Another Milita Account

[Half Rations]

By ERASMUS H. JORDAN serving 5th Reg Militia during the evacuation of Atlanta.

"Under the burden of a ten pound musket, powder and bullet pouch, knapsack and blanket roll together with the rapid pace, the troops grew tired and began to discard non essentials. The only thing which I thought that I could discard was the extra suit of clothes which my mother had made. The suit had been used very little; I did not wish to throw it away. The one I had on was good too, only it had become soiled from the mud in the trenches. A good washing would make it good as new. I did not like to throw it away either.

[PetePaolillo]

Us feds might be marching but those cornfeds best be running!!!:)

[Coatsy]

Pete,

All the Confederates were "running" with Stumpy Bell Hood into Middle Tennessee at that particular time. Do you mean the lowly Georgia Militia? They were very different than regular Confederate military units.

[PetePaolillo]

Pete,

All the Confederates were "running" with Stumpy Bell Hood into Middle Tennessee at that particular time. Do you mean the lowly Georgia Militia? They were very different than regular Confederate military units.

:tounge_sm...This Billy Yank sometimes has trouble telling the differnce as I am just a lowly private. A traitor is a traitor...just a little teasing.....According to a letter written by Governor Brown February 17, 1865, after recounting the destruction wrought by Sherman:
In these misfortunes Georgia has been taunted by some of the public journals of other States because her people did not drive back and destroy the enemy. Those who do us this injustice fail to state the well-known fact that of all the tens of thousands of veteran infantry, including most of the vigor and manhood of the State, which she had furnished for the Confederate service, but a single regiment, the Georgia regulars, of about 300 effective men, was permitted to be upon her soil during the march of General Sherman from her northeast border to the city of Savannah, and that gallant regiment was kept upon one of our islands most of the time and not permitted to unite with those who met the enemy. Nor were the places of our absent sons filled by troops from other States. One brigade of Confederate troops was sent by the President from North Carolina, which reached Georgia after her capital was in possession of the enemy.For eight months the Confederate reserves, reserve militia, detailed men, exempts, and most State officers, civil as well as military, had kept the field almost constantly, participating in every important fight from Kenesaw to Honey Hill. If the sons of Georgia under arms in other States had been permitted to meet the foe upon her own soil, without other assistance, General Sherman's army could never have passed from the mountains to the seaboard."

above sited fromhttp://www.scv674.org/SH-13.htm

[PetePaolillo]

I found this while looking around for something else. I hope it can help someone develop their Fir Per Militia and possible civilian roles. If it has been shared elsewhere I apologize for the Redux. Cheers All.....

http://www.woodward-geiger.com/pdf_files/joe_brown.pdf

[PetePaolillo]

From Sam Wadkins Co. Aytch


OLD JOE BROWN'S PETS

By way of grim jest, and a fitting burlesque to tragic scenes, or, rather,
to the thing called "glorious war," old Joe Brown, then Governor of
Georgia, sent in his militia. It was the richest picture of an army I
ever saw. It beat Forepaugh's double-ringed circus. Every one was
dressed in citizen's clothes, and the very best they had at that time.
A few had double-barreled shotguns, but the majority had umbrellas and
walking-sticks, and nearly every one had on a duster, a flat-bosomed
"biled" shirt, and a plug hat; and, to make the thing more ridiculous,
the dwarf and the giant were marching side by side; the knock-kneed by
the side of the bow-legged; the driven-in by the side of the drawn-out;
the pale and sallow dyspeptic, who looked like Alex. Stephens, and who
seemed to have just been taken out of a chimney that smoked very badly,
and whose diet was goobers and sweet potatoes, was placed beside the
three hundred-pounder, who was dressed up to kill, and whose looks seemed
to say, "I've got a substitute in the army, and twenty negroes at home
besides--h-a-a-m, h-a-a-m." Now, that is the sort of army that old Joe
Brown had when he seceded from the Southern Confederacy, declaring that
each state was a separate sovereign government of itself; and, as old
Joe Brown was an original secessionist, he wanted to exemplify the grand
principles of secession, that had been advocated by Patrick Henry,
John Randolph, of Roanoke, and John C. Calhoun, in all of whom he was a
firm believer. I will say, however, in all due deference to the Georgia
militia and old Joe Brown's pets, that there was many a gallant and noble
fellow among them.

[Mtn.Guerilla]

A few had double-barreled shotguns, but the majority had umbrellas and
walking-sticks,


I've always enjoyed that discription. Reckon' I'll leave the shotgun at home and just bring the umbrella. Although I didn't seem them listed in the regs.

[Mcguire]

http://www.woodward-geiger.com/pdf_files/joe_brown.pdf[/QUOTE]

Scrolling through the roster and seeing all those with ages in the 40's and 50's (saw one guy who was almost 60) means that for once at an event I will be truly authentic on all accounts! I wonder if those boys had AARP cards too!

[majdoc]

Your right thats why I am doing the south for this one. See you there.
Doc

[Tom Dodson]

I am NOT almost 60. I am ONLY 59.
Tom Dodson
Co. A 11th Ga Militia

[OldKingCrow]

I helped a friend all dud'ed up in my militia / civilian solider (my GGGG was 1st FL in 58-59') yesterday at a period "fashion" show and afterwards an older gentleman pulled me aside and was intrigued by my repop double barrel percussion shotgun. I had faux paper shells in my pocket. He was a fouler w/ the antique scattergun his WoC. I showed him my paper shotgun round and he told in the period brass tubular shells which didn't go into the gun with a primer as today but rather used in place of a paper tube like a period .58 cartridge with a brass one. I would assume the brass tube was then reusable. Anyone ever run across these or know more ? I have not.

[Coatsy]

Chris,

Dave S. has a wealth of knowledge about civilian shotguns and their application towards military use. Let's see if he'll pipe in about cartridges.

Double P, the "Co. Aytch" reference is not lost on me. In typical Watkins style he plays on the sterotypes regarding the militia. But sterotypes do have basis on reality. If you see someone with an umbrella don't be surprised. Gov Brown has two rounds where his 'army' was enlisted into Confederate service. So by 1864 he had the stout and mature men mixed in with the youngsters defending Georiga's borders in addition to the AoT. Well before JBH led the AoT to disaster.

And remember folks registratoin and payments are due September 30th. Don't be left out!

[DBAR1918]

Marse Crow:

I'm a little flumoxed by your tale of scatterguns, but I will try to light the lamp of knowledge. The only common breech-loading, metallic cartridge shotgun in use before and during the war were imported French weapons that used the E. LeFaucheux patent pinfire primer (much like the tens of thousands of French/Belgian E. LeFaucheux revolvers imported by the Federals for cavalry use). After the war, the double-barrel, external hammer shotgun was modernized with all-brass, or brass base and paper body, central primed shells.

Pinfire shotguns did see limited use in the South before the war and the fired shell casing may be reprimed and reloaded a couple of times if the owner (or Soldier) is desparate. While it not a difficult task to recover and save fired pinfire shells if one is hunting dismounted, it is nearly impossible if one is reloading on horseback or moving rapidly on foot in battle. About 99% of the shotguns that saw military use in the war were either single or double barrel, percussion, muzzleloading models. Hope that my rambling explanation helps.

Your pard,

Dave Stieghan
aka, Blustering Blunderbuss
High Private, Company B, People's Committee to Exterminate Foragers