invalid corps film
Invalid Corps Poster
Surprise!
We didn’t expect to have this, but as a surprise bonus to all of our fans and supporters, AND a way to share and show off your Invalid Corps pride, we have a brand new film poster! You can download your copy here:
https://invalidcorpsfilm.nrbrown.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/INVALID-CORPS-Poster-Design.pdf
Best,
Day Al-Mohamed and the Invalid Corps Team
Services Performed by the Invalid Corps – 4th Regiment
These posts are part of a larger series highlighting the contributions and accomplishments of the Invalid Corps/Veteran Reserve Corps during the Civil War. This post only captures some of the activities of individual regiments. Clearly, this is an area ripe for additional research.
4th Regiment
Organized at Rock Island, Ill., October 10, 1863, by consolidation of the 128th, 129th, 135th, 136th, 137th, 138th, 140th, 141st, 153rd and 166th Companies, 1st Battalion. Mustered out July 17, 1865, to January 23, 1866, by detachments.
Principally at Rock Island Barracks and Camp Butler, Ill., guarding rebel prisoners, escorting exchanged men to the front, and performing ordinary guard duty of camps and public stores. Prisoners escorted to different points for exchange, 3,825; escapes, 2.
Services Performed by the Invalid Corps – 3rd Regiment
These posts are part of a larger series highlighting the contributions and accomplishments of the Invalid Corps/Veteran Reserve Corps during the Civil War. This post only captures some of the activities of individual regiments. Clearly, this is an area ripe for additional research.
3rd Regiment
Organized October 10, 1863, by consolidation of the 8th, 10th, 16th, 28th, 50th, 54th, 168th, 172nd, 189th and 190th Companies, 1st Battalion. Mustered out by Detachments June 28 to December 15, 1865.
During part of the year has been stationed at Washington, performing the ordinary duties of the garrison of Washington, of course in conjunction with other troops. While at the Soldiers’ Rest an immense number of troops, from 800 to 6,000 -per day, passed through to the front. At Alexandria, Va., an average of 600 per day forwarded. At Eastern Branch corral many thousand of Government cattle guarded without loss. Regiment on duty at seventy-five points and in six States at one time. The detachment at New Haven escorted 2,280 men to the front, and (aided by other troops) guarded 6,000 men during the process of organization; duty for six months averaged eight hours per day for each man. One detachment assisted by a company of the Pennsylvania Bucktails, took charge of the One hundred and ninety-third Regiment New York Volunteers, at that time 200 strong, over 400 having deserted; in about two months the regiment was sent off with 1,022 men. At Burlington, Vt., a violent outbreak in a volunteer brigade was quelled by seventy men of the Third, two of the rioters being shot, some ironed, and many arrested. Duty of regiment severe; for weeks together on guard every other day; men known to fall asleep with exhaustion while walking their beats. Discipline excellent, notwithstanding that 608 men were received and 863 discharged, &c., during the year.
Reference:
The War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies – https://archive.org/details/warrebellionaco17offigoog/page/n574
Services Performed by the Invalid Corps – 2nd Regiment
These posts are part of a larger series highlighting the contributions and accomplishments of the Invalid Corps/Veteran Reserve Corps during the Civil War. This post only captures some of the activities of individual regiments. Clearly, this is an area ripe for additional research.
2nd Regiment
Organized at Detroit, Mich., October 10, 1863, by consolidation of the 38th, 52nd, 101st, 106th, 110th, 111th, 240th, 242nd and 247th Companies, 1st Battalion, and 6th Company, 2nd Battalion. Mustered out by detachments from July 3 to November 11, 1865.
Headquarters at Detroit, Mich., detached companies at various points throughout the North; patrol, escort, and ordinary guard duty. From headquarters the following men have been conducted to the front: Recruits, 1,026; substitutes, 202; conscripts, 140; convalescents, 805; stragglers, 201; deserters, 242; paroled prisoners, 242; total, 2,858; escapes, 16. Similar service was performed by the detached companies, but no numerical records forwarded to this Bureau.
Reference:
The War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies – https://archive.org/details/warrebellionaco17offigoog/page/n574
Aloha! The Invalid Corps Goes to Hawaii!
Aloha! Yes, we are in Hawaii. The Invalid Corps team was proud to be invited to the 2016 Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity to talk about our film.
The Pacific Rim International Conference, considered one of the most ‘diverse gatherings’ in the world, encourages and respects voices from “diverse” perspective across numerous areas, including: voices from persons representing all disability areas; experiences of family members and supporters across all disability and diversity areas; responsiveness to diverse cultural and language differences; evidence of researchers and academics studying diversity and disability; stories of persons providing powerful lessons; examples of program providers, and; action plans to meet human and social needs in a globalized world.
This morning we presented the history of the Invalid Corps, told the stories of several soldiers, and gave a play-by-play of the Battle of Fort Stevens. We even got to talk in some detail about Aunt Betty. Unfortunately, we had some technical issues but were able to show our trailer.
An exciting time but we can’t wait to get back home and back to work on the project!
PS The PacRim Conference also has an amazing disability film festival put together by Laura Blum with award winners like: Becoming Bulletproof, Margarita with a Straw, Right Footed (director Nick Spark was actually able to attend), and Touched with Fire presented by Spike Lee.
The Crowdfunding is Over but the Journey is Just Beginning (well, continuing actually)
The Kickstarter is officially over!
Kickstarter First Stretch Goal Revealed! – Civil War Mail
A quick Update from our Invalid Corps and the Battle of Fort Stevens Kickstarter. We’ve reached 90%! We are thrilled and humbled by the support we’ve received. And now we have 13 more days to reach the full amount. Considering the closeness to our goal, we thought it prudent to unveil our first Stretch Goal.
Our first Stretch Goal is a simple one, and one we hope is in relatively easy reach: $8,000. We hope to entice more people to support this project and/or to consider backing at a higher level. Why? Because at its heart, the Invalid Corps documentary is about the content and the stories of these men. Additional funding will allow us to begin to pay for direct production and have higher production values – To get this done right.
It means being able to afford things like a professional sound editor; some compensation for musicians (we have a composer so this project will have an original score but musicians have to eat too); and being able to send a full crew out for additional interviews with historians and descendants of Invalid Corps members. As for those who may be wondering, what additional reward that may entail, I give you the paragraphs below. 🙂
Mail has always been very important to soldiers. During the Civil War, these fragile notes are what connected families and in many ways have continued to connect military families, even today. These letters tell a much more intimate story than our textbooks of generals and battles. And of course, as we know, many soldiers carried letters in their pockets, to be forwarded to loved ones if they were killed in action.
About 45,000 pieces of mail per day were sent through Washington D. C. from the eastern theater of the war, and about double that in the west, through Louisville. According to Bell Wiley’s “Billy Yank,” a civilian worker with the U. S. Sanitary Commission, who visited a number of units, reported that many regiments sent out an average of 600 letters per day, adding up to more than 8 million letters travelling through the postal system per month. Franklin Bailey wrote to his parents in 1861, that getting a letter from home was more important to him than “getting a gold watch.” (via Dave Gorski at CivilWarTalk.com)
In recognition of the role that letters played, with this first stretch goal, we will send each backer (at the $25 and up level) an actual piece of PHYSICAL mail. They’ll receive a custom postcard of Invalid Corps imagery via the US Postal Service. Sent the same way families mailed letters more than 150 years ago, this is our “letter,” in thanks.
Resources: http://about.usps.com/news/national-releases/2012/pr12_civil-war-mail-history.pdf
Don’t forget to visit our Kickstarter! We need your to help get the word out about this documentary.
