From its earliest days until its last the Confederacy waged a costly war which stretched the nation’s capabilities to their very limits – and ultimately beyond.
In the mid-nineteenth century the scope of government was far less extensive than what we experience today; however, one would expect that the Confederate government, any government, would bear all – or almost all – of the responsibility for meeting the needs of its men in arms. The fact that the Confederacy could not do so, and instead relied on volunteers to meet many fundamental needs, is indicative of the immense strain under which the government operated throughout its four-year life.
The story of the Wayside Homes is illustrative.
Newspaper accounts from the war years open a window through which we can see the people of the Confederacy coping with their challenging circumstances. At any given time in the war, great numbers of soldiers were in transit. Some were traveling home on furlough or back to their regiments. Others were heading home to recover from wounds or illness or trekking to rejoin their comrades after they recuperated. Many were moving from hospitals to other facilities for convalescence or to a station where they would perform light duty. Fit men hastened to the front at the start of a major campaign. Invalids were going home for good, some to die there. Their journeys were arduous. The men were largely on their own. They needed help along the way.
“Every train will bring large numbers of soldiers hungry, fatigued, and many perhaps sick and faint,” reads an article in the Charleston Mercury (Jan. 4, 1862). “Refreshments are essential immediately upon their arrival.” The paper announced that to address this need the city council had named a committee to form the Charleston Wayside Hospital and Soldiers’ Depot.
On Oct. 16 of that year, the same paper reported on the recent establishment of the Soldiers’ Rest in Greenville. “Already twenty sick soldiers have found food and lodging on their homeward way, and some who were destitute…have been assisted to pay traveling expenses.”
The Savannah Republican appealed for funds on Mar. 7, 1863, and explained why the funds were needed. “All soldiers, whether Georgians or not, traveling on furlough, either home or to camp, are welcome to the care and comforts of this Wayside Home.”
The Montgomery Weekly Advertiser on Aug. 8, 1864, issued an appeal for support for that city’s Wayside Home, without which “…the poor travel tired soldiers would have no way to obtain their meals upon the road but by applying to the doors of our citizens.”
The people of Charleston, Greenville, Savannah, Montgomery and other communities did this work because it had to be done and there was no one else to do it. They would not have their defenders reduced to beggary.
In the east, the Wayside Homes were of course built on rail lines, as the “travel tired” fighting men journeyed by train. In the capital city, close to the much of the fighting, each state supported a separate Wayside Home to care for its men battling in Virginia. In the Trans-Mississippi, where there were almost no railroads, soldiers walked or rode on horses – which surely were as tired and hungry as their riders. There the homes were smaller and more numerous than in the east.
The travelers’ most obvious needs were food and lodging. The Mobile Register and Advertiser (May 5, 1864) reported on the hospitals in Montgomery and pointed out that in addition to these facilities, “… there is the Wayside Home, where the weary and hungry soldier…can always find a wholesome meal and a night’s repose.”
Bed and board were necessary but not sufficient. As the soldiers were often sick or wounded, some medical care and nursing were also provided. And even in wartime, there is a need for entertainment and holiday celebrations. The Montgomery Weekly Advertiser (Jan. 6, 1864) reported on the Christmas festivities held at the Soldiers’ Home. This cheerful support from a grateful citizenry – mainly the women whose men were at war – raised the soldier’s spirits as the nourishment and rest restored their bodies.
Wayside Homes relied principally on voluntary support. They called for and received both cash and contributions in kind. The Southern Watchman (Athens, Ga., Oct. 26, 1864) publicized the need for money, “anything eatable” and supplies of all kinds – tallow, candles, soap and firewood. In Charleston, the South Carolina Railroad donated the use of its new depot for a Wayside Home (Charleston Mercury, Jan. 4, 1862). The Savannah Republican called on Savannahians to donate their carpets to be cut up into blankets (Nov. 11, 1863). The donations also provided work for needy women who transformed the carpets into bedding.
Musical performances, dramas, fairs, and balls were held to raise funds. People in Savannah supported their Home by attending a lecture on “The War” by one Madame Teresa. Tickets were $1.00 (Savannah Republican, Sept. 11, 1863). The ladies in Albany added to a night of music a “tableaux exhibition” to benefit their Wayside Home (Albany Patriot, Jan. 1, 1865).
The government did provide some support. Houston’s Tri-Weekly Telegraph announced on Nov. 16, 1864, that Texas Homes would be permitted to purchase foodstuffs from the army’s Commissary Department. On the 23rd of the next month, the paper published a circular containing suggestions on how best to organize and operate Soldiers’ Homes. Among the suggestions was that the army permit Homes to draw monthly on commissary supplies without payment, in quantities based on what they provided to soldiers the previous month. The army’s reply to this reasonable suggestion is not known.
In Montgomery, one Soldiers’ Home closed its doors and turned its assets over to a nearby government-run hospital which would take over the work done by the Home (Montgomery Weekly Advertiser, Dec. 30, 1863). A correspondent to the Richmond Whig (Oct. 25, 1864) wrote that state-operated Soldiers’ Homes were permitted by the Confederate Government to draw rations for their “inmates.”
While the press and others praised the generous citizens who willingly gave their time and treasure to support the troops, we also read some complaints and criticisms. The correspondent to the Richmond Whig reported on more than the Government’s willingness to provide rations: he also gave a scathing assessment of his own state’s Home. He wrote that “…the Alabama Home is a disgrace. Thousands of bed bugs and vermin infest the beds, and the general table will not commence to compare with the living the men have in camp, and God knows that is hard enough.” He also commented on the Home’s seedy neighborhood. “Nearly every house around it is a den of the lowest and vilest prostitutes…”
A Texan, John R. Baylor, complained in the Galveston Weekly News (Aug. 17, 1864) that the people of his state were not taking care of their own and charging for what they ought to donate gratis. “It is humiliating to think that a man who has returned home, a cripple for life, should be charged a month’s wages for a bed to sleep on and a little bread and meat to eat.”
We read of another Texan, a Mr. Bookman, who had given all he could give and announced in a Houston paper that he was shutting down. “[T]he expense is too much for a man in my circumstances.” In four months he had “…supplied some two hundred men and horses…without one cent outside my own means, and it has exhausted by substance.” (Tri-Weekly Telegraph (Nov. 25, 1864).
In 1865 the soldiers made the final journey home and the work of the Wayside Homes was complete. However, not all the Homes survived to provide succor to the returning men. The Texas Republican on May 26, 1865, lamented that the Home in Marshall had been closed. “It was only required a few weeks longer until absent soldiers passed through Marshall on their way to their respective homes. As it is, soldiers are continuously passing through our town, with no provisions existing for their comfort and sustenance.”
Like the soldiers, the ladies in Marshall had done their best, but were at last worn down.
Sources: The newspaper accounts used for this article were compiled by Vicki Betts, a librarian at the University of Texas at Tyler, and are found on line at http://apps.uttyler.edu/vbetts/southern_wayside_ homes.htm.
N.J. Department Sons Of Union Veterans Of The Civil War Elects New Officers
At the 133 Department Encampment of the New Jersey Department Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, the following Department Officers were installed. Commander: Fred Mossbrucker of Col. Francine Camp #7, Senior Vice Commander: Robert Meyer of Custer Camp# 17, Junior Vice Commander Gary DeSiver, Lincoln Camp #100 and Secretary/Treasurer Dr. David Martin PDC, also of Lincoln Camp #100.
In his speech, Commander Mossbrucker said:
“I can honestly tell you that I am humbled by your decision to bestow upon me the reigns of leadership one of the finest organizations I know and one of the best-kept secrets in the state. I look forward to working with you all in changing that status.
As many of you may or may not know, I am a school teacher, a special education teacher. No matter what kind of flowery prose the politicians or politically motivated educators may wrap our profession in, the bottom line is, we teach the three R’s: Readin’, Ritin’, Rithmetic. In keeping with that train of thought, I’d like our job, the Sons of Union
Battle of Bristoe Station Campaign Tours
Join site historians for the 153nd Anniversary of the Battle of Bristoe Station. Tour a Civil War encampment, watch artillery firing demonstrations, and take a tour the site. On Saturday evening, visit the battlefield to see over 2,000 luminary candles lit for every soldier who died at Bristoe Station. Selfguided tours will lead visitors throughout the battlefield to meet
the men and women who made history here.
Veterans, to be the three R’s as well. I would like our job to be one of Retention, Recruitment, Remembrance.
Let us strive to keep the brothers we have today. Let us foster the feelings of fraternity, charity and loyalty that we are charged to practice and make them VERBS...words of ACTION...not just a salutation or closing of a letter or email.
Let us work hard to increaser numbers and see if we can’t reach a goal of an increase of 10% two years from now. Pretty high? Maybe, but not impossible. Not when you consider who is in this room today. We can do it! I see potential for growth in this room!
Finally, let us impress upon our newest brothers just how important remembrance is to us. As we approach the 150th anniversary of the Grand Army of the Republic, let us improve our communications within the individual camps and get more brethren participating in our activities. Let’s take the lead inner communities to keep green the memory of the GAR! Let’s pitch ideas to the leaders of our various towns and when we pitch our ideas, let’s not forget to add, ...and how can I help?
I am excited to be where I am today, brothers! May GOD bless you, your camps and our Order. Thank you for your confidence!”
The New Jersey Department was founded on November 12, 1882, and has 8 camps throughout the state. For more information about the New Jersey Department SUVCW you are invited to visit the Department’s website at http://www.njdept-suvcw.org.