hot

[roger]

id like some input on how these men could fight in 100 degree temps. and in wool uniformsi went to work today and et was only 87 . in georga it was 101

r za

[flattop32355]

When one has no concept of air conditioning, is used to manual labor anyway, and accepts that this is just the way things are, it's easier than for us today in this country. Don't forget, there are many places in the world where those conditions still hold true.

Now, that said, they did suffer, and some died, from the heat. Books, letters, etc. note that in the race to be the first units back to Washington, a number of men died from the heat due to excessively rapid marching from North Carolina, for no good reason. And these were veteran troops.

[JesseJames70]

Because we have become sissies. Air conditioning everywhere, cars to go to and from work, most of us probabaly have non-labor intensive careers, etc. Those folks were used to being in the heat and working hard in the same. I know not everyone worked in the fields but it was just a different day and time, they didn't have all the luxuries like we do today and it has made us weak. I also think that a lot of the health problems we have today come from all the preservatives and such in the foods we eat. I may sound like a conspiritist (if that's even a word) but we have become lazy as a society. How many kids do you see outside playing, how many of us get even a little exercise? Unless you work construction, road crews, roofers, etc. I'm sure those we honor could work us into the ground and keep going.

Just my $.02 for what it's worth...

[roger]

so how do we do it and keep from passing out and heat stroke

[Jubilo]

Dear Sir,
Obviously you did not attend the 150th Manassas event! I think it was the hottest I've ever been.

all for the old flag,
David Corbett

[Rob Weaver]

Men collapsed from the heat, and there were certainly outright heat casualty deaths. We'll also never know how many battlefield deaths in which heat was a contributing factor, if not a fatal one. You move sluggishly, confusedly in the heat and catch a bullet. It was the bullet that killed you, but the conditions certainly contributed. They were also used to a life outdoors and troops with any training at all had been hardened to conditions to a certain degree. We're green troops, no matter how you slice it. We get a lopsided view because we're trying so hard to avoid heat casualties. I think reenactors tend to take the field with every button buttoned and all our gear on. They threw stuff away, as would we if our lives really depended on it.

[Spinster]

Okay. Let's Go.

Revisit a couple of summers ago when a small group of certifiably nuts folks took off on a little walk in the woods, with friends. The event named In The Van covered about 30 miles, Monday-Friday, in rough terrain in August. The temperature topped 100 degrees each day, with Deep South humidity. . Supplies traveled by wagon, but this was definitely a wagon train and not a wagon ride.

The majority of participants were desk jockeys of various sorts. A few had physically demanding modern jobs, but they were the exception. The average age was 47, with the youngest being 14 and the oldest 68. The water was tepid, the food historically documented.

We had one minor heat casualty. Support staff took him out overnight to a cooler environment and a more well rounded meal, and the next morning he was back on the march. And I almost don't count this man as a casualty, as he was back the next morning, and was from so far north that parts of Canada are south of him.

So, how did we do it?

(1) Men who knew how to take care of men. The NCO's were vital to pacing the infantry, switching off work details (the men built wagon road through the mountains), and in maintaining comraderie. Staying with your pards is a big motivation.

(2) Plenty of water. Plenty of lemonade. Plenty of switchel

(3) Up and at em. After a few kinks got worked out, wagons rolled and men(and women) marched at 6:30 am. By the time the heat of the day hit, we'd reached our goal for the day, and had stopped to cook the main meal. The plan was for us to roll again in the cool of the evening, but that never quite happened.

(4). Foods that the body craved under these conditions. A lesson we'd learned some years before at Banks Grand Retreat, based on what men asked for after they'd marched for 4 days on hardtack and salt meat: they wanted acid--tomatoes, peaches, pickles-which were readily available once the soldiers figured out how to spend the scrip in their pay envelopes

(5). Men who knew how to take care of men. Yes, 1 and 5 are the same. If the NCO's are not doing their work, men will fall out. If the participants in an event have not trained for it, they will have problems. If each one does not look to the welfare of others in the company, then the experience will be less for all.

All that said, we were lucky. And we know it. There were several on the march who were running on pure cussedness.

Historically, troops knew each other. They were from the same town, grew up together, were often related. That made a great deal of difference.

And relationships make a great deal of difference now.

[skamikaze]

in preparation for the 6th Corps March I eliminated all drinks from my diet other than water, wore my gear almost every day, worked an outdoor job and avoided air conditioning for almost a full year. It still wasn't quite enough, but I did finish the march while many others did not. Those of us who worked outdoors fared much better.

[S.D.Swart]

Well I am not in the best of shape. Body is damaged with broken bones and wounds. I am 40 lbs overweight, and 51 years old. But, if you go to water a week before a event, do not eat anything processed that week, and do not use air conditioning that week, I find it much easier to adapt. That and drink water as often as possible, and refill often. At Shiloh, I made the marches, charged the field 3 times and did not fall out. Yet I saw men half my age dropping like flies.

Well that is my two bits, you milege may vary......

S.D.Swart

[Bear Flagger]

There is a reason many cultures around the world work early in the morning, stop in the afternoon (siesta time), and go back to work in the evening.