Accoutrements in the Army of Tennessee

[BrianHicks]

I had posted this information last August, prior to the forums going down. After recieving an e-mail asking about it, I thought it would be a good idea to post it again.

Accoutrements in the Army of Tennessee. The below listed information will indicate that there were more Knapsacks present than not, among the ranks of the Soldiers in the main Western Army of the Confederacy.

Accoutrements in the Army of Tennessee.

The below provided table is taken form: Report of Equipage of the 5th Tennessee Volunteers, march 28, 1862. and Weekly Return of 2d Brigade, 1st Division, 1st Corps, Army of the Mississippi, June 21, 1862. Yeager Papers, MDAH.

Supplies held by the Second Brigade of A.P. Stewart’s Division, June 1862.

Regt.........Total Arms....Cartridge Boxes....Knapsacks....Haversacks....Canteens

5th Tn...........261...............261................ .141...............N/A............326

13th Ark........215................N/A................187................220........... .236

31st Tn.........305................305................2 23................287............304

33d Tn..........239................N/A................143................238........... .220

4th Tn..........236................278................ ..235................226...........253


On March 7, 1864 Hood’s Corps was reporting:

......................Bayonets........Cartridge Boxes......Knapsacks......Haversacks......Cap Boxes

.......................8,828 .............15,486...............13,608.........1 5,454...........15,245
Reported
Shortage..........6,753...............1,110....... ...........4,134...........2,546...........1,357

If you ad the shortage with the on-hand number, you get different amounts that were required. There is no explanation for this variance. And I did not find an associated number of effectives on-hand for this time period.

**The above information is taken from:

Wright to Gorgas, February 12, 1864, Letters and Telegrams Sent, Atlanta Arsenal, 1862-64, Chap. IV, vol. 16, RG 109, NA;OR, vol. 32, pt. 2, pp. 768-69; Monthly Inspection of Hood’s Corps, March 7, 1864. Yeager Papers, MDAH.


In April, 1864 Colonel Hypolite Oladowskis (the Army’s Chief of Ordnance) reported 16,941 effectives in Hardee’s Corps, and the equipment on hand as:

Cartridge Boxes......Knapsacks......Haversacks......Canteens

.....19,417...............12,610..........18,001.. ........16,888

[Alamo Guard]

Good stuff Brian, now of course the burning question is what depot did it come from, how much was captured, and the condition?
I did find it amazing for the number of canteens. Further proof I guess that some men did carry more than one.

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Good stuff Brian, now of course the burning question is what depot did it come from, how much was captured, and the condition?
I did find it amazing for the number of canteens. Further proof I guess that some men did carry more than one.

Dusty

According to the Gorgas letters in the ORs most of these accoutrements were coming out of Atlanta. Atlanta was estimating its monthly output to be 500 sets of infantry accoutrements as well as 100 sets of cavalry accoutrements and arty harness

Hoods corps in March of 1864 was reporting major shortages of basic accoutements.

On hand: 8,828 bayonets short: 6,753
15,486 cartrigeboxes short: 1,110
15,245 cap pouches short: 1,357
13,608 knapsacks short: 4,134
15,454 haversacks short: 2,546


Or Volume 32 pp 768 and Monthly Inspection of Hoods corps March 7th 1864

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Sorry Brian

I geuss you can see I havnt had my coffee this morning

[reb1912]

Greets,

Is it fair to say that the majority of knapsacks that were in the hands of the confed AOT, was of federal origination?

Any surviving images of a confederate made knapsack that you gentlemen know about?

[hireddutchcutthroat]

Greets,

Is it fair to say that the majority of knapsacks that were in the hands of the confed AOT, was of federal origination?

Any surviving images of a confederate made knapsack that you gentlemen know about?

I found a thread on another forum a few years ago that had detailed descriptions of what knapsacks the AoT had on hand. If I remember correctly the vast majority were domestic, but there were huge numbers of English and French knapsacks as well.

I will see if I cannot find the thread.