"Jeb" Stuart's Letters

Mitchell, Adele H., ed. The Letters of Major General James E.B. Stuart. [S.l.]: Stuart-Mosby Historical Society, 1990.

As one who has studied General Stuart, his life, and his campaigns at length, I can say that it is impossible to know the man (however imperfectly at the remove of nearly a century-and-a-half) without having read and re-read this rare, important, and unique collection of his letters.

From the Introduction by Col. James Ewell Brown Stuart, IV (U.S. Army, Ret.):

“General Stuart was an outstanding military leader who brought the arm of Cavalry to a level that had not before been achieved. He used his position to serve as an inspiration for all of those who served with him, not only subordinates, but also contemporaries. The method he used to inspire his men against formidable odds can be best summarized with a statement he made: ‘The only way we can whip the enemy is through a greater spirit and desire to win—I must strive to inculcate in my men the spirit of the chase.’ General John Sedgwick of the Union Army was quoted as saying: ‘Stuart was the best Cavalry Officer ever foaled in America’.”

Castelnaudary, 1631

Gaston Jean-Baptiste de France (Monsieur) in 1634

Castelnaudary, Action at (Sept. 1, 1632). Defeat of Monsieur’s rebel army, led by Montmorency, by the French Royal Army, commanded by Schomberg.

In late 1631, a French force commanded by the marshals Schomberg and La Force was operating in Lorraine against the forces of Charles IV, Duke of Lorraine. Its mission was to take Moyenvic. About mid-year 1632, supporters of the rebel Gaston, Duke of Orleans (called Monsieur, the French king’s brother), rose in revolt in Languedoc. The insurgents were led by Henri, Duke of Montmorency, and supported by Lorraine and Spain. Languedoc, their stronghold, was an ancient center of dissidents and close, geographically, to Spain.

At news of the revolt, the Royal Army made preparations to confront the rebels in Languedoc. Marshal Schomberg, with 2,000 horse (approximately 1,500 cavalry and 500 mounted musketeers), left St. Dizier immediately for Languedoc. He was followed by La Force with the rest of the troops, 8,000 infantry and 1,500 cavalry. The strength of the Royal Army, therefore, was 11,500 (3,500 horse). The strength of the rebels was about 10,000 altogether.

On September 1, the rebels were surprised by Schomberg while negotiating a pass in broken country at Castelnaudary, about 20 miles WNW of Carcassone. Schomberg’s “Griffons,” 500 mounted musketeers drawn from four companies of the French Guards, won the day, fighting dismounted from behind hedges and smashing an attempt by Monsieur’s cavalry to break out of a confined bridgehead with musketry. The fighting lasted about a half-hour and resulted in the utter defeat and dispersal of Monsieur’s force. “It was not a general combat,” said Richelieu, “but merely an ambush.” Nonetheless, it was observed that never had such great slaughter been effected in so little time and that, as a result, “10,000 had fled from 500.”

The little skirmish, hardly remarkable (or remarked upon) from a military standpoint, had important political consequences. It marked the abrupt end of Monsieur’s latest inept and shabby protest against ministerial absolutism and resulted, as was usually the case, in his reconciliation with the king and the execution of his chief co-conspirator. Montmorency was beheaded at Toulouse on October 30.

© Dur Écu 2013

Chronology of the Caroline War

Charles VIII, King of France (reigned 1483-1498)

With respect to the character of King Charles VIII, I recall reading somewhere that he was an "inoffensive, pleasure-loving ninny." The description is fixed in my mind, but I can't for the life of me remember from whence it sprung. Be that as it may, his Italian adventure ( the Caroline War) was very destructive of life and property and initiated decades of turmoil on the Italian peninsula. In examining this sub-war of the Great Italian Wars, I found it useful at the outset to compile a chronology of the conflict.

The Caroline War (Charles VIII’s Invasion of Italy [1494-1496])

          Sep. 2, 1494 - Charles VIII of France invades Italy. The French army crossed the Alps from Briançon to Oulx via the Col de Montgenèvre (Monginevro Pass).

         

          Jan. 1, 1495 - The French army enters Rome.

          Feb. 22, 1495 - Charles reaches his objective, the disputed Kingdom of Naples.

          Mar. 31, 1495 - Formation of the Holy League to oppose the French

          May 20, 1495 - The French main force departs from Naples.

          June 21, 1495 - Battle of Seminara I

          July 6, 1495 - Battle of Fornovo (The Taro)

          July 17-Sept. 24, 1495 - Siege of Novara

          Oct. 9, 1495 – The Peace of Vercelli ends the Caroline War in the north of Italy, but the fate of the Kingdom of Naples remains to be settled.

          Oct. 25, 1495 – The French main army recrosses the Alps using the Monginevro Pass.

          July 25, 1496 – The French Neapolitan army, under the Viceroy Montpensier, capitulates at Atella after a brief siege, effectively ending operations in the south of Italy.

Aubigny, Bernard [Béraud; Bérault] Stuart, third seigneur d’

Aubigny, Bernard [Béraud; Bérault] Stuart, third seigneur d’ (1447?-1508). French general. Principal wars: War of the Roses; Italian Wars. Principal Battles: Bosworth Field (1485); Seminara I (1495); Seminara II (1503).

A descendant of the Stewart of Derneley granted the lands of Aubigny and Concressault by the Dauphin Charles (future Charles VII) in 1421 for services to the French crown, he fought at Bosworth Field (Aug. 22, 1485) and later commanded the French army that defeated Spain’s “Great Captain,” Gonzalo de Cordoba, at Seminara I (or Monteleone, June 28, 1495). He was subsequently made Grand Constable and Governor of Naples (1501) but was defeated by Don Fernando de Andrada at Seminara II (Apr. 21, 1503) and imprisoned in the tower of the Castello Nuovo. He died in Scotland in June 1508.

Commynes described him as a “bon chevalier, saige, et bon et honrable”; Brantome as a “grand chevalier sans reproche”; and Bayard as “ung tres gentil et vertueux Capitaine.”

Sources: Aubigny, Béraud Stuart, and Élie de Comminges. Traité sur l'art de la guerre de Bérault Stuart, seigneur d'Aubigny. La Haye: M. Nijhoff, 1976. Cust, Lady Elizabeth Caroline. Some Account of the Stuarts of Aubigny, in France, 1422-1672. London: Chiswick Press 1891.

© Dur Écu 2013

Gen. Robert Emmett Rodes

One of the more interesting exercises connected with scenario design is the characterization of leaders. This is generally a requirement of rules’ sets, and if the scenario is “historic,” getting the characterizations right is important. Of course, the process is complicated by the fact that most historic leaders had their good days and their bad days (that is, splendid and not so much – think of “the” Stonewall Jackson of the Seven Days for a couple inexplicably bad days by a military colossus). Then too, there were others who were truly great at lower command levels but ineffective or worse at higher levels (for example, John Bell Hood – the epitome of the Peter Principle). Colonel, later Gen. Robert E. Rodes is an example of an enigmatic historic leader. As he figures in several of the scenarios I’ve been working up, I had to get a handle on him. Following is a list of biographical references for Rodes. I’ve only seen the first, which I consider sufficient, but I expect I’ll get around to the others.

Collins, Darrell L. Major General Robert E. Rodes of the Army of Northern Virginia: A Biography. New York: Savas Beatie, 2008.

Newton, Steven H., William Garrett Piston, Keith Poulter, Steven E. Woodworth, and Gregory J. W. Urwin. 2009. “Overrated Generals.” North & South : The Official Magazine of the Civil War Society. 11, no. 6: 14-22.

Covers: Philip Henry Sheridan; John Brown Gordon; James Birdseye McPherson; Joseph Wheeler; James Harrison Wilson; William Joseph Hardee; Joseph Hooker; Joseph E. Johnston; George Gordon Meade; Nathan Bedford Forrest; George Henry Thomas; John Singleton Mosby (not a general, of course); George Crook; Wesley Merritt; G. T. Beauregard; John Hunt Morgan; Franz Sigel; Robert Emmett Rodes; Winfield Scott Hancock; George A. Custer; John Alexander Logan

Swisher, James K. Warrior in Gray: General Robert Rodes of Lee's Army. Shippensburg, Pa.: White Mane Books, 2000.

Galiot de Genouillac

Galiot de Genouillac, Jacques Richard de, seigneur d’Assier (Assier, Quercy, July 16,1465-château de Végennes, Limousin, Oct. 15, 1546). The nephew of Jacques de Genouillac, grandmaster of the artillery under Louis XI, he was himself appointed grandmaster by King Louis XII on May 26, 1512. A highly-skilled artillerist, he participated in the campaigns of Charles VIII, Louis XII, and Francis I in Italy.

Confederate Gun Line at First Manassas

At the crisis of the Battle of First Manassas (Bull Run), July 21, 1861, the Confederate army, which had been driven in disarray from its initial position near Matthews Hill, rallied on the line of Gen. Thomas J. Jackson's Brigade on Henry House Hill. It was here that Jackson, and his brigade, won their immortal nickname of "Stonewall." It's worth noting, though, that the stabilization of the Confederate line was made possible not only by Jackson's infantry but also by a line of 13 guns assembled along the eastern rim of the hill. The position of these guns is marked today by the gun line in the photos above, taken a few days ago. The view is to the northwest, and if the Robinson House was still standing, it would be visible along the line of trees at the upper center.

Snake-Rail Fence

Fine example of a snake-rail fence on Manassas Battlefield.

Park Service marker at the fence.

I'm dog-sitting today, and it being Inauguration Day, I headed in the opposite direction -- to Manassas Battlefield. Once there, I (we) hiked the trail on the Henry House Hill (or plateau, if you like). The day was cold and overcast, although not so dour as the media made it out to be. Of course, none of this matters to dogs, and MBNP is truly dog-friendly. Horse-friendly too. Toward the end of the circuit, we came upon this superb example of a snake-rail fence just at the point where the 33d Virginia Regiment jumped-off for its attack on the Federal batteries of Ricketts and Griffin in the First Battle of Manassas. The story is well-known: How the Virginians in their pre-war blue militia uniforms were mistaken for friendly troops and able to approach the Federal guns on their flank and loose a devastating volley at close range that swept the batteries and killed men and horses in such numbers that the guns were rendered combat ineffective.

Painting U.S. Cavalry of the 1870s

As a follow-on to yesterday's post, here are the instructions for painting U.S. Cavalry of the 1870s that were included with Bugle & Guidon, Inc.'s 54mm figures produced during the 1970s.

Painting Hostiles of the Northern Plains

On Nov. 9, 2001, I blogged on the postcard Bugle & Guidon, Inc., used in the 1970s to publicize its 54mm figures suitable for depicting the Indian Wars of the 1870s between the U.S. Cavalry and hostiles of the Northern Plains, including Custer’s Last Stand (depicted on the postcard). Bugle & Guidon furnished painting instructions with its figures, and I recently discovered copies of these instructions tucked away with a couple of the actual figures. As these instructions are comprehensive and informative, I thought I’d reproduce them here. The first covers the Indians – “Hostiles of the Northern Plains.”

Tsushima, 1905 (2)

As noted, Admiral Togo’s First Battle Division consisted of four battleships (BBs) and two armored cruisers (ACs). At the outbreak of the war (Feb. 8, 1904), the First Battle Division had consisted of six BBs, but the battleships Hatsuse and Yashima had been lost to mines. Togo had disguised this fact by substituting the powerful armored cruisers Kasuga and Nisshin for the lost battleships. These two armored cruisers were referred to as “counterfeit battleships.”

The photos above show my 1:2400 Panzerschiffe models of the Kasuga and Nisshin.

The 125th Pa. Inf. Rgt. at Antietam

 Above: Monument to the 125th Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment at Antietam

Above: Placard outlining the combat of the 125th Pa. in the West Woods at Antietam (the placard is visible to the right of the monument in the topmost photo)

At the Battle of Antietam, the 125th, a new regiment belonging to Brig. Gen. S. W. Crawford’s brigade, wandered away from its brigade and, improbably, crossed the Cornfield and entered the West Woods just west of the Dunker Church. There, it was joined by the 34th New York of Gorman’s Brigade, Sedgwick’s Division, which, equally improbably, had somehow entered the West Woods nearby, well ahead of its brigade. The two regiments were the first federal regiments to enter the West Woods. According to the 125^th’s regimental history, 76: “…it is sufficient to say here that the 125th Pennsylvania and the 34th New York had been in the West Woods and tried to hold them, before the main portion of Sedgwick’s Division reached them.”
 

For the 125th Pa., see Regimental Committee. History of the One Hundred and Twenty-fifth Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Co., 1906. This history gives the regiment as less than 700 in line and gives BC as 54 KIA/MW and 91 WIA (an unlikely ratio!), with 84 lightly wounded not reported (p. 85). See also Huyette, Miles C. (Pvt.) and Smith, John P. History of the Antietam Fight (account of Pvt. J. D. Hicks).

Rich:

Your HFC notes re: the 128th PA of Crawford’s 2d Bde, 1st Div, XII Corps list Ted Alexander’s book, but you give the title as the 126th PA, which would be in Tyler’s Bde of Humphrey’s Div (V Corps).  It looks to me like you slipped, but we can check and resolve the reference.

Tsushima, 1905

Above: Portion of a Map Showing the Location of the Battle (Center)

Above: Panzerschiffe 1:2400 Models of the Four Japanese Pre-dreadnought Battleships

Naval Battle of Tsushima (May 27-28, 1905). Decisive defeat and annihilation of the Russian Baltic Fleet (aka Second Pacific Squadron) under Vice-Admiral Rojestvensky by the Japanese Combined Fleet, commanded by Adm. Heihachiro Togo.

Japanese Combined Fleet (Adm. Heihachiro Togo)

First Fleet (Togo)

          First Battle Division (Rear Adm. Sotaro Misu)

          BB Mikasa (FF), BB Shikishima, BB Fuji, BB Asahi, AC Kasuga, AC Nisshin (F), dispatch boat Tatsuta 

(to be continued)

Turner's Pallas Armata

Turner, Sir James. Pallas Armata. Military Essayes of the Ancient Grecian, Roman, and Modern Art of War. Written in the Years 1670 and 1671. 1683. Repr. New York: Greenwood Press, 1968.

Sir James Turner (from the book)

Before proceeding to a review of Turner’s work, it might be useful to describe the activities of the publisher, Greenwood Press. Greenwood Press was a publishing house concentrating primarily on reprinting significant older works in a variety of fields. Military studies were strongly represented among Greenwood’s offerings, and the publisher at one time offered a separate catalog describing over 120 books on military subjects. Among books listed in that catalog were many of interest to scholars of the early modern period, including several titles in the West Point Military Library series (works of Feuquières, Saxe, Lloyd, and Colin). Other significant titles included Frederick Lewis Taylor’s outstanding Art of War in Italy, 1494-1529, G. B. Malleson’s Battlefields of Germany, and S. R. Gardiner’s Thirty Years’ War. Of course, today many of these seminal works are available on the web.

Turner’s book is one of a multitude of military works that appeared in Europe in the second half of the 17^th century. The author was a professional soldier whose purpose in writing was to instruct “Young Lords and Gentlemen” in the art of war. His style is informative – even witty – and these properties distinguish the book from many of its “dryasdust” contemporaries.

The work is really two books. The first half is a detailed synthesis of the art of war as it was practiced under the ancient Greeks and Romans; the second an examination of the art of war in Turner’s own time and just previously. Both parts are, as the author intended, instructive. No matter how deep your knowledge of the subject covered, you are likely to find something here that you hadn’t known before. For example, the author provides what I believe to be a unique description of how Swedish brigade formations of the Thirty Years’ War conducted fire fights in battle. On the whole, this is an entertaining work. It is recommended for those interested in tactics, formations, and military housekeeping of the period from the French Religious-Civil Wars through the Thirty Years’ War.

This post was adapted from a review published originally in Gorget & Sash, and is published with the permission of the editors of G&S.

Fabian Tactics

Gen. Nathanael Greene (July 27, 1742-June 19, 1786)

Like many American soldiers who rose to improbable greatness, Greene was a native genius. Readings in military history appear to have provided his entire background in military affairs. Perhaps it was his reading of the campaigns of the great Roman general Quintus Fabius Maximus, who defended Rome against the Carthaginian general Hannibal, that inspired his employment of Fabian tactics against the British in the southern campaigns of the American Revolution.

“Fabian tactics – A type of warfare in which combat is avoided and instead a policy of delay and harassment is directed at the enemy.” - Dupuy, Trevor N., Curt Johnson, and Grace P. Hayes. Dictionary of Military Terms: A Guide to the Language of Warfare and Military Institutions. New York: H.W. Wilson Co, 1986.

Greene described his operational-tactical method in a letter to his friend Jeremiah Wadsworth:

“Our army has been frequently beaten and like a Stock Fish grows the better for it. Lord Cornwallis, who is the modern Hannibal, has rambled through [a] great part of the Southern States, and his Tour has [sacrificed] a great number of Men without reaping any solid Advantages from it, except that of distressing the poor Inhabitants.”

“…[T]here are few Generals that [have] run oftener, or more lustily, than I have done. But I have taken care not to run too far; and commonly have run as fast forward as backward, to convince our Enemy that we were like a Crab that could run either way.”

Sometimes, of course, it was necessary to fight, but as Greene noted in a letter to the chevalier de La Luzerne:

“We fight, get beat, rise and fight again.”

Gen. Phil Kearny (June 1, 1815-Sept. 1, 1862)

Kearny, Philip, and William B. Styple (ed.). Letters from the Peninsula: The Civil War Letters of General Philip Kearny. Kearny, N.J.: Belle Grove Pub. Co., 1988.

Phil Kearny was an American soldier who entered the U.S. Army from civilian life as a 2d lieutenant of the 1st Dragoons in 1837. A lawyer by profession, he had inherited fabulous wealth but yearned for nothing more than a soldier’s life and had obtained his commission through the influence of his uncle, Gen. Stephen Watts Kearny. In 1839, he was posted as a student to the French cavalry school (Saumur) to study tactics. He subsequently served as an observer with the Chasseurs d’Afrique during the French conquest of Algeria (1840) and in the U.S.-Mexican War (in which he lost his left arm in a cavalry charge at Churubusco). Resigning his commission, he traveled to France and served as a staff officer in the French army during the War of France and Piedmont-Sardinia with Austria (1859), participating heroically in the battles of Magenta and Solferino, for which he was awarded the Legion of Honor.

With the outbreak of Civil War, Kearny returned to the United States and his native state, New Jersey. His initial command was the 1st New Jersey Brigade, which he trained to a high level but never led in battle. During the Peninsula campaign, he commanded the 3d Division, III Army Corps (Heintzelman) and participated in the battles of Williamsburg (May 4-5, 1862), Seven Pines (May 31-June 1), and several of the Seven Days’ battles (June 25-July 1). He had the utmost contempt for army commander General McClellan and several of his compeers and was outspoken in his views. Nonetheless, he was promoted brigadier general, U.S.V. (May 17, 1862) and major general, U.S.V. (July 4). He led his division at Second Manassas (August 29-30) and at Chantilly (Sept. 1), where he was KIA when he rode into the Confederate ranks during a tremendous thunderstorm and refused a summons to surrender. He was mourned by many high-ranking officers of both armies, including Gen. Robert E. Lee.

Kearny’s life and character are much-illumined by the book shown at the head of this sketch. The late (and much-missed) Brian C. Pohanka wrote the foreword, which in measured and sympathetic terms perfectly captures the essence and allure of Kearny’s dashing, volatile personality. Editor and compiler Styple’s Introduction provides a concise biography of Kearny, whose life was flamboyant and at times even Flashman-esque. The bulk of the book contains Kearny’s wartime letters to his wife, Agnes, and his friend and political ally, Cortlandt Parker. In terms of back matter, there is a brief but wholly adequate bibliography. Unfortunately, there is no index, which would have added much to the book’s value as a resource.

Below is a list of other books that might be consulted for information about Kearny and the 1st New Jersey Brigade, “Kearny’s Own.”

Baquet, Camille. History of the First Brigade, New Jersey Volunteers, From 1861 to 1865. Trenton, N.J.: MacCrellish & Quigley, state printers, 1910.

De Peyster, John Watts. Personal and Military History of Philip Kearny, Major General United States Volunteers. New York: Palmer, 1870.

Gottfried, Bradley M. Kearny's Own: The History of the First New Jersey Brigade in the Civil War. New Brunswick, N.J.: Rutgers University Press, 2005.

Kearny, Thomas. General Philip Kearny: Battle Soldier of Five Wars. New York: Putnam, 1937.

Werstein, Irving. Kearny the Magnificent: The Story of General Philip Kearny, 1815-1862. New York: The John Day Co., 1962.

Texas Rangers

Moore, Stephen L. Savage Frontier: Rangers, Riflemen, and Indian Wars in Texas. Vol. 4: 1842-1845. Univ. of North Texas Press, 2010.

Before reading author Moore’s latest (and last) volume in his four-volume history of the Texas Rangers during the Republic of Texas era, I knew relatively little of the history of this fabled force of frontier fighters. I’m pleased to report I’ve been educated. As indicated by the citation, the present volume details events during 1842-1845, including two Mexican invasions of Texas (the Vasquez and Wall incursions, both in 1842) and the fierce fighting that resulted from them. Texan ripostes, including the Somervell and Mier expeditions, were ignominious failures. The bitterness of the conflict, including Mexican atrocities and maltreatment of prisoners, was such that the Rangers subsequently sought revenge and killed Mexican soldiers and civilians with such ruthlessness that American soldiers with whom they served in the U.S.-Mexican War were appalled. (It is only just to point out here that many Tejanos served in the ranks of the Rangers.)

Besides major conflicts, the book includes accounts of everyday peacekeeping on the frontier, chiefly the numerous fights against hostile Indians. It is worth noting that friendly Indians sometimes served in companies alongside the Rangers. Among the famous Rangers profiled are the legendary Capt. Jack Hays and Capt. Samuel Hamilton Walker, who helped design the famous Walker Colt, an early revolver that was adopted by the Rangers and the U.S. dragoons. (This was Clint Eastwood’s pistol in The Outlaw Josey Wales.) All in all, this book is a rewarding read. For war gamers, it will certainly provide inspiration for skirmish scenarios readily adaptable to rules sets like TooFatLardies’ Sharp Practice.

1st Regiment Rhode Island Detached Militia, 1861 (2)

Col. Ambrose E. Burnside was the regiment’s first commander. However, when the Federal Army of Northeastern Virginia, Brig. Gen. Irvin McDowell, commanding, was organized just prior to the Battle of Bull Run, Burnside was given command of the 2d Brigade, 2d Division. Burnside’s brigade consisted of four infantry regiments and one artillery battery, as follows.

2d NH (Col Gilman Marston; Lt Col Frank S Fiske)

1st RI (Maj Joseph P Balch)

2d RI (Col John S Slocum; Lt Col Frank Wheaton)

71st NYSM (Col Henry P Martin)

2d RI Bty (Capt William H Reynolds)

At the Battle of Bull Run, Burnside’s Brigade led the flanking column that opened the action on Matthews’ Hill (the subject of A. R. Waud’s sketch, above). Rhode Island’s Governor Sprague accompanied the regiment as a volunteer and participated in the combat.

Sources

Uniform: See Military Collector & Historian, 7 (1955), 49-50.

Smith, George B. “Formation and Service of the First Regiment Rhode Island Detached Militia, April 17th‑Aug. 2nd, 1861.” Bulletin of the Newport Historical Society, No. 58 (July 1926), 14‑29.

Woodbury, Augustus. A Narrative of the Campaign of the First Rhode Island Regiment, in the Spring and Summer of 1861. Providence: Sidney S. Rider, 1862.

1st Regiment Rhode Island Detached Militia, 1861

On Monday, April 15, 1861, President Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for 75,000 militia to suppress the rebellion. Among the many units responding to the president’s call were those that made up the 1st Rhode Island Regement.

This regiment is interesting in many respects. With peculiar thoroughness, the state government had integrated a fine battery of rifled artillery, the 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery, into the regiment. The regiment also had a detachment of “carbineers” to act as skirmishers, and two men were designated as “aeronauts” to conduct aerial surveillance of Confederate positions. But for accidental damage to their balloons, they might actually have done so.

Uniform. The uniform of the 1st Rhode Island, which it shared with the 2d Rhode Island, was unique to those two regiments. The famous Civil War artist A. R. Waud made a sketch of the uniform, reproduced above. Waud’s own notation on the back of the original gives the following description: “This uniform is dark blue shirt, belted around waist, black felt hat and grey pants; the blanket is scarlet with black bar near edge….” To Waud’s description it is only necessary to add that the blouse is the famous “Burnside” or “Rhode Island blouse,” and to note that many of the men wore the kepi or forage cap with a white havelock. Augustus Woodbury, the regimental historian felt that the uniform “formed a good combination of the national colors.” The figures in the drawing represent, from left to right: Enlisted Man, Full Dress with blanket; Fatigue; Officer (Captain); Full Marching Order; and Enlisted Man with Burnside carbine.

Drayton's Brigade: Organization

Above: Excerpt from OR, 14:644 outlining the initial organization of the brigades of generals Nathan G. "Shanks" Evans and Thomas F. Drayton, when ordered north from the Confederate Department of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida by Gen. John C. Pemberton to reinforce the Army of Northern Virginia.

Of interest is the assignment of the 3d S.C. (Laurens or James) Bn. to Drayton's Brigade from its inception, although as we noted earlier, it disappears from the subsequent official record. At this time, the brigade's organization was as follows:

50th Ga. (Col. William R. Manning)

51st Ga. (Col. William Marion Slaughter)

15th S.C. (Col. William Davie DeSaussure)

3d S.C. (Laurens or James) Bn. (7 cos., A-G)(Lt. Col. George S. James)

Phillips’ (Ga.) Legion Inf. Bn. (9 cos.)(Lt. Col. Robert Thomas Cook)

The brigade numbered approximately 2,600 men at this time. Colonel Slaughter was MWIA at Chancellorsville, Colonel DeSaussure was KIA at Gettysburg, and Colonel James was MWIA at South Mountain.