L- Robert E Lee General of the Army of Virginia. RE Lee began as officer in the Union army and was on hand to defend the US armory at Harpers Ferry from radical activist John Brown.. who's body lie's a smolder'n in a grave! Lee was a favorite of President Lincoln when he was looking for a replacemnt head for the army of the Potomic, and in a strange twist of fate offered Lee the job as head of his later enemy's army.. Duty demanded that he not go to war aginst his native state of Virginia, and he turned the job down and resigned his office in the US Army. He said: "Duty is the most sublime word in our language.. We should do our duty with all our might, and pray that we should never fail to do less" His home became the National Cemetary at Arlington, Virginia... and following a long and bloody war he survived to retire to head the Washington-Lee College as president. Robert E. Lee was a gallant general that moved his men to do his will. He mounted a grey dappled stallion at the start of the war and named it "Traveler" and it survived along with the General to become legend. M- Minnie Ball- The civil war produced death daily with Blackpoweder primitive guns.. The fact became apparent that fire-power was out paceing tactics for this last great Napolionic war. The standard .75 cal brown bess was a smoothbore flintlock that fires a round ball with less than desired accurecy. The muzzelloaders of the Civil war had rifleing to spin the ball and soon developed was better ways to load and fire. One development was the Minnie Ball projectile that fit the rifleing and was able to shoot further with more power and better accurecy, often time than the shooter. Old Tactics demanded troops advance close to the enemy and fire by volley into a standing enemy... Now with the development of better guns that began to become rare, as often a sharpshooter could hit a target further back without seeing the man or looking into his eyes. .54 cal became the standard for the US Springfield and the British made Enfield rifle of the south. Cartridges were rolled with linen wraped powder and ball.. and the soldier would tar off the wrap pour the powder and seat the ball over the remaining linen wad... it was rammed home with a rod, and a percussion cap provided fire thru a nipple in to the chamber. N- Nurseing- The Summer of 1864 allmost was the worst of the war for the riseing count of casualities broght by the fighting. Medical care was short along with medicine and the casualties came follow ing what care they recieved thru infection and desease. Accual combat gunshots often resulted to the survivers faceing amputation of a limb, and the only recourse to prevent infection. After a battle the surgeons tent was beside a growing pile of removed legs hands and arms, and Hospitials were overwhelmed by the sick and dieing. To care for the men a womens nurseing core was formed. these women brought tenderness and sympathy as well as medicine and rest to the wounded and the Ill. O- Ohio Volenteers- Unlike many European wars the US Civil war was fought by civilians in uniform of various state militias and likely formed from friends of large towns or common counties. These citizen soldiers came from the farms and fields young and excited to see the world and the adventure it offered.. *Seeing combat and surviveing coined a term: "Seeing the elephant" In many cases units died togather, all the same day at the same place and entire town lost their young men to the war.... P- Gen George Edward Pickett- Gen Pickett was a dashing southern commander who is remembered sadly for a great loss of his troops on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg. After Gen RE Lee had found he had the field before him, and beleved he had split his enemy to the right and the left.. he ordered Gen G.E. Pickett to storm the center of the Union forces. *It was a grad mistake, for the Union had a low wall to defend and the south had to cross an open field under the fire of Union guns station on the surrounding hills. Gen. Pickett ordered his Virginians to advance and then to charge... into the Federal lines that repeled them with a fury... The resulting defete haunted both him and Gen Lee.. but became known as "Pickett's Charge" Q- Quaantrill, William Clark In the outlieing areas of the western parts of Missouri, "border raiders" on horseback raided federal porperty to disrupt lives and aquired a reputation for the ruthless violence of the war. Considered "foreging" the horsemounted troops were no more than pistolero's and thieves, raiding and looting as they pleased with little contact with southern loyalists. William Quaantrill was one of these raiders, and along with him rode the likes of outlaw bandits Jesse and Frank James who were not offerd terms at the end of the war and continued to pilage nothern intrests at will long after the war had ended. R- Rebel yell! *Southern Troops were known to hoot and hollar up a storm when in a charge on union positions. This came from the general spirit of the southern rebellion, and was directed at the many resources the north had includeing limitless supplies and a more formal military apperance. Often a southern soldier was not much more that a barefoot backwwods man, unsure of any cause for the fight by determined to settle the matter with steely nerve! *There are no know recordings of the Rebel Yell tho later in re-unions the troops would repete a form of it. In 1963 the last soldier of the civil war died- a *rebel to the end! S- James Ewell Brown Stuart -----J.E.B. Stuart C.S.A. This brillant cavalry commander for the south was the "eyes and ears" of gen RE Lee and manytimes the sole sorce of information upon which decisions were made as to movement. J.E.B. Stuart would ride like the wind and circle far afield from the opposing enemy to gain his back side and cut communications with the rear re-enforcements. Allways dashing in his uniform with plumed hat, he was know for extream courtescy to captured enemy officers even once berateing a guard at their request for the use of "corse language" to the prisioner. he had the tremendious ability to defy fatigue, and was gifted with a bold independent spirit that enabled him to defy his enemies. Stuarts cavalry was famious for swooping down from out of the field to enguage the enemy from the rear, and thus throw him off his pace. T- Tents! For troops on the march in active enguagements there was no shelter for weather or place to rest... But for the majority of the war, camps were set up and that ment small cities of canvas were erected to shelter the men. Soldiers began wit elaborte shelters and slowly decended to the lowly "Dog or Pup Tent" made from the joining of two canvas shelter halves. and with just enough room for two men. Even with no way to erect, a soldier could stick his bayonet in the ground and suspend the tent between two rifles... U- Underwear! Everyone wore underwear V- vegtables- when they ran out of bullets they threw tomatoes and "goober peas" W- The Wooden Mule- When a soldier needed to be punished he was sent to ride the "wooden mule" or straddle a fence post.
