Re: Minimal Franklin Guidelines -- Mississippi Valley Brigade

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Date Posted: Tuesday, July 13, 06:31pm
Author: Doug Cooper
Subject: Re: Minimal Franklin Guidelines
In reply to: Gen. Griffin 's message, "Minimal Franklin Guidelines" on Saturday, July 10, 10:51am

Boys - There are some excellent guidelines being published by the RRB and the WIG for this event, but to back up the Generals post above, I want to share some of the ongoing research on what the supply situation looked like as they stepped off on the last chapter of the Army of Tennessee.

In the new book on Texans in the Tennessee Campaign "The Finishing Stroke" by John R Lundberg, the author cites the unpublished letters and diary of William Young of Co A, 15th TX Dismounted Cavalry. Young wrote his sister on November 17 after the troops had been in Tuscumbia AL waiting to cross the river into Tennessee. This is the place Hood had gathered supplies for the invasion and where the huge load of uniforms and shoes had been received. Young states "With this army we can tough it out 4 years longer. As for rations and clothing we have done very well since here."

If you can get this book, buy or borrow it. It reads well and there are a good number of letter and diary accounts from Granbury's and Ector's soldiers, as well as the AoT in general. (For the best general read on the overall campaign, Wiley Sword's book is one of the best.)

Lundburg has a good account of the stripping of the 700 black federal prisoners of shoes and clothing at Dalton, foraging across northern Alabama and good info on their hopeful mindset, most of which can be summed up with "if marching can turn the tide, lets march...because marching beats fighting anytime." Atlanta had been tough on Granbury's men. It also has a complete roster and casualty list.

Even more important is the actual QM report by Lawton showing what he forwarded to the AoT at Tuscumbia, AL. Kevin Dally dug this out of:
Confederate Industry: Manufacturers and Quartermasters in the Civil War.
2002. Harold S. Wilson. Univ. Press of Miss. ISBN 1-57806-462-7

Page 127...
" on Nov.8th Lawton sent Hood's command at Tuscumbia another supply consisting of 28,408 Jackets; 38,305 pants; 36,865 pairs of shoes; 21,561 drawers; 17,910 shirts; 40,800 pairs of socks; & 141 bails of Blankets...
The Confederate Army of Tennessee that fought the Battles of Franklin on Nov.30, & Nashville on Dec. 15 was dashingly outfitted." (The last part is the author's opinion). That is enough to outfit between 2/3 and 3/4 of the army at one shot.

Further reading shows an additional 6500 pairs of shoes and 2900 blankets shipped to Hood during this same time frame.

So taken all together, using first person CS accounts, QM records, federal accounts and even the post Franklin photo of CS prisoners (limited use of course), the evidence clearly states that the troops were well uniformed (CS issue uniform jackets and trousers) and equipped when they left Alabama in mid-November to begin the invasion. By Nashville, their shoes were wearing out due to the hard marching and awful weather and they were suffering from exposure due to a lack of tents and overcoats. On Nov 22 as the 15th was sent out as advanced guard, Young says "it was freezing like blue blazes." The boys probably wore every item of clothing they had and supplemented with whatever they could get from home or from the enemy. Mail was very intermittent during the invasion so most items would have been received prior to that (also mentioned in Lundberg's book). The frightful weather conditions at Nashville are well documented including accounts of CS troops digging holes in the ground and lining them with sticks to keep them out of the wind and rain/sleet/snow.

As we have said elsewhere on the A/C and the various forums on the event, the jury is still out on the type jacket most prevalent among the boys, but as Atlanta was eliminated and Augusta and Columbus largely cut-off, most of the stores gathered just prior to the invasion must have come from Alabama Depots, making the jackets produced at those places a good bet. These include Dept of Alabama, Columbus Depot and Mobile Depot (Mystery) types.

Now of course we are going to be there the first weekend of October so we won't be exposed to the same cold. One thing often sited was the lack of overcoats, and Lawton admits to being unable to obtain a good supply. Most would have been homespun or captured/stripped (at Franklin mostly) with possibly a few imported coats making their way up from Mobile.

Anyway, just some thoughts on what we looked like. If anybody has any additional stuff, sing out! Thanks to Fred Baker, Kevin Dally and Dusty Lind for some good digging.
>Gentlemen,
>
>I think it is important both for our personal
>reputation as a premier Brigade and for the sake of
>future large scale reenactments that we establish some
>very minimal uniform guidelines and enforce them at
>the event.
>
>I realize that not all will be "up to par" with all of
>the accurate guidelines given for this event, however,
>all of us can avoid those items that belong on a movie
>set and not on the battlefield.
>
>For instance, No coon skin hats, no animal skin
>clothing of any kind, no moccasins, no stetson cowboy
>hats, no wranglers or gun slinger attire, no dickies,
>no west german boots ect. Basically the very obvious
>items that are no where near correct. If you have a
>question please, please ask. You will not be shamed
>for doing so!
>
>If you are a new guy and lack something such as shoes,
>trousers, a good hat ect. Post a message here. We
>will get you a loaner for the event! No shame there
>we have all had to do that at some point. BUT, let us
>not discrace our reputation and be the ones caught on
>the feild being blatantly "farby" as they say. We
>don't have to look perfect but we sure don't have to
>look silly.
>
>YOS,
>
>Gen. Griffin

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Replies:

Re: Minimal Franklin Guidelines - correction -- Doug Cooper, Thursday, July 15, 10:15pm