Lee's Dispatch Captain Bob Lee SCV Camp 2198

Transcription

1 Lee's Dispatch Captain Bob Lee SCV Camp 2198 Volume 3, Issue 4 February 15, 2015 Commander s Report By Doug Garnett As our weather improves the camps throughout Texas will be moving back outside for activities. Grave honors and clean up. This is the time when the guardians can start getting ahead of the duties they have registered for. Spring is also a time for planning. We must look ahead to this summer s reunion in Temple. Before us is the task of electing Division officers and Brigade officers. These officers will be the leadership and the directional guide for the Texas Division of the SCV for the next two years. The decision on who we vote for is very important and so we urge everyone to sit back and think about where you want your Sons of Confederate Veterans Texas Division to be. As you review the directions of the SCV, bear in mind the charge given us by Lt. General Stephen Dill Lee, in "To you, Sons of Confederate Veterans, we will commit the vindication of the cause for which we fought. To your strength will be given the defense of the Confederate soldier's good name, the guardianship of his history, the emulation of his virtues, the perpetuation of those principles which he loved and which you love also, and those ideals which made him glorious and which you also cherish." Ask yourself am I vindicating the cause for which my ancestor fought? Each person must decide for himself just what the charge means to him. Once you have decided voice your feelings to your camp discuss the issues with your camp membership then guide the members of your camp who will attend the reunion on how your camp wants them to vote. February 28 th Cross of Honor Service Greenville, TX. 10:30 A.M. Please contact doug@dagarnett.com or CharleySmithTX@gmail.com for directions and a map. March 1 st 4 th Brigade meeting Frontier Village Denison, TX 1 P.M. Everyone invited to attend. March 28 th Camp Ford Tyler, TX Living History 9 A.M. till 4 P.M. April 11 th Medal of Honor Parade, Gainesville, TX 10 A.M. END Army Rank Insignia Used in the War A Review in two parts In the 1850s, American military leadership began to place an increased emphasis on French army tactics and styles, influenced, in part, by the rise of Napoleon III. The most extreme examples showing the adoption of French military fashion was in the use of Zouave uniforms by some U.S. Army infantry regiments, and the purchase of 10,000 chasseurs à pied uniforms to outfit the Excelsior Brigade. However, more subtle styling - including frock coats, kepi hats, and collar ornaments - also made their way into U.S. Army uniform design preferences. Lee s Dispatch is the official newsletter for the Sons of Confederate Veterans Captain Bob Lee Camp 2198 and is intended for the sole purpose of keeping the camp members and friends of the camp informed to the activities and news of Camp Statements in this newsletter are those of the author and may not reflect the opinions of the Captain Bob Lee Camp, editor or of the National Sons of Confederate Veterans. Within articles or quotes written by outside authors mistakes in spelling, grammar or sentence structure are strictly those of the author and may be left as is.. Zouaves in uniform Continued on page 2A soldier in a chasseur uniform Lee's Dispatch 1

2 Continued from page 1B When the Southern states seceded and formed the Confederacy they found themselves without an army. The new government drew upon the different militias throughout the south. These militias had drawn heavily on the surplus arms and uniforms of the US Army after the Mexican American war. Some of these militias designed their own uniforms many of which were based on the Austrian army. The shoulder board field color designated what branch of the army the wearer belonged to. Dark blue: general officers Dark blue: general staff We start with what the US Army used just before the War for Southern Independence to indicate their ranks and insignia. U. S. Army Officers Rank Insignia Second Lieutenant: a plain shoulder board without any emblem inside. First Lieutenant: a shoulder board with a single bar emblem inside. Captain: a shoulder board with two bars emblems inside. Major: used a gold Oak Leaf emblem Sky blue: infantry Yellow: cavalry Orange: dragoons Scarlet: artillery Dark green: sharpshooters White: judge advocate Emerald green: medical corps Crimson: ordnance Olive green: pay corps Buff: aides-de-camp Buff with white trim: adjutants Buff with black trim: engineers Buff with scarlet trim: inspector Buff with sky blue trim: quartermaster Confederate Officers Rank Insignia The states based their militia uniforms on some form of the US Military. When the Confederate Army first gathered, it was a mixture of colors, and patterns. Lt. Colonel: used a silver Oak Leaf emblem Colonel: used an Eagle emblem in sliver Brigadier General: a single silver star Lieutenant General two silver stars Major General: three silver stars As the Confederates took over the Union military warehouses, such as the stores surrendered by General David Twiggs in San Antonio, Texas, many soldiers were outfitted identical to the army of the Union. Continued on page 3A Lee's Dispatch 2

3 Continued from page 2B After the first few months and engagements such as Manassas, the Confederate government moved to create uniform regulation. They began to develop their, uniform regulations, as with many other aspects of their government they drew upon what they knew; the Union regulations. There were changes to these regulations such as the basic color of the fabric to be used of course Grey instead of blue and the rank insignia of their officers were also changed. General Second Lieutenant First Lieutenant Captain Major Note the insignia on General Thomas J. Jackson s collar Lieutenant Colonel Where the Union used their shoulder boards or epaulettes as their primary form of rank insignia the Confederates used the collar tabs and sleeve braid. Colonel Note: the rank shown on Robert E. Lee s collar. As with the Union shoulder boards the color of the cuff, the collar tabs, facing and piping (trim) of the Confederate officer uniforms designated the branch or function of the officer. The colors of these branches or functions were the same as used by the Union army. General Lee never wore the rank of General. He preferred to retain the insignia of the highest rank he held while still in the Union army before the war. Continued on page 4A Lee's Dispatch 3

4 Continued from page 3B As a general rule the Confederate Kepis used gold braid and the Union kepis used black. Prewar kepis had used gold and many Union officers continued to use prewar kepis. These views of Confederate Officer Kepis show how prewar colors of the dark blue and gold braid continued into service while the grey and gold began showing up soon after the new Confederate regulations were adopted. The Union also used braid on their kepis to designate rank but the Union went to using black braid. Shown above are two examples of Union officer kepis. The green on the left would have been a Berdan Sharpshooter. The photo above shows how piping was used as both a trim and accent to the uniform as well as an indicator of function or branch of the service. Another sign of both rank and function was the officer s sash worn under their sword belt A chart comparing the two armies in uniforms Green would have been medical, Orange Dragoon while the buff color would have been a staff officer and yellow cavalry. Right is how the buff sash would have been worn before the sword belt would be placed over it. Other devices were also used to designate the rank of an officer such as the braid on top of the kepis and badges sewn to the front of the kepi Next month Buttons, kepi and hat emblems and enlisted men End part one Lee's Dispatch 4

5 Cavalry and Dragoon Sabers by the N. P. Ames Co. By James Neel The newer version came with a narrower and therefore lighter, overall blade with a rounded rather than a flat back. Improvements in metallurgy allowed for a slightly thinner rolled steel scabbard without sacrificing strength; it too is noticeably lighter. The wooden grip, an evenly tapering cone on the 1840, was made larger and swells in the middle; both styles were wrapped with thin leather and two twisted strands of brass wire. The following is a description of some of the differences in these two principal weapons of U. S. (and most Confederate as well) mounted troopers. The Massachusetts firm of Nathan P. Ames was one of the earliest U. S. Government contractors, beginning in 1832 with a contract to provide artillery short swords based, as most U. S. swords were, on a French pattern. At that time, it appears that Ames was capable of producing the steel blades, but not the brass hilts and mountings on the leather scabbards; these were subcontracted to another firm. The artillery swords proved satisfactory, and Ames next received the 1833 contract for sabers with which to arm the U. S. Army's two brand new regiments of Dragoons. These were based on an English style, however, and Ames adaptation was basically unsatisfactory, resulting in a clumsy and poorly-balanced blade and relatively fragile brass knucklebow that was too easily bent or broken in service; the thin rolled iron scabbards were also easily dented, bent, cracked, and broken. In 1840, it was decided to replace the original Dragoon sabers with a more robust design, once again borrowed from the French in their popular Modele 1822, which was also copied by many other countries as well. In the photo above, the U. S. M.1840 is at the left, with its eventual replacement at right. The 1840 was disliked by troopers who wielded it because of its weight, being dubbed by them the old wristbreaker. Markings on the M.1840 are above and below; when Ames went into business, he located his factory near Springfield, Mass., home of the U. S. Arsenal, with which he had no connection. The address appearing on his original artillery and dragoon swords was Springfield, but by the time of the Mexican War and production of this piece, he decided to use the actual name where he was located. Also by this time, Ames had expanded his operation to include a brass foundry, and by the Mexican War had also contracted to cast "brass" (actually bronze) cannon for the government, meaning these swords were entirely the products of his business. In the photo above, WD are the initials of the U. S. Government inspector assigned to the factory to test each blade as it came from the assembly line; only if it passed was it moved next to be hilted. The letters US were applied only once the saber was finished. Note especially that each line on this and the other side is stamped separately - on most modern fakes, they are all applied at the same time using a single, larger stamp. Continued on page 6A Lee's Dispatch 5

6 Continued from page 5B By the time the war began, the term dragoons for mounted men was on the way out; the three new mounted regiments were called either mounted rifles or cavalry, and in 1861, all five U. S. Regular regiments were designated cavalry, so the new sabers were likewise now cavalry sabers. Other parts of U. S. regulation swords usually bear inspectors' acceptance stamps as well; in this case the top of the pommel cap has two sets of initials, W.D. and J.W.R. Each component was inspected and passed individually just as the blades were prior to assembly of the whole. Next month a comparison of Confederate Dragoon saber to the Union version. End This photo, from the Mexican-American war, is of one of the Confederacy s most cherished heroes. Years, after this photo was taken, as a Colonel this man would earn his famous nickname. The later replacement is variously known to collectors as the M.1860 or an even earlier date as some were made in the late 1850's as test samples and have been found dated 1858 and The one above was obviously made in 1863, and inspected by DR. By the time of the Civil War, the address had changed to Chicopee, Mass., though the factory remained in the same location as always! Often this address will be seen on a "scroll" instead of these block letters. By this time, Ames was dead, but the AMES MFg Co. remained the primary source of U. S. edged weapons throughout the Civil War, though there were many other firms producing the "new" model saber due to the huge demand occasioned by the war; of course, it was mainly these two designs that were also copied by Confederate sword cutlers. In this photo, as a young Lieutenant, his steely eyes shine through. This photo is identified as Lt. Thomas J. Jackson. We know him and remember him as Stonewall Jackson. STONEWALL General Thomas Jonathan Jackson born January 21, 1824, died May 10, 1863 (aged 39). Lee's Dispatch 6