"Drums"

Tuesday, October 15, 1861

It has been some time coming but finally, it has happened. After seemingly endless weeks spent training in a "unit" that had no parentage, I and my squad have been given to Company I of the 12th Infantry Regiment of South Carolina Volunteers. The regiment was mustered into Confederate service some time ago and we are just now being assigned to it, having been told by Corporal Flynn that we are now at least worthy of belonging to a regiment if not actually being real soldiers. Corporal Flynn has come with us and will continue to threaten our very existance but now we have parentage.

Once the transfer was made, I reverted to the status of a humble private. The lance corporal "rank" was strictly for training purposes. All the companies have names. Ours is the Lancaster Hornets, named for Lancaster District.

We came in too late to vote for our company officers. They were determined to be worthy of their ranks and responsibilities by those who were already in the company when the election was held. I do not regret having missed the campaigning by the prospective claimants to high position. As I am not from the upcountry as all the others are, the promises of future goodness based on past service at home would have been wasted. Their home and mine are different. For the duration of the war, however, our home is the army.

Electing our officers to serve over us is a very democratic process. Let us hope that we chose people who can perform and not just pontificate. There is already enough hot air here to propell a steamship across the Atlantic.

Our colonel is Dunovant, our chaplin is Dickson,  our captain is Vanlandingham. Our 1st sargeant is Wade. I do not know any of these people. Our corporal is Flynn. All know Flynn.

Some day our government will have the means to fully clothe and outfit the troops. One of the disadvantages of having an economy based on agriculture is that there is little of an industrial foundation to supply the means of war and self-defense.  Our national government has furnished so very little in the way of anything. South Carolina has done somewhat better to take care of her sons. I now have a new black strap for my cartridge box and no longer have to wear my white one that I brought from home. I gave it to another fellow who doesn't even have a cartridge box.

Those of us who are from the more established militia organizations have at least a martial appearance since they wear their uniforms from their home districts. The effects of weather and drill make them look less pretty and more like the rest of us who came here with nothing more than civilian clothing. Some of the latter looked like fops. When lined up for inspection, there is always two or three of us in tall hats as worn by gentlemen. Planters sons and others of the priveledged classes entered camp life with expensive liveries of garments useless to a soldier. All of them now look like us and we look like mud.

In lieu of a supply system that can sustain our needs, the Confederacy has fixed upon a commutation system. We supply whatever we can in the way of arms, accoutrements and clothing from our own resources. We are reimbursed from the national treasury for our efforts until such time that it can take care of us.

As some of us are nearly naked, the hope is that we will be supplied from the government more sooner than later. At present, the only source of clothing to replace that that becomes worn out are packages from home. Many of us owe a debt of gratitude to the Soldier's Relief Society in Beaufort. It's president, Mrs Morcock, and her officers, Mrs. Barnwell, Mrs. Fuller, Mrs. Wells and Miss Barnwell, have done a splendid job of sending us clothing, foodstuffs and small creature comforts. I received a shirt made by the hands of Miss Barnwell but it was much too small for me. I have given it to Philip Shehane. He is a good lad. In return he gave me a half-pound of bacon which of course I shared with the rest of the squad.

The advantage of being an agricultural society is that there will always be food. In this war, at least we will eat well.

The newspapers that come here and are read until they fall apart bring a mix of good and bad news, most of it bad. The Yankees  have been quite active in ship-building for a fleet landed Butler's force which seized Hatteras Inlet and our garrison there surrendered. One of Lincoln's objectives in this war is to close our ports to foreign trade and subject us to strangulation.

Paducah in Kentucky has fallen to Grant. Kentucky had declared neutrality but that was just a sham. One bit of good news is that Lexington, Missouri has been captured by Price, after a siege.

Drums. They are beating the long roll. Yankees?