The Unfinished Fight

General Orders No. 78

By Craig L. Barry · Originally published May 2020 · pp. 16–17

The Adjutant and Inspector General’s Office in Richmond, Va., issued General Orders No. 78, dated Oct. 28, 1862. It read as follows: “The following is published as the schedule of average cost of arms, or parts of arms and accoutrements, required by paragraph 78 of Ordnance Regulations. Soldiers will be charged for loss on the Muster Rolls, according to this table:

ARMS

Enfield Rifles Rifle Muskets, cal .58 Rifle Muskets, cal .69 All other Rifles with Bayonet All other Rifles without Bayonet Smooth Bore Musket and Bayonet Smooth Bore Musketoons Hall’s Carbines Sharp’s Carbines All other Carbines at valuation or not to exceed Sabres of all sorts

PARTS OF ARMS

Bayonets Sabre Bayonets Ramrods Wiper, Screw Driver or Ball Screw Spring Vice Cock Screw Were these orders just guidelines? The order does not provide any context around how it was to be applied, but the presumption would be that the charges were for equipment lost due to carelessness while in camp or on the march. However, it might also include charges assessed for equipment lost while on retreat. There is a company muster roll entry for a Pvt. J.P. Evans of the 33rd Mississippi who enlisted April 1, 1862, for a period of 3 years. The entry is dated Oct. 31, 1863, for the period of November and December 1863; but his salary is being docked with the comment “Lost on retreat from Jackson H.F. (Harpers Ferry) Rifle cart box cap box shoulder strap belt

25 cart & 15 caps $61.50.” According to the 33rd Mississippi’s regimental history, the unit participated in General Joseph E. Johnston’s movement to the Big Black River for the relief of Vicksburg, retreated to Jackson when Vicksburg was surrendered, and were on duty with Featherston’s Brigade, when confronted by Sherman’s troops, July 9-16, 1863. It is not broken down or itemized further, but since it does not seem to exactly follow the charges outlined in General Orders No. 78, there must have been some latitude in the matter of fees charged. Retreating in the face of the enemy while discarding your weapon and ammunition does suggest some degree of poltroonery. So perhaps there was a punitive aspect since the equipment was dropped while on retreat. The record does not elaborate on the matter. Interestingly, he was also charged for the lost ammunition (25 cartridges) and percussion caps (15). While not extremely common, other records exist of wages docked for lost weapons in the Confederate Army. There is an example from the Ordnance Officer for Wofford’s Brigade (18th GA) dated May 3, 1864 which reads as follows:

You are hereby notified to deduct from the wages of W (illegible) Arnold of your company assessed by a Board of Survey upon one Rifle $20.00.” Hence, it appears there was again no attempt in to follow the list of charges stipulated General Orders No. 78, and it is unknown if he lost the bayonet as well. In terms of charges for parts, bayonets seem the most commonly misplaced or lost item. There is another instance from the muster rolls of March/April 1864: “Due Government for one bayonet lost carelessly, $2.33.” While not exactly on point, and from the Union Army, there is an interesting story in the diary of Eugene Ware of the 1st Iowa

Infantry that lends some insight into how muskets could be lost, or in this case, exchanged. Pvt. Ware had previously entered in his diary how he had hoped to take his musket (which he named “Silver Sue”) home with him after the war. Earlier in the narrative he describes polishing the “brown finish” from the barrel of his musket. It sounds like a U.S. Model 1816/22 smoothbore made in the 1830s, which had browned barrels. He notes he polished his “bright as a mirror.” His account on how he lost “Silver Sue” follows: “While marching along we passed off to the left, in a valley, a large spring-house; several soldiers ran in to fill their canteens. Ahead of me rushed a regular army soldier with his polished new Springfield rifled musket, and standing it up against the side of the log wall he went in to get a drink. The position which he chose for his gun was not altogether satisfactory to me, and so I moved it off about four feet and placed my polished gun in its place and went in to fill my canteen. What do you suppose that regular army soldier did? Why, he rushed out of that springhouse and without saying a word he just picked up [my musket] “Silver Sue” and ran off with her. It was one of the coolest pieces of robbery that I ever saw, and being at the spring-house made it cooler. He ran on and disappeared in the dust. There was no alternative for me—I had to take the only gun that was left. I smothered my indignation and also disappeared in the cloud of dust. That evening I traded my silver watch that had been on a strike for some time to a regular for two packages of ammunition—80 rounds, that would fit my new gun, which I called “Orphan.” “Orphan” was a Springfield rifle musket stamped 1861, probably made about March or April of that year. I called it “Orphan” because it had been so cruelly deserted.” Reading between the lines, Pvt. Ware certainly got the better of that exchange as the U.S. Model 1861, whether made at Springfield Armory or elsewhere, was a highly coveted infantry arm by soldiers on both sides. Craig L. Barry was born in Charlottesville, Va. He holds his BA and Masters degrees from the University of North Carolina (Charlotte). Craig served The Watchdog Civil War Quarterly as Associate Editor and Editor from 2003–2017. The Watchdog published books and columns on 19th-century material and donated all funds from publications to battlefield preservation. He is the author of several books including The Civil War Musket: A Handbook for Historical Accuracy (2006, 2011), The Unfinished Fight: Essays on Confederate Material Culture Vol. I and II (2012, 2013) and three books (soon to be four) in the Suppliers to the Confederacy series on English Arms & Accoutrements, Quartermaster stores and other European imports.