereorganized 8 companies to a battalion and 2 battalions to the regiment.Thus new Regular regts contained 16 companies. These regiments frequentlyfought as battalions rather than as single regiments. However, often the2nd battalion could not be recruited up to strength, in which case theyfought as a single regiment.

BRIGADE.A brigade is formed from 3 to 6 regiments and commanded by a brigadiergeneral. The South tended to use more regiments than the North, thushaving bigger brigades. At some times in the war, some artillery would beattached to the infantry brigade: see the Artillery section below. Eachbrigade would also have a varying number of staff officers.

DIVISION.A division is commanded by a major general and is composed of from 2 to6 brigades. In the North usually 3 or 4, but in the South normally 4 to 6.Thus, a Southern division tended to be almost twice as large as itsNorthern counterpart, if the regiments are about the same size. At sometimes in the war, some artillery or, less often, cavalry might beattached: see the Cavalry and Artillery sections below. Each divisionwould also have a varying number of staff officers.

CORPS.A corps is commanded by a major general (Union) or a lieutenant general(Confederate) and is composed of from 2 to 4 divisions. Again the Northtended to have 2 or 3, while the South had 3 or 4. Each corps would alsohave a varying number of staff officers.

ARMIES.Corps within a geographic department were aggregated into armies. Thenumber of corps in an army could vary considerably: sometimes an armywould contain only 1 corps and other times as many as 8. Armies werecommanded by major generals in the North, and usually by full generals inthe South. Corps and armies usually had some artillery and cavalryattached: again, see below. Each army would also have a varying number ofstaff officers.

To summarize, the nominal strengths and commanding officers were:UNIT MEN Commander Example NAMECompany 100 Captain Co. A (but not J, looks like I)Regiment 1000 Colonel 5th N.Y. InfantryBrigade 4000 Brig Genl 3rd Brigade (US) **Division 12000 Maj. Genl Cleburne's Division (CS) **Corps 36000 Maj. Genl* IIIrd Corps (US) **Army Maj. Genl+ Army of Tennessee (CS) ++* or Lt. Gen. in the South+ or Gen. in the South** Numerical designation was used in the North, the Commander'sname was typically used in the South, e.g. Forrest's Corps. ++ The South mainly used the name of the area or state where thearmy operated. Rivers were used primarily as names in theNorth, e.g. Army of the Cumberland.

II. Cavalry.

COMPANY or TROOP.The basic unit is the troop or company, organized pretty much the sameway as an infantry company. The nominal strength was 100. If the troopdismounted for battle, 1 man in 4 would stay behind to guard the horses.

BATTALION and REGIMENT.In the Union volunteers, 12 cavalry troops form a regiment commanded by

a colonel. The Confederate Cavalry used a 10 company regiment. Again, the(Union) Regulars had a different organization: in the Regular units 2troops form a squadron, 2 squadrons form a battalion, and 3 battalionsform a regiment. And again, there were groups of 4-8 companies ofvolunteer cavalry which are called battalions.

BRIGADE, DIVISION, and CORPS. Initially, each Union cavalry regiment was assigned to an infantrydivision. The Confederates brigaded their cavalry together. The Unioneventually adopted this organization as well. As the war progressed, bothsides formed cavalry divisions (again the South took the lead). The Northalso formed cavalry corps, and the South later also adopted thisinnovation.

III. Artillery.

BATTERY.The basic unit of artillery is the battery, which has 4 to 6 guns, iscommanded by a captain, and has 4 lieutenants, 12 or so noncoms, and 120or so privates. It typically had 4 guns in the South and 6 guns in theNorth. Batteries were a subdivided into gun crews of 20 or so, and intosections of 2 gun crews, 2 or 3 sections per battery. A gun crew wascommanded by a sergeant and a section by a lieutenant.

BATTALION or BRIGADE.At the start of the war, each side assigned one battery attached toeach infantry brigade, plus an artillery reserve under the army commander.By mid-1862, larger organizations were used. The basic unit contained 3or 4 batteries of artillery; it was called a battalion in the South and abrigade in the North (same unit, just a different name) and it wascommanded by a colonel, lieutenant colonel, or major.

ARTILLERY RESERVE.After 1862, it was typical for each infantry division to have anartillery battalion attached, and each corps or army to have a reserve oftwo to five battalions. Each division's artillery usually fought alongside the infantry, while the corps/army reserves were used to form themassed batteries. The artillery reserve was commanded by a brigadiergeneral or colonel.

IV. Other Units.

LEGION.The Confederacy organized a number of units known as legions. They weremixed-arms units, usually containing 6-8 companies of infantry, 2-3companies of cavalry, and a couple artillery pieces. Generally as soon asthey reached the battlefield they were broken apart, the infantry forminga battalion, the cavalry being reassigned to some other unit, and theartillery joining the reserve. Sometimes the infantry retained the namelegion, more frequently it got renamed to battalion.

MARINES. Both sides had a rudimentary Marine Corps which fought along theAtlantic coast. The US Marines contained about 3,000 men and wereorganized into companies. There doesn't seem to have been any organizationhigher than that: they rarely operated in larger units than a fewcompanies anyway. The Confederate Marines had a strength of about 300 menorganized in four companies and was nominally commanded by a colonel.

HEAVY ARTILLERY.The Union organized some "heavy artillery" units, regiments containing10 artillery batteries (about 1800 men) which had training both asinfantry and as artillerists. They were organized in much the same way as

infantry units, but were quite a bit larger to provide enough men to runthe guns. Originally raised to man the defenses of Washington, in 1864they joined the Grant's army, and then served more as infantry.

ENGINEERS.Both sides raised special regiments of engineers. They were organizedsimilarly to the infantry regiments and were expert in building forts,entrenchments, bridges, and similar military construction. They werecombatants but usually didn't do any fighting, instead continued to workon construction even when under fire.

SHARPSHOOTERS.Both sides raised special sharpshooter units. The Confederate unitstended to be independent companies, but the Union raised two sharpshooterregiments (Berdan's 1st and 2nd US Sharpshooters). These regiments wereorganized as infantry. Usually they were assigned to skirmish duty, orthey would be allowed to roam around the battlefield to find goodpositions from which to shoot at enemy officers in the rear.

------------------------------Q2.6: What is the difference between grapeshot and canister?

Here is a list of the various ammunitions used in the war. The maindivision is between shot (did not carry its own explosive charge) andshell (carried an explosive charge).

For shot:1. solid shot-- the standard cannon ball (or bullet shape in the in caseof a rifled gun)2. canister-- smaller shot placed in a sheet iron cylinder. Thecylinder disintegrated when the gun was fired. 3. grape-- smaller shot layered between iron plates and held together bya central bolt. Presumably the bolt broke when the gun fired allowing theshot to scatter. Examples of grape shot can be seen in [2] pp. 76, 76,and 191. 4. quilted grapeshot-- small shot covered in canvass and tied up withrope which a gave it a quilted look. An example of quilted shot can beseen in [2], p. 177. 5. chain shot-- two shot joined by a chain. Used to destroy rigging ofsailing ships. 6. bar shot-- two shot joined by a solid bar (like a dumbbell). Used todestroy rigging to sailing ships. 7. red hot shot-- shot heated before firing. Used to start fires onships.

For shell:1. standard shell-- hollow iron projectile filled with explosive2. shrapnel shell-- hollow iron projectile filled with explosive and withsmall solid shot which scattered upon explosion. The spherical version ofthis was called "spherical case" or simply "case." The term "case" wasalso used for the name of the class of rounds which scattered small shot,thus canister, grape, and spherical case were all classified together as"case shot." (confusing, isn't it?)Shell was fitted with either a timed fuse (which ignited the chargeafter some fixed delay) or a percussion fuse (which ignited the chargeupon impact).

Standard solid shot and standard shell were primarily for destructionof materiel (viz. fortifications or ships). Canister, grape, quilted shotand shrapnel were used against personnel. However, there were alsovarieties of (non-shrapnel) shell designed for use against personnel (thehollow was shaped so the shell would split into a relatively few largepieces about the size of small shot).

References: [1] "Ammunition", in Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th ed (1911).[2] F.T. Miller, ed., "Photographic History of the Civil War," vol. 5,"Forts and Artillery" (1957 edition). [3] "Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War"

------------------------------Q2.7: How did prisoner exchanges and paroles work?

Prisoner exchanges were a way for captors to avoid the responsibilityand burden of guarding, housing, feeding, clothing, and providing medicalcare for POW's. Exchange of prisoners began with informal agreements between thecommanders of the armies after particular battles, but the practice wascodified by a cartel between the USA and CSA in July 1862. The cartel wassuspended by the US in May 1863, but individual commanders again arrangedexchanges and paroles until the US called a halt to all exchanges in early1864. When the CSA agreed to correct some irregularities in its earlierexchanges, and when it agreed to treat captured black troops equally withwhites, the 1862 cartel was again put into operation in early 1865. Commissioners of exchange were appointed by each government, and theyexchanged and compared lists and computed how many on each side were to beexchanged. There were official points where prisoners were to be takenfor exchange: City Point, VA in the East and Vicksburg in the West. Equal ranks were exchanged equally, and higher ranks could be exchangedfor some number of lower ranks according to an agreed upon list ofequivalents (e.g. 1 colonel equaled 15 privates). If one side still hadprisoners left, after the other side had exhausted its supply of prisonersby exchange, those excess prisoners would be released on parole. Paroled prisoners were returned to their side, but were prohibited byan oath of honor from taking up arms or performing any duty that soldiersnormally performed (like garrison or guard duty) until they were properlyexchanged. Generally each side maintained parole camps where theirparoled soldiers were kept while they awaited exchange, but in other casesthe parolee was allowed to return home until exchanged. [Sources: Boatner, Civil War Dictionary; Miller, ed, "Prisons andHospitals", vol 8, Photographic History of the Civil War]

------------------------------Q2.8: What did a brevet promotion indicate, and what did an officer gainby being given a brevet?

[By Stephen Schmidt ([email protected]) with assistance from JimEpperson and J.M. Sanders]

A brevet rank was an honorary promotion given to an officer (oroccasionally, an enlisted man) in recognition of gallant conduct or othermeritorious service. They served much the same purpose that medals playtoday (our modern system of medals did not exist at the time of the CivilWar).

A brevet rank was almost meaningless in terms of real authority. Forexample, a major who was a brevet colonel collected the pay of a major,wore the uniform of a major, could not give orders to lieutenant colonels,and was only eligible for commands that normally fell to majors. But hewas allowed to use the title of colonel in his correspondence.

In addition, there were some unusual circumstances where brevet rankcarried authority. For instance, when a force consisted partly of Regulartroops and partly of state militia, command would go to the officer withthe highest brevet rank (who might neither the highest ranking regularofficer nor the highest ranking volunteer!). This came up during the

Mexican War on some occasions, and seems to have been designed to allowRegular officers with brevets (implying experience) to assume command overhigher-ranking militia officers who had neither experience nor brevets.

An officer could also claim his brevet rank when serving on court-martialduty. Since an officer cannot be tried by officers ranking lower thanhimself, using brevet ranks allowed more people to qualify as possiblecourt members.

During the war itself, brevets were very difficult to get and were a signof valor, but on March 13, 1865, the War Department gave one brevet andsometimes two to nearly every officer on duty with the army. This angeredmany officers and men, who saw it as trivializing the efforts of men whowon brevets in combat. (J.L. Chamberlain mentions this in his memoirs, forinstance.)

Like regular ranks, brevets were kept separately for the U.S. Volunteersand the U.S. Army. Thus one man could have four ranks: an actual Volunteerrank, a brevet Volunteer rank, an actual Regular rank, and a brevetRegular rank. Brevets in the Regular army were sometimes used to honor menwho had already been brevetted Major General in the Volunteers and couldnot be brevetted again (in the Volunteers), as no brevet LieutenantGenerals were created during the war (Winfield Scott had been made BrevetLieutenant General [of Regulars] during the Mexican War).

Brevet ranks were authorized for the Regular Army in the Articles of Warof 1806; they were authorized for the US Volunteers on March 3, 1863.Partly as a result of dissatisfaction with the end-of-war brevet giveaway,brevet promotions were discontinued in 1869; although officers who hadbeen given brevets before that date continued to use them. They werereinstated for the Spanish-American war and continued in use until afterWorld War I.

The Confederate army did not award brevet promotions.

Sources: Boatner's *Civil War Dictionary*, the *Historical TimesEncyclopedia of the Civil War*, the 1806 Articles of War, and a veryhelpful discussion of several Mexican War situations involving brevetranks in *The Mexican War 1846-1848* by K. Jack Bauer.

*** End of Part 1 of U.S. Civil War FAQ ***

Archive-name: civil-war-usa/faq/part2Posting-frequency: monthlyLast-modified: 1998/5/19Version: 6.01

U.S. Civil War FAQ v6.01 (19 May 1998)

This is part 2 (of 2) of a collection of answers to frequently askedquestions (and some not-so-frequently, too!) about the Civil War. It isposted on or about the 20th of each month. It was compiled by Justin M.Sanders ([email protected]) who tried to be as complete andaccurate as possible, but who is definitely human and has probably madeseveral errors.

Please send comments, suggestions, or corrections to the address above.

The topics covered are (a plus means a new entry, an asterisk means arevised entry):---Part 1---Section 0: alt.war.civil.usa, soc.history.war.us-civil-war, and net stuff*Q0.1: What are these groups anyway?

*Q0.2: Are the FAQ and Reading List archived somewhere?Q0.3: Where can I find Civil War images, documents, and soforth on-line?Section 1: The beginning of the WarQ1.1: When did state X secede?Q1.2: Was there a declaration of war or something?Q1.3: Was Texas given a right to secede by the Treaty of Annexationthat brought it into the Union?Q1.4: Did the Supreme Court ever rule on the legality of secession?Q1.5: What were the populations of the states at the outbreak ofthe war?Section 2: Battles and fighting forcesQ2.1: What are the alternative names of various battles?Q2.2: Who were the U.S. Generals at the out-break of the war, andwho were the first Generals appointed after the war began?Q2.3: Who were the first C.S. Generals appointed?Q2.4: What were the naval ranks during the Civil War?Q2.5: What were the organization and strengths of various unitsin the armies?Q2.6: What is the difference between grapeshot and canister? Q2.7: How did prisoner exchanges and paroles work?Q2.8: What did a brevet promotion indicate, and what did an officergain by being given a brevet?---Part 2---Section 3: The end of the WarQ3.1: When did the war end?Q3.2: If the rebel states were never considered legally out of theUnion, how was Reconstruction justified?Q3.3: When were the different states readmitted to representation inCongress? Q3.4: Who was the last surviving veteran of the Civil War?Section 4: Genealogy and Unit HistoriesQ4.1: My ancestor fought in the war-- how do I find out about his service?Q4.2: How can I find information about a particular regiment?Section 5: MiscellaneousQ5.1: What is the "Stars and Bars"?Q5.2: What changes to the U.S. flag occurred during the war?Q5.3: How was the state of West Virginia created?Q5.4: What war records did the post-war presidents have?Q5.5: What are the various alternative names for the war?Q5.6: What are good books on the war?Q5.7: How can I get the soundtrack to Ken Burn's "Civil War"?Q5.8: Did U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee both own slaves and free them?Q5.9: What is the recipe for hardtack?Q5.10: Where can I get a copy of the Sullivan Ballou letter quoted in Ken Burn's "Civil War"?Q5.11: What were the lyrics to "Dixie", "The Bonnie Blue Flag", etc.? Q5.12: How can I get the "Official Records" on CD-ROM?

Answers (Part 2)Section 3: The end of the War------------------------------Q3.1: When did the war end?

9 April 1865, Gen. R.E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Courthouse, VA 26 April 1865, Gen. J.E. Johnston surrendered the Army of Tennessee et al.at Durham, NC4 May 1865, Gen. Richard Taylor surrendered Dept. of Alabama, Mississippi, and Eastern Louisiana at Citronelle, AL13 May 1865, engagement at Palmito Ranch, near Brownsville, TX, oftentaken to be the last engagement of the war

2 June 1865, Gen. E.K. Smith surrendered the Trans-Mississippi Departmentat Galveston, TX (the surrender had been agreed to by Smith'srepresentative, Lt Gen S.B. Buckner, in New Orleans on 26 May)23 June 1865, Brig. Gen. Stand Watie's troops in the Indian Territory surrendered at Doaksville. Watie was the last general to surrenderhis troops. 13 June 1865, Pres. Johnson proclaimed the insurrection in Tennessee at an end. (Messages and Papers of the Presidents, V, p3515)4 Nov 1865, The raider CSS Shenandoah surrendered in Liverpool to British authorities. For several months after the surrender of ground forces,this last of the CSA's naval vessels had been burning USA shipping,with her captain, James I. Waddell, still thinking the war was inprogress. Her last fight was against a whaling fleet in the Bering Sea on 28 Jun 1865. After this, the vessel was the object of aworldwide search. On August 2, Waddell had contact with a Britishship, whose captain informed him that the CSA was no more. With this in mind, he put guns below decks and sailed to England, where the ship was surrendered to the British Admiralty. Upon the boarding of the vessel by British authorities, the last sovereign Confederate flag was furled. [contrib. by PDunn]2 Apr 1866, Pres. Johnson proclaimed the insurrection ended in all the former Confederate States except Texas. This was his recognition ofthe legitimacy of the governments formed under his Reconstruction proclamation. (Mess. & Papers, V, p3627)20 Aug 1866, Pres. Johnson proclaimed that Texas had complied with the conditions of his Reconstruction proclamation and declared the insurrection in Texas at an end. (Mess. & Paper, V, p3632)

------------------------------Q3.2: If the rebel states were never considered legally out of theUnion, how was Reconstruction justified?

Although the states remained part of the U.S., they had no loyal governments, and the authority for the federal government to provide mechanisms to erect loyal state governments was derived from Article IV, Sec. 4 of the Constitution. That section provides that the United States shall guarantee to each state a republican form of government.Another important provision of the Constitution was Article I, Sec. 5which provides that each House of Congress shall be the judge of thequalifications of its members. This allowed the Congress to refuse toseat delegations from former rebel states until the states had met theconditions of the Reconstruction Acts. The authoritative constitutional justification for reconstruction canbe found in the Supreme Court's decision in Texas v. White (74 U.S. 700) delivered 12 Apr 1869. The entire decision is available on the Web athttp://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/cases/historic.htm

----------------------------Q3.3: When were the different states readmitted to representation inCongress?

For the dates that follow: "Act" is the date of the act which declared thestate entitled to Congressional representation (the Act of 25 June 68 wasconditional upon the states' ratifying the 14th and 15th amendment, theother acts required no additional state action). "S" and "R" are the dateson which the first Senator and first Representative were seated. "Mil" isthe date on which the military turned over all authority to the stategovernment. Tennessee did not undergo Congressional Reconstruction.

TN-- Act 24 July 1866AR-- Act 22 June 1868; S 23 Jun 68, R 24 Jun 68; Mil 30 Jun 68NC-- Act 25 June 1868; S 17 Jul 68, R 6 Jul 68; Mil 24 Jul 68SC-- Act 25 June 1868; S 22 Jul 68, R 18 Jul 68; Mil 24 Jul 68

LA-- Act 25 June 1868; S 17 Jul 68, R 18 Jul 68; Mil 13 Jul 68AL-- Act 25 June 1868; S 25 Jul 68, R 21 Jul 68; Mil 14 Jul 68FL-- Act 25 June 1868; S 30 Jun 68, R 1 Jul 68; Mil 29 Jun 68VA-- Act 25 Jan 1870; S 26 Jan 70, R 26 Jan 70; Mil 28 Jan 70MS-- Act 23 Feb 1870; S 25 Feb 70, R 25 Feb 70; Mil 28 Feb 70TX-- Act 30 Mar 1870; S 31 Mar 70, R 31 Mar 70; Mil 16 Apr 70

GA-- Act 25 June 1868; S rejected 25 Jan 69; R 25 July 1868;2nd Reconstruction 22 Dec 1869; Act 15 July 1870; S Feb 1871,R Dec 1870.The seating of Georgia's delegations was complicated by the fact that it was placed under military rule for a second time in 1869. This delayed final seating of the delegations until late 1870 and early 1871.

----------------------------Q3.4: Who was the last surviving veteran of the Civil War?

[this entry was originally written by the late Paul Cowan, but it has been extensively revised by JMS]1. Albert Woolson of Minnesota was the last authenticated survivor ofthe Civil War. Woolson served as a Union drummer boy and died in 1956. 2. Determining the last Confederate veteran is more difficult. Themost recent and thorough study by William Marvel, published in "Blue andGray" magazine in Feb. 1991, finds that the last authenicated veteran ofthe Confederate army was Pleasant Crump of the 10th Alabama, who died on31 Dec 1951. Previous claims to be the last veteran of the Confederatearmy (and of the whole War) were made for Walter Washington Williams (died19 Dec 1959) of Texas and for John Salling (died 19 Mar 1959) of Virginia.However, Marvel concluded that their claims must be rejected, since (amongother reasons) census records indicated that, in 1860, Williams was only 5years old and Salling was just 2 years old. 3. The last surviving Civil War general was Union Brig.Gen. AdelbertAmes, who died in 1933 at age 97. 4. The last surviving Confederate general was Brig.Gen. JohnMcCausland, who died on 22 Jan 1927 at age 91. Felix H. Robertson, whowas appointed B.G. in 1864, who served at such, but whose nomination wasrejected by the CSA Senate in 1865, died on 20 Apr 1928 at age 89. Sources: William Marvel in "Blue and Gray", Feb 1991; Jim Epperson([email protected]); Ron Kolakowski ([email protected] ); Stephen E. Brown([email protected]); _The Civil War Notebook_, by A.A. Nofi; _NewYork Times_ article, Dec. 19, 1959;_Civil War Dictionary_, by M.M.Boatner;_Handbook of Texas_.

Section 4: Genealogy and Unit Histories-----------------------------Q4.1: My ancestor fought in the war-- how do I find out about his service?

[Thanks to Geoff Walden and Lynn Berkowitz for updated information.]First, here are two good reference books that contain much moreinformation than can be given in this FAQ:(1) George K. Schweitzer, Civil War Genealogy, available from: G.K. Schweitzer, 7914 Gleason C-1136,Knoxville, TN 37919(2) B.H. Groene, Tracing Your Civil War AncestorISBN 0-345-36192-XAn additional reference dealing in Confederate records isJames C. Neagles, Confederate Research Sources: A Guide to Archive Collections (ISBN 0-916489-11-6, Ancestry Publications, P.O. Box 476, Salt Lake City, UT 84110)

The basic facts on your ancestor that you will need to know are hisname, state, regiment, and (if possible) company, for example: Levi Lindsey Sanders, 6th Texas Cavalry (CSA), Company I.

If you don't know the regiment name, you can often find it in 19th centurycounty histories for the county your ancestor lived in. Also be carefulwith Confederate regiments; they were frequently referred to by thecommander's name when they in fact had a numerical designation, forexample: 2nd Texas Partisan Rangers a.k.a. Stone's Regiment a.k.a.Chisum's Regiment. There are frequently indexes listing all the soldiersfrom a state which were published in the 19th century as well (this isalmost without exception for the Union states, more rare for theConfederate states). The National Archives has published a ConsolidatedIndex to Compiled Confederate Service Records on microfilm which isavailable in many large historical libraries (the service recordsthemselves are also frequently on microfilm at the library). A usefulbibliography of regimental and state histories is C.E. Dornbusch,_Military Bibliography of the Civil War_ (4 vols).

Assuming that you have the above information, you can obtain copies of your ancestor's service records by writing to the National Archives. Write to:General Reference Branch (NNRG-P)National Archives and Records Administration7th and Pennsylvania Ave.Washington, DC 20408and request NATF Form 80. Or you may request NATF Form 80 by sending e-mail to:[email protected] your name, (snail) mailing address, phone number and netid. Whetheryou request NATF Form 80 by e-mail or regular mail, you may wish torequest 3 or more copies, especially if you are researching a Unionveteran or multiple veterans.

When you have the forms, fill one out as completely as possible andcheck "military service" (Schweitzer recommends that you write in red inknext to the veteran's name "Please send complete contents of files.") Ifyour ancestor fought for the Union, he may have a pension file; you mayfill out a second Form 80 and check "pension record" (again Schweitzerrecommends requesting the entire contents of the file). (The NationalArchives will not have pension records for Confederate veterans, but someformer Confederate state did give pensions and their archives may have therecords, details can be found in the above references especially Neagles.)Some weeks later, the Archives will send you a letter indicating what theyhave located and how much it will cost to copy it (typically about $10).

------------------------------Q4.2: How can I find information about a particular regiment?

For the Union side, the definite first place to look for a briefhistory of a regiment isF.H. Dyer, _A Compendium of the War of the Rebellion_, 2 vols.It contains, among lots of other useful information, brief histories of just about every Northern regiment.

On the Confederate side, the nearest equivalent to Dyer isStewart Sifakis, _Compendium of the Confederate Armies_(New York: Facts on File, 1991-1994?), 11 vols.The volumes in this series are for VA; TN; AL; FL and AR; NC; LA; MS; TX;SC and GA; KY, MD, MO and Indian units; and a volume of Tables ofOrganizations. Another useful work isJoseph H. Crute Jr., _Units of the Confederate States Army_, (Midlothian, VA: Derwent Books, 1987)Crute's work is not quite as comprehensive as Sifakis', but it has theadvantage of having everything in one volume.

A useful bibliography of regimental histories, both North and South, is

C.E. Dornbusch, _Military Bibliography of the Civil War_, 4vols.It contains entries on books and articles which have been written about Civil War regiments through about 1987. It is strongly recommeded that you consult this work.

If you would like to see if others on the internet have an interest in the same unit that you do, consult Carol Botteron's Civil War Units file.The CWUNITS file is described as follows:

"The purpose of the CWUNITS file is to let people list the units they areinterested in and have at least some information on (from pension records,books, etc.). Typically the contact person had an ancestor who was in theunit, but re-enactors, history buffs, et al are welcome. (This is _not_ afile of re-enactment units.) If you see a listing for a unit you areinterested in, you can send the contact person email and shareinformation. The idea is not necessarily to find people with the sameancestor; people can share info on what action the unit was involved in,how the soldiers lived, etc."

The file is currently divided into 5 parts (3 Union, 2 Confederate) by states. To get a copy of the file by e-mail, send e-mail to:

[email protected]: archive Text is: get genealog.cwunits get genealog.cwunits1

up to "get genealog.cwunits5". Note! This mail server is *case sensitive*, so make sure to use only the capital letters used above.

The Civil War Units file is also available over WWW from:http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/warweb.html#rosters

Ms. Botteron updates the file approximately every two months.

Finally, you can consult the Index volume to the _Official Records ofthe Union and Confederate Armies_ and start wading through the O.R. Thismay be your only alternative for particularly obscure units. The indexlists the regiments by state. It is a good idea to check the index forthe name of the regiment's commander and perhaps for the brigadecommander.

Keep in mind the regiment's place in the army structure. Histories of battles or campaigns may not mention every regiment, but they may mention the brigade or division the regiment is in. As an example, Ludwell Johnson's _Red River Campaign_ indexes very few regiments, but the brigade commanders are indexed, and the brigades are shown on the maps. The 2nd Texas Partisan Rangers was in Major's cavalry brigade and Green's division, so its activities can be inferred by following the action at the brigade or division level even though the regiment itself is not mentioned anywhere in the book.

Section 5: Miscellaneous------------------------------Q5.1: What is the "Stars and Bars"?

The "Stars and Bars" IS NOT the familiar "rebel" flag one sees adorning license plates and often carried by the KKK-- that is the CS Naval Jack, based on the CS battle flag.The Stars and Bars design was approved by a committee of theProvisional Congress on 4 Mar 1861, but was never made official by law.

The bottom red stripe ran the entire length of the flag and was 6 unitslong and 1 unit wide. Above it, and to the left was a blue square, 2units on a side. In the blue square, a circle of stars (one for eachstate, initially seven, to represent the original seven ConfederateStates, eventually thirteen). To the right of the square, two stripes,white below, red above, each 1 unit wide and 4 units long. The Stars and Bars' similarity to the U.S. flag caused problems ofmistaken identity at 1st Bull Run/Manassas, so a battle flag for the Armyof Northern Virginia was designed. It was blue saltire ("X" shape) on ared SQUARE field. On the saltire was placed stars equal to the number ofConfederate States (in principle, eleven at the time of the initialdesign, but up to thirteen by the end of 1861). This flag design was soonpicked up by the other armies and branches of service. The CS Navy flewan oblong version as a Naval Jack which is identical to the oblong "rebel"flags seen today. By a law approved 1 May 1863, a new national flag was adopted by theConfederate States-- the "Stainless Banner". It was a field of whitetwice as long as wide, in the upper left was the battle flag (square) witha side two-thirds the width of the field. This flag had the drawback thatwhen partially wrapped around the flagstaff, the non-white part wascovered. This made it look like a white flag of surrender. Furthermore,its length to width ratio of 2 to 1 made it an unusually long flag whichexacerbated the problem. A law approved 4 Mar 1865, modified the "Stainless Banner" to correctits problems. The revised flag was 10 units wide and 15 units long. Inthe upper left was an oblong battle flag 6 units wide and 7 units long. The field was white, as before, except on the fly end there was a verticalred bar 4 units wide. The above dimensions, in terms of units, arederived from the much more convoluted description given by the flag act. This flag was the last national flag of the Confederacy.

------------------------------ Q5.2: What changes to the U.S. flag occurred during the war?

The admission of two states affected the U.S. flag during the war. Bythe Flag Act of 1818, a new star was added on the 4 July following theadmission of a state. Stars were added on 4 July 1861 for Kansas(admitted 29 Jan 1861, the 34th state) and on 4 July 1863 for WestVirginia (admitted 20 June 1863, the 35th state). Nevada, the 36th state,was admitted during the war on 31 Oct 1864, so its star was added 4 July1865 after hostilities were over (more or less, see Q3.1).

------------------------------Q5.3: How was the state of West Virginia created?

On 17 Apr 1861, the Va Secession Convention passed an ordinance ofsecession (to be ratified by the people). A mass meeting was held inClarksburg and called for a Convention of western/unionist counties tomeet in Wheeling. The 1st Wheeling Convention met 13 May 1861 with 425delegates from 25 counties, it decided to adjourn until after the vote onthe secession ordinance. The ordinance of secession was ratified bypopular vote on 23 May 1861 at which time new legislators were alsoelected.The 2nd Wheeling convention met 11 June 1861 and included the westerncounties' members-elect to the VA legis. On 19 June, the conventionpassed an ordinance "reorganizing" the state government (creating a"loyal" one), and on 20 June, Francis Pierpont was chosen governor. On 1July 1861, the members of the legislature elected on 23 May and someholdovers from the old legislature met, finished the organization of theReorganized state govt., and elected 2 U.S. Senators-- this governmentwas recognized as legitimate by the U.S.On 6 Aug, the Wheeling convention reconvened, and on 20 Aug 1861 passedan ordinance to divide the state. The division ordinance was ratified by

the people on 24 Oct. From 26 Nov 1861 to 18 Feb 1862, the conventionwrote a constitution for the proposed new state which was approved by thevoters on 11 Apr 1862. Lincoln signed the enabling act on 31 Dec 1862which admitted W.VA on the condition that its constitution include aprovision for the gradual abolition of slavery.The Convention reconvened yet again, and on 12 Feb 1863 amendedthe state constitution to abolish slavery. This amendment was approved bythe voters on 26 Mar 1863. Lincoln proclaimed (on 20 Apr 1863) that W.Vawould officially be admitted in 60 days. During the interval, W VAelected new officers-- A.I. Boreman was elected 1st governor, and VAunionist government under Gov. Pierpont was moved to Alexandria. On 20June 1863, West Virginia was officially admitted to the Union.In 1866, Virginia repealed the act approving the division, and broughtsuit in the U.S. Sup. Crt. to have the division overturned. Inparticular, it wanted Berkeley and Jefferson Cos. returned. On 10 Mar1866, Congress passed a joint resolution approving the previous transferof the counties to W.Va. In 1871 the Supreme Court decided in favor ofW.Va., thus settling the matter of division.

Source: Virginia and West Virginia articles in Encyclopaedia Britannica, 10th ed.

------------------------------Q5.4: What war records did the post-war presidents have?

From: [email protected] (Dominic J. Dal Bello)

I have looked up what the presidents after Lincoln and up to McKinleydid in the war (from _The Complete Book of US Presidents_ or somethinglike that.)

ANDREW JOHNSON: In March, 1862, President Lincoln appointed Johnsonmilitary governor of Tennessee with the rank of brigadier general.

ULYSSES GRANT: No intro necessary (lieut. general)

RUTHERFORD B. HAYES: served with the 23d Ohio Infantry from June, 1861,entering service as a major. October '61: promoted to lt. colonel; Oct.'62 promoted to colonel, commanding the 23d. After Cedar Creek (Oct.'64), promoted to brigadier general of vols. Received one of theinfinitely many brevets dated March 13, 1865 to major general, vols. Resigned June, 1865.

JAMES GARFIELD: Commissioned a lt. col in the 42nd Ohio, Aug. 1861, andpromoted to Col. in November, '61. Commanded the 18th Brig. at MiddleCreek, Jan. '62, defeating superior numbers, and was subsequently promotedto brigadier general. January, 1863-- appointed Chief of Staff toRosecrans, "In a daring ride under enemy fire, during which his horse waswounded, he conveyed vital information from flank to flank. For this hewas promoted to major general." Rosecrans said of him: "I feel muchindebted to him for both counsel and assistance in the administration ofthis army...He possesses the instinct and energy of a great commander." Elected to Congress in Sept., 1863 Garfield resigned in Dec., 1863.

CHESTER A. ARTHUR: Served in New York State militia from Feb. '58 to Dec.'62, rising from brigade judge advocate to quartermaster genl. In Jan,'61, appointed engineer-in-chief with rank of brigadier general. Apr,'61, promote asst. QM genl; Feb '62 inspect. genl; July `62, QM general. Spring `62 inspected NY troops in Virginia. War Gov. Edwin D Morgan said:"He was my chief reliance in the duties of equipping and transportingtroops and munitions of war. In the position of Quarter Master General hedisplayed not only great executive ability and unbending integrity, butgreat knowledge of Army Regulations. He can say No (which is important)

without giving offense."

GROVER CLEVELAND: Drafted, but purchased a substitute. Paid $150 toGeorge Brinske (or Benninsky), a 32-year-old Polish immigrant to serve inhis place.

BENJAMIN HARRISON: Was approached by Indiana Governor Oliver P. Mortonin early July, 1862 to raise a regiment in the congressional district inand around Indianapolis. Was given a provisional recruiting commission as2nd Lt. on 9 July 1862, promoted to Captain on 22 July, and commissionedColonel of the 70th Indiana Volunteer Infantry regiment on 7 Aug 1862 whenthe regiment was full. The commissions as Lt. and Capt. were essentiallypro forma, as Harrison understood that he was to have command of the 70thIVI. Commanded a brigade under Hooker in the Atlanta campaign. Hookerrecommended him for promotion to brigadier general for foresight,discipline and fighting spirit. He was brevetted Brigadier General 23 Jan1865, and mustered out of the service 8 June 8 1865. He said, "I am not aJulius Caesar, nor a Napoleon, but a plain Hoosier colonel, with no morerelish for a fight than for a good breakfast and hardly so much." [Additional info contributed by Steve Towne,<[email protected]>]

WILLIAM McKINLEY: 23d Ohio Infantry from June 61 to July '65, startingout as a private. April '62 commissary sergeant; for valor at Antietam(in getting rations to the men) promoted to 2nd Lt. commd'g Co. D, but puton Col. Rutherford Hayes' staff. Feb 63, promoted 1st Lt.; July 64,promoted captain. Served on staffs of George Crook and Winfield SHancock. March, 1865, breveted major. In uniform, cast his first vote in1864 (for Lincoln). Hayes said of him: "Young as he was, we soon foundthat in the business of a soldier, requiring much executive ability, youngMcKinley showed unusual and unsurpassed capacity, especially for a boy ofhis age. When battles were fought or service was to be performed inwarlike things, he always filled his place."

------------------------------Q5.5: What are the various alternative names for the war?

From: [email protected] (Patrick L Dunn)

From Davis, B. (1982), _The Civil War: Strange and Fascinating Facts_ (Originally published as "Our Incredible Civil War). ISBN 0-517-37151-0Chapter 13. Which War? pp. 79-80.

The War for Constitutional LibertyThe War for Southern IndependenceThe Second American RevolutionThe War for States' RightsMr. Lincoln's WarThe Southern RebellionThe War for Southern RightsThe War of the Southern PlantersThe War of the RebellionThe Second War for IndependenceThe War to Suppress Yankee ArroganceThe Brothers' WarThe War of SecessionThe Great RebellionThe War for NationalityThe War for Southern NationalityThe War Against SlaveryThe Civil War Between the StatesThe War of the SixtiesThe War Against Northern Aggression

The Yankee InvasionThe War for SeparationThe War for AbolitionThe War for the UnionThe Confederate WarThe War of the SouthronsThe War for Southern FreedomThe War of the North and SouthThe Lost CauseThe War Between the StatesThe Late UnpleasantnessThe Late FrictionThe Late RuctionThe SchismThe Uncivil War

and of course.... THE War, "as if the planet had not heard a shot fired in anger since '65."

Yet another alternative name: The Slaveowners' Rebellion

-----------------------------Q5.6: What are good books on the war?

Steve Schmidt ([email protected]) has compiled a recommendedreading list which will be posted monthly as a supplement to this FAQ. Other lists are archived atbyrd.mu.wvnet.edu/pub/history/military/civil_war_usa/in that directory are two filesciv_war_biblio_1.txt, which is an annotated bibliography of Civil War bibliographies, andciv_war_biblio_2.txt, which is a bibliography of Civil War books arranged by subject, similar to Schmidt's, but without descriptions.

-----------------------------Q5.7: How can I get the soundtrack to Ken Burn's "Civil War"?

From Wayne J. Warf ([email protected]):<Original Soundtrack Recording> The Civil War <A Film by Ken Burns>Elektra Nonesuch #9 79256-2 copyright 1990ISBN# 0-681-92609-0

Songs of the Civil WarProduced by Ken Burns and Don DeVito#CK 48607Copyright 1991 by Sony Music Entertainmentno ISBN# listed

------------------------------Q5.8: Did U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee both own slaves and free them?

[from Paul Cowan with amendments by JMS]1. R. E. Lee personally owned at least one slave, an elderly houseservant that he inherited from his mother. It is said that Lee continuedto hold the slave as a kindness, since he was too feeble to have made hisway as a free man. Although it is commonly believed that Lee owned theArlington Plantation and the associated slaves, these and two otherplantations totalling over 1,000 slaves were the property of Lee'sfather-in-law, George Washington Parke Custis. Upon Mr. Custis's death in1858, Lee did not personally inherit either the plantations or slaves, butwas named the executor of the estate. Mr. Custis willed that his slavesshould be freed within 5 years. Legal problems with the fulfillment ofother terms of the will led Lee to delay in the execution of the terms of

manumission until the latest specified date. On 29 Dec 1862, Lee executed a deed of manumission for all the slaves of the Custis estate who were still behind Confederate lines (Arlington was in Union hands by then).2. In 1858, while attempting to make a go in civilian life as a farmernear St. Louis, Mo., U.S. Grant bought a slave named William Jones fromhis brother-in-law. Grant gave Jones his freedom within a year of thepurchase, despite the fact the Grant desperately needed the money he mighthave recovered by selling him. Grant's wife owned about four slaves in herown name, and there is no record of these slaves having been freed priorto emancipation in Missouri in 1865. Sources: _Lee & Grant_, by Gene Smith; __The Civil War: Strange andFascinating Facts_, by Burke Davis; _Let Us Have Peace: Ulysses S. Grantand Politics of War and Reconstruction_ by Brooks D. Simpson

------------------------------Q5.9: What is the recipe for hardtack?

Recipes for hardtack vary from extremely simple to more elaborate.The simplest is:6 parts flour to 1 part water, mix, knead, roll out thin, and bake until hard.

From: [email protected] (Dominic J. Dal Bello)For about 10 crackers (1 ration):3 cups flour1 1/2 or so tsp baking soda1 1/2 tsp saltwater to form to a workable dough.Kneed the dough. Crackers should be cut to about 3"x3" (although somecontractors made 'em 5x5, even 7x7). When you cut the dough, I have foundthat it should not "pull away" - if it does, it is still too wet. With anail, or similar object, punch about 16 holes in each cracker (4x4 pattern- although this was not the only way to do it). Put in oven at about 375Ffor about 50 minutes - this is what I find to work for me; different ovensmay act differently. In any event, it should be brownish on the bottom. Your not "baking" cookies here, you are essentially trying to heat all thewater out of the cracker. Take out and cool. - they should get hard. "Evidence" indicates that hardtack was made with "self-rising" flour.If I recall right, however, no specifications have been found as to whatthe government actually called for. Some recipes call for oil, but I havefound that it has no effect on the final product. In any event,experiment with kneeding, etc., time to bake to get a final product whichis a nice hard slab of flour.

From: [email protected] (Jeff Zurschmeide)2 cups flour1/2 cup buttermilk2 tbsp baking soda2 tbsp vegetable oilsalt to tastewater to consistency Mix up well, (dry ingredients first, then wet) roll out thin, bake at 450degrees about 15 minutes, or to tooth-breaking quality.

From Merle Kirck:We make it for our Living History programs. here it is:3 cups milk8 cups plain flour8 tbl spoons shortening (crisco)6 tea spoon brown sugar (opt)3 tea spoon saltMix, roll on floured board, to 1/2" thickness. cut into 3" squares, punchholes 3 rolls of 3 with ice pick, Lightly grease baking pan, Bake in oven

400 deg for 45 min or till golden brown, cool in open air. Don't store inplastic (no plastic in 1800's) because of moisture. This recipe is the same they used except the sugar. We have found thata good dose of cinnamon, and not cooking it as long is good eatin'.

------------------------------Q5.10: Where can I get a copy of the Sullivan Ballou letter quoted in Ken Burn's "Civil War"?

The text of Maj. Ballou's letter can be found at Bryan Boyle's Civil WarWeb site: http://www.access.digex.net/~bdboyle/ballou.html

------------------------------

Q5.11: What were the lyrics to "Dixie", "The Bonnie Blue Flag", etc.?

A very nice Web site exists which provides lyrics (and alternative lyrics) for many Civil War era songs:

http://www.gulf.net/~vbraun/FlaStar/songs/index.html

Also Kathie Fraser has the lyrics to several songs on her homepage

http://www.erols.com/kfraser/index.html

------------------------------

Q5.12: How can I get the "Official Records" on CD-ROM?

There are currently three publishers who have the "Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies" on CD-ROM.

Guild Press of Indiana435 Gradle DriveCarmel, IN 46032(317) [email protected]://www.guildpress.com

Broadfoot Publishing Co.1907 Buena Vista Circle Wilmington, NC 28405Order Line (800) 537-5243 Fax Line (910) 686-4379General Information (910) [email protected]://broadfoot.wilmington.net/

H-Bar Enterprises 1442 Davidson Loop Oakman, AL 35579 1-800-432-7702http://www.hbar.com

Guild Press and H-Bar have several other Civil War-related titles onCD-ROM as well, while Broadfoot is well-known for its reprints (in paper)of essential Civil War reference materials.

***End of U.S. Civil War FAQ

Justin M. Sanders "I shot an arrow into the air. It fell Dept. of Physics to earth I know not where." --Henry

Univ. of South Alabama Wadsworth Longfellow [email protected] to a sad ignorance of ballistics.