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fandomhigh2017-01-23 06:02 am
wefindintheashes) wrote in fandomhigh2017-01-23 06:02 am
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Hands On History of the American Civil War, 2nd Period (1/23)
Class today was back in the classroom! Mostly because Goody didn't know how to program that danger shop. Okay, not really. It was because there was very little need for it to be there. But that wasn't as much fun.
"Last week we spoke on what was considered the first proper battle of the war. Today we'll be addressing the equipment that had been, for the most part, sorely lacking then and were soon outfitted to the opposing armies. Not that there was terribly much trainin' on them," Goody drawled. "More of a… learn as you go if you weren't familiar with handling a gun."
"If you didn't get familiar with a gun quickly, it was one of those problems that tended to solve itself," Nathan noted, with a dry sort of wryness to his tone. "It really didn't tend to remain a concern for you for long."
There wasn't even a hint of humor in that statement, either.
"Last week, we mentioned that a few of the problems the men fighting at Bull Run," sorry, Goody. Nathan would never call it Manassas. "This week, we'll give a little bit of an explanation into why the uniforms were so confusing, as well as the weaponry that the soldiers on both sides were using."
"It did not help that the usual wear and tear on the uniforms tended to leave a man a bit… threadbare," Goody added helpfully. "Considering it was the same nation split in twain, many of the weapons were used by both sides of the battles. In fact, it was common practice to scavenge what remained on the battlefield when the opposing side had fled. A good number of rifles and artillery were found that way."
That wasn't… concerning at all.
"There was the '53 Enfield rifle, imported from overseas for use, the always reliable Colt revolver, the bayonet... " Goody made one hell of a face. "And the less common Gatling gun."
A deeply unpleasant device. Oh god, no one tell him about machine guns.
Nathan had no plans to mention that one, no. He had his own experience with Gatling guns, and frowned deeply as he ducked his head.
Sorry, Nathan. "But weapons weren't the only things important to equipping and maintaining an army. The railroads and riverways became crucial to moving men or supplies to keep fighting. This lead to ironclad… ships meant to resist fire or artillery shelling as they moved through the water."
Nathan sighed as he straightened again. Hey, he had the easy part to talk about, this week. Probably for the best, considering his tendency to tangent often went in vaguely traumatizing directions.
"As for the uniforms," he said, "generally when people think of the Union and the Confederate armies, they think of blue and gray respectively. It was... a little more complicated than that. As was mentioned last week, for example, local militia units often brought their own uniforms to the fray, which meant that you might very well see a Confederate soldier in blue, or vice-versa. Some would wear baggy bright red trousers and turbans, influenced by the French Zouaves of North Africa. Members of the U.S. Army primarily wore their dark blue, though."
No, he was not wearing his uniform today. He could have. He wasn't going to, thanks.
"Confederates, meanwhile, were in gray from head to toe, though," he glanced at Goodnight and grinned faintly. "They weren't terribly colorfast. Either they went light brown due to weathering or the dyes used at home didn't quite work out, but it earned them the nickname 'Butternuts.'"
Used about as lovingly as one could possibly use a nickname for somebody you were going to be shooting at, generally.
"Sometimes we managed to find Union uniforms and bleached them. So, it was a lovely periwinkle blue," Goody replied with a wink.
"Either way, we were probably both wearing fairly threadbare uniforms by the end of it." Nathan snorted a little. "I never had the misfortune of ending up barefoot," because he was cavalry, the lucky bastard, "but I know a few men who did."
"Shoes wore down so damned fast from all the marching," Goody said. Maybe a little defensive. Because he was not cavalry, you see. "Today we have some of the many types of uniforms for you children to try out. No weaponry, though."
"That's somebody else's class," Nathan added, helpfully. "You'll notice that the blue uniforms are generally wool. Great in the winter... a little less comfortable in the summer, unless there was a breeze. The gray ones are primarily cotton." A beat. A somewhat awkward beat. "And mismatched. You'll make do."
"We certainly did," Goody said.
"Last week we spoke on what was considered the first proper battle of the war. Today we'll be addressing the equipment that had been, for the most part, sorely lacking then and were soon outfitted to the opposing armies. Not that there was terribly much trainin' on them," Goody drawled. "More of a… learn as you go if you weren't familiar with handling a gun."
"If you didn't get familiar with a gun quickly, it was one of those problems that tended to solve itself," Nathan noted, with a dry sort of wryness to his tone. "It really didn't tend to remain a concern for you for long."
There wasn't even a hint of humor in that statement, either.
"Last week, we mentioned that a few of the problems the men fighting at Bull Run," sorry, Goody. Nathan would never call it Manassas. "This week, we'll give a little bit of an explanation into why the uniforms were so confusing, as well as the weaponry that the soldiers on both sides were using."
"It did not help that the usual wear and tear on the uniforms tended to leave a man a bit… threadbare," Goody added helpfully. "Considering it was the same nation split in twain, many of the weapons were used by both sides of the battles. In fact, it was common practice to scavenge what remained on the battlefield when the opposing side had fled. A good number of rifles and artillery were found that way."
That wasn't… concerning at all.
"There was the '53 Enfield rifle, imported from overseas for use, the always reliable Colt revolver, the bayonet... " Goody made one hell of a face. "And the less common Gatling gun."
A deeply unpleasant device. Oh god, no one tell him about machine guns.
Nathan had no plans to mention that one, no. He had his own experience with Gatling guns, and frowned deeply as he ducked his head.
Sorry, Nathan. "But weapons weren't the only things important to equipping and maintaining an army. The railroads and riverways became crucial to moving men or supplies to keep fighting. This lead to ironclad… ships meant to resist fire or artillery shelling as they moved through the water."
Nathan sighed as he straightened again. Hey, he had the easy part to talk about, this week. Probably for the best, considering his tendency to tangent often went in vaguely traumatizing directions.
"As for the uniforms," he said, "generally when people think of the Union and the Confederate armies, they think of blue and gray respectively. It was... a little more complicated than that. As was mentioned last week, for example, local militia units often brought their own uniforms to the fray, which meant that you might very well see a Confederate soldier in blue, or vice-versa. Some would wear baggy bright red trousers and turbans, influenced by the French Zouaves of North Africa. Members of the U.S. Army primarily wore their dark blue, though."
No, he was not wearing his uniform today. He could have. He wasn't going to, thanks.
"Confederates, meanwhile, were in gray from head to toe, though," he glanced at Goodnight and grinned faintly. "They weren't terribly colorfast. Either they went light brown due to weathering or the dyes used at home didn't quite work out, but it earned them the nickname 'Butternuts.'"
Used about as lovingly as one could possibly use a nickname for somebody you were going to be shooting at, generally.
"Sometimes we managed to find Union uniforms and bleached them. So, it was a lovely periwinkle blue," Goody replied with a wink.
"Either way, we were probably both wearing fairly threadbare uniforms by the end of it." Nathan snorted a little. "I never had the misfortune of ending up barefoot," because he was cavalry, the lucky bastard, "but I know a few men who did."
"Shoes wore down so damned fast from all the marching," Goody said. Maybe a little defensive. Because he was not cavalry, you see. "Today we have some of the many types of uniforms for you children to try out. No weaponry, though."
"That's somebody else's class," Nathan added, helpfully. "You'll notice that the blue uniforms are generally wool. Great in the winter... a little less comfortable in the summer, unless there was a breeze. The gray ones are primarily cotton." A beat. A somewhat awkward beat. "And mismatched. You'll make do."
"We certainly did," Goody said.
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