Samuel Weaver was hired to exhume the bodies of Federal Soldiers for burial in the new National Cemetery. His work began on the 27th of October, 1863, and ended in Mid March 1864.
He filed his report with David Wills on March 19, 1864, detailing how no grave was opened without his presence, and he was responsible for determining if the soldier was Federal or Confederate. He also compiled a long list of personal items removed from the pockets of the dead, and they provide an interesting picture of what they wore, and what personal items they carried.
He states that the dead were often buried in trenches amounting to sixty bodies for the Federals, and up to two hundred for the Confederates. He estimated he opened the graves of near 9,000 men.
Of interest to the living historian is his account of how he could tell the difference between Federals and Confederates, and I have quoted this portion of his report below.
“It may be asked how we could distinguish the bodies of our own (Federals) men from those of the rebels. This was generally easily done. In the first place, as a general rule, the rebels never went into battle with the United States Coat on. They sometimes stole the pantaloons from our dead and wore them (see note below), but not the coat. The rebel clothing is made of cotton, and is of a grey or brown color. Occasionally I found one with a blue jean roundabout on. The clothing of our men is wool, and blue: so that the body having on the coat of our uniform was a pretty sure indication he was a Union man. But if the body was without a coat, there are other infallible marks. The shoes of the rebels are differently made than those of our soldiers. If these failed, then the underclothing was the next examined. The rebel cotton undershirt gave proof to which army he belonged. In no instance was a body removed that had any portion of rebel underclothing on it.”
Several things you can discern from this statement - either there are a ton of incorrect burials, or Mr. Weaver knew what he was talking about. I think we can safely assume the latter.
This being the case, some distinct points-
- Some CS dead had sky blue or dark blue trousers on when they died. These could have been confiscated Federal Clothing, or actual CS issue trousers, as if you look in Echoes of Glory you will find several pairs of light and dark blue CS issue trousers.
- CS Uniforms tended to be made out of wool or cotton jean cloth, not kersey or broadcloth, and they tended to be gray and or various shades of brown.
- Some CS troops did wear blue jean shell jackets, enough for Mr. Weaver to comment on.
- Federals wore the Issue Shirt, as it is clearly stated that civilian shirts were clearly not in common use in the Federal Ranks.
- The use of US issue brogans for a Confederate impression is way overdone. It clearly states that shoes were the next deciding factor if a body was found not is a US issue Coat. This means Federals wore their issue shoes, and Confederates did not
There are always exceptions to the rule, but we strive for a PEC (plain, everyday and common) look, so if you abide by the above, you will give your comrades and the public a better picture of what the Common Soldier of Gettysburg wore.
Next I have listed items commonly found in the pockets of the men, and include it for your pleasure.
Commonly found items-
Letters, Fish Hooks, Testaments, Combs, Stamps, pencils, rings, gun wipers, diaries, money, knives, matches, ambrotypes, Bibles, pipes, sewing kits, eating utensils, occasionally a watch, gun wrenches, pay certificates, keys, buttons, and razors.
Most of us store these items in our haversacks, or have in the past- what this clearly means is that folks carried these items in their pockets because their haversacks were filled with, well, FOOD. If you have carried slab pork for a long time in your haversack, the resulting green/blue slime in the bottom of the bag would make you put other items in your pockets instead. In other words, haversacks are for food, keep your valuables closer.
I hope this has been helpful to you, and I look forward to seeing you At High Tide.
S. Chris Anders
