text:
Union Army
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
For the current active service branch, see United States Army.
Union Army
Flag of the United States from 1863 until 1865 (35 states/stars)
Active
February 28, 1861 – May 26, 1865
(4 years, 2 months and 4 weeks)
Country
United States
Type
Army
Size
2,128,948 total who served
Part of
U.S. Department of War
Colors
dark blue
March
"Battle Hymn of the Republic"
Engagements
American Indian Wars
American Civil War
Fort Sumter
First Bull Run
Wilson's Creek
Forts Henry and Donelson
Shenandoah
South Mills
Richmond
Harpers Ferry
Munfordville
Shepherdstown
Chambersburg Raid
Mississippi River
Peninsula
Shiloh
Jackson's Valley Campaign
Second Bull Run
South Mountain
Antietam
Hartsville
Fredericksburg
Stones River
Chancellorsville
Gettysburg
Champion Hill
Vicksburg siege
Corydon
Chickamauga
Chattanooga
Wilderness
Atlanta
Spotsylvania
Sabine Pass
New Hope Church
Pickett's Mill
Cold Harbor
Plymouth
Fort Pillow
Petersburg siege
Kennesaw Mountain
Jonesborough
Franklin
Nashville
Appomattox Court House
Commanders
Commander-in-Chief
16th President of the United States – Abraham Lincoln (1861–1865)
17th President Andrew Johnson (1865)
General-in-Chief
1st: Winfield Scott
2nd: George B. McClellan
3rd: Henry W. Halleck
Final: Ulysses S. Grant
Washington, District of Columbia. Officers of 3d Regiment Massachusetts Heavy Artillery (1865)
General George B. McClellan with staff & dignitaries (from left to right): Gen. George W. Morell, Lt. Col. A.V. Colburn, Gen. McClellan, Lt. Col. N.B. Sweitzer, Prince de Joinville (son of King Louis Phillippe of France), and on the very right – the prince's nephew, Count de Paris
The 21st Michigan Infantry, a regiment serving in the Western Theater.
Union private infantry uniform, from plate 172 of the "Atlas to Accompany the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies", containing illustrations of uniforms worn by Union and Confederate soldiers during the American Civil War
During the American Civil War, the Union Army referred to the United States Army, the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. Also known as the Federal Army, it proved essential to the preservation of the United States of America as a working, viable republic.
The Union Army was made up of the permanent regular army of the United States, but further fortified, augmented, and strengthened by the many temporary units of dedicated volunteers as well as including those who were drafted in to service as conscripts. To this end, the Union Army fought and ultimately triumphed over the efforts of the Confederate States Army in the American Civil War.
Over the course of the war, 2,128,948 men enlisted in the Union Army,[1] including 178,895 colored troops; 25% of the white men who served were foreign-born.[2] Of these soldiers, 596,670 were killed, wounded or went missing.[3] The initial call-up was for just three months, after which many of these men chose to reenlist for an additional three years.
Contents
1 Formation
2 Major organizations
3 Personnel organization
4 Leaders
5 Union victory
6 Motivations
6.1 Anti-slavery sentiment
7 Ethnic composition
8 Army administration and issues
8.1 Blacks in the army
8.2 Unit supplies
8.3 Military tactics
9 Desertions and draft riots
10 See also
11 Notes
12 References
13 Further reading
14 External links
Formation[edit]
Recruiting poster for the 1st Battalion New York Mounted Rifles
When the American Civil War began in April 1861, there were only 16,367 men in the U.S. Army, including 1,108 commissioned officers. Approximately 20% of these officers, most of them Southerners, resigned (willfully abandoning their legal commitments and responsibilities as officers in the military of the United States, to which each and every one of them had sworn an oath), choosing to tie their lives and fortunes to Army of the Confederacy.[4]
In addition, almost 200 West Point graduates who had previously left the Army, including Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, and Braxton Bragg, would return to service at the outbreak of the war. This group's loyalties were far more sharply divided, with 92 donning Confederate gray and 102 putting on the blue of the Union Army. The U.S. Army consisted of ten regiments of infantry, four of artillery, two of cavalry, two of dragoons, and three of mounted infantry. The regiments were scattered widely. Of the 197 companies in the army, 179 occupied 79 isolated posts in the West, and the remaining 18 manned garrisons east of the Mississippi River, mostly along the Canada–United States border and on the Atlantic coast.
With the Southern slave states declaring secession from the Union, and with this drastic shortage of men in the army, President Abraham Lincoln called on the states to raise a force of 75,000 men for three months to put down this subversive insurrection. Lincoln's call forced the border states to choose sides, and four seceded, making the Confederacy eleven states strong. It turned out that the war itself proved to be much longer and far more extensive in scope and scale than anyone on either side, Union North or Confederate South, expected or even imagined at the outset on the date of July 22, 1861. That was the day that Congress initially approved and authorized subsidy to allow and support a volunteer army of up to 500,000 men to the cause.
The call for volunteers initially was easily met by patriotic Northerners, abolitionists, and even immigrants who enlisted for a steady income and meals. Over 10,000 Germans in New York and Pennsylvania immediately responded to Lincoln's call, and the French were also quick to volunteer. As more men were needed, however, the number of volunteers fell and both money bounties and forced conscription had to be turned to. Nevertheless, between April 1861 and April 1865, at least 2,500,000 men served in the Union Army, of whom the majority were volunteers.
It is a misconception that the South held an advantage because of the large percentage of professional officers who resigned to join the Confederate army. At the start of the war, there were 824 graduates of the U.S. Military Academy on the active list; of these, 296 resigned or were dismissed, and 184 of those became Confederate officers. Of the approximately 900 West Point graduates who were then civilians, 400 returned to the Union Army and 99 to the Confederate. Therefore, the ratio of Union to Confederate professional officers was 642 to 283.[5] (One of the resigning officers was Robert E. Lee, who had initially been offered the assignment as commander of a field army to suppress the rebellion. Lee disapproved of secession, but refused to bear arms against his native state, Virginia, and resigned to accept the position as commander of Virginian C.S. forces. He eventually became the commander of the Confederate army.) The South did have the advantage of other military colleges, such as The Citadel and Virginia Military Institute, but they produced fewer officers. Though officers were able to resign, enlisted soldiers did not have this right; which meant that they usually had to either desert or wait until their enlistment term was over in order to join the Confederate States Army. While the total number of those is unknown, only 26 enlisted men and non-commissioned officers of the regular army are known to have legally left the army to join the Confederate army when the war began.[6]
Major organizations[edit]
The Union Army was composed of numerous organizations, which were generally organized geographically.
Military division
A collection of Departments reporting to one commander (e.g., Military Division of the Mississippi, Middle Military Division, Military Division of the James). Military Divisions were similar to the more modern term Theater; and were modeled close to, though not synonymous with, the existing theaters of war.
Department
An organization that covered a defined region, including responsibilities for the Federal installations therein and for the field armies within their borders. Those named for states usually referred to Southern states that had been occupied. It was more common to name departments for rivers (such as Department of the Tennessee, Department of the Cumberland) or regions (Department of the Pacific, Department of New England, Department of the East, Department of the West, Middle Department).
District
A subdivision of a Department (e.g., District of Cairo, District of East Tennessee). There were also Subdistricts for smaller regions.
Army
The fighting force that was usually, but not always, assigned to a District or Department but could operate over wider areas. Some of the most prominent armies were:
Army of the Cumberland, the army operating primarily in Tennessee, and later Georgia, commanded by William S. Rosecrans and George Henry Thomas.
Army of Georgia, operated in the March to the Sea and the Carolinas commanded by Henry W. Slocum.
Army of the Gulf, the army operating in the region bordering the Gulf of Mexico, commanded by Benjamin Butler, Nathaniel P. Banks, and Edward Canby.
Army of the James, the army operating on the Virginia Peninsula, 1864–65, commanded by Benjamin Butler and Edward Ord.
Army of the Mississippi, a briefly existing army operating on the Mississippi River, in two incarnations—under John Pope and William S. Rosecrans in 1862; under John A. McClernand in 1863.
Army of the Ohio, the army operating primarily in Kentucky and later Tennessee and Georgia, commanded by Don Carlos Buell, Ambrose E. Burnside, John G. Foster, and John M. Schofield.
Army of the Potomac, the principal army in the Eastern Theater, commanded by George B. McClellan, Ambrose E. Burnside, Joseph Hooker, and George G. Meade.
Army of the Shenandoah, the army operating in the Shenandoah Valley, under David Hunter, Philip Sheridan, and Horatio G. Wright.
Army of the Tennessee, the most famous army in the Western Theater, operating through Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Georgia, and the Carolinas; commanded by Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, James B. McPherson, and Oliver O. Howard.
Army of Virginia, the army assembled under John Pope for the Northern Virginia Campaign.
Each of these armies was usually commanded by a major general. Typically, the Department or District commander also had field command of the army of the same name, but some conflicts within the ranks occurred when this was not true, particularly when an army crossed a geographic boundary.
The regular army, the permanent United States Army, was intermixed into various formations of the Union Army, forming a cadre of experienced and skilled troops. They were regarded by many as elite troops and often held in reserve during battles in case of emergencies. This force was quite small compared to the massive state-raised volunteer forces that comprised the bulk of the Union Army.
show
Formations of the Union Army
Independent
Departments
Department of the East: District of Central New York
District of Massachusetts
District of Western New York
Department of the Pacific: District of Arizona
District of Humboldt
District of Oregon
District of California
District of Southern California
District of Utah
Department of the Potomac
Department of the South: District of Florida
District of Hilton Head
District of North Carolina
District of Savannah
Northern District (Charleston)
Department of Virginia and North Carolina: District of Eastern Virginia
District of North Carolina
Middle Military
Division
Middle Department: Department of Rappahannock
Department of Shenandoah
Mountain Department
District of Baltimore
District of Eastern Shore
Department of Pennsylvania: Department of the Monongahela
Department of the Susquehanna
Department of Washington: District of Alexandria
District of Saint Mary's
District of Washington
District of Annapolis
Department of West Virginia: District of Harper's Ferry
Kanawha District
Military Division
of the
Mississippi
Cavalry Corps of the Military Division of the Mississippi
Department of the Cumberland: District of the Etowah
District of Middle Tennessee
District of Northern Alabama
District of West Tennessee
Department of the Ohio: District of East Tennessee
Department of Kentucky
District of Cairo
District of Western Kentucky
Northern Department: District of Indiana
District of Illinois
District of Michigan
Military Division
of West
Mississippi
Department of Arkansas: District of Eastern Arkansas
District of the Frontier
District of Little Rock
Department of the Gulf: District of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson
District of Carrollton
District of Key West and Tortugas
District of La Fourche
District of West Florida and South Alabama
Department of Kansas: District of Colorado
District of Nebraska
District of North Kansas
District of South Kansas
District of Upper Arkansas
Department of Missouri: District of Central Missouri
District of North Missouri
District of Rolla
District of Saint Louis
District of Southwest Missouri
Department of New Mexico: District of Arizona
Department of the Northwest: District of Iowa
District of Minnesota
District of Wisconsin
District of Dakota
Field Armies
Army of Arkansas
Army of the Border
Army of the Cumberland
Army of the Frontier
Army of Georgia
Army of the Gulf
Army of the James
Army of Kentucky
Army of the Mississippi
Army of the Ohio
Army of the Potomac
Army of the Shenandoah
Army of the Southwest
Army of the Tennessee
Army of Virginia
Army of West Mississippi
Army of West Virginia
Army Corps
First Army Corps
Second Army Corps
Third Army Corps
Fourth Army Corps
Fifth Army Corps
Sixth Army Corps
Seventh Army Corps
Eighth Army Corps
Ninth Army Corps
10th Army Corps
11th Army Corps
12th Army Corps
13th Army Corps
14th Army Corps
15th Army Corps
16th Army Corps
17th Army Corps
18th Army Corps
19th Army Corps
20th Army Corps
21st Army Corps
22d Army Corps
23d Army Corps
24th Army Corps
25th Army Corps
Cavalry Corps
Personnel organization[edit]
Private Samuel K. Wilson (1841–1865) of the Sturgis Rifles, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, 1862
Rough unit sizes for Union combat units during the war:[7]
Corps – 12,000 to 14,000
Division – 3,000 to 7,000
Brigade – 800 to 1,700
Regiment – 350 to 400
Company – 34 to 40
Soldiers were organized by military specialty. The combat arms included infantry, cavalry, artillery, and other such smaller organizations such as the United States Marine Corps, which, at some times, was detached from its navy counterpart for land based operations. The Signal Corps was created and deployed for the first time, through the leadership of Albert J. Myer.
Below major units like armies, soldiers were organized mainly into regiments, the main fighting unit with which a soldier would march and be deployed with, commanded by a colonel, lieutenant colonel, or possibly a major. According to W. J. Hardee's "Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics" (1855), the primary tactics for riflemen and light infantry in use immediately prior and during the Civil War, there would typically be, within each regiment, ten companies, each commanded by a captain, and deployed according to the ranks of captains. Some units only possessed between four and eight companies and were generally known as battalions.[8] Regiments were almost always raised within a single state, and were generally referred by number and state, e.g. 54th Massachusetts, 20th Maine, etc.
Regiments were usually grouped into brigades under the command of a brigadier general. However, brigades were changed easily as the situation demanded; the regiment was the main form of permanent grouping. Brigades were usually formed once regiments reached the battlefield, according to where the regiment might be deployed, and alongside which other regiments.
Leaders[edit]
Noncommissioned officers of the 93rd New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Several men served as generals-in-chief of the Union Army throughout its existence:
Winfield Scott: July 5, 1841 – November 1, 1861
George B. McClellan: November 1, 1861 – March 11, 1862
Henry W. Halleck: July 23, 1862 – March 9, 1864
Ulysses S. Grant: March 9, 1864 – March 4, 1869
The gap from March 11 to July 23, 1862, was filled with direct control of the army by President Lincoln and United States Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, with the help of an unofficial "War Board" that was established on March 17, 1862. The board consisted of Ethan A. Hitchcock, the chairman, with Department of War bureau chiefs Lorenzo Thomas, Montgomery C. Meigs, Joseph G. Totten, James W. Ripley, and Joseph P. Taylor.[9]
Scott was an elderly veteran of the War of 1812 and the Mexican–American War and could not perform his duties effectively. His successor, Maj. Gen. McClellan, built and trained the massive Union Army of the Potomac, the primary fighting force in the Eastern Theater. Although he was popular among the soldiers, McClellan was relieved from his position as general-in-chief because of his overcautious strategy and his contentious relationship with his commander-in-chief, President Lincoln. (He remained commander of the Army of the Potomac through the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Antietam.) His replacement, Major General Henry W. Halleck, had a successful record in the Western Theater, but was more of an administrator than a strategic planner and commander.
The champions of the Union – 1861 lithograph by Currier & Ives
Ulysses S. Grant was the final commander of the Union Army. He was famous for his victories in the West when he was appointed lieutenant general and general-in-chief of the Union Army in March 1864. Grant supervised the Army of the Potomac (which was formally led by his subordinate, Maj. Gen. George G. Meade) in delivering the final blows to the Confederacy by engaging Confederate forces in many fierce battles in Virginia, the Overland Campaign, conducting a war of attrition that the larger Union Army was able to survive better than its opponent. Grant laid siege to Lee's army at Petersburg, Virginia, and eventually captured Richmond, the capital of the Confederacy. He developed the strategy of coordinated simultaneous thrusts against wide portions of the Confederacy, most importantly the Georgia and Carolinas Campaigns of William Tecumseh Sherman and the Shenandoah Valley campaign of Philip Sheridan. These campaigns were characterized by another strategic notion of Grant's-better known as total war—denying the enemy access to resources needed to continue the war by widespread destruction of its factories and farms along the paths of the invading Union armies.
Grant had critics who complained about the high numbers of casualties that the Union Army suffered while he was in charge, but Lincoln would not replace Grant, because, in Lincoln's words: "I cannot spare this man. He fights."
Among memorable field leaders of the army were Nathaniel Lyon (first Union general to be killed in battle during the war), William Rosecrans, George Henry Thomas and William Tecumseh Sherman. Others, of lesser competence, included Benjamin F. Butler.
Union victory[edit]
The decisive victories by Grant and Sherman resulted in the surrender of the major Confederate armies. The first and most significant was on April 9, 1865, when Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia to Grant at Appomattox Court House. Although there were other Confederate armies that surrendered in the following weeks, such as Joseph E. Johnston's in North Carolina, this date was nevertheless symbolic of the end of the bloodiest war in American history, the end of the Confederate States of America, and the beginning of the slow process of Reconstruction.
Motivations[edit]
Anti-slavery sentiment[edit]
In his 1997 book examining the motivations of the American Civil War's soldiers, For Cause and Comrades, historian James M. McPherson states that Union soldiers fought to preserve the United States, as well as to end slavery, stating that:
While restoration of the Union was the main goal for which they fought, they became convinced that this goal was unattainable without striking against slavery.
—  James M. McPherson, For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War, (1997), p. 118, emphasis added.[10]
McPherson states that witnessing the slave system of the Confederacy first-hand also strengthened the anti-slavery views of Union soldiers,[10] who were appalled by its brutality.[10] He stated that "Experience in the South reinforced the antislavery sentiments of many soldiers."[10] One Pennsylvanian Union soldier spoke to a slave woman whose husband was whipped, and was appalled by what she had to tell him of slavery. He stated that "I thought I had hated slavery as much as possible before I came here, but here, where I can see some of its workings, I am more than ever convinced of the cruelty and inhumanity of the system."[10]
Ethnic composition[edit]
The 26th U.S. Colored Volunteer Infantry on parade, Camp William Penn, Pennsylvania, 1865
The Union Army was composed of many different ethnic groups, including large numbers of immigrants. About 25% of the white men who served in the Union Army were foreign-born.[11] This means that about 1,600,000 enlistments were made by men who were born in the United States, including about 200,000 African Americans. About 200,000 enlistments were by men born in one of the German states (although this is somewhat speculative since anyone serving from a German family tended to be identified as German regardless of where they were actually born).[12] About 200,000 soldiers and sailors were born in Ireland. Although some soldiers came from as far away as Malta, Italy, India, and Russia, most of the remaining foreign-born soldiers came from England, Scotland and Canada.
Twenty-year-old German immigrant John Haag of Company B, 26th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment (August 1862)[13]
Breakdown of the approximately 2.2 million Union Enlistments signed
[ethnic origin and nativity have been conflated inconsistently]:
Number
Percent
Origin
1,000,000 45.4 Native-born white Americans.
216,000 9.7 German-born
210,000 9.5 African-American. Half were freedmen who lived in the North, and half were ex-slaves from the South. They served under mainly white officers in more than 160 "colored" regiments and in Federal U.S. regiments organized as the United States Colored Troops (USCT).[14][15][16][17]
200,000 9.1 Irish-born
90,000 4.1 Dutch.
50,000 2.3 Canadian.[18]
50,000 2.3 Born in England.
40,000 1.8 French or French Canadian. About half were born in the United States of America, the other half in Quebec.[18]
20,000 0.9 Nordic (Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, and Danish).
7,000 0.3 Italian
7,000 0.3 Jewish
6,000 0.2 Mexican
5,000 0.2 Polish (many of whom served in the Polish Legion of Brig. Gen. Włodzimierz Krzyżanowski)
4,000 0.1 Native Americans
295,000 6.4 Several hundred of other various nationalities
Many immigrant soldiers formed their own regiments, such as the Irish Brigade (69th New York, 63rd New York, 88th New York, 28th Massachusetts, 116th Pennsylvania); the Swiss Rifles (15th Missouri); the Gardes Lafayette (55th New York); the Garibaldi Guard (39th New York); the Martinez Militia (1st New Mexico); the Polish Legion (58th New York); the German Rangers (52nd New York); the Cameron Highlanders (79th New York Volunteer Infantry); and the Scandinavian Regiment (15th Wisconsin). But for the most part, the foreign-born soldiers were scattered as individuals throughout units.
For comparison, the Confederate Army was not very diverse: 91% of Confederate soldiers were native born white men and only 9% were foreign-born white men, Irish being the largest group with others including Germans, French, Mexicans (though most of them simply happened to have been born when the Southwest was still part of Mexico), and British. Some Confederate propaganda condemned foreign-born soldiers in the Union Army, likening them to the hated Hessians of the American Revolution. Also, a relatively small number of Native Americans (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Creek) fought for the Confederacy.
Army administration and issues[edit]
Various organizational and administrative issues arose during the war, which had a major effect on subsequent military procedures.
Portrait of an African American Union soldier at Benton Barracks
Blacks in the army[edit]
Main articles: Military history of African Americans in the American Civil War and United States Colored Troops
The inclusion of blacks as combat soldiers became a major issue. Eventually, it was realized, especially after the valiant effort of the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry in the Battle of Fort Wagner, that blacks were fully able to serve as competent and reliable soldiers. This was partly due to the efforts of Robert Smalls, who, while still a slave, won fame by defecting from the Confederacy, and bringing a Confederate transport ship which he was piloting. He later met with Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War, to argue for including blacks in combat units. This led to the formation of the first combat unit for black soldiers, the 1st South Carolina Volunteers. Regiments for black soldiers were eventually referred to as United States Colored Troops. Black Soldiers were paid less than white Soldiers until late in the war and were, in general, treated harshly.
Unit supplies[edit]
Battlefield supplies were a major problem. They were greatly improved by new techniques in preserving food and other perishables, and in transport by railroad. General Montgomery C. Meigs was one of the most important Union Army leaders in this field.
Military tactics[edit]
The Civil War drove many innovations in military tactics.[19] W. J. Hardee published the first revised infantry tactics for use with modern rifles in 1855. However, even these tactics proved ineffective in combat, as it involved massed volley fire, in which entire units (primarily regiments) would fire simultaneously. These tactics had not been tested before in actual combat, and the commanders of these units would post their soldiers at incredibly close range, compared to the range of the rifled musket, which led to very high mortality rates. In a sense, the weapons had evolved beyond the tactics, which would soon change as the war drew to a close.[20] Railroads provided the first mass movement of troops. The electric telegraph was used by both sides, which enabled political and senior military leaders to pass orders to and receive reports from commanders in the field.[21]
There were many other innovations brought by necessity. Generals were forced to reexamine the offensive minded tactics developed during the Mexican–American War where attackers could mass to within 100 yards of the defensive lines, the maximum effective range of smoothbore muskets. Attackers would have to endure one volley of inaccurate smoothbore musket fire before they could close with the defenders. But by the Civil War, the smoothbores had been replaced with rifled muskets, using the quick loadable minié ball, with accurate ranges up to 900 yards. Defense now dominated the battlefield. Now attackers, whether advancing in ordered lines or by rushes, were subjected to three or four aimed volleys before they could get among the defenders. This made offensive tactics that were successful only 20 years before nearly obsolete.[22]
Desertions and draft riots[edit]
Rioters attacking a building during the New York anti-draft riots of 1863
Desertion was a major problem for both sides. The daily hardships of war, forced marches, thirst, suffocating heat, disease, delay in pay, solicitude for family, impatience at the monotony and futility of inactive service, panic on the eve of battle, the sense of war-weariness, the lack of confidence in commanders, and the discouragement of defeat (especially early on for the Union Army), all tended to lower the morale of the Union Army and to increase desertion.[23][24]
In 1861 and 1862, the war was going badly for the Union Army and there were, by some counts, 180,000 desertions. In 1863 and 1864, the bitterest two years of the war, the Union Army suffered over 200 desertions every day, for a total of 150,000 desertions during those two years. This puts the total number of desertions from the Union Army during the four years of the war at nearly 350,000. Using these numbers, 15% of Union soldiers deserted during the war. Official numbers put the number of deserters from the Union Army at 200,000 for the entire war, or about 8% of Union Army soldiers. Since desertion is defined as being AWOL for 30 or more days and some soldiers returned within that time period, as well as some deserters being labeled missing-in-action or vice versa, accurate counts are difficult to determine. Many historians estimate the "real" desertion rate in the Union Army as between 9–12%.[25] About 1 out of 3 deserters returned to their regiments, either voluntarily or after being arrested and being sent back. Many of the desertions were by "professional" bounty men, men who would enlist to collect the often large cash bonuses and then desert at the earliest opportunity to do the same elsewhere. If not caught and executed, it could prove a very lucrative criminal enterprise.[26][27]
The Irish were the main participants in the famous "New York Draft riots" of 1863.[28] Stirred up by the instigating rhetoric of Democratic politicians,[29] the Irish had shown the strongest support for Southern aims prior to the start of the war and had long opposed abolitionism and the free black population, regarding them as competition for jobs and blaming them for driving down wages. Alleging that the war was merely an upper class abolitionist war to free slaves who might move north and compete for jobs and housing, the poorer classes did not welcome a draft, especially one from which a richer man could buy an exemption. The poor formed clubs that would buy exemptions for their unlucky members. As a result of the Enrollment Act, rioting began in several Northern cities, the most heavily hit being New York City. A mob reported as consisting principally of Irish immigrants rioted in the summer of 1863, with the worst violence occurring in July during the Battle of Gettysburg. The mob set fire to everything from African American churches and an orphanage for "colored children" as well as the homes of certain prominent Protestant abolitionists. A mob was reportedly repulsed from the offices of the staunchly pro-Union New York Tribune by workers wielding and firing two Gatling guns. The principal victims of the rioting were African Americans and activists in the anti-slavery movement. Not until victory was achieved at Gettysburg could the Union Army be sent in; some units had to open fire to quell the violence and stop the rioters. By the time the rioting was over, perhaps up to 1,000 people had been killed or wounded.[30] There were a few small scale draft riots in rural areas of the Midwest and in the coal regions of Pennsylvania.[31][32]
See also[edit]
American Civil War portal
United States Army portal
American Civil War Corps Badges
Commemoration of the American Civil War
Grand Army of the Republic
Irish Americans in the American Civil War
German Americans in the American Civil War
Hispanics in the American Civil War
Italian Americans in the Civil War
Native Americans in the American Civil War
Military history of African Americans
Uniform of the Union Army
United States National Cemeteries
Army of the Frontier
Army of the Southwest
I Corps
II Corps
III Corps
IV Corps
V Corps
VI Corps
VII Corps
VIII Corps
IX Corps
X Corps
XI Corps
XII Corps
XIII Corps
XIV Corps
XV Corps
XVI Corps
XVII Corps
XVIII Corps
XIX Corps
XX Corps
XXI Corps
XXII Corps
XXIII Corps
XXIV Corps
XXV Corps
Cavalry Corps
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Civil War Facts
Jump up ^ McPherson, pp.36–37.
Jump up ^ Civil War Casualties
Jump up ^ US Army, Center of Military History. "US Army Campaigns of the Civil War: The Regular Army before the Civil War, 1845–1860, p 50, p 52" (PDF). https://history.army.mil. External link in |website= (help)
Jump up ^ Hattaway & Jones, pp. 9–10.
Jump up ^ Hattaway & Jones, p. 10.
Jump up ^ The Civil War Book of Lists, p. 56
Jump up ^ "Civil War Army Organization and Rank". North Carolina Museum of History. Archived from the original on June 27, 2012. Retrieved February 14, 2012.
Jump up ^ Eicher, pp. 37–38.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e McPherson, James M. (1997). For Cause and Comrades: Why Men Fought in the Civil War. New York City: Oxford University Press, Inc. p. 118. ISBN 0-19-509-023-3. OCLC 34912692. Retrieved March 10, 2016. While restoration of the Union was the main goal for which they fought, they became convinced that this goal was unattainable without striking against slavery.
Jump up ^ McPherson, pp.36–37.
Jump up ^ Sanitary Commission Report, 1869
Jump up ^ Chippewa County, Wisconsin Past and Present, Volume II. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1913. p. 258.
Jump up ^ Joseph T. Glatthaar, Forged in Battle: The Civil War Alliance of Black Soldiers and White Officers (2000)
Jump up ^ McPherson, James M.; Lamb, Brian (May 22, 1994). "James McPherson: What They Fought For, 1861–1865". Booknotes. National Cable Satellite Corporation. Archived from the original on March 9, 2016. Retrieved March 9, 2016. About 180,000 black soldiers and an estimated 10,000 black sailors fought in the Union Army and Navy, all of them in late 1862 or later, except for some blacks who enrolled in the Navy earlier.
Jump up ^ "General Orders No. 14". Civil War on the Western Border: The Missouri-Kansas Conflict, 1855–1865. Kansas City: The Kansas City Public Library. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 5, 2014. [V]ery few blacks serve in the Confederate armed forces, as compared to hundreds of thousands who serve for the Union.
Jump up ^ Foner, Eric (October 27, 2010). "Book Discussion on The Fiery Trial". C-SPAN. Washington, D.C. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
^ Jump up to: a b Loewen, James W. (2007). Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong. New York: The New Press. Retrieved March 8, 2016. Forty thousand Canadians alone, some of them black, came south to volunteer for the Union cause.
Jump up ^ Perry D. Jamieson, Crossing the Deadly Ground: United States Army Tactics, 1865–1899 (2004)
Jump up ^ John K. Mahon, "Civil War Infantry Assault Tactics." Military Affairs (1961): 57–68.
Jump up ^ Paddy Griffith, Battle tactics of the civil war (Yale University Press, 1989)
Jump up ^ Earl J. Hess (2015). Civil War Infantry Tactics: Training, Combat, and Small-Unit Effectiveness. LSU Press. p. 1.
Jump up ^ Ella Lonn, Desertion During the Civil War (U of Nebraska Press, 1928)
Jump up ^ Chris Walsh, "'Cowardice Weakness or Infirmity, Whichever It May Be Termed': A Shadow History of the Civil War." Civil War History (2013) 59#4 pp: 492–526.Online
Jump up ^ "Desertion (Confederate) during the Civil War". encyclopediavirginia.org. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
Jump up ^ Shannon Smith Bennett, "Draft Resistance and Rioting." in Maggi M. Morehouse and Zoe Trodd, eds., Civil War America: A Social and Cultural History with Primary Sources (2013) ch 1
Jump up ^ Peter Levine, "Draft evasion in the North during the Civil War, 1863–1865." Journal of American History (1981): 816–834. online Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
Jump up ^ Adrian Cook, The armies of the streets: the New York City draft riots of 1863 (1974).
Jump up ^ McPherson, James M. (1996). Drawn with the Sword: Reflections on the American Civil War. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. pp. 91–92. Rioters were mostly Irish Catholic immigrants and their children. They mainly attacked the members of New York's small black population. For a year, Democratic leaders had been telling their Irish-American constituents that the wicked 'Black Republicans' were waging the war to free the slaves who would come north and take away the jobs of Irish workers. The use of black stevedores as scabs in a recent strike by Irish dockworkers made this charge seem plausible. The prospect of being drafted to fight to free the slaves made the Irish even more receptive to demogogic rhetoric.
Jump up ^ Iver Bernstein, The New York City Draft Riots: Their Significance for American Society and Politics in the Age of the Civil War (1990)
Jump up ^ Shannon M. Smith, "Teaching Civil War Union Politics: Draft Riots in the Midwest." OAH Magazine of History (2013) 27#2 pp: 33–36. online
Jump up ^ Kenneth H. Wheeler, "Local Autonomy and Civil War Draft Resistance: Holmes County, Ohio." Civil War History. v.45#2 1999. pp 147+ online edition
References[edit]
Eicher, John H., and David J. Eicher. Civil War High Commands. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2001. ISBN 0-8047-3641-3.
Grant, Ulysses S. Personal Memoirs of U.S. Grant. 2 vols. Charles L. Webster & Company, 1885–86. ISBN 0-914427-67-9.
Glatthaar, Joseph T. Forged in Battle: The Civil War Alliance of Black Soldiers and White Officers. New York: Free Press, 1990. ISBN 978-0-02-911815-3.
Hattaway, Herman, and Archer Jones. How the North Won: A Military History of the Civil War. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1983. ISBN 0-252-00918-5.
McPherson, James M. What They Fought For, 1861–1865. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1994. ISBN 978-0-8071-1904-4.
Further reading[edit]
Bledsoe, Andrew S. Citizen-Officers: The Union and Confederate Volunteer Junior Officer Corps in the American Civil War. Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Louisiana State University Press, 2015. ISBN 978-0-8071-6070-1.
Canfield, Daniel T. "Opportunity Lost: Combined Operations and the Development of Union Military Strategy, April 1861 – April 1862." Journal of Military History 79.3 (2015).
Kahn, Matthew E., and Dora L. Costa. "Cowards and Heroes: Group Loyalty in the American Civil War." Quarterly journal of economics 2 (2003): 519–548. online version
Nevins, Allan. The War for the Union. Vol. 1, The Improvised War 1861–1862. The War for the Union. Vol. 2, War Becomes Revolution 1862–1863. Vol. 3, The Organized War 1863–1864. Vol. 4, The Organized War to Victory 1864–1865. (Charles Scribner's Sons, 1960–71. ISBN 1-56852-299-1.)
Prokopowicz, Gerald J. All for the Regiment: the Army of the Ohio, 1861–1862 (UNC Press, 2014). online
Shannon, Fred A. The Organization and Administration of the Union Army 1861–1865. 2 vols. Gloucester, MA: P. Smith, 1965. OCLC 428886. First published 1928 by A.H. Clark Co.
Welcher, Frank J. The Union Army, 1861–1865 Organization and Operations. Vol. 1, The Eastern Theater. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-253-36453-1; . The Union Army, 1861–1865 Organization and Operations. Vol. 2, The Western Theater. (1993). ISBN 0-253-36454-X.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Union Army.
Civil War Home: Ethnic groups in the Union Army
"The Common Soldier", HistoryNet
A Manual of Military Surgery, by Samuel D. Gross, MD (1861), the manual used by doctors in the Union Army.
Union Army Historical Pictures
U.S. Civil War Era Uniforms and Accoutrements
Louis N. Rosenthal lithographs, depicting over 50 Union Army camps, are available for research use at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania.
Official Army register of the Volunteer Force 1861; 1862; 1863; 1864; 1865
Civil War National Cemeteries
Christian Commission of Union Dead
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vols 1–8
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vols 9–12
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vols 13–15
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vols. 16–17
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vol. 18
Roll of Honor: names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vol. 19
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vols. 20–21
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vols, 22–23
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in Defense of the Union Vols. 24–27
Roll of Honor: Names of Soldiers who died in defense of the Union Vol. XXVII
hide
v
t
e
American Civil War
show
Origins
Origins
Issues
Timeline leading to the War
Antebellum era
Bleeding Kansas
Border states
Compromise of 1850
Lincoln-Douglas debates
Missouri Compromise
Nullification Crisis
Popular sovereignty
Secession
States' rights
President Lincoln's 75,000 volunteers
Slavery
African Americans
Cornerstone Speech
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Emancipation Proclamation
Fire-Eaters
Fugitive slave laws
Plantations in the American South
Slave Power
Slavery in the United States
Treatment of slaves in the United States
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Abolitionism
Susan B. Anthony
John Brown
Frederick Douglass
William Lloyd Garrison
Elijah Parish Lovejoy
J. Sella Martin
Lysander Spooner
George Luther Stearns
Thaddeus Stevens
Charles Sumner
Caning
Harriet Tubman
Underground Railroad
show
Combatants
Theaters
Campaigns
Battles
States
Combatants
Union (USA)
Army
Navy
Marine Corps
Revenue Cutter Service
Confederacy (CSA)
Army
Navy
Marine Corps
Theaters
Eastern
Western
Lower Seaboard
Trans-Mississippi
Pacific Coast
Union naval blockade
Major Campaigns
Anaconda Plan
Blockade runners
New Mexico
Jackson's Valley
Peninsula
Northern Virginia
Maryland
Stones River
Vicksburg
Tullahoma
Gettysburg
Morgan's Raid
Bristoe
Knoxville
Red River
Overland
Atlanta
Valley 1864
Bermuda Hundred
Richmond-Petersburg
Franklin–Nashville
Price's Raid
Sherman's March
Carolinas
Mobile
Appomattox
Major battles
Fort Sumter
1st Bull Run
Wilson's Creek
Fort Donelson
Pea Ridge
Hampton Roads
Shiloh
New Orleans
Corinth
Seven Pines
Seven Days
2nd Bull Run
Antietam
Perryville
Fredericksburg
Stones River
Chancellorsville
Gettysburg
Vicksburg
Chickamauga
Chattanooga
Wilderness
Fort Pillow
Spotsylvania
Cold Harbor
Atlanta
Mobile Bay
Franklin
Nashville
Five Forks
Involvement (by
state or territory)
AL
AR
AZ
CA
CO
CT
DC
DE
FL
GA
HI
ID
IL
IN
IA
KS
KY
LA
ME
MD
MA
MI
MN
MS
MO
MT
NE
NV
NH
NJ
NM
NY
NC
ND
OH
OK
OR
PA
RI
SC
SD
TN
TX
UT
VT
VA
WA
WV
WI
WY
See also:
Chronology of military events in the American Civil War
show
Leaders
Confederate
Military
R. H. Anderson
Beauregard
Bragg
Buchanan
Cooper
Early
Ewell
Forrest
Gorgas
Hill
Hood
Jackson
A. S. Johnston
J. E. Johnston
Lee
Longstreet
Morgan
Mosby
Polk
Price
Semmes
E. K. Smith
Stuart
Taylor
Wheeler
Civilian
Benjamin
Bocock
Breckinridge
Davis
Hunter
Mallory
Memminger
Seddon
Stephens
Union
Military
Anderson
Buell
Burnside
Butler
Du Pont
Farragut
Foote
Frémont
Grant
Halleck
Hooker
Hunt
McClellan
McDowell
Meade
Meigs
Ord
Pope
D. D. Porter
Rosecrans
Scott
Sheridan
Sherman
Thomas
Civilian
Adams
Chase
Ericsson
Hamlin
Lincoln
Pinkerton
Seward
Stanton
Stevens
Wade
Welles
show
Aftermath
U.S. Constitution
Reconstruction amendments
13th Amendment
14th Amendment
15th Amendment
Reconstruction
Alabama Claims
Brooks–Baxter War
Carpetbaggers
Colfax Riot of 1873
Compromise of 1877
Confederate refugees
Confederados
Eufaula Riot of 1874
Freedmen's Bureau
Freedman's Savings Bank
Homestead acts
Southern Homestead Act of 1866
Timber Culture Act of 1873
Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
Kirk-Holden War
Knights of the White Camelia
Ku Klux Klan
Racial violence
Memphis Riot of 1866
Meridian Riot of 1871
New Orleans Riot of 1866
Pulaski (Tennessee) Riot of 1867
South Carolina riots of 1876
Reconstruction acts
Habeas Corpus Act 1867
Enforcement Act of 1870
Enforcement Act of February 1871
Enforcement Act of April 1871
Reconstruction treaties
Indian Council at Fort Smith
Red Shirts
Redeemers
Scalawags
Southern Claims Commission
White League
post-Reconstruction
Commemoration
Centennial
Civil War Discovery Trail
Civil War Roundtables
Civil War Trails Program
Civil War Trust
Confederate History Month
Historical reenactment
Robert E. Lee Day
Disenfranchisement
Black Codes
Jim Crow
Lost Cause mythology
Modern display of the Confederate flag
Sons of Confederate Veterans
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Southern Historical Society
United Confederate Veterans
United Daughters of the Confederacy
Monuments and memorials
Union
List of Union Civil War monuments and memorials
List of memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic
Memorials to Abraham Lincoln
Confederate
List of Confederate monuments and memorials
Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials
List of memorials to Robert E. Lee
List of memorials to Jefferson Davis
Annapolis
Roger B. Taney Monument
Baltimore
Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument
Confederate Women's Monument
Roger B. Taney Monument
Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson Monument
Durham, North Carolina
Robert E. Lee Monument
New Orleans
Battle of Liberty Place Monument
Jefferson Davis Monument
General Beauregard Equestrian Statue
Robert E. Lee Monument
Cemeteries
Confederate Memorial Day
Ladies' memorial associations
U.S. Memorial Day
U.S. national cemeteries
Veterans
1913 Gettysburg Reunion
Confederate Veteran
Grand Army of the Republic
Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the U.S.
Old soldiers' homes
Southern Cross of Honor
United Confederate Veterans
show
Related topics
Related topics
Military
Arms
Campaign Medal
Cavalry
Confederate Home Guard
Confederate railroads
Confederate Revolving Cannon
Field artillery
Medal of Honor recipients
Medicine
Leadership
Naval battles
Official Records
Partisan rangers
POW camps
Rations
Signal Corps
Turning point
Union corps badges
U.S. Balloon Corps
U.S. Home Guard
U.S. Military Railroad
Political
Committee on the Conduct of the War
Confederate States Presidential Election of 1861
Confiscation Act of 1861
Confiscation Act of 1862
Copperheads
Emancipation Proclamation
Habeas Corpus Act of 1863
Hampton Roads Conference
National Union Party
Radical Republicans
Trent Affair
Union leagues
U.S. Presidential Election of 1864
War Democrats
Music
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Dixie
John Brown's Body
A Lincoln Portrait
Marching through Georgia
Maryland, My Maryland
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
Other topics
Bibliography
Confederate war finance
Confederate States dollar
Espionage
Confederate Secret Service
Great Revival of 1863
Naming the war
Native Americans
Cherokee
Choctaw
New York City Gold Hoax of 1864
New York City Riot of 1863
Photographers
Richmond Riot of 1863
Sexuality
Supreme Court cases
Tokens
U.S. Sanitary Commission
Book
Category
Portal
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Union_Army&oldid=864000165"
Categories:
Union Army
Hidden categories:
CS1 errors: external links
Webarchive template wayback links
Use mdy dates from October 2018
Pages incorrectly using the quote template
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
In other projects
Wikimedia Commons
Languages
العربية
Brezhoneg
Català
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
Español
Esperanto
فارسی
Français
한국어
Bahasa Indonesia
Italiano
עברית
Latina
Bahasa Melayu
日本語
Norsk
Polski
Português
Русский
Simple English
Suomi
Svenska
中文
15 more
Edit links
This page was last edited on 14 October 2018, at 12:55 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

key: html

type: local

value: div

attrs: id class

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

value: a

attrs: id class lang

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

attrs: class href

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

attrs: href title

attrs: role class

values:
note
hatnote navigation-not-searchable

value: th

attrs: colspan style

value: tr

value: img

attrs: alt src width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: Flag of the United States of America (1863-1865).svg

attrs: href class

value: td

attrs: scope style

values:
row
padding-right: 1em;

values: background-color:#00008B; color:white; border:1px solid #000000; text-align:center;

values:
/wiki/Chambersburg_Raid
mw-redirect
Chambersburg Raid

values: Mississippi River campaigns in the American Civil War

values: Commanding General of the United States Army

values:
/wiki/Henry_W._Halleck
mw-redirect
Henry W. Halleck

attrs: alt src width height class srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: 21st Michigan Volunteer Infantry Regiment

values: Western Theater of the United States Civil War (page does not exist)

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

values:
/wiki/German_American
mw-redirect
German American

values:
/wiki/French_American
mw-redirect
French American

values:
/wiki/The_Citadel_(military_college)
mw-redirect
The Citadel (military college)

values: Union Army Divisions, Departments and Districts

values: Military Division of the James (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Department_of_the_Tennessee
mw-redirect
Department of the Tennessee

values:
/wiki/Department_of_the_Cumberland
mw-redirect
Department of the Cumberland

values:
/wiki/William_S._Rosecrans
mw-redirect
William S. Rosecrans

values:
/wiki/Henry_W._Slocum
mw-redirect
Henry W. Slocum

values:
/wiki/Benjamin_Butler_(politician)
mw-redirect
Benjamin Butler (politician)

values:
/wiki/John_A._McClernand
mw-redirect
John A. McClernand

values:
/wiki/Ambrose_E._Burnside
mw-redirect
Ambrose E. Burnside

values:
/wiki/John_M._Schofield
mw-redirect
John M. Schofield

values: Eastern Theater of the American Civil War

values:
/wiki/George_G._Meade
mw-redirect
George G. Meade

values:
/wiki/Army_of_the_Shenandoah_(Union)
mw-redirect
Army of the Shenandoah (Union)

values:
/wiki/Horatio_G._Wright
mw-redirect
Horatio G. Wright

values: Western Theater of the American Civil War

values:
/wiki/William_T._Sherman
mw-redirect
William T. Sherman

values:
/wiki/Oliver_O._Howard
mw-redirect
Oliver O. Howard

values: District of Central New York (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/District_of_Massachusetts
mw-redirect
District of Massachusetts

values: District of Western New York (page does not exist)

values: District of Florida (page does not exist)

values: District of Hilton Head (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/District_of_North_Carolina
mw-redirect
District of North Carolina

values: District of Savannah (page does not exist)

values: Northern District (Charleston) (page does not exist)

values: Department of Virginia and North Carolina

values: District of Eastern Virginia (page does not exist)

values: Seal of the United States Board of War and Ordnance.png

values:
navbox-image
6
width:1px;padding:0px 0px 0px 2px

values: Department of Rappahannock (page does not exist)

values: Department of Shenandoah (page does not exist)

values: Mountain Department (page does not exist)

values: District of Baltimore (page does not exist)

values: District of Eastern Shore (page does not exist)

values: District of Alexandria (page does not exist)

values: District of Saint Mary's (page does not exist)

values: District of Washington (page does not exist)

values: District of Annapolis (page does not exist)

values: Department of West Virginia (page does not exist)

values: District of Harper's Ferry (page does not exist)

values: District of the Etowah (page does not exist)

values: District of Middle Tennessee (page does not exist)

values: District of Northern Alabama (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/District_of_West_Tennessee
mw-redirect
District of West Tennessee

values: District of East Tennessee (page does not exist)

values: Department of Kentucky (page does not exist)

values: District of Western Kentucky (page does not exist)

values: Northern Department (United States) (page does not exist)

values: District of Indiana (page does not exist)

values: District of Illinois (Military) (page does not exist)

values: District of Michigan (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Department_of_Arkansas
mw-redirect
Department of Arkansas

values: District of Eastern Arkansas (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/District_of_the_Frontier
mw-redirect
District of the Frontier

values: District of Little Rock (page does not exist)

values: District of Baton Rouge and Port Hudson (page does not exist)

values: District of Carrollton (page does not exist)

values: District of Key West and Tortugas (page does not exist)

values: District of La Fourche (page does not exist)

values: District of West Florida and South Alabama (page does not exist)

values: District of Colorado (military) (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/District_of_Nebraska
mw-redirect
District of Nebraska

values: District of North Kansas (page does not exist)

values: District of South Kansas (page does not exist)

values: District of Upper Arkansas (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/Department_of_Missouri
mw-redirect
Department of Missouri

values: District of Central Missouri (page does not exist)

values: District of North Missouri (page does not exist)

values: District of Saint Louis (page does not exist)

values: District of Southwest Missouri (page does not exist)

values:
/wiki/District_of_Minnesota
mw-redirect
District of Minnesota

values: District of Wisconsin (page does not exist)

values: District of Dakota (page does not exist)

values: nowraplinks collapsible collapsed navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible

values:
/wiki/54th_Massachusetts
mw-redirect
54th Massachusetts

values:
/wiki/Edwin_M._Stanton
mw-redirect
Edwin M. Stanton

values:
/wiki/Joseph_G._Totten
mw-redirect
Joseph G. Totten

values:
/wiki/Joseph_P._Taylor
mw-redirect
Joseph P. Taylor

values: Appomattox Court House National Historical Park

values: 26th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment

values:
/wiki/Irish_American
mw-redirect
Irish American

values:
/wiki/French_Canadian
mw-redirect
French Canadian

values:
/wiki/Swedish_American
mw-redirect
Swedish American

values:
/wiki/Finnish_American
mw-redirect
Finnish American

values:
/wiki/Italian_American
mw-redirect
Italian American

values:
/wiki/Mexican_American
mw-redirect
Mexican American

values: 58th New York Volunteer Infantry Regiment

values:
/wiki/Irish_Brigade_(United_States)
mw-redirect
Irish Brigade (United States)

values:
/wiki/Hessian_(soldiers)
mw-redirect
Hessian (soldiers)

values:
/wiki/Creek_people
mw-redirect
Creek people

values: Edit section: Army administration and issues

values: Edit section: Desertions and draft riots

values:
/wiki/New_York_Draft_riots
mw-redirect
New York Draft riots

values:
/wiki/New_York_Tribune
mw-redirect
New York Tribune

values: display:table-cell;padding:0.2em 0.2em 0.2em 0.3em;vertical-align:middle

values: margin:0.5em 0 0.5em 1em;border:solid #aaa 1px

values: Irish Americans in the American Civil War

values: German Americans in the American Civil War

values: Native Americans in the American Civil War

values:
/wiki/United_States_National_Cemeteries
mw-redirect
United States National Cemeteries

values: -moz-column-width: 22em; -webkit-column-width: 22em; column-width: 22em;

values:
nofollow
external free
https://history.army.mil

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.worldcat.org/oclc/34912692

values: -moz-column-width: 30em; -webkit-column-width: 30em; column-width: 30em; list-style-type: decimal;

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/4367

values:
nofollow
external text
https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/428886

values:
nofollow
external text
http://www.civilwarhome.com/ethnic.htm

values:
nofollow
http://jdc.jefferson.edu/milsurgusa/
external text

values: Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War

values: History of the United States (1789–1849)

values:
/wiki/Lincoln-Douglas_debates
mw-redirect
Lincoln-Douglas debates

values: Popular sovereignty in the United States

values: Treatment of slaves in the United States

values: nowraplinks collapsible collapsed navbox-subgroup mw-collapsible mw-collapsed mw-made-collapsible

values: Lower Seaboard Theater of the American Civil War

values: Trans-Mississippi Theater of the American Civil War

values: Pacific Coast Theater of the American Civil War

values: Blockade runners of the American Civil War

values: Territory of Arizona (Confederate States)

values: Washington, D.C., in the American Civil War

values: New Mexico Territory in the American Civil War

values: North Carolina in the American Civil War

values: Indian Territory in the American Civil War

values: South Carolina in the American Civil War

values: Template:Chronology of military events in the American Civil War

values: Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

values: Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

values: Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

values:
/wiki/Reconstruction_Era
mw-redirect
Reconstruction Era

values:
/wiki/Election_Riot_of_1874
mw-redirect
Election Riot of 1874

values:
/wiki/Kirk-Holden_war
mw-redirect
Kirk-Holden war

values:
/wiki/Racial_violence
mw-redirect
Racial violence

values:
/wiki/New_Orleans_riot
mw-redirect
New Orleans riot

values: South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876

values:
/wiki/First_Enforcement_Act_of_1871
mw-redirect
First Enforcement Act of 1871

values:
/wiki/Second_Enforcement_Act_of_1871
mw-redirect
Second Enforcement Act of 1871

values: Disenfranchisement after the Reconstruction Era

values: List of Union Civil War monuments and memorials

values: List of memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic

values: List of Confederate monuments and memorials

values: Removal of Confederate monuments and memorials

values: Roger B. Taney Monument (Annapolis, Maryland)

values: Confederate Soldiers and Sailors Monument (Baltimore)

values: Stonewall Jackson and Robert E. Lee Monument

values: Robert E. Lee Monument (Durham, North Carolina)

values: Robert E. Lee Monument (New Orleans, Louisiana)

values: Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States

values:
Related_topics
font-size:114%;margin:0 4em
hlist hlist-separated

values: List of weapons in the American Civil War

values: Confederate railroads in the American Civil War

values: Field artillery in the American Civil War

values: List of American Civil War Medal of Honor recipients

values: Military leadership in the American Civil War

values: Official Records of the American Civil War

values: United States Congress Joint Committee on the Conduct of the War

values: Confederate States presidential election, 1861

values:
/wiki/Habeas_Corpus_Suspension_Act_1863
mw-redirect
Habeas Corpus Suspension Act 1863

values: United States presidential election, 1864

values:
/wiki/War_Democrats
mw-redirect
War Democrats

values:
/wiki/A_Lincoln_Portrait
mw-redirect
A Lincoln Portrait

values:
/wiki/Marching_through_Georgia
mw-redirect
Marching through Georgia

values: Supreme Court cases of the American Civil War

attrs: alt src title width height srcset data-file-width data-file-height

values: nowraplinks hlist collapsible expanded navbox-inner mw-collapsible mw-made-collapsible

values: Category:Webarchive template wayback links

values: Category:Use mdy dates from October 2018

values: Category:Pages incorrectly using the quote template

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values:
/wiki/Union_Army
View the content page [ctrl-alt-c]
c

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: جيش الاتحاد – Arabic

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-br
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-ca
display: none;

values: United States Army im Sezessionskrieg – German

values: Στρατός της Ένωσης – Greek

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-el
display: none;

values: Unia armeo (Usona Enlanda Milito) – Esperanto

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-eo
display: none;

values: ارتش اتحادیه – Persian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-fa
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-ko
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-it
display: none;

values: צבא האיחוד – Hebrew

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-he
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-la
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-ja
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-no
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-pl
display: none;

values: Армия Союза – Russian

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-simple
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-fi
display: none;

values:
interlanguage-link interwiki-sv
display: none;

values: All languages (initial selection from common choices by you and others)

values: /static/images/wikimedia-button-1.5x.png 1.5x, /static/images/wikimedia-button-2x.png 2x

values: /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_132x47.png 1.5x, /static/images/poweredby_mediawiki_176x62.png 2x

values:
suggestions
display: none; font-size: 13px;

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Union_Army rootpage-Union_Army skin-vector action-view


text:
Royal Navy ranks, rates, and uniforms of the 18th and 19th centuries
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Sir Edward Pellew, wearing a vice admiral's dress jacket with late 18th century style epaulettes
Royal Navy ranks, rates, and uniforms of the 18th and 19th centuries were the original effort of the Royal Navy to create standardized rank and insignia system for use both at shore and at sea.
Contents
1 History
2 Ranks and positions
2.1 Shipboard hierarchy
2.2 Minors in the Royal Navy
3 Promotion and advancement
4 Watch organization
4.1 Quarters and stations
5 Chronology of uniforms
6 Flag officers
7 References
8 Notes
9 Sources
History[edit]
Naval officers' uniforms of the early 18th century, as worn by Admiral Cloudesley Shovell, were based on contemporary civilian patterns and usually included a powdered wig.
Prior to the 1740s, Royal Navy officers and sailors had no established uniforms, although many of the officer class typically wore upper class clothing with wigs to denote their social status. Coats were often dark blue to reduce fading caused by the rain and spray, with gold embroidery on the cuffs and standing collar to signify the officer's wealth and status. The early Royal Navy also had only three clearly established shipboard ranks: captain, lieutenant, and master. This simplicity of rank had its origins in the Middle Ages, where a military company embarked on ship (led by a captain and a lieutenant) operated independently from the handling of the vessel, which was overseen by the ship's master.
Over time, the nautical command structure merged these two separate command chains into a single entity with captain and lieutenant as commissioned officer ranks while sailing master (often shortened to simply "master") was seen as a type of warrant officer position. In 1758, the rank of midshipman was introduced, which was a type of officer candidate position. The rank of "master and commander" (completely separate from the rank of master) first appeared in the 1760s and was temporarily issued to lieutenants in command of vessels, but without a captain's commission. By the 1790s, the rank of master and commander was routinely shortened to simply "commander".
Uniform regulations for naval officers were first issued by Lord Anson in 1748, this was in response to the naval officer corps wishing for an established uniform pertaining to their service.[1] Officer uniforms were at first divided into a "best uniform", consisting of an embroidered blue coat with white facings worn unbuttoned with white breeches and stockings, as well as a "working rig" which was a simpler, less embroidered uniform for day-to-day use.
In 1767, the terms "dress" and "undress" uniform had been adopted and, by 1795, epaulettes were officially introduced. The epaulette style uniforms and insignia endured slight modifications and expansions until a final version appeared in 1846. In 1856, Royal Navy officer insignia shifted to the use of rank sleeve stripes – a pattern which has endured to the present day.
In 1775, during the American Revolutionary War, the Continental Navy was established; many ranks, rates, positions, and uniforms were duplicated nearly exactly from the British system.
Ranks and positions[edit]
Naval ranks and positions of the 18th and 19th-century Royal Navy were an intermixed assortment of formal rank titles, positional titles, as well as informal titles used on board oceangoing ships. Uniforms played a major role in shipboard hierarchy, since those positions allocated a formal uniform by navy regulations were generally considered of higher standing, even if not by rank.
Shipboard hierarchy[edit]
Petty officer of the Napoleonic Wars wearing straw hat, reefer jacket and neckerchief.
Enlisted Victorian era square rig uniform comprising bell bottoms and sailor cap. Uniforms of this pattern were regulation from 1840 until the late 20th century.
Turn of the century sailors in the white tropical uniform.
In the 18th century Royal Navy, rank and position on board ship was defined by a mix of two hierarchies, an official hierarchy of ranks and a conventionally recognized social divide between gentlemen and non-gentlemen.[2] Royal Navy ships were led by commissioned officers of the wardroom, which consisted of the captain, his lieutenants, as well as embarked Royal Marine officers, all of whom were officers and gentlemen. The higher ranked warrant officers on board, the Sailing Master, Purser, Surgeon and Chaplain held a warrant from the Navy Board but not an actual commission from the crown. Warrant officers had rights to mess and berth in the wardroom and were normally considered gentlemen; however, the Sailing Master was often a former sailor who had "come through the ranks" therefore might have been viewed as a social unequal. All commissioned and warrant officers wore a type of uniform, although official Navy regulations clarified an officer uniform in 1787 while it was not until 1807 that masters, along with pursers, received their own regulated uniform.[3]
Next came the ship's three standing warrant officers, the Carpenter, Gunner and Boatswain (Bo'sun), who along with the Master were permanently assigned to a vessel for the purposes of maintenance, repair, and upkeep. Standing officers were considered the most highly skilled seaman on board, and messed and berthed with the crew. As such, they held a status separate from the other officers and were not granted the privileges of a commissioned or warrant officer if they were captured.[3]
"Cockpit mate" was a colloquial term for petty officers who were considered gentlemen and officers under instruction and messed and berthed apart from the ordinary sailors in the Cockpit. This included both midshipmen, who were considered gentlemen and officers under instruction, and master's mates, who derived their status from their role as apprentices to the sailing master. A midshipman outranked most other petty officers and lesser warrant officers, such as the Master-at-arms.[4][5] Boys aspiring for a commission were often called young gentlemen instead of their substantive rating to distinguish their higher social standing from the ordinary sailors.[6] Occasionally, a midshipman would be posted aboard a ship in a lower rating such as able seaman but would eat and sleep with his social equals in the cockpit (all Midshipman would be 'rated able' at some point in their service – it was a requirement for them to have been so before they could stand as a Mate, another requirement for promotion to Lieutenant).[7][N 1]
The remainder of the ship's company, who lived and berthed in the common crew quarters, were the petty officers and seamen. Petty officers were seamen who had been "rated" to fill a particular specialist trade on board ship. This rating set the petty officers apart from the common seaman by virtue of technical skill and slightly higher education. No special uniform was allocated for petty officers, although some Royal Navy ships allowed such persons to don a simple blue frock coat to denote their status.
Seamen were further divided into two grades, these being ordinary seaman and able seaman. Seamen were normally assigned to a watch, which maintained its own hierarchy consisting of a watch captain in charge of a particular area of the ship. Grouped among the watches were also the landsmen, considered the absolute lowest rank in the Royal Navy and assigned to personnel, usually from press gangs, who held little to no naval experience.
Minors in the Royal Navy[edit]
Midshipman Henry William Baynton wears the single breasted blue frock coat with white collar tabs.
The Royal Navy actively employed children and minors within their ranks, and indeed joining the Royal Navy as a boy was an often an unwritten prerequisite for a path towards an officer commission. Positions for minors began with the generic term "ship's boy" which was open to young boys between the ages of eight to twelve, although there was no established cutoff and there are records of boys as old as 15 to 17 joining ships as boys.
Once a boy, further advancement could be obtained through various specialties. A cabin boy assisted with the ship's kitchen, as well as other duties, while a powder monkey helped in the ship's armory. One of the highest positions for a boy was that of "officer's servant". This position was usually reserved for "young gentlemen" who joined a ship between the ages of 12 and 15 and was seen as a preparatory to becoming a midshipmen.
Prior service as a ship's boy was recorded as sea-service; officers' servants could further credit their sea time towards the mandatory requirement for sea time in order to attempt the Lieutenants' Commission Board. After the Age of Sail ended, the position of ship's boy became an actual Royal Navy rank known as "Boy seaman".
Position
Status
Appointing Agency
Messing & berthing
Uniform
Notes
Commodore Commissioned officer Admiralty Great Cabin Blue frock coat
with gold laced buttons.[N 2] Special grade for captains in charge of multiple vessels[N 3]
Captain Vessel commanding officer
Commander Blue frock coat
white waist coat.[N 4] Non-rated ship captain.
Full title "master and commander"
Lieutenant Wardroom Division officer/watch officer
Acting lieutenant Warrant officer Ship's captain No established uniform – recipients would wear the uniform of the last grade held Later known as sub-lieutenant[N 5]
Master Navy Board Blue frock coat with
gold Navy buttons Highest ranked warrant officer
on board
Purser Victualling Board Ship's accountant, responsible for supplies
Surgeon Sick and Hurt Board Ship's medical officer
Chaplain Church of England Only present on larger vessels
Midshipman Cockpit officer Various methods for appointment Cockpit Blue frock coat,
white button collar patch Officer candidate position
Midshipman's mate Cockpit mate Blue frock coat
with white trim Special grade reserved for master's mates who had passed the examination for lieutenant
Master's mate Could also be rated as "second master"
Surgeon's mate Sick and Hurt Board[N 6] Ship's medic on smaller vessels
Captain's Clerk Civilian Typically hired by captain Civilian clothing Clerical duties on board ship
School teacher Only present on larger ships. Primary duty to instruct midshipmen in academic matters
Steward Crew's messing
and berthing A more senior cook and servant, usually reserved for flagships and larger vessels
Cook Normally an older retired or injured seaman
Gunner Standing officer Shipboard appointment by captain Blue frock coat
with Navy buttons In charge of all ship's armaments
Boatswain Most experienced deck seaman aboard
Carpenter Shipboard issued
crew clothing Head of the carpenter's team
Armourer Petty officer Senior petty officers
Ropemaker
Caulker
Master-at-arms
Sailmaker Mid-grade petty officer
Yeoman Two on board:
Yeoman of the sheets & yeoman of the powder room
Coxswain Deck hand specialist petty officer
Quartermaster Helmsman on board the ship
serving watch at the ship's wheel
Cooper Worked directly for the ship's purser
Ship's corporal Assistant to the master-at-arms
Watch captains Experienced seaman
in charge of a watch team
Armourer's mate Junior petty officer
Gunner's mate
Boatswain's mate
Caulker's mate
Carpenter's mate
Sailmaker's mate
Quartermaster's mate
Gunsmith Seaman Seaman specialists
Quarter gunner
Carpenter's crew
Able seaman Seaman with more
than three years experience
Ordinary seaman Seaman with at least one year experience
Landsman Seaman with less than one year experience
Boy Servant Lowest possible position on board,
normally held by boys 12 years or younger.
Promotion and advancement[edit]
Illustrated commission path for a Royal Navy lieutenant
Promotion path of British flag officers
Promotion and advancement within the 18th and 19th century Royal Navy varied depending on the status of the sailor in question. At the lower levels, most inexperienced sailors began in the rank of landsman – those joining ships at a very young age were typically entered in the navy as cabin boys or officers' servants.
After a year at sea, landsmen were normally advanced to ordinary seaman. Three more years, with appropriate ability displayed, would see a sailor advanced to able seaman. For the "common seaman", this level is normally where the career path ended and many sailors spent their entire Royal Navy careers as able seaman on various vessels.
Advancement into the petty officer positions required some level of technical skill. Petty officer appointments were typically made by a ship's captain – sailors could also be "rated on the books" as a petty officer when a ship was in port searching for a crew[N 7] Honesty was implied, as a sailor falsely claiming experience in order to rate a billet on board ship would be quickly discovered once at sea.
Senior petty officers could also be rated as a standing officer, of which only three such positions normally existed (boatswain, carpenter, and gunner). Standing officers remained with a vessel during lay-up and maintenance, and also were known to be highly valued due to their skill and experience.
Warrant officers were given their positions by various certification boards and had nearly the same rights and respect as commissioned officers, including access to the quarterdeck and wardroom. Advancement into the commissioned officer grades required a royal appointment, following a certification by the lieutenant's examination board. Board eligibility was most often achieved by serving as a midshipman, although the career path of a master or master's mate also permitted this opportunity.
Once commissioned, lieutenants would be rated on board based on seniority, such as "1st lieutenant", "2nd lieutenant", "3rd lieutenant", etc. with the 1st lieutenant filling the modern day role of executive officer and second-in-command. Lieutenants, like ordinary sailors, were required to be signed on to various vessels due to manpower needs. If a lieutenant could not find a billet, the officer was said to be on "half pay" until a sea billet could be obtained.
The title of commander was originally[9] a temporary position for lieutenants placed in charge of smaller vessels. Successful commanders (who were known by courtesy on board their own ships as "captain") could aspire for promotion to captain which was known as "making post". Such post captains were then assigned to rated vessels in the rating system of the Royal Navy. Once a captain, advancement to admiral was strictly determined by seniority – if a captain served long enough for more senior officers to retire, resign, or die, he would eventually become an admiral. One distinguishing element among captain was, however, determined by the rating of the vessel they commanded. The captain of a sixth rate, for instance, was generally junior to a captain of a first rate.
Watch organization[edit]
Royal navy vessels operated on a number of parallel hierarchies in addition to formal ranks and positions, paramount of which was the vessel's watch organization.[10] Watches were stood 24 hours a day and divided into "watch sections" each of which was led by an "officer of the watch", typically a lieutenant, midshipman, or master's mate (the captain and master did not stand watch but were on call 24 hours a day)
The heart of the watch were the watch teams, each led by a petty officer known as a captain (separate entirely from the vessel's commanding officer). There were six watch teams on most Royal Navy vessels, divided into three "deck" teams and three "aloft" teams. The aloft teams were manned by sailors known as "topmen" and were considered the most experienced men aboard. In all, the six watch teams were as follows:
Aloft: Fore topman, main topmen, mizzen topmen
Deck: Forecastle men, waisters, afterguard
The navigation and steering of the vessel from the quarterdeck was handled by a special watch team of quartermasters. Furthermore, the ship's boatswain and his mates were interspersed among the various watch teams to ensure good order and discipline. The remainder of the ships' company, who did not stand a regular watch, included the ship's carpenter's crew and the gunnery teams (in charge of the maintenance of the ship's guns). Any other person on board who did not stand watch was collective referred to as an "idler" but was still subject to muster when the "all hands on deck" was called by the boatswain.
Quarters and stations[edit]
In addition to the standard watch organization of a Royal Navy vessel, additional organizational hierarchies included the division, headed by a lieutenant or midshipman, mainly for the purposes of mustering as well as messing and berthing; divisions were typically present only on the larger rated vessels.
The term "Action Stations" was a battle condition in which a Royal Navy vessel manned all of its guns with gun crews, stood up damage control and emergency medical teams, and called the ship's senior officers to the quarterdeck in order to direct the ship in battle. A sailor's action station was independent of their watch station or division, although in many cases groups of sailors manning the same action station were assigned from the same division or watch section.
A unique readiness condition of some Royal Navy vessels was known as "in ordinary". Such vessels were usually permanently moored with masts and sails removed, and manned only by a skeleton crew. In ordinary vessels did not maintain full watch sections and were normally maintained as receiving ships, shore barges, or prison ships.[citation needed]
James Cook wearing a 1770s era Royal Navy captain's uniform
Admiral Sir Peter Warren wearing the 1748-1767 pattern Flag Officer's dress uniform.
Chronology of uniforms[edit]
Royal Navy shoulder insignia
Royal Navy admiral insignia. The rank of "fleet admiral" was known in its full form as "admiral of the fleet".

1748–67
The first uniforms of the Royal Navy were issued to commissioned officers only and consisted of a blue dress uniform or 'suit', which featured 'boot cuffs'; based upon formal court wear of the time, and a 'frock', which was a simpler uniform that featured 'mariners cuffs' which were used to turn back the cuffs of the coat when strenuous or dirty work was being done. The frock also featured (unlike the suit which was single-breasted) double breasted lapels that could be worn either buttoned back or worn buttoned across the chest to protect the wearer from the elements.
Both the dress suit and frock worn by lieutenants were rather plain, the dress suit featuring plain white boot cuffs and the frock being plain blue with no other distinction. Although included in the 1748 dress regulations, midshipmen were only issued with a frock to act as an all-purpose uniform. This featured (from 1758) the white 'turnback' that is still used as rank insignia for midshipmen to the present day. Both the dress 'suit' and undress 'frock' uniforms were worn with blue breeches and black cocked hats; which were gold-laced and featured a black cockade.
Admiral Sir Charles Saunders wearing the 1748-1767 pattern 'frock' or undress coat.

1767–95
The next major change in Royal Navy uniforms occurred in the 1767 when the dress uniform 'suit' was abolished and the frock became an all-purpose uniform. This state of affairs continued until 1774; when the full dress suit was re-adopted for certain ranks. By the 1770s, most warrant and standing petty officers had been issued some type of uniform as well. Enlisted sailors had no established uniform, but were often issued standardized clothing by the ship on which they served to create a uniform appearance among seaman.
1795–1812
The most significant uniform change of the late 1700s was in 1795 when flag officers, captains and commanders were granted epaulettes. Over the next fifty years, epaulettes were the primary means of determining officer rank insignia, while the remainder of the warrant officers and petty officers wore various blue coats with piping and buttons to determine their various positions.
1812-1827
The 1812 pattern uniform reinstated the white collars and cuffs that had been replaced by blue in 1795. There was also a blue undress uniform that was devoid of lace and white facings as well.
Captain Sir George Ralph Collier wearing the 1812-1825 pattern undress coat.

1825-1827
1825 saw the introduction of the 'undress tailcoat'; which was a blue tailcoat, similar to that worn by civilians at the time, that was worn with the epaulettes.
1827-1830
A radical change in the full dress coat occurred in 1827, when a new pattern was introduced that was very similar to the undress coat of the 1812-1825 pattern. Instead of sloping away from the chest, the tails of the coat were now cut away at the waist (like a modern-day civilian tail-coat) and were ordered to be buttoned up at all times. Midshipmen, Masters, Volunteers of the First and Second class and Surgeons were to keep their existing uniforms but were to wear them fully buttoned up. In 1827, regulations; there was ordered to be no distinction between full dress and undress, the only distinction between the two being that officers were allowed to wear plain blue trousers in undress. In 1829, however, a single-breasted frock coat was allowed for officers for wear in the vicinity of their ships. This featured sleeve lace to denote rank: a braid for midshipmen and mates, two stripes for lieutenants, two stripes for commanders, and three stripes for captains. Flag officers were to wear their epaulettes with the frock coat. This garment was worn with plain blue trousers and a peaked cap by all officers. Although short-lived (it was abolished in 1833), this frock-coat was an important precursor and influence on later styles of uniform, particularly in undress.
1830-1843
In 1830, the facings of the full dress coat were changed from white to scarlet. This was the case until 1843.
1843-1846
1843 saw the return of white facings to the full dress uniforms of commissioned officers. Lieutenants were granted two plain epaulettes in place of the former one.
Captain Francis Crozier wearing the 1843-1846 pattern undress tailcoat with peaked cap.
Captain John Franklin wearing the 1843-1846 pattern undress tailcoat with cocked hat.

1846-1856
1847 saw the adoption of a double breasted frock coat, worn in undress that featured rank lace on the sleeves similar to the single breasted frock coat of the 1820s and 30s. This could be worn either with the peaked cap or with the cocked hat, sword and sword belt for more formal occasions.
Sleeve stripes were introduced for full dress and on the undress tailcoat for all commissioned officers as well from 1856.
After 1856
Although they had always been authorized for undress uniforms, 1878 saw a clarificiation of the wearing of cuff buttons worn on the undress coats (the frock coat and undress tailcoat)this were worn beneath the cuff stripes. For Flag Officers, the buttons were worn between the thicker line of braid and the thinner ones above. 1880 saw the introduction of the 'ship jacket' (similar to today's reefer jacket) for wear at night or in inclement weather in undress. In 1885, a white tunic, worn with white trousers and white sun helmet and black boots, was introduced for wear in hot climates, as well as a navy blue tunic and trousers, of the same cut, for wear in undress in temperate climates. On both garments, rank was initially worn on the sleeve: in white silk for the white uniform, in gold for blue. The blue tunic was replaced by the reefer jacket in 1889. The white tunic was redesigned at the same time, with rank being worn on shoulder-boards instead of the sleeve.
Flag officers[edit]
Main article: Admiral (Royal Navy)
Flag rank advancement in the 18th and 19th century Royal Navy was determined entirely by seniority. Initial promotion to flag rank from the rank of captain occurred when a vacancy appeared on the admirals' seniority list due to the death or retirement of a flag officer. The captain in question would then be automatically promoted to rear admiral and assigned to the first of three colored squadrons, these being the blue, white and red squadrons.
As further vacancies occurred, the British flag officer would be posted to the same rank in higher squadrons. For instance, a rear admiral of the blue squadron would be promoted to become rear admiral of the white, and then rear admiral of the red squadron. When reaching the highest position of the rank (rear admiral of the red), the flag officer would next be promoted to the rank of vice admiral, and begin again at the lowest coloured squadron (vice admiral of the blue). The process would continue again, until the vice admiral of the red was promoted to admiral of the blue. The highest possible rank was admiral of the red squadron, which was synonymous with admiral of the fleet (originally this rank wore the same insignia as a regular admiral – a special insignia was first created in 1843).
Situations did occur where flag officers would "jump" to a higher rank in a different squadron, without serving their time in each rank of each squadron. Such was the case with William Bligh, who was promoted directly from rear admiral to vice admiral of the blue without ever having served as a rear admiral of the red or white Squadron. On the opposite, it was not possible for a higher ranked admiral in a lower squadron (i.e. vice admiral of the blue) to be demoted to a lower rank yet in a higher rated squadron (i.e. rear admiral of the red).
Some flag officers were not assigned to a squadron, and thus were referred to simply by the generic title "admiral". Formally known as "admiral without distinction of a squadron", the common term for such officers was "yellow admiral". Still another title was port admiral which was the title for the senior naval officer of a British port.
References[edit]
Jump up ^ "National Maritime Museum". www.nmm.ac.uk. National Maritime Museum. Archived from the original on 12 December 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
Jump up ^ Lewis 1939, p. 228
^ Jump up to: a b Blake & Lawrence 2005, p. 71
Jump up ^ Lewis 1939, p. 270
Jump up ^ Lavery 1989, p. 270
Jump up ^ Blake & Lawrence 2005, p. 72
^ Jump up to: a b Lewis 1939, p. 267
Jump up ^ "Pitcairn Crew". Pitcairn Island Study Center. 2008. Retrieved 2010-04-28.
Jump up ^ N.A.M. Rodger (2001) Commissioned officers' careers in the Royal Navy, 1690–1815, Journal for Maritime Research, 3:1, 85-129, DOI: 10.1080/21533369.2001.9668314
Jump up ^ O'Neill 2003, p. 75
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ Horatio Nelson served as an able seaman aboard the Seahorse,[7] and Peter Heywood served as an able seaman aboard HMS Bounty.[8]
Jump up ^ After 1795, blue coat with epaulettes
Jump up ^ Commodores second class commanded their own vessels while commodores first class were appointed a captain to command their flagship
Jump up ^ After 1795 (Commander) and 1812 (Lieutenant), blue coat with epaulettes
Jump up ^ Acting lieutenants were normally senior midshipman who were granted wardroom status due to their tenure and experience, although the designation was also extended on occasion to masters and master's mates. One historical case of a master's mate appointed as an acting lieutenant was that of Fletcher Christian, appointed by William Bligh much to the derision of John Fryer, master of the Bounty.
Jump up ^ In some cases, surgeon's mates were appointed aboard by the commanding officer, usually in remote or distant settings where a formal appointment was not possible
Jump up ^ Unlike modern day navies, the Royal Navy of the 18th and 19th century did not maintain a standing enlisted force. Sailors were signed onto ships in port in order to fill manning requirements.
Sources[edit]
Blake, Nicholas; Lawrence, Richard (2005), The Illustrated Companion to Nelson's Navy, Stackpole Books, ISBN 0-8117-3275-4, OCLC 70659490
Lavery, Brian (1989), Nelson's Navy: The Ships, Men and Organization, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, ISBN 0-87021-258-3, OCLC 20997619
Lewis, Michael (1939), England's Sea-Officers, London: George Allen & Unwin, OCLC 1084558
O'Neill, Richard (2003), Patrick O'Brian's Navy, London: Salamander Books, ISBN 0-7624-1540-1
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Royal_Navy_ranks,_rates,_and_uniforms_of_the_18th_and_19th_centuries&oldid=865642340"
Categories:
History of the Royal Navy
19th-century history of the Royal Navy
British military uniforms
Hidden categories:
Use dmy dates from July 2017
Use British English from July 2017
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from March 2012
Navigation menu
Personal tools
Not logged in
Talk
Contributions
Create account
Log in
Namespaces
Article
Talk
Variants
Views
Read
Edit
View history
More
Search
Navigation
Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikipedia store
Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page
Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page
Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version
Languages
Add links
This page was last edited on 25 October 2018, at 07:02 (UTC).
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Cookie statement
Mobile view
Enable previews

values: mw-page-base noprint

values: mw-head-base noprint

values: firstHeading firstHeading en

values: siteSub noprint

values: mw-jump-link #mw-head

values: mw-jump-link #p-search

value: p

attrs: href class title

attrs: class style

value: b

value: input

attrs: type role id class style

values: checkbox button toctogglecheckbox toctogglecheckbox display:none

value: label

attrs: class for

values: toctogglelabel toctogglecheckbox

values:
/wiki/Powdered_wig
mw-redirect
Powdered wig

values:
/wiki/Dark_blue_(color)
mw-redirect
Dark blue (color)

values:
/wiki/Captain_(nautical)
mw-redirect
Captain (nautical)

values: thumb tnone thumbinner noresize overflowbugx

values: margin-left: auto; margin-right:auto; overflow:hidden; width:auto; max-width:908px; overflow:auto;

values:
/wiki/Reefer_jacket
mw-redirect
Reefer jacket

values:
/wiki/Bell_bottoms
mw-redirect
Bell bottoms

values:
/wiki/Royal_Marine
mw-redirect
Royal Marine

values:
/wiki/War_substantive
mw-redirect
War substantive

values:
/wiki/Henry_William_Baynton
mw-redirect
Henry William Baynton

values:
/wiki/Captain%27s_Clerk
mw-redirect
Captain's Clerk

values:
/wiki/Landman_(rank)
mw-redirect
Landman (rank)

values:
/wiki/Post_captain
mw-redirect
Post captain

values:
/wiki/Action_Stations
mw-redirect
Action Stations

values:
/wiki/Receiving_ship
mw-redirect
Receiving ship

values: This claim needs references to reliable sources. (March 2012)

values:
noprint Inline-Template Template-Fact
white-space:nowrap;

values:
/wiki/Sir_George_Ralph_Collier
mw-redirect
Sir George Ralph Collier

values:
/wiki/Port_Admiral_(Royal_Navy)
mw-redirect
Port Admiral (Royal Navy)

values:
nofollow
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/
external text

values:
reflist mw-references-wrap
list-style-type: decimal;

values:
/wiki/John_Fryer_(sailor)
mw-redirect
John Fryer (sailor)

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.worldcat.org/oclc/70659490

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.worldcat.org/oclc/20997619

values:
nofollow
external text
//www.worldcat.org/oclc/1084558

values: Category:19th-century history of the Royal Navy

values: Category:Use British English from July 2017

values: Category:All articles with unsourced statements

values: Category:Articles with unsourced statements from March 2012

values: Discussion about edits from this IP address [ctrl-alt-n]

values: A list of edits made from this IP address [ctrl-alt-y]

values: You are encouraged to create an account and log in; however, it is not mandatory

values: You're encouraged to log in; however, it's not mandatory. [ctrl-alt-o]

values: Discussion about the content page [ctrl-alt-t]

values: p-namespaces navigation vectorTabs p-namespaces-label

values:
p-variants
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-variants-label

values: Past revisions of this page [ctrl-alt-h]

values: p-views navigation vectorTabs p-views-label

values:
p-cactions
navigation
vectorMenu emptyPortlet
p-cactions-label

values:
mw-wiki-logo
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page

values:
/wiki/Main_Page
Visit the main page [ctrl-alt-z]
z

values: Featured content – the best of Wikipedia

values: Find background information on current events

values:
/wiki/Special:Random
Load a random article [ctrl-alt-x]
x

values: portal navigation p-navigation p-navigation-label

values: Guidance on how to use and edit Wikipedia

values: About the project, what you can do, where to find things

values: A list of recent changes in the wiki [ctrl-alt-r]

values: portal navigation p-interaction p-interaction-label

values: List of all English Wikipedia pages containing links to this page [ctrl-alt-j]

values: Recent changes in pages linked from this page [ctrl-alt-k]

values:
/wiki/Wikipedia:File_Upload_Wizard
Upload files [ctrl-alt-u]
u

values: A list of all special pages [ctrl-alt-q]

values: Permanent link to this revision of the page

values: Link to connected data repository item [ctrl-alt-g]

values: Printable version of this page [ctrl-alt-p]

values: mediawiki ltr sitedir-ltr mw-hide-empty-elt ns-0 ns-subject page-Royal_Navy_ranks_rates_and_uniforms_of_the_18th_and_19th_centuries rootpage-Royal_Navy_ranks_rates_and_uniforms_of_the_18th_and_19th_centuries skin-vector action-view