invalid corps
The Invalid Corps: One Year Later
It has been a full year since we sent out the final full version of The Invalid Corps and since November is a month of gratitude, the Invalid Corps Team would like, once again, to thank each and every one of you for your support to make this film. We wanted to take this opportunity to share with you some of the wonderful things that have happened over the past few months.
We’re thrilled to announce that The Invalid Corps was accepted to and screened at several festivals:
| Festival | Location | Date | Recognition | Link |
| Ogeechee International History Film Festival | Statesboro, GA | 2/21/19 | Official Selection | https://ogeecheefilmfestival.org/films/ |
| GI Film Festival | San Diego, CA | 9/29/19 | Nominee, Best First-Time Filmmaker Award | https://gifilmfestivalsd.org/2019/movies/the-invalid-corps/ |
| American Presidents Film and Literary Festival | Fremont, OH | 10/5/19 | Winner, Best Short FilmWinner, Best Production | https://americanpresidentsfilmfestival.org/2019-film-submissions/ Press: https://www.thenews-messenger.com/story/entertainment/2019/10/07/jfk-documentary-civil-war-short-film-shine-fremont-film-festival/3896147002/ |
| Over-the-Rhine International Film Festival | Cincinnati, OH | 10/5/19 | Finalist, Grand Jury Documentary Short | https://otrfilmfest.org/film/the-invaid-corps/ |
| Superfest Disability Film Festival | San Francisco, CA | 10/12/19 | Official Selection | http://www.superfestfilm.com/2018-films-2 |
| Locavore Screening at Arlington Cinema & Draft House (sponsored by WIFV-DC) | Arlington, VA | 10/16/19 | Official Selection | https://www.facebook.com/events/2451611851602931/ |
| Queen City Cinephiles Screening and Discussion | Charlotte, NC | 12/6/19 | Official Selection | https://www.charlottefilm.com/events/film/queen-city-cinephiles-2 |
In addition, The Invalid Corps has also been requested and screened at several community events:
- Trailer Only: Society for Disability Studies Conference (June 13, 2018)
- Trailer Only: International Documentary Association Getting Real Conference (Sept. 27, 2018)
- DC Office of Disability Rights & Mayor’s Office of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC (Nov. 7, 2018)
- National Council on Independent Living Conference (Jul. 25, 2019)
- Pennsylvania Council of the Blind, Harrisburg, PA (Oct. 19, 2019)
- American Council of the Blind of New York, Albany, NY (Oct. 26, 2019)
- DC Public Library Center for Accessibility, Washington, DC (Nov. 23, 2019)
For the next year we will be looking for places around the country who might be interested in screening The Invalid Corps: Reenactment groups, historical societies, centers for independent living, veterans associations, disability groups, universities, colleges etc. If you know of any group who might be interested, please send them our way. We’ve posted information on how to host a screening on the website at: https://invalidcorpsfilm.nrbrown.com/host-a-screening/
The GI Film Festival
We’re proud to have The Invalid Corps screen at the GI Film Festival in San Diego! The GI Film Festival aims to reveal the struggles, triumphs, and experiences of service members and veterans through compelling and authentic storytelling. The documentaries, shorts, narratives, and family-friendly films they show highlight stories of heroism, resilience, and honor. A great fit for our film!
There was even some press that specifically mentioned The Invalid Corps.
What we were most excited about was seeing this:
We’d been nominated for the First-time Filmmaker award!
It has been such a ride to be a part of the festival and included among some of the awesome films there. 🙂 No, we didn’t take home the award, but we feel pretty good about our showing.
Thanks GI Film Festival for the opportunity to share our story!
A Black Invalid Corps?
Previously, I had posted that there was no black Invalid Corps and that from what I could discover, African-American soldiers who were injured in combat either were discharged or, if they could still manage their duties, they returned to their units. However, it looks like that may not have been entirely true. I don’t have a lot of details but there is SOME evidence that there was/were unit(s) for soldiers of color with disabilities. Which is a perfect way to honor Black History Month!
There is some great snippets of information in: Grant, Lincoln, and the freedmen; reminiscences of the Civil War with special reference to the work for the contrabands and freedmen of the Mississippi Valley by John Eaton and E Osgood Mason from 1907.(https://archive.org/details/grantlincolnfre1609eato/page/n9)
To protect freedmen and planters from the attacks of “guerrillas,” Gen. Thomas established a “colored invalid corps.” Comprised of black men unsuited for field service but capable of other military duties, the 9th and 7th Regiments, Louisiana Volunteers (later the 63rd and 64th Regiments, U.S. Colored Troops), provided the means for maintaining law and order under martial law. Col. Eaton served as the commander of the 9th regiment, and Samuel Thomas was colonel of the 7th regiment.
From page 112:
I have dwelt somewhat in detail upon these regiments composing the colored invalid corps because they represent a distinct though humble phase of the service, the usefulness of which deserves to be recorded and fixed in the public mind. By means of this minor organization about twenty-five hundred men were added to the military forces in the Valley before the surrender of General Lee.
The bravery of the colored troops who fought in the larger engagements, such as those at Port Hudson or Milliken’s Bend, thrilled the country at the time and is in little danger of being forgotten by later generations, but the humbler duty of safeguarding the plantations from assaults which were often vindictive and particularly cruel, the task of protecting the women and children, the aged and infirm, — these were services which devolved upon men debarred by physical incapacity from the more heroic campaigns endured by their brothers, but no whit less devoted to the Union, no whit less brave in their loyalty to the cause that
had freed them.
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
Services Performed by the Invalid Corps – 1st Regiment
One of the smaller things I wanted to do with this project was to increase the visibility of at least some of the activities of the Invalid Corps (Veteran Reserve Corps). One of the most common questions or comments from people is that they mention an ancestor in one regiment or another and ask about what may have been their duties. That, coupled with a desire to understand more fully the contributions of the Invalid Corps to the Civil War (beyond the Battle of Fort Stevens) resulted in this series.
Thankfully, The War of the Rebellion: a compilation of the official records of the Union and Confederate Armies, includes a “final report” to Brigadier General James Fry, Provost Marshal General from J.W. De Forest, Captain, Veteran Reserve Corps and Acting Assistant Adjutant-General on November 30, 1865. In it, he breaks down some of the services performed by the various Invalid Corps (Veteran Reserve Corps) regiments. Specifically, the 1st Battalion. By this point in time, the 1st Battalion soldiers were under the authority of the Provost Marshal’s Office and the 2nd Battalion soldiers (those with more significant injuries and illnesses) were under the authority of the Surgeon General of the Army.
These posts only capture some of the accomplishments of individual Invalid Corps/Veteran Reserve Corps regiments. Clearly, this is an area ripe for additional research.
1st Regiment
Organized at Washington, D.C., October 10, 1863, by consolidation of the 17th, 34th, 97th, 103rd, 113th, 114th, 142nd, 144th, 145th and 151st Companies, 1st Battalion. Mustered out by detachments from June 25 to November 25, 1865.
At Elmira, N. Y., performing patrol duty and guarding hospitals, store-houses, and camp of rebel prisoners. Up to the close of the war the prisoners constantly in camp averaged between 10,000 and 12,000; frequent attempts to escape and one prisoner recorded as escaped; duty of guarding them very severe.
Squads of convalescents, recruits, conscripts, &c., generally 80 or 100 strong, escorted to the front or to other posts; no record of a single escape. Many volunteer troops disbanded at this station; at one time 16,000 present; various disturbances resulted; order restored by this regiment. Two companies on duty at Rochester, N. Y., repressing disorders committed by disbanding regiments.
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
The Power of the Minié Bullet
In this documentary about the Invalid Corps, one of the things that has come up over and over are the devastating injuries received by the soldiers and the significant loss of life.
Looking at the numbers, an estimated 620,000 men died. That breaks down to about 2% of the population. One in four men who went to war, never came home. There’s likely not a family, nor a household that went untouched by the war. More than 476,000 soldiers were wounded leading to almost 40,000 amputations.
One of the reasons for this was the 1849 invention of the Minié bullet, or as Americans called it, the “minie ball”. Rather than the round ball-shaped bullets of the past, the minie ball was a .58 caliber conical bullet made of soft lead with, three ridges in the side, and a hollow base. It weighed about 1 oz. and had a 1/2 inch circumference.
In the 1850s, James Burton, a master armorer at the U.S. Arsenal in Harpers Ferry improved on Minié’s design. He made the bullet longer, thinned the walls of its base and did away with the iron plug, leaving a heavy, all-lead bullet that expanded to fit the rifling in guns better and could be easily and cheaply mass-produced.
What made the minie ball so harmful was its very design. A solid ball, when fired, passes through the human body but the minie ball flattens and expands, doing much more damage, shattering bones and tearing flesh; creating much larger, much more complex wounds. Both Union and Confederate soldiers used the minie ball in their muzzle-loading rifles.
I wanted to find a way to illustrate exactly how damaging these are to the human body. Below is part of a 1970s video from the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. It is a series of ballistics experiments conducted by shooting bones embedded in gelatin blocks.
Warning: Even though the video shows the firing of a Minié ball through gel and bone, it isn’t hard to imagine what it would do to a human body and some may find it a bit gruesome.
You can find the full video that includes several different pistols, rifles, and types of ammunition on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQnVfyhVJ-Y&t=960s
The Museum of the Confederacy
Whew! It’s been a little while but more than past time for an Update. Last month, we drove a couple of hours over to Richmond. We’re really working to get the most out of every trip so we visited the Museum of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis’ home (the White House of the Confederacy), and Chimborazo Confederate Hospital Museum. So actually, I’ve got enough information for several blog posts.
The Museum of the Confederacy is a small 3-floor museum, the topmost floor was dedicated to an exhibit on Flags of the Confederacy. There were several glass cases of uniforms and clothing of the period, including pieces specific to well known officers such as Robert E. Lee, John Bell Hood, etc. I am a bit disappointed in not finding much mention of what happened to disabled veterans both during and after the war but nevertheless it was an educational and informative visit. And we looked for footage that might be useful as B-roll.
“The Last Meeting of Lee and Jackson” originally titled “The Heroes of Chancellorsville,” a gigantic oil on canvas done by Everett B.D. Julio. The painting depicts a romanticized final meeting between General Robert E. Lee and Lt. General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson before the Battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863, where Jackson was wounded and later died. The original painting was acquired by the Museum of the Confederacy in 1992 and currently dominates their lobby area, even from its place in an alcove by the stairs.
This photo is from the July 3, 1913 50th Reunion of Gettysburg. This was a reenactment of Pickett’s Charge by the survivors. The musem has it blow up to poster size and it fills a wall. That day, thousands of spectators gathered to watch as the Union veterans took their positions on Cemetery Ridge, and waited as their old adversaries emerged from the woods of Seminary Ridge and started toward them again. First it was a walk, then they got faster, and faster, until it was an all out run. They converged as they had 50 years earlier at the stone wall but this time the Confederates were met with embraces of from the men they once battled.
And to close, I just want to give a quick snippet of video. This is from the headquarters tent of Robert E. Lee. While the display is exactly that, the items and personal effects actually belonged to Lee and went on campaign with him.
Faces of the Invalid Corps Cards
The cards are back from the printer and they look amazing. For those of you who participated in our Kickstarter Fundraiser. One of our rewards at the $50 and up level was: FACES OF THE INVALID CORPS. CDVs or cartes-de-visite were popular for soldiers to carry and send home – Images for their loved ones. To emulate that, we researched and created 8 “trading cards”, each with an image of an individual soldier from the Invalid Corps or pivotal participant in the Battle of Fort Stevens. It is a great looking set of cards with information and stories about the men – their units, their disability, what they did, and what happened to them after the war. The cards are 2.25 inches wide by 3.5 inches tall, the size of bridge cards and made of 300gsm professional quality card stock with a blue core (smooth finish).
Card Designs, Copyright, and Private Investigators
The final designs for the “Faces of the Invalid Corps” cards just went out and we will receive the first physical set of cards in about two weeks. I cannot wait to actually hold them in my hands. Shortly after that we anticipate sending out surveys to mail the Kickstarter rewards.
Now for the bad news. Sadly, we are behind schedule on the film itself. We’ve just passed the one year anniversary of the Invalid Corps film Kickstarter. Our team had hoped to complete the project by this time, however, many personal challenges, including a new job for me, have made that impossible. But we are moving forward.
There is a wonderful book called, “Gone for a Soldier: The Civil War Memoir of Private Alfred Bellard.” What is unique about his story is that it follows his journey into battle, to being injured, to joining the Invalid Corps, and even includes the actions of his regiment at the Battle of Fort Stevens. The book has fallen out of print and the rights reverted to the family.
Even after several discussions with the publisher, we were having difficulty in finding them. You can read sections of the book and see illustrations from Bellard’s diary and letters all over the internet but when we inquired further, although many cite the source as the Alec Thomas Archives, we could not find anyone who had the rights to use the material. This is where a friend and supporter of the film who happens to be a private investigator donated time over several weeks to hunt down the rights owners and their descendants. (Yes, we here on the Invalid Corps team will stop at nothing to give you the best documentary possible…even using a P.I.) 😉
This resulted in me having a wonderful chat with Roseanne who is thrilled to find so much interest in her family’s legacy. I am excited to share with you that we will be using some of Alfred Bellard’s story, quotes, and illustrations in the documentary.
Stay tuned!
A Visit to the Army Heritage and Education Center
Whew! It’s been a while since we’ve sent an update but never fear, we’ve been hard at work in the intervening few months. We’re currently 1/3 of the way through assembling our footage and next week, work begins on the special effects. Things are starting to move much more quickly now.
A key component of this project was to bring you the histories and voices of these Invalid Corps soldiers. One of the best places to go to find personal narratives, orders, and even images, is the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center. They have a large collection of both contemporary and historical materials related to “strategic leadership, the global application of Landpower, and U.S. Army Heritage to inform research, educate an international audience, and honor Soldiers, past and present”.
We spent two days in their Archive and special thanks to the staff there who helped us dig through and find individual stories to include in the film. We hope to return in the next month or so for some last photos.
And here’s a quick collage of our weekend: The AHEC Archive, Renee doing some reading, a copy of a diary page, an ACTUAL diary page, and a snippet showing our library cart with 14 boxes of correspondence. It was a VERY busy two days. 🙂
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 Invalid Corps, the Assassination of President Lincoln, and the Hunt for John Wilkes Booth
So far, the documentary research is moving ahead slowly but steadily. In the next few weeks we will be seeking out more detailed and more specific images that are connected to Fort Stevens, the battle and Early’s raid. Unlike more famous (and more bloody) battles, there are fewer sketches, photos, and even first-person reminisces of the event.
Right now, like the rest of America, we are bombarded by election information. One can’t say we are not in a tumultuous time. Of course, in 1865 it was equally tense. President Lincoln has been dead for less than a week. The North is furious; the South, uneasy. An entire nation mourns but during this time (April 15 to April 26), there is a desperate manhunt for the conspiracy of assassins. What does that have to do with this project and the Invalid Corps? You might be surprised.
It is the night of April 14, 1865. President and Mrs. Lincoln decide to visit Ford’s Theater and see a play, “Our American Cousin.” A little after 10:25, John Wilkes Booth moves into position outside the President’s box. At the line in the play where the lead character says, “Don’t know the manners of good society, eh? Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside out.” John Wilkes Booth pulls out his derringer and fires a bullet into the back of the President’s head. He then leaps from the box to the stage, breaking his leg, but before he escapes through a back stage door, he delivers his last line from center stage: “Sic Semper Tyrannis!” (Thus always with tyrants!). Lincoln is dying, and his guard was nowhere to be seen.
Provost Marshal James Rowan O’Beirne of the Invalid Corps was responsible for the safety of the President and his family. The night of Friday April 14, O’Beirne acceded to Mrs. Lincoln request he assign John Parker, a soldier with a record of bad performance to guard the President’s box. When Parker left his post, it cleared the way for John Wilkes Booth to shoot the President. That decision would haunt James O’ Beirne for the rest of his days.
At the start of the Civil War James O’Beirne was a Captain in the Irish Rifles, or the 37th New York Volunteers. During a bayonet charge at the Battle of Chancellorsville he is wounded several times, shot in the head, leg, and chest, puncturing a lung and paralyzing his right arm from shock.
“Guardedly the long line[s] groped through the woods. Glimpses only of the midnight moon flitted through the tall and sentineled forest … and gave a silver, ghoul-like sheen to the battalions. … Occasionally a soldier stumbled and pitched forward. Up! Forward again! No detention, no hesitation! How could he halt? The rear rank and others were striding behind him at close distance.” And then, “It seemed for the moment as if the doors of a blast-furnace had opened upon us.” There was terrible fire from both friend and foe.
O’Beirne survived the Chancellorsville campaign but when he appeared before a Medical Board, he was pronounced unfit for field service. He asked for a transfer into the Invalid Corps. On July 22, 1863, he was commissioned Captain into the Invalid Corps.
“I was detailed on duty at the War Department here In Washington, in the provost marshal general’s bureau. I helped to organize the enlisted men of the Veteran Reserve Corps, composed of wounded soldiers and temporarily invalided men. There were twenty-two regiments of them. Then I was ordered by the Secretary of War to take charge of the provost marshal’s office of the District of Columbia.”
O’Beirne ended up playing a critical role in the defense of Washington during the Battle of Fort Stevens. He was the one who provided arms and equipment to soldiers, clerks, and any man willing to take arms to defend the city. He stood with Lincoln on the ramparts as sniper fire whizzed past them from Jubal Early’s Confederate troops. And when it was over, O’Beirne was the one who ensured care for the wounded and saw to the prisoners.
But even then his job wasn’t done. Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, ordered him to chase down Early’s men as they retreated back through Maryland to Virginia. For his efforts, he was eventually promoted to Provost Marshal for the District of Columbia which put him in charge of the President’s safety on that fateful night. Saturday, April 15th, 1865 at 7:30 Abraham Lincoln died and from that moment on O’Beirne was committed to hunting down the President’s killers.
“When I went to get Vice President Johnson and bring him to the bedside of [dying] Lincoln, as I had been ordered to do, he lived at the Kirkwood House, on the spot where now stands the Raleigh Hotel. When I told Mr. Johnson that Lincoln had been shot he informed me his suspicions had been aroused that night at the Kirkwood House. Mr. Johnson had heard footsteps for hours in the room above him. In the morning I went to the hotel again, and in the room which had been let to George Atzerodt, I found Booth’s hank book, a large bowie knife, a Colt navy revolver, and a handkerchief with the initial H embroidered on it. This turned out to be evidence of the complicity of Booth, Herold and Atzerodt, and established the fact that there had been a plot.”
Also included was a map showing Atzerodt’s escape route. O’Beirne followed and ensured his capture. One day passed, and then another, and another. The search for Booth through the countryside was proving fruitless. But O’Beirne followed his instincts and explored intelligence that Booth had crossed over to Virginia. Unfortunately, he was denied permission to search the Port Royal area and was recalled to Washington.
Although Colonel Lafayette Baker and his 16th New York Cavalry, who took over the search, garnered the praise and the place in history for eventually capturing Booth, it was James O’Beirne, Invalid Corps, and his detective work that lead them there.
Thanks for being a part of the Invalid Corps Team!
Resources
In Pursuit of Lincoln’s Assassin: Roscommon-Born James Rowan O’Beirne
James Rowan O’Beirne and Pursuit of John Wilkes Booth
The Irish Rifles at the Battle of Chancellorsville
*As stated previously, for the purposes of this project (and to keep confusion to a minimum) we will be using the term Invalid Corps throughout the time period of the corps commissioning rather than Veteran Reserve Corps.
#Thanksgiving in the Civil War: a Proclamation from #History
It seems fitting that on this day of giving thanks and thoughtful reflection to wonder just a little bit about Thanksgiving in the Civil War. The first Thanksgiving was in the 1600s-ish but the tradition didn’t really catch on until the Civil War. On July 15, Lincoln issued a proclamation declaring a national day of thanksgiving for October 3rd, 1863.
By the President of the United States of America.
A Proclamation.
The year that is drawing towards its close, has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added, which are of so extraordinary a nature, that they cannot fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever watchful providence of Almighty God.
In the midst of a civil war of unequaled magnitude and severity, which has sometimes seemed to foreign States to invite and to provoke their aggression, peace has been preserved with all nations, order has been maintained, the laws have been respected and obeyed, and harmony has prevailed everywhere except in the theatre of military conflict; while that theatre has been greatly contracted by the advancing armies and navies of the Union.
Needful diversions of wealth and of strength from the fields of peaceful industry to the national defence, have not arrested the plough, the shuttle or the ship; the axe has enlarged the borders of our settlements, and the mines, as well of iron and coal as of the precious metals, have yielded even more abundantly than heretofore. Population has steadily increased, notwithstanding the waste that has been made in the camp, the siege and the battle-field; and the country, rejoicing in the consciousness of augmented strength and vigor, is permitted to expect continuance of years with large increase of freedom.
No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and one voice by the whole American People. I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens. And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also, with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which we are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquillity and Union.
In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.
Done at the City of Washington, this Third day of October, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, and of the Independence of the Unites States the Eighty-eighth.
By the President: Abraham Lincoln
William H. Seward,
Secretary of State
Four Letters from the Civil War – William Child, JR Montgomery, Alva Marsh, and an Unknown Confederate Soldier
One of the most moving remnants from the #CivilWar are the letters to soldiers and from the soldiers to their loved ones. I’ve written previously about the importance of and impact of mail during this time but thought I might include a couple of examples. One of the best resources for anything Civil War is the National Park Service. They have some fantastic educational materials suitable for classrooms, including a collection of letters and some fantastic videos. Although only one of the examples below are from men in the Invalid Corps, they are letters from soldiers themselves giving us insight into a moment in their lives.
William Child, Major and Surgeon with the 5th Regiment New Hampshire Volunteers
September 22, 1862 (Battlefield Hospital near Sharpsburg)
My Dear Wife;
Day before yesterday I dressed the wounds of 64 different men – some having two or three each. Yesterday I was at work from daylight till dark – today I am completely exhausted – but stall soon be able to go at it again.
The days after the battle are a thousand times worse than the day of the battle – and the physical pain is not the greatest pain suffered. How awful it is – you have not can have until you see it any idea of affairs after a battle. The dead appear sickening but they suffer no pain. But the poor wounded mutilated soldiers that yet have life and sensation make a most horrid picture. I pray God may stop such infernal work – through perhaps he has sent it upon us for our sins. Great indeed must have been our sins if such is our punishment.
Our Reg. Started this morning for Harpers Ferry – 14 miles. I am detailed with others to remain here until the wounded are removed – then join the Reg. With my nurses. I expect there will be another great fight at Harpers Ferry.
Carrie I dreamed of home night before last. I love to dream of home it seems so much like really being there. I dreamed that I was passing Hibbards house and saw you and Lud. in the window. After then I saw you in some place I cannot really know where -you kissed me – and told me you loved me – though you did not the first time you saw me. Was not that quite a soldier dream? That night had been away to a hospital to see some wounded men – returned late. I fastened my horse to a peach tree – fed him with wheat and hay from a barn near by – then I slept and dreamed of my loved ones away in N.H.
Write soon as you can. Tell me all you can about my business affairs and prospects for the future in Bath. Will Dr. Boynton be likely to get a strong hold there. One thing sure Cad, I shall return to Bath – if I live – and spend my days there. I feel so in that way now. Give me all news you can. Tell Parker and John and the girls to write although I can not answer them all. Tell Parker I will answer his as soon as I can.
In this letter I send you a bit of gold lace such as the rebel officers have. This I cut from a rebel officers coat on the battlefield. He was a Lieut.
I have made the acquaintance of two rebel officers – prisoners in our hands. One is a physician – both are masons – both very intelligent, gentlemanly men. Each is wounded in the leg. They are great favorites with our officers. One of them was brought off the field in hottest of the fight by our 5th N.H. officers – he giving them evidence of his being a mason.
Now do write soon. Kisses to you Clint & Kate. Love to all.
Yours as ever
W.C.
____________________
James Robert Montgomery, Signal Corps, Heth’s Division, 3rd Corps, Army of Northern Virginia, C.S.A.
May 10, 1864 (Spotsylvania County, Virginia)
Dear Father
This is my last letter to you. I went into battle this evening as courier for Genl. Heth. I have been struck by a piece of shell and my right shoulder is horribly mangled & I knowdeath is inevitable. I am very weak but I write to you because I know you would be delighted to read a word from your dying son. I know death is near, that I will die far from home and friends of my early youth but I have friends here too who are kind to me. My friend Fairfax will write you at my request and give you the particulars of my death. My grave will be marked so that you may visit it if you desire to do so, but it is optionary with you whether you let my remains rest here or in Miss. I would like to rest in the grave yard with my dear mother and brothers but it’s a matter of minor importance. Let us all try to reunite in heaven. I pray my God to forgive my sins and I feel that his promises are true that he will forgive me and save me. Give my love to all my friends. My strength fails me. My horse and my equipments will be left for you. Again, a long farewell to you. May we meet in heaven.
Your dying son,
J.R. Montgomery
The video below from the NPS tells a bit more about Montgomery’s story. You can also see/hear the letter in Ric Burn’s Civil War documentary, “Death and the Civil War.”
____________________
Alva H. Marsh, Corporal, Company E, Seventh Michigan Volunteer Infantry
February 10, 1864 (Fairfax Seminary Hospital, Virgnia)
Dear Mother I take my pen to inform you that I got safe to my home in the hospital on Sunday at two o clock today I have been down to Alexandria to get some papers and envelopes so as to write to you I have been examined twice since I came back from home the doctor says that I will always be lame
I am thankful to think it is no worse then it is I think they will put me in the Invalid corps but I can stand it in the condemned Yankees for the balance of my time if they only ask me to stay for the next three months I can get out by [illegible] next if they want to stay all summer in the invalid corps I shant do it for I am sick of the war I want To stay at home some of my life don’t you think so Frank I suppose you are at home yet
I want you to take good care of the girls for me I was homesick when I began to [illegible] the hills of Virginia I tell you but it is of no use to have the blues here for a fela has got to stay but I cant write any more at present this from Alwah Sarah you must be a good little girl until I come home I don’t mean Sarah Hathaway for I know that she will be good you know I think so How is Alice and Miss [illegible] write to me as soon as you can
from A W Marsh
*from the University Archives & Historical Collections, Michigan State University
____________________
Unknown Confederate Soldier
July 3, 1863 (Gettysburg, PA)
Dr. Holt worked in a field hospital behind Seminary Ridge. He spoke of the unforgettable courage of a wounded soldier stating, “His left arm and a third of his torso had been torn away and he dictated a farewell letter to his mother.” It read simply,
“This is the last you may ever hear from me. I have time to tell you that I died like a man. Bear my loss as best you can. Remember that I am true to my country and my greatest regret at dying is that she is still not free and that you and your sisters are robbed of my youth. I hope this will reach you and you must not regret that my body cannot be obtained. It is a mere matter of form anyhow. This letter is stained with my blood.”
*from http://www.brotherswar.com/ – The epic story of the Battle of Gettysburg as told in the participants’ own words.
The Crowdfunding is Over but the Journey is Just Beginning (well, continuing actually)
The Kickstarter is officially over!
Who’s in your family? #CivilWar #History Comes Home
This it! We’re down to the last 24 hours of the Kickstarter for the “Invalid Corps and the Battle of Fort Stevens,” if you haven’t, please take a moment to go donate. If you have, thank you for helping us bring this amazing story to the screen.
F
or these last few hours we’re asking you to please pass along word of this project – Email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram…even just word-of-mouth. We’d love to have as many people as possible be aware of this; not just because of the crowdfunding but because of the many stories out there that still haven’t been heard.
The Civil War is the story of our country’s first major internal challenge and it is a history of our country’s people. It is that latter that both surprises and elates us. It captures the imagination of historians, genealogists, reenactors, and families. This isn’t just a story about long ago battles and famous generals, but a story about families and individual people and their choices of how to live, and what they were willing to die for. The Invalid Corps and the Battle of Fort Stevens documentary film has been couched as a lost disability and veterans’ history but it is more than that. It could be your family history too.
I had a discussion with author and musician Shawn Humphrey about this project and out of the blue he says, “I think one of my ancestors may have been a part of that.” After a bit of research it comes to light that James Mulvaney was listed as “absent/sick” in Washington, DC on March, 16, 1864. Mulvaney was not formally mustered for the 9th Veterans Reserve Corp. until August 16, 1864, but what is clear is that he was present in Washington, DC when the attack occurred. Now Shawn is on a hunt to discover what his ancestor may have been doing at the time. Was he a part of the defense of the city? Was James Mulvaney actually on the walls at Fort Stevens?
Perhaps the biggest surprise came last week when a family member, my uncle and his wife, sent me a package with information about her great great grandfather:
Meet Jonathan Lyman of Company K of the 8th Regiment of the Invalid Corps (Veteran Reserve Corps).*
So yes, even I, who was born more than 10,000 miles away, on a different continent, have a connection to the Invalid Corps. 🙂
This documentary is called, The Invalid Corps and the Battle of Fort Stevens, but in truth, it is about the men themselves and all of our connections to this history. Veterans’ stories and disability history seem sanitized, academic terms for what this really is: family history.
So today, this last day of our crowdfunding, please help share the message and spread the word this one last time and ask people, “Who is in your family?”
The answer may surprise you.
*Special Thanks to Uncle Gary and Aunt Erma for sending such wonderful detailed information about Jonathan Lyman!
Who Held the Saw: Discovering Mary Walker, Civil War Army Surgeon – From Julia Marie Myers
It was Day who first told me of the Invalid Corps. I had never heard of it before. I remember listening with rapt attention as she painted a picture of the night when members of the Invalid Corps defended the Capitol against a Confederate army of 15,000. It was a classic, incredible story epic.
Intrigued, I went and did more research. It began to boggle my mind the pure numbers of soldiers injured during the war — we all know that in theory, but in literal, stark numbers … approximately 17,300 Union casualties at the Battle of Chancellorsville alone (the one where Stonewall Jackson was injured, later dying from his wounds), with almost 10,000 of those being wounded, rather than killed or missing[1]. Ten-thousand. Ten-thousand bodies, strewn about, amongst those who have already perished. How do you even know which ones are still alive?
“Near by, the ambulances are now arriving in clusters, and one after another is call’d to back up and take its load. Extreme cases are sent off on stretchers. The men generally make little or no ado, whatever their sufferings. A few groans that cannot be suppress’d, and occasionally a scream of pain as they lift a man into the ambulance. To-day, as I write, hundreds more are expected, and to-morrow and the next day more, and so on for many days. Quite often they arrive at the rate of 1000 a day.” – Walt Whitman, Specimen Days, Ch. 33[2]
With so many soldiers and varieties of injuries, I began looking into the army surgeons who had to navigate this chaos — the ones who had to determine how to triage the patients, who ultimately had to “wield the saw.” One particular surgeon stood out.
Mary Walker’s story unfolded in front of me as I flipped through the virtual pages of the internet, piecing together information about her career. She was clearly a “disruptive” person — the only woman at the time enrolled in her medical degree program at Syracuse, the first woman surgeon ever to be employed by the US Army.[3]
As I read more about Mary, I found her story incredibly modern. Mary wore men’s clothes. She surely faced discrimination and ridicule for this choice — and indeed on more than one occasion she was arrested for “impersonating a man.”[4] It strikes me as incredible that she existed so long ago, but that she could just as easily be a next door neighbor of mine, who faces similar concerns and judgments about her identity today. We are divided by centuries of time, but when I look at her, I see a saturated, piercing image of the modern world staring back.
Mary’s story as well as the stories of the members of the Invalid Corps inspired me to write my own short fiction film inspired by both historical narratives, for which I am now beginning the pre-production process. I felt that Mary’s role in disrupting the status quo of women, but also in standing on her own as an influential person regardless of her gender, paralleled so beautifully with the story of these men of the Invalid Corps, who defied not only their labels as “cowards” and “cripples,” but who rose up to show that they mattered, fully and fundamentally, as people.
It has been a great pleasure intertwining these stories together in a creative way, and it has been a perfect complement to my working with Day on her documentary on the Invalid Corps. Every day, we are learning more and more, and it only makes me more excited to share what we have discovered, and what we are creating, with you.
Don’t forget to visit our “The Invalid Corps and the Battle of Fort Stevens” Kickstarter:
(https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dayalmohamed/the-civil-war-invalid-corps-and-the-battle-of-fort)!
Please share widely. We need you to help get the word out about this documentary!
[1] http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/chancellorsville.html?tab=facts
[2] http://www.bartleby.com/229/1033.html
[3] http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/rr/s01/cw/students/leeann/historyandcollections/history/pathbreakers/marywalker.html
[4] https://www.nlm.nih.gov/changingthefaceofmedicine/physicians/biography_325.html
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.
Black Civil War Soldiers with Injuries, Chronic Conditions, and Disabilities
“Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U.S., let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship.”
– Frederick Douglass
As a woman of color, while doing research on the Invalid Corps one of the things that I wondered about was what happened to African-American injured soldiers? In fact, while doing research on the Invalid Corps it occurred to me that I had not seen one image of an injured black soldier. So, I started where everyone does: Google. I put in “Black Civil War Soldier” and found several images. I added the term “Injured” and I found a Thomas Nast illustration from Harpers Weekly came up a lot.
Considering that more than 180,000 African Americans served, making up about 10% of the Union Army, and more than half survived the war, I would think there would be some evidence of their presence and their survival post injury. I changed to the word “amputee.” Granted, it’s very specific but so far I had not been able to find ANY images of injured black soldiers.
With that change, one image came up. Only one. It’s a photo of Private Lewis (sometimes spelled Louis) Martin, of Company E, 29th United States Colored Troops. His photo was found glued to his certificate of disability for discharge by Civil War Conservation Corps volunteers while compiling records at the National Archives. His wounds were described in his discharge form: “Loss of right-arm and left-leg by amputation for shell and gunshot wounds received in battle at Petersburg on July 30, 1864 in charging the enemies works. In consequence of which is totally disabled for military service and civil occupation wholly.” He was a forgotten Civil War veteran for more than 120 years, buried in the paupers section of Oak Ridge Cemetery in an unmarked grave until a community effort was made to mark his grave with a tombstone.
From what is known, Private Lewis Martin was born in Arkansas, a slave, but somehow became free, enlisted in Illinois in February of 1864. A muster roll record lists his place of birth as Arkansas, his age as 24 years, his height as 6 feet, 2 inches, and his occupation as a farmer. A few months later he took part in the Battle of the Crater at Petersburg, Virginia and was wounded, resulting in the amputations. He was sent to the General Hospital at Alexandria, Virginia, then later transferred to Harewood Hospital in Washington, DC before finally being discharged. He returned to Illinois.
After that, his story is hard to follow, but from what I can find, it is a sad tale. He obviously was unable to work, and was the victim of discrimination and public humiliation. He became an alcoholic. It would seem his obituary and articles in several papers made mention of it:
Died from Exposure & Drink
Louis Martin, a Colored Man, Dies Alone
At FindaGrave the IL State Register’s obituary reads:
A negro named Lewis Martin, who is well known in this city as the one-legged and one-armed old soldier, was found dead yesterday morning in his bed. He resided in a house, corner of Lincoln avenue and Jefferson street, and up to a short time ago he had been having a white woman at his home as a housekeeper, but she left him recently and he had since lived alone. About 7 o’clock yesterday morning, Mrs. Carrie Boone, colored, who came to the house frequently to look after him, found him dead. Mrs. Boone immediately notified some of the neighbors.
He was a private in the Twenty-ninth Illinois volunteers during the war, and received a pension of $72 per month for the loss of his limbs and one eye in the army. He received some time ago back pension money amounting to $6,500, a portion of which he invested in property on West Jefferson street, including the place where he lived. He also had some money saved up. He was about 45 years of age, and has two brothers residing in Alton, who have been notified of his death. IL State Register, Springfield, IL 1-27-1892
On November 2, 2013, citizens from the Springfield community held a ceremony honoring Private Martin. A marker for his grave was erected and Civil War re-enactors presented the colors; a 21-gun salute and the playing of “Taps,” all the things Lewis did not get when he died. Considering, the dedication was exactly 2 years ago today, it seemed pertinent to write and reflect on Private Lewis Martin, his service and his sacrifice.
Some great resources, articles, and posts of Private Martin’s story
Dave Bakke: Black Civil War veteran’s grave identified at Oak Ridge – http://www.sj-r.com/article/20120516/NEWS/305169913/?Start=1
They were Men who Suffered and Died – http://usctchronicle.blogspot.com/2011/01/they-were-men-who-suffered-and-died.html
Public Comes Through for Civil War Icon – http://www.sj-r.com/x452551251/Public-comes-through-for-Civil-War-icon#ixzz2ieFsiaGJ
Teaching With Documents: Preserving the Legacy of the United States Colored Troops – http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/blacks-civil-war/article.html
Please don’t forget we are in the middle of our Kickstarter to raise funds to tell the story of the Invalid Corps; of soldiers with disabilities who continued to serve: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dayalmohamed/the-civil-war-invalid-corps-and-the-battle-of-fort
The Invalid Corps and the Battle of Fort Stevens is a Kickstarter Staff Pick!
Just a quick update. We’re thrilled to announce that we were just selected as a Kickstarter Staff Pick! I had to take a quick screencap of the email because I didn’t believe it for myself. Thanks for all the support folks! Let’s keep going! Please continue to spread the word: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dayalmohamed/the-civil-war-invalid-corps-and-the-battle-of-fort
And yes, I had to post a Kickstarter Staff Pick Logo!
Soldiers’ Stories: Sergeants Durgin and Wray
For William Durgin of Maine, April 20, 1865 was a typical day. He was garrisoned at the Camp Frye Barracks in Washington, D.C., assigned with the 10th Veterans Reserve Corps. His typical duties with the regiment consisted of nothing more than garrison duty after suffering from rheumatism in his arms and being struck in the ankle with a cannonball during the amphibious landing at Fernadina, Florida in 1862. Yet, when he received his orders for that day, they looked far different from his daily duties. The order read as follows:
Special Order No. 88
Pursuant to orders from Headquarters, 1st Brigade Veteran Reserve Corps requiring four First Sergeants should be selected with reference to their age, length of service and good soldierly conduct for escort duty to the remains of President Lincoln to Springfield, Illinois.
1st Sergeant William W. Durgin of Company F 10th Regiment V.R.C. is hereby detailed for that duty and will report to Capt. McCamly 9th Regiment Vet. Res. Corps at Camp Frye at 9:00 o’clock A.M. this day.
By command ofMajor George Bowers Commanding Regiment
From his clerical duties at Camp Frye Barracks, Durgin’s place in history rose greatly as he became one of Lincoln’s pallbearers, traveling across the nation with the casket. His war-record carries on his roll call for April 1865 “Absent – on escort duty with remains of President Lincoln.”
While Durgin seems to be a typical soldier offered the honor as a token of great luck, in many ways the assignment was and did boost the prestige of one of the most neglected regiments in the U.S. Army: the Veterans Reserve Corps (VRC).
Created in 1863, the VRC started as the Invalids Corps, and began as a project to give disabled veterans like Durgin a second chance at active service. Yet their corps did not go unscathed. Other soldiers derided the corps as a group of cowards and rejects; the initials of the Invalids Corps matched a stamp of the Quartermaster’s Department that stood for “Inspected – Condemned.” Soon after, to boost the morale of recruits and entice more volunteers, it was renamed “Veterans Reserve Corps.” The disabled veterans that re-enlisted were assigned various rear-echelon duties, ranging from guard duty to censoring mail.
To honor one of the corps members as a pallbearer presented in a greater sense a place for disabled soldiers in American military history alongside regular soldiers in memorializing the Civil War, and recognizes the potential of disabled veterans, or civilians, as capable individuals that can still contribute despite their sacrifice.
Enlistment in the corps did not always entail monotonous, clerical duties. For Sergeant William Wray, fate would lead to a reprisal of his combat duties. After losing his right eye and parts of his nose at Fredericksburg, Wray joined the 1st Veterans Reserve Corps. While stationed at Fort Stevens, he miraculously found himself at the center of a surprise attack by a corps of 10,000 men led by Jubal Early. In the midst of battle, while a number of his VRC comrades were confused and scattered, Wray rallied his men to the defenses during a critical attack, and helped prevent the fort from falling. Although his actions did not go recognized until much later, with some speculation regarding the fact that he was a member of the undesirable VRC, Wray was eventually awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions.
After the Civil War, programs for injured soldiers and disabled veterans returned around World War I, when the massive amounts of casualties and disabling injuries permitted for the resurrection of the Veterans Reserve Corps. In the age of modern warfare, disabled veterans have been able to carve a niche for themselves with the Continuation on Active Duty program, allowing wounded soldiers to serve their country within the limits of their abilities. Thus, heroes like Sergeants Durgin and Wray show what makes a soldier a great leader and a hero is not how well or straight a soldier stands, but what a soldier stands for in fighting for their country.
Jonathan van Harmelen is currently studying American History at Pomona College, and has conducted research with Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. He also works at Pomona College as manager for the Orchestra and as assistant to the History Department. He enjoys collecting military antiques, playing drums, and attempting to learn French, German, and Dutch all at once.
Please don’t forget we are in the middle of our Kickstarter to raise funds to tell the story of the Invalid Corps; of soldiers with disabilities who continued to serve:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dayalmohamed/the-civil-war-invalid-corps-and-the-battle-of-fort
More Photos from North Carolina – Julia Marie Myers
I had fun filming in North Carolina last weekend at a Civil War reenactment event. I’ve never been to something like that before. Highlights included riding the train that drew Lincoln’s funeral car and a lesson on wartime surgery tools. Good research for both this documentary and my own current projects. Plus, special bonus, I got my very own pocket watch!! And it even tells time! Imagine that! 🙂
NC Transportation Museum – Lincoln’s Coffin
Although not directly related to our documentary, we learned a lot this weekend. In particular, one of the items was Lincoln’s coffin. Along with our own pictures, a bit of Googling gave us some more information.
The Great Rivers Lincoln Coffin was 6ft 8 inches long with black leather and silver trim. It had 8 silver bullion handles, more than 1,000 silver tacks, and an inscribed silver shield on the lid: Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States; born February 12, 1809; died April 15, 1865.
Also, all the newspapers at the time said his coffin was mahogany but in the 1940s, the National Archives found a receipt for his coffin and according to the payment records, it was made out of walnut and cost the government $1,5000.
I know I don’t keep my tax receipts for that long. It’s kind of amazing what little things give us information to build a more full and more accurate historic picture.
Civil War Encampment
Just a quick collection of images from the Civil War Union encampment and funeral parade. First up though is a collage from this whole weekend. 🙂
Collage Image: Civil War Union soldiers with reversed weapons. The Leviathan steam locomotive. A drummer. An older soldier with the American flag behind him. In the center, the seal from the Lincoln funeral car, the United States – an eagle with wings outstretched.
North Carolina Train Museum Day 2 – The Leviathan Steam Locomotive
There were several locomotives that pulled the Lincoln Funeral Car but one of them was a 440 named Leviathan No. 63. From 1999 to 2009, Dave Kloke basically built a replica of the original. It is period-specific in EVERYTHING except where the Federal Railroad Administration required modern safety features. 🙂 Check out the images. What do you think?
And yes, we got to ride on the Leviathan. There is something very different about a steam train versus the sleek silence of modern Amtrak. The rocking and swaying, the chugga-chugga sound, the water dripping from the front, and the steam billowing overhead, like a trail of clouds that followed us. You could even feel the humidity in the air from it.
Image Collage: Julia checking her shots. The Leviathan, steam locomotive that drew Lincoln’s funeral car. Leviathan’s engineer checking the water levels. Me, on the ground with Gamma trying to get “just the right shot.”
North Carolina Train Museum Day 1 – The Lincoln Funeral Car
Hello from North Carolina! This weekend, the North Carolina Transportation Museum is hosting the Lincoln Funeral Car and has an array of events and exhibits. Civil War food and dances, a Union and Confederate camp, artillery demonstrations, several actors and people doing impressions, and – why we’re going – to see the Lincoln Funeral Car and steam locomotive.
Just like we have Air Force One for the President today, then, considering trains were considered the primary form of long distance transportation, President Lincoln had his own train car, the “United States.” He never got to travel in it, during his lifetime. It was delivered and he was to have toured it the day after he was shot by John Wilkes Booth, the day he died.. Draped in black bunting and staffed by an Invalid Corps honor guard, it became his Funeral Car and would carry Lincoln’s body over 1,600 miles, through 150 cities so mourners could say their goodbyes before the President returned home for the last time.
The original funeral car was sold, stripped of its elegant interior, and put in service as a part of the Union Pacific Railroad. Years later it was sold to a private entrepreneur who thought to exhibit it. Unfortunately, it was destroyed in a prairie fire in Minnesota in 1911. But, fortunately for us, there are many photographs of it from the time period and over the last five years, with the help of those photos, the original blueprints, a lot of hard work, and some inspired support (you have to read the story about the paint chips to believe it), Dave Kloke rebuilt the United States as it was, when it carried Lincoln from Washington, DC to Springfield, IL.
The train is beautiful and looks so much like all the photos of the original. You can see the care that was taken in the details.
The inside is just as opulent. While there are many many photos of the exterior, it seems the same was not true for the interior with many details written in the 1930s by men who were young when they saw it: Green leather walls, ceilings of crimson silk, brass lanterns, medallions, and insignia from each of the states. Kloke and his volunteers I think went above and beyond. Many of the items inside are either actual antiques or closely modeled on antiques (or handmade in the same style). You could feel the history as you stepped on board. Practically smell it.
AND it was the first to actually have a bathroom (although I think they’re still working on building that).
We are in the middle of our Kickstarter to raise funds to tell the story of the Invalid Corps; of soldiers with disabilities who continued to serve. Please donate and/or Share: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/dayalmohamed/the-civil-war-invalid-corps-and-the-battle-of-fort
Uniform of the Invalid Corps – Updated
I first wrote about the uniform of the corps in March but did not really include any images. Today, after visiting the 151st Anniversary of the Battle of Fort Stevens and special Thanks to David Welker, below I’m posting some images of what an Invalid Corps soldier would look like in uniform.
As we know from Captain J.W. De Forest’s description [the uniform]: for enlisted men it consisted of a dark blue forage cap and sky blue trousers according to the present regulation and of a sky blue kersey jacket trimmed with dark blue and cut long in the waist like that of the U.S. cavalry. Officers were directed to wear a sky blue frock coat with collar cuffs and shoulder strap grounds of dark blue velvet and sky blue trousers with a double stripe of dark blue down the outer seam the stripes half an inch wide and three quarters of an inch apart.
Also, if you get a chance, check out Dave’s Civil War books. His next one will actually be about the Invalid Corps!
Background Reading and Useful Books (#InvalidCorpsFilm)
I’ve been doing quite a lot of reading to make sure we are solidly grounded in the history of these events. It has been a fun challenge in some ways. The information is split up in multiple places: Stories about men injured during the war is in one place, information on the Battle of Fort Stevens is in another, and information on the Invalid Corps itself is somewhere else again. Pulling it all together is the part that is most exciting.
I’ve looked at several websites, explored library collections, spoken to people in online forums, and perused journal articles as well as general articles for the public. But I thought it might be useful to just list some of the actual books that I’ve been reading. Granted, not all fit the topic fully, but they’ve all been very informative and have helped immensely.
So, in no particular order, to date I have read:
- Jubal Early’s Raid on Washington by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III
- The Day Lincoln was Almost Shot: The Fort Stevens Story by Benjamin Franklin Cooling III (this one is my favorite)
- Lincoln Under Enemy Fire by John Henry Cramer
- Jubal’s Raid by Frank E. Vandiver
- Maryland Voices of the Civil War edited by Charles W. Mitchell
- Desperate Engagement by Marc Leepson
- Scraping the Barrel: The Military Use of Substandard Manpower, 1860-1960 edited by Sanders Marble
- Union Soldiers and the Northern Home Front edited by Paul A. Cimbala and Randall M. Miller
- After Chancellorsville: Letters from the Heart edited by Judith A. Bailey & Robert I. Cotton
- Gone for a Soldier: The Civil War Memoirs of Private Alfred Bellard edited by David Herbert Donald (my second favorite from this list)
Although I don’t have the book yet, I’ve gone through Ronald S. Coddington’s website “Faces of the Civil War” several times. Fantastic images and he’s obviously gone through a lot of trouble to get the stories of the men behind the photos.
AND after having a GREAT phone conversation with Susan Claffey who is a past president of the Civil War Roundtable of the District of Columbia, I have a new book for my list: As I Remember: A Civil War Veteran Reflects on the War and Its Aftermath by Lewis Cass White and edited by Joseph Scopin.
I also have to give a shout-out to the National Park Service who has a wonderful brochure on the Battle of Fort Stevens.
Uniform of the Invalid Corps
One of the things that made the Invalid Corps stand out (beyond the fact that these men had disabilities) was their uniform. Rather than the “standard” (as much as uniforms could be considered standardized at that time), dark blue coat and light blue trousers, the Invalid Corps had a light blue jacket and trousers with a stripe. General Orders No. 124 May 15, 1863 states:
The following uniform has been adopted for the Invalid Corps:
Jacket – Of sky-blue kersey, with dark-blue trimmings, cut like the jacket of the U.S. Cavalry, to come well down on the loins and abdomen.
Trousers – Present regulation, sky-blue.
Forage Cap – present regulation
However, the light blue uniform was not looked upon favorably. From the compilation of Official records of the Union and Confederate Armies, final report to Brigadier General James Fry, the War Department Provost Marshal General’s Office regarding the Veteran Reserve Corps (November 1865) from Captain J.W. De Forest, Veteran Reserve Corps and Acting Assistant Adjutant General:
The uniform was becoming but has never been popular. The men did not like to be distinguished from their comrades of the active service by a peculiar costume; they wanted to keep the dark blue blouse and dress coat in which they had learned their profession and received their honorable disabilities. This feeling was aggravated by the inevitable jealousy between field and garrison regiments which ripened into something like bitterness between the soldiers of the Invalid Corps and the ranks in which they had so lately marched and fought. In the case of the officers the light blue was so far from agreeable to the eye and soiled so easily that they were eventually allowed and then directed to resume the dark blue frock coat although retaining the other insignia of their branch of the service.
#Disabilities in the Invalid Corps
When talking about the Invalid Corps one of the first questions that usually arises is who were these men? What kind of disabilities did they have? The question is answered (in detail) in General Orders, No. 212 from the War Department, Adjutant-General’s Office (July 9, 1863):
In executing the provisions of General Orders, No. 105, from this Department, in regard to the selection of men for the Invalid Corps, Medical Inspectors, Surgeons in charge of Hospitals, Camps, Regiments, or of Boards of Enrollment, Military Commanders, and all others required to make the physical examination of men for the Invalid Corps, will be governed in their decisions by the following list of qualification and disqualifications for admission into this Corps:
Physical infirmities that incapacitate Enlisted Men for Field Service, but do not disqualify them for service in the Invalid Corps.
1. Epilepsy, if the seizures do not occur more frequently than once a month, and have not impaired the mental faculties.
2. Paralysis, if confined to one upper extremity.
3. Hypertrophy of the heart, unaccompanied with valvular lesion. Confirmed nervous debility or excitability of the heart, with palpitation, great frequency of the pulse, and loss of strength.
4. Impeded respiration following injuries of the chest, pneumonia, or pleurisy. Incipient consumption.
5. Chronic dyspepsia or chronic diarrhoea, which has long resisted treatment. Simple enlargement of the liver or spleen, with tender or tumid abdomen
6. Chronic disorders of the kidneys or bladder, without manifest organic disease, and which have not yielded to treatment. Incontinence of urine; mere frequency of micturition does not exempt.
7. Decided feebleness of constitution, whether natural or acquired. Soldiers over fifty, and under eighteen years of age, are proper subjects for the Invalid Corps.
8. Chronic rheumatism, if manifested by positive cl???ge of structure, wasting or contraction of the muscles of the affected limb, or puffness or distortion of the joints.
9. Pain, if accompanied with manifest derangement of the general health, wasting of a limb, or other positive sign of disease.
10. Loss of sight of right eye ??? partial loss of sight of both eyes, or permanent diseases of either eye, affecting the integrity or use of the other eye, vision being impaired to such a degree clearly to incapacitate for field service. Loss of sight of left eye, or incurable diseases or imperfections of that eye, not affecting the use of the right eye, nor requiring medical treatment, do not disqualify for field service.
11. Myopia, if very decided or depending upon structural change of the eye. Hemeralopia, if confirmed.
12. Purulent otorrhoea; partial deafness, if in a degree sufficient to prevent hearing words of command as usually given.
13. Stammering, unless excessive and confirmed.
14. Chronic aphonia, which has long resisted treatment, the voice remaining too feeble to give an order or an alarm, but yet sufficiently distinct for intelligible conversation.
15. Incurable deformities of either jaw, sufficient to impede but not to prevent mastication or deglutition. Loss of a sufficient number of teeth to prevent proper mastication of food.
16. Torticollis, if of long standing and well marked.
17. Hernia; abdomen grossly protuberant; excessive obesity.
18. Internal hemorrhoids. Fistula in ???no, if extensive or complicated, with visceral disease. Prolapsus ani.
19. Stricture of the uretha.
20. Loss or complete atrophy of both testicles from any cause: permanent retraction of one or both testicle with in the inguinal canal.
21. Varicocele and cirsocele, if excessive, or painful; simple sarcocele, if not excessive nor painful.
22. Loss of arm, forearm, hand, thigh, leg or foot.
23. Wounds or injuries of the head, neck, chest, abdomen or back, that have impaired the health, strength or efficiency of the soldier.
24. Wounds, fractures, injuries, tumors, atrophy of a limb or chronic diseases of the joints or bones, that would impede marching, or prevent continuous muscular exertion.
25. Anchylosis of the shoulder, elbow, wrist, knee or ankle joint.
26. Irreducible dislocation of the shoulder, elbow, wrist or ankle joint, in which the bones have accommodated themselves to their new relations.
27. Muscular or cutaneous contractions from wounds or burns, in a degree sufficient to prevent useful motion of a limb.
28. Total loss of a thumb, loss of ungual phalanx of right thumb; permanent contraction or extension of either thumb.
29. Total loss of any two fingers of the same hand.
30. Total loss of index finger of right hand; loss of second and third phalanges of index finger of right hand, if the stump is tender or the motion of the first phalanx is impaired. Loss of the third phalanx does not incapacitate for field-service.
31. Loss of the second and third phalanges of all the fingers of either hand.
32. Permanent extension or permanent contraction of any finger, except the little finger: all the fingers adherent or united.
33. Total loss of either great toe; loss of any three toes on the same foot; all the toes joined together.
34. Deformities of the toes, if sufficient to prevent marching.
35. Large, flat, ill-shaped feet, that do not come within the designation of talipes valgus, but are sufficiently malformed to prevent marching.
36. Varicose veins of interior extremities, if large and numerous, having clusters of knots, and accompanied with chronic swellings.
37. Extensive, deep and adherent cicatrices of lower extremities.
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An Invalid Corps Song?
In 1862, General Order No. 105, of the U.S. War Department created the Invalid Corps. A year later, its name was changed to the Veteran Reserve Corps. This popular song written by Frank Wilder gives a good idea of what the sentiment was towards these men at the time. The song tells the story of a young man who tried to join the Union army but was rejected because of his various ailments. The rest of the song basically makes fun of the invalid corps and the men who were exempted from front line duty. One wonders how much it had to do with the eventual name change.
This version is from the 97th Regimental String Band. According to their website, the 97th Regimental String Band recreates an actual string band of the Civil War Era singing a wide variety of traditional American songs in authentic, “living history” style. The 97th Regimental String Band is a eudaemoniousconcatenation of jocular harmonists that provides both vocal and instrumental music of the 1800’s. They have performed throughout the United States at many of the major theme parks, festivals, civil war reenactments and special concerts. Downright awesome. I may have to pick up a couple of their albums.
LYRICS
I wanted much to go to war,
And went to be examined;
The surgeon looked me o’er and o’er,
My back and chest he hammered.Said he,
“You’re not the man for me,
Your lungs Are much affected,
And likewise both your eyes are cock’d,
And otherwise defected.”
CHORUS
So, now I’m with the Invalids,
And cannot go and fight, sir!
The doctor told me so, you know,
Of course it must be right, sir!
While I was there a host of chaps
For reasons were exempted,
Old “pursy”, he was laid aside,
To pass he had attempted.
The doctor said, “I do not like
Your corporosity, sir!
You’ll “breed a famine” in the camp
Wherever you might be, sir!”
CHORUS
There came a fellow, mighty tall,
A “knock-kneed overgrowner”,
The Doctor said, “I ain’t got time
To take and look you over.”
Next came along a little chap,
Who was ’bout two foot nothing,
The Doctor said, “You’d better go
And tell your marm you’re coming!”
CHORUS
Some had the ticerdolerreou,
Some what they call “brown critters”,
And some were “lank and lazy” too,
Some were too “fond of bitters”.
Some had “cork legs” and some “one eye”,
With backs deformed and crooked,
I’ll bet you’d laugh’d till you had cried,
To see how “cute” they looked.
CHORUS
CDVs of Soldiers with Disabilities
This is a repost from my personal website from October 6, 2014. I never did find an answer to the mystery of who these men were but hope by placing them here, there may be a chance that someone will see them and recognize them. The images are old CDV pictures from auction sites.
The first is titled: Civil War Soldier CDV Dwarf Rare Photo Rifle Armed Pic
The note on the auction website says: “Very unusual oversized cabinet CDV of a dwarf with a long beard, dressed in uniform with kepi and holding a gun. The picture was taken by Griffin & Watkins, which operated in Princeton, Kentucky during the latter part of the 19th century. Back of the card reads ”Portraits in Oil, Pastille & Crayon Old Pictures Copied and Enlarged.” Image very sharp. Card in superb condition. Measures 4” x 6”. Very interesting image.”
The second is titled: Civil war unidentified midget dwarf union soldier officer cdv photograph:
If you have any additional information on either of these men, please contact me.
Excursion to Fort Stevens
Fort Stevens was part of the ring of 68 forts built around Washington, D.C. in the early days of the Civil War (1861-ish). From the National Park Service: “Fort Stevens, now partially restored, was built to defend the approaches to Washington from the 7th Street Pike (now Georgia Avenue) which was then the main thoroughfare from the north into Washington.”
It is the key point in my documentary where Confederate General Jubal A. Early, in the summer of 1864, with about 15,000 troops comes knocking on the front door to strike at a defenseless Washington City. So…we went out to get some footage of what it looked like now.
The Beginning
The Story page tells you about the Invalid Corps, who they were and what they did; it tells you about the film. What it doesn’t tell you about is how this film project began. There is so much involved in any origin story, but the best place to begin, I guess, is at the beginning. 🙂 It all started about five months ago with a film class and a blog post.
I love learning new things and as I’ve spent the last few years writing fiction I thought it might be an interesting aside to learn about writing for film. So I signed up for a video production class with Professor Adele Schmidt through Docs in Progress. What exactly is a production class? It means that the class was designed to include “hands-on opportunities to learn core filmmaking skills, including story development, video recording, and editing.” And the part that really excited me was this:
Participants will work individually on a video project (2:30 min. max) of their own choice (social media video, trailer, PSA, portrait of a person) combining existing and/or new footage such as interview and B-roll with stills and archival footage. Participants will use pre-existing media and/or record new media (interview, B-roll) with their own camcorder. Participants will use their own laptop and editing software (Final Cut Pro X preferred) to edit the project.
I would get to actually make a movie!
Of course, then came the problem, how does a blind person make a film? I wasn’t sure and will admit, it worried me. It worried me enough to convince my wife to take the course with me – just in case. Surprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly, I needed her assistance less than I anticipated. Yes, there were things with focus and getting shots “just right” that were challenging but I discovered that I could craft a story, direct exactly what kinds of shots and action I wanted, and be able to edit and organize what materials I had into a final, finished product.
It was exciting, it was thrilling, and it was fun.
But there’s more to the story. Why the Invalid Corps? The story of the Invalid Corps and their creation during the Civil War (though I am aware of the Invalid Corps of the Revolutionary War as well), came up as part of a discussion with my wife. As an archivist and librarian for a local disability non-profit, she provided content for their “Throw-back Thursday” blog posts, usually focused around some interesting and disability-related fact or image. A few months earlier she had written a few paragraphs about these soldiers and I couldn’t let it go.
The story was simple and yet there was so much to it: The Civil War generated thousands of casualties. It wasn’t unusual to have a 30% mortality rate after a battle. And of course this also created more soldiers with disabilities. Many of us are familiar with Civil War stories of the injuries and amputations that many of the soldiers suffered…60,000 of them in fact, but what happened after? “Federals and Confederates alike worried about the immoral and idle behavior that would arise if disabled soldiers did not return to work and provide for themselves.”
These men that were too disabled to return to their post but entirely too able to get into trouble with women and wine and cards. Or such was the concern. The answer came in 1862 when the Union’s medical officers decided to put “convalescent wounded and feeble men” to work around the hospital. It worked so well, a year later General Order No. 105, of the U.S. War Department made it official and thus was created, the Invalid Corps.
It is a story about disability that should be told, not just from a historical standpoint but to understand and recognize the efforts of men and women in uniform today.
“There are lots of people with disabilities who want to serve their country, and can serve…they may not be able to do exactly everything everyone else can do, but they can do within their abilities, and they can provide a lot of support.”
– Senator Tom Harkin (2013)
The Army’s Continue on Active Duty (COAD) program is putting military men with clear, visible disabilities back into combat, and retaining and retraining others for other forms of active duty. As of June 2013, sixty-nine amputees have returned to active duty. Also of note, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, a 100-year old, 47,000-man (and woman) garrison is now commanded by Colonel Gregory D. Gadson. Colonel Gadson is a double-amputee. Perhaps even more impressive is Marine Corporal Garret S. Jones’ recovery and redeployment to a combat zone after losing a leg.
I want the world to know what happened that summer in 1864. I want to tell this story about disability, and sacrifice, about honor, and devotion to duty.
And to leave you with something a little fun, the director of the movie Battleship, Nick Berg, was so impressed with Colonel Gadson, he even gave him a role in the film. Below is a clip from Colonel Gadson where he talks about returning to active duty (and a few snippets from the film too).