Civil War Snow

[Quickstep]

The blizzard going on here in Maryland got me thinking about Civil War weather, esp. snow related incidents and items. Here are some interesting links in case you're snowed in this weekend:

An article on famous CW snowball fights in the Confederate army:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2006/jan/06/20060106-100134-8668r/

A picture of the battle:

http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae101/cjb106/Snowballfight.jpg)

Here's an account of a snowball fight that took place among the Maine Militia:

http://mainemilitia.com/node/16

Found this laborious poem titled, "The Snow at Fredericksburg":

http://www.civilwarpoetry.org/union/homefront/fred-snow.html

Here's a good write up on weather during the CW and how it shaped campaigns and battles:

http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Weather_During_the_Civil_War


A couple of famous CW bad weather pictures:

Snowing on Picket (this is pretty much what it looks like outside my house right now, except I don't have a cannon and my house is in a little better shape):

http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae101/cjb106/snowingonpicket.jpg

Can't forget the famous Mud March:

http://i962.photobucket.com/albums/ae101/cjb106/Mudmarch.jpg


If you like CW paintings, here are some snowy winter scenes:

http://www.allenscreations.com/images/mkcc.jpg

http://www.gallerydirectart.com/up-8.html

http://www.gallerydirectart.com/mk-214.html

..those Mort Kunstler works are amazing. Anyone know of any Union-soldiers-in-the-snow paintings? How about some other blizzard or bad weather accounts?

[Bill_Cross]

Thanks for sharing that bit of history.

Beats the usual "crisis in the hobby" postings, LOL!

[agrnbrt]

Thanks for the great info and pix. Just when we think what a hard time we have dealing with the snow. Think about how they had to deal with it. I think the picket duty picture really shows how easy we have today in comparison.

[GaWildcat]

That snowing on picket pic... been there done that... we did have the guns, but the house was a tent... and the stove had a real pipe, not a barrel that is is such a precarious position.. surprised it ca "draw"

[Rob Weaver]

While the Mud March was mostly effected by a sudden warming that turned the roads to slush, Jackson's Romney Campaign in the Winter of 1861-1862 is one of the best Civil War examples of a campaign derailed by winter weather. Jackson nearly destroyed his command trying to get to Romney VA, which was later abandoned by the Federals without a fight. His men suffered severely from the cold, being badly equipped with tents and shelters, and were crippled by the common cold and flu. At one point, at least 50% of the command was sick, and the roads were impassable due to ice and snow. Had there been a substantial Federal force in any decent condition nearby, it would have been the end of the Valley Army. How easily we forget how hard it is to move wagons and guns on icy roads, and how hard it is to remove snow without snow plows, blowers or even proper shovels. The Romney Adventure is a great story of endurance and an object lesson on why you don't move an army during the winter.

[sigman]

My unit, 12th NJ, Co. K sponsored a one day winter tactical in southern NJ. First time we held the event, "Ledden Farm" in Gloucester County we had light snow.

Just over 225 troops fought mainly in the woods around a sunken road and ravines. We had breastworks where we dispatched skirmishers and pickets from.

Having a fight in light snow sure was different, the fellows loved it. Falling snow really concealed troop movements. Needless to say, the guys who particiapted could go home to warm up after the day. We actually had a small company of rebs come out and spent the night in a shebang in the woods to live the experience.

Andy Siganuk, 12th NJ, Mifflin Guard

[mmescher]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe the Mud March became that because they didn't have decent weather forecasts and didn't know torrential rains were coming. I didn't think melting snow was involved.

Another factor to add to the fun of moving in Northern Virginia during the winter is the freezing and thawing that take place. During the day with the sun shining, snow will often melt. So take the snow melt and pound it into the dirt using several thousand pairs of feet and you wind up with a gooey mess. Considering where Stonewall was operating then, i.e., the Shenandoah Valley and the Alleghanies, the base rock is limestone. From a subjective viewpoint, it seems like the limestone clays of the Valley are a lot stickier than the granitic based clays of the Piedmont. So soldiers marching during the winter when the sun is shining might have helped pound the sun-melted roads turn into muddy paths that required more effort for each step and completely soaked their shoes, followed by falling temperatures after the sun set. Talk about a recipe for misery!

Michael Mescher

[flattop32355]

If I remember correctly, Burnside held off on moving the army, expecting bad weather to begin at any day. It didn't. He let a number of fine, dry days pass, until the political heat from Washington finally made him move.

Unfortunately, that's exactly when the weather turned bad; the timing couldn't have been worse for the AOP, and for Burnside. I can't hold that one against him; he had enough of that which was earned.

[TheQM]

Anybody who attended any of the events held in Newfane, New York got a taste of what it was like to be a Civil War soldier during the winter. Sometimes it sucked. Other times it wasn't too bad. After a while, those huts start feeling like home!

[Rob Weaver]

My unit, 12th NJ, Co. K sponsored a one day winter tactical in southern NJ. First time we held the event, "Ledden Farm" in Gloucester County we had light snow.

Just over 225 troops fought mainly in the woods around a sunken road and ravines. We had breastworks where we dispatched skirmishers and pickets from.

Having a fight in light snow sure was different, the fellows loved it. Falling snow really concealed troop movements. Needless to say, the guys who particiapted could go home to warm up after the day. We actually had a small company of rebs come out and spent the night in a shebang in the woods to live the experience.

Andy Siganuk, 12th NJ, Mifflin Guard
Has your unit been doing that event for a long time? I went to a winter event in NJ about 10 years ago. It wasn't far from Philadelphia and was on a Saturday in February. The weather was mild like you describe. That was a great event, even better because it was off-season. Do you still sponsor it?

[RJSamp]

Late March 2000, Jefferson Barracks MO (southside of St. Louis MO on the Mississippi), spring drill. It was cold when we bedded down the horses for a 10th MO Cavalry drill weekend....colder still when we turned in. Woke up early to sound Reveille....three inches of snow on the canvas.....warmed up the bugle over the fire and sounded the call ......three add'l inches of snow fell that morning. A great weekend and it was fun galloping in the snow....

[sbl]

The only time I was even snowed on at an event was Saylors Creek back in the 90s.

[gage52]

Just got back from a winter event at Billie Creek in Rockville Indiana. Had to drive through a bit of a small blizzard to get there. It was cold, especially after having to ford a creek to hit a Yankee position, then running around barefoot till my brogans dried by the fire. Snow hurts barefoot. Fun event, very cold though.

[kderren]

Don Stivers painted the 5th US regular cavalry, on an outpost in the winter. Stunning! Shows some officers searching the horizon, with a trop of soldiers behingd them.
I forget what its called something like "On the oputpost" Painted around 1985, or so

[Quickstep]

Don Stivers painted the 5th US regular cavalry, on an outpost in the winter. Stunning! Shows some officers searching the horizon, with a trop of soldiers behingd them.
I forget what its called something like "On the oputpost" Painted around 1985, or so

Hhmmm...don't see it on his website. He does have a couple of winter scenes though:

No Surrender - http://www.donstivers.com/gallery.cfm?PageStart=2&cat=OP&new=0&let=

Post of Honor - http://www.donstivers.com/gallery.cfm?PageStart=2&cat=OP&new=0&let=

If you can track it down, let me know! I'm partial to the Regulars. :) Thanks for the lead, I like his stuff.

[jthlmnn]

Check Robert E. Bonner's The Soldier's Pen: Firsthand Impressions of the Civil War. (2006, Hill & Wang, NY). Three winter scenes in watercolor by Pvt. Henry Berckhoff (8th NY "German Rifles" & 5th NY) are on color plates in the middle of the book:
-Gen. Blenker's fatal fall at Salem, 7 April, 1862
-Bivouac at Dumfries, 13 December, 1862
- Railroad Guard at Brooks Station, Februar 1863 (No, its not a typo. He wrote "Februar", the Germanic form. Interestingly, he wrote the Anglo "December", rather than the Germanic "Dezember".)

There is also a b/w sketch of the winter quarters (1862-63) of Charles Morey, Co E, 2nd Vermont Volunteers, on page 64. (Killed 4/2/1865, at Petersburg, with the rank of captain).

N.B. Until the publication of the book, the images and writings, now in the Gilder Lehrman Collection, had never been seen by the general public.

[1stSgt_Tommarello]

The coldest event I've ever attended was our annual company drill weekend in 2004 at our winter camp. -7 degress & 10 inches of snow. Brogans and bones were frozen solid and I had an inch or two of snow on me as I fell asleep attempting to keep the cook fire stoked and burning. It does toughen you up to a degree, but to deal with that for 4 or 5 months takes 19th Century super men.

[kderren]

try this link, I'm proud to say I'm in it, have it on the wall, signed copy

http://www.prints.com/prints.php/Don_Stivers/In_Pursuit/?artist_id=2874&print_id=31523

[Regular3]

The only time I was even snowed on at an event was Saylors Creek back in the 90s.That was the 125th, in 1990. I was there too, and the neatest part about it -- Or spookiest, depending on your perspective -- was that it matched, to the day and hour, weather that the original boys experienced.

It didn't actually snow on us at the 125th of Shiloh, but we did drive through snow on the way out to Tennessee from Atlanta ... And that's still one of the coldest events I've ever attended.

[Blair]

Yes, the 1990 Sailor's Creek event was a heavy snow year.
I was still recovering from rotary cuff surgery during that event.
I bought a pair of 1851 boots just before the snow hit. And had trouble getting them off with the heavy wool socks I was wearing. That evening, after the snow started, and after everything had been turned into mud, I slept in the back of my car. I was able to get my new, slush and mud covered boots off before I turned in, but it was pure agony!
We usually played Sailor's from "Tucker's Naval Battalion" at this event. I did not play that weekend. I was still having bouts of fervor form the surgery (only two weeks before). So, during the march off to the battle I went up to Suters Row to see what damage all that heavy, silver dollar size snow flacks had left behind.
Many of the tents were down from the weight of the nights snowfall.

This was not the worst snow event I have been at. That would be the first February "Snowball Skirmish" held at the N-SSA's Fort Shenandoah about 1978/9. That snow was so deep (48 inches worth) along the Skirmish Line that they had to bring in a snow plow to clear a space for the shooters. This through up a wall of snow down range that was so high the shooters could not see the target boards.
Crenelation's had to be cut in the snow bank with bayonets for the shooters to see the targets.
Now that was a true "immersion" situation that most hard corp Campaigner types haven't begin to imagine.
All for the sake of having FUN doing CW! "Different strokes for different folks".