By Karina vB.

Isaac H. Morrison was a well-known citizen in his hometown of Deerfield NH. This was not only because he did various local jobs in town like the town clerk, and being a legislature; it was also because he enrolled to be a volunteer in the Civil War in 1862, and later on became a captain. Morrison was part of the Eleventh Regiment New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry. He enlisted on August 15, 1862 to be a private in Company B of the 11th regiment. In the Civil War, if the Captain of a company was unable to do his job either by being injured or getting killed, a lieutenant who had experience was bumped up to the position of captain. This was the case for Isaac Morrison. He had been a private, and then a lieutenant, then finally became a captain a few years later A captain is not the very highest rank in the army; the order of officers from greatest power to least was General, Colonel, [Major], Captain, and then Lieutenant. After the officers came the [enlisted men, like] privates. You could tell the rank of an officer by how many gold bands ran across the side of his hat. As a captain, Morrison would have 2 golden bands. Also, an officer was identified by the color of his hat.

It is harder than people would think, to do what Morrison did and do all the jobs that the captain was assigned. The privates in Morrison’s company would have to address him as “Sir” or “Captain”. His main job was to give out orders to his troops. In a battle, the captain would shout over the loud sounds of gunfire and tell the soldiers to make formations or to fire. Comparing a captain to the coach of a football team, you will see that the two are somewhat similar. Both would tell their troops or “players” what to do and when to do it. One difference between a captain and a coach is that the captain fights along with the soldiers during a battle while a coach will just sit on the sidelines and watch the game.

One of the duties that Morrison would have had while he was a Captain was guard duty. There had to be several guards watching camp at all times, day or night and they rotated guards every several hours or so, but it was important that the guards were always on alert when it was their shifts. Any movement or sound had to be a warning to them and they would call for backup if they suspected any unwelcome activity around camp, especially at night when it was not unusual for an attack.

It was hard for the troops and their captains because of the horrible living conditions that they had in the Civil War. The army camps were mostly covered with trash and latrines, the air was infested with insects that were looking for leftover food, and the tents were so stuffed with soldiers that there was no room for anything else. It was uncomfortable for most everyone. Some officers or privates would have “clean up duty” while they were at camp, or even the job of digging the latrines, which is where the soldiers would go to the bathroom, surely a hated job.

Another of Captain Morrison’s duties the whole time he was an officer was that he was in charge of the baggage of everyone. Certain ranks in the army could only carry a certain amount of pounds of luggage to the camps. Captains like Morrison were allowed to carry exactly 80 pounds, and the officers of a higher power like generals were allowed to bring along 125 pounds. Field officers could carry 100 pounds, and lieutenants could also carry 80 pounds. Morrison was in charge of transporting the regimental and company desk from camp to camp, also books, papers, forms, and other instruments that were necessary for the duties of the generals. Also wagons or other forms of transportation would be useful for moving the medical records, the medical chest, and the sick soldiers who also needed to be transported from camp to camp. What Morrison would do was make sure that every single bit of baggage was not a pound over the requirements, and then make sure that it was brought to its next destination. When they come to their new camp he would check that all the baggage was there and unharmed (especially the officers' belongings).

A few times while working as a captain, Morrison was awarded “Brigade Officer of the Day” when he fought in the siege of Knoxville.

The whole time he fought in the war, Morrison was in command of 3 companies. The companies were B, K, and I. Captains would sometimes get switched back and forth to different companies by an officer of a higher rank if a captain was needed. When captain of company I, Morrison was wounded and then afterwards was appointed to company K but couldn’t go on because of his wounds. It was then that he left the war and returned to Deerfield, wounded, but as a hero.

Bibliography:

• http://www.kidport.com/Grade8/SocialStudies/CivilWar.htm
• http://www.civilwar.com/
• http://www.umich.edu/~bhl/bhl/mhchome/civilwar.htm
• http://www.germantown.k12.il.us/html/CivilWar.html
• Bruce Catton, The Civil War
• William P. Craighill, The 1862 Officer's Pocket Companion
• Worldbook Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, Civil War

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Dear Journal,

Day after day, the same slop and drills.

This is what my life is like:

5:30 AM - still dark. It's freezing cold, all because we sleep in tents. The tents are only 18 feet wide and 12 feet high. Most of them have up to 20 people crammed in them. My tent only has 18 people in it! At this, my day starts.

Boom, boom, bang! The drilling and yelling starts. At 5:30 every morning, for as many years as there have been soldiers, they have had to wake up to this. Because I am an officer, I have to wake up earlier than 4:00.

There are many men who don't get food. The only food is slop, if we even have that. It's mostly one pound of hardtack, beef or pork and coffee - just slop. After living with the same food for years, I've gotten sick of it really fast. Some days, I even give it to someone who doesn't have food. One reason why the food is so bad is that it is spoiled with bugs and mold. I don't know why we don't eat rice - it doesn't go bad so much. By the time our food gets to us, the bugs and mold have destroyed it. People must not realize how long it takes to get food to the soldiers in the field. That's why it goes bad.

Right after Role Call, we will eat breakfast - yes, the same slop . Because I'm a captain, life is a little better. At least I get better food than the men. It's not that much better though, and I do have to get up earlier than them.

Running drills all day is critical to prepare for the war. The times that we don't do drills, we play games like chess and any card games. Most people write to their relatives - children, parents and wives. I am so mad that I can't see my wife! I can only write to her. Since I have been in the Army, I have missed her so much! I only wish I was at home to support her. Being without your family, a warm home and decent food is really bad. It gets really lonely. I've met some people here, but we really aren't friends, probably because we all know we might die - at least that's the way I look at it. I pray every night to assure that I don't die, so I can live to keep my family safe. I hope I can live to see them again.

The day goes by fast when I don't think of any of this.

I really don't agree with the way the North and the South - brothers - are fighting to the death, but it has to be done. This Civil War is a harsh time. People and even families are fighting each other. People are going crazy because of it. I just can't agree with that.

- Isaac Morrison

Bibliography: www.nps.gov/gettkidz/hardtack.htm http://www.civilwarhome.com/camplife.htm http://www.kidport.com/RefLib/UsaHistory/CivilWar/Life.htm http://members.tripod.com/elpage22/a.htm http://members.tripod.com/elpage22/food.htm http://members.tripod.com/elpage22/shelter.htm

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What Weapon Did Isaac Morrison Use In The Civil War?

by Stephen M.

Isaac Morrison was a farmer in Deerfield, NH. In 1861, when the Civil War broke out, he enlisted into the 11th New Hampshire volunteer regiment. This was an infantry unit, which means that they were foot soldiers. From the research I have done, I have concluded that he, along with the rest of the soldiers in his regiment, would have used the Springfield US Rifle Musket Model 1861. These rifles were the weapons of choice for most of the soldiers and after a few months of overpowering excellence, they became the weapon of standard issue in the military. I believe that Isaac Morrison would have gotten this type of rifle when he enlisted.

As I mentioned before, after a few months of perfect performance, the Springfield US rifle musket model 1861 was the standard issue of the United States government. The rifle itself was built, and the parts manufactured by the Springfield Armory in Springfield, MA. Hence came the title of “Springfield” rifle musket.


The gun fired a cylindrical bullet called a “Minnie ball,” named after the French army captain who invented it, Captain Minie. The rifle used a paper cartridge filled with gunpowder and one Minnie ball per shot. A normal soldier would carry about 40 paper cartridges and 40 Minnie balls at a time in a container called a cartridge box. The cartridge box was made of black bridal leather and fitted with tin inserts to protect the paper cartridges from getting crushed or getting wet. If a soldier ran out of ammo during a battle, most of the time he was in big trouble. If he got lucky he would make it alive to an unfortunate soldier who got himself shot and take his ammunition; then he would fight like heck to get back to his regiment.

To load and fire the rifle; first, the soldier would rip open a fresh paper cartridge and pour the powder down the barrel. Then the soldier would insert a Minnie into the barrel. He’d then pack it all down with the ramrod. When it was all packed in tight, the soldier would cock the rifle and pull the trigger. BOOM! AAAHHH! “I got him!”

The Minnie ball fired from this rifle could kill when shot from half a mile away. The shot could be aimed and also be accurately shot at 250 yards. This made defending someplace a whole lot easier. In fact it made defending 5 times safer than assault.

There was also another reason that made these rifles special. They were multi-functional. They had another weapon along with the gun. For close combat, the rifles each had a bayonet attached on the end of the barrel. They were triangular and the standard lengths of the bayonets were about 18 inches. The bayonets themselves could even be used for something else…roasting marshmallows and other food over the fires. I like that feature. I’m sure Isaac Morrison might have liked that too at some point during the war.

The maintenance required for the Springfield US rifle musket model 1861 was, and still is, pretty intense. The gun requires a wet cleaning and a dry cleaning. The dry cleanings don’t need the gun to be taken apart and would have been done once or twice a day. This was the method that I believe was used by the soldiers because they needed other provisions to perform the wet cleaning like hot water and numerous tools that would not be available to them on the battlefield. Wet cleanings involve taking the gun apart and were probably performed around once a week in a period of rest.

To perform a dry cleaning procedure, the soldiers would need their musket, and a black bristle. First the soldier would attach the bristle to their ramrod. Then they would scrape the inside of the barrel of the gun to remove the excess powder. The gun would be tipped upside down and shaken up and down until there was no powder left in the gun. Next the soldier would pull back the hammer into “safety” and clean out the nipple using the “nipple pick.” Then the soldier would load the gun and fire to make sure it still worked; if it did, he had cleaned it well.

I believe that Mr. Isaac Morrison of the 11th NH Volunteer regiment would have used the Springfield US rifle musket model 1861 because it was standard government issue during the time period he was in the war and it was a reliable, durable gun. I think he must have liked it very much and I also think it served him well during his years in the Union Army during the United States Civil War.

[Teacher's note - As a Union officer, Isaac Morrison probably would have been armed with a revolver and a sword, not a rifle, but the Springfield is probably the gun carried by the soldiers under his command.]

Bibliography:

• Billy Yank- coloring book
• Compton Encyclopedia
• http://www.world.std.com/~ata/stsupp.htm
• Civil War Encyclopedia
• The Civil War in Pictures
• www.mcrgo.org/reference_lib_springfld_armory.htm

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Letters From Fredericksburg
Fiction by Josh L.

September 20, 1862 Dear Mother, The battle of Antietam is over; the Rebels have crossed the Potomac River into Virginia. With this glorious news President Lincoln has issued the Emancipation Proclamation. The life here is dull. We wait for more supplies to come, when we could be chasing the Rebels deeper into their land. We have spent the days after the battle caring for the wounded and burying the dead. The mass carnage of this place is unbearable. I fear that I will never get the smell of rotting flesh to escape my nose until we get the order to march. Aside from the nauseous smell there is nothing else happening. Give my love to father. Love, Isaac Morrison	October 28, 1862 Dear Father, We have just crossed the Potomac River into Rebel territory. We all have a joined feeling of satisfaction with making a deeper probe into the south, but we also feel a burden with going out of the United States. We all are vigilant in looking for a Rebel ambush, but we are towards the middle of the group, so the chances are less of an ambush. Give Mother my love. Sincerely, Isaac Morrison
November 15,1862 Dear Mother, Much has happened since last I wrote to you. The army of the Potomac has changed. Now, General Burnside commands the army. No more than two days after he was appointed, General Burnside put out plans to shift the army south to Falmouth directly. We are marching right now, almost directly south to Falmouth where we will wait to be resupplied, then continue the campaign southward striking deeper. We all are confident in our abilities and are ready to fight the rebels again. Give Father my love. Sincerely, Isaac Morrison	December 10, 1862 Dear Mother, A snowstorm on the fifth of this month has hit the Virginia area and has delayed all military operations for a week. The roads are either covered with snow, so the wagons cannot travel down them or they are muddy so that our wagons sink into them. I have not had the time during the day and have been too tired at night to write to you. The very front of the Army of the Potomac is beginning to arrive at the Rappahannock River right across from Fredericksburg, where supposedly there are some of General Jackson's Rebel Corps. I fear that a battle is drawing nigh, Give Father my love. Sincerely, Isaac Morrison
December 11, 1862 Dear Diary, I have not the heart to write to home, for I am weak with lament, for the battle over Fredericksburg has begun. The New Hampshire Eleventh has arrived to the river across from Fredericksburg. The Rebels have taken a position above the town on Marye's Hill and on Prospect Hill. Intelligence says that the Rebels have about 80,000 people at Fredericksburg, compared to our army of about 111,000. Today we established a beachhead against the rebels, and then we took the town of Fredericksburg itself later. We are camping across the river tonight, near some locomotive tracks. This night as I was getting ready for sleep, through the smoke of the union bombardment, I saw a silhouette on the hill in the background, then I started to think; I will be firing at this man later, and he at me. We are both human beings, what merits our hatred to each other. The location of our residence on a map? Why is it that we treat each other as different species; why can't one just respect human life and the values in it? That is what this war will decide, whether America will stand strong, or if it will bow to social tradition. -Isaac Morrison	December 12, 1862 Dear Diary, Today there is nothing to do today. The New Hampshire Eleventh has crossed the river into Fredericksburg. The town is in shambles partly due to Union bombardment and from the ransacking of both armies. The stores are looted, and some men had actually found some dough and were selling donuts. There is a big stockpile of troops in the town, and from what I gathered it looks as if there are going to be three 'fronts', the right to be commanded by General Sumner, with the 9th and 2nd army corps, including us. General Hooker will command the centre, with the 5th and 3rd army corps. Finally the left looks like General Franklin will command it with the 1st and 6th corps. That is all that is happening today. -Isaac Morrison
December 13, 1862 Dear Diary, Today we moved to the centre of the town then went into formation at about eleven-thirty. Then we were in the spearhead of an assault on Marye's Hill, as we went up the hill towards the breastwork, searching for cover from the endless shower of bullets. I was wounded three separate times in the battle, once in the collar bone, then through my upper arm, the third time was just, a grazing, the bullet went in then out. After tremendous bloodshed Rebel forces, repelled us back to the city. As endless chatter of bullets came from in front and behind, one of the men in our unit put the words of this event together in a poem. The breastwork erupts again, Spilling its poisonous breath, One more comrade falls, Into Eternal Sleep, Another to the count, "But not one of all the sleepers, On that field of death awoke ," This battle for a hill, For some soil, a stone wall, All a futile attempt, To obtain a victory, The dead did not die in vain, And the living must not forget, The ultimate sacrifice they gave; Their lives.* -Isaac Morrison *History of the 11th New Hampshire Volunteers Pg. 57	December 14, 1862 Dear Diary, Today there were no more advances after the big advances made two days ago. There has been no more soil being won, but instead we are being slowly repelled more and more back into the city from our picket line. I fear that we have lost the battle All has been lost, I must write back home now, for they must be fretting having heard that there has been a battle. But I will save that for the morrow. -Isaac Morrison

December 15, 1862 Dear Mother, If you have had worries about the battle of Fredericksburg, and with my safety, no need to worry. The Army of the Potomac is in a slow dirge of a retreat. The roads are muddy, with the melting snow, getting the wagons stuck, to sink our hearts even deeper. As for my health I am well having been shot three times, none of them fatal. I also have had an encounter with General Burnside of the Army of the Potomac. I was helping with a cart stuck in the mud, with the driver shouting at the donkey a whole range of curses. Then General Burnside rode up, stopping the driver in mid-sentence. He got off his horse, then helped in the attempt to push the cart out of the mud. After a futile attempt he got back on his horse, then to the driver said: "As soon as I am out of earshot; you let loose on that horse. I am sure it can pull the cart out." Then he rode away. I think that the horse can be like the United States, we are stuck in the mud. I can not see a victory in the future for the union, but this is like the stories a child listens to when he is young when all is against good, you think that all is in despair. But you keep on reading, because you know that somehow it will be better, that good will win. Give my love to Father. Sincerely, - Isaac Morrison

Bibliography:

• Cogswell, Leander History of the 11th New Hampshire Volunteers, Concord, New Hampshire Republican Press Association © 1891
• Timeline for Battle of Fredericksburg, http://www.fredericksburg.com/Civil/War/Battle/timeline.htm, April 7, 2003
• Fredericksburg, http://www.morssweb.com/hookbde/fredburg.shtml, April 7, 2003

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Maps of the Battle of The Wilderness

by Matt C.

“The fiercest, bloodiest battle of the whole war; more men were killed, more wounded, and more taken prisoner than in any other battle.” Colonel Harriman’s Statement , History of the 11th New Hampshire Regiment

Indeed The Battle Of The Wilderness was one of the worst battles that was seen in the Civil War. But there are other very important things that happened at the battle other than lots of blood. For instance this was the first battle in the war that Lieut. Gen. Robert E. Lee and Lieut. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant fought head to head in.

Although the Union had slightly less than twice as much man power than the Confederates, the Confederates did have a few advantages. Like a small battle that was fought a little time before the main battle, in this battle the South dominated over the North and that sent a shock into the Union ranks. Also the Confederates had a better knowledge of the terrain than the Union because the Confederates were in that area before the battle began. This battle had high casualties. It was fought for about 2 days in an area of thick vegetation with fires being ignited from stray gun fire. But since this project is about what Isaac Morrison himself did I will get to that. Isaac didn’t arrive at the battle itself until almost a half of a day after the fighting had began. His Corps was sent in under the command of Maj. Gen. Burnside. They were told to head South-East down the Germanna Plank Road towards “Wilderness Tavern.” In charge of Isaac himself was Col. Harriman, who had many good things to say about the regiment’s fighting during the battle.

Once Burnside and the men arrived at the “Wilderness Tavern,” They all took a quick, quick break then went South-West towards the fighting with another division, Stevenson’s division. Even though no soldiers other than their own unit could be seen the men could now hear and smell signs of war. They were aiming to end up right in between Warren’s men and Hancock’s. They would hopefully arrive before The Confederate Maj. Gen. Longstreet got to the battle with his Corps and reinforcements.

Now Burnside’s men were just starting to get into the fighting. They got a big shock when they got to the fighting and found out how bad it was. Unluckily Longstreet did get to the battle before Burnside giving the Confederates back-up. Burnside’s men were to be situated below Warren’s Corps and above Hancock’s men. They would be head to head with both A.P. Hill’s men and Longstreet’s.

Now by the night of May 6th, Burnside’s men were in position and fighting, right up against A.P. Hill and Longstreet. You could barely see the Confederates because of all of the vegetation and the smoke from fire. Sometimes you wouldn’t even be able to see any Union soldiers. Eventually the 11th charged enemy lines causing much chaos for the South. “At about 1 o’clock p.m. our brigade charged the enemy’s lines. The Eleventh Regiment moved gallantly, and fought with determined spirit and bravery. No troops ever made an assault in finer style.” Colonel Harriman’s Statement, History of the New Hampshire Regiment.

In the end there was no clear victory, but I’m sure if we were there we would have been proud of Isaac Morrison.




Bibliography :

• Gordon C. Rhea, The Battle of the Wilderness, 1994, Baton Rouge, LA, Louisiana State University Press
• Jim Schmidt and Curtis Fears, Battle of the Wilderness Map Room, http://Home.att.net/~hallowed-ground/wilderness_maps.htm , accessed Saturday, March 29, 2003
• Leander W. Cogswell, History of the Eleventh New Hampshire Volunteers, 1891 (reprinted in 1998)
  Salem, MA, Higginson Book Company
  

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Isaac Henry Morrison's Injuries

by Kelli B.

Isaac Henry Morrison enlisted into the army August 28, 1862. He enlisted at Concord for a term of service of three years. He was a lieutenant of the Eleventh Regiment of New Hampshire Volunteer Infantry, Company B. Little did he know that he would soon endure some of the most unclean and dangerous conditions of his life.

A soldier’s chance of surviving in the war was about one in four. The conditions of the army hospitals alone were enough to cause serious illness or even death. They had barely any antibiotics and nothing was sterile. A few things that they did have were chloroform, opium and morphine. These were very helpful for surgery and easing the pain of wounded and dying soldiers. They had a very primitive way of treating and cleansing wounds. The doctors and surgeons were all volunteers who received little to none of the medical training that the conditions of the strenuous work ahead of them required. They had no information at that time about blood types so there were many risks that came along with handling blood and medical tools that came in contact with it.

Doctors also knew very little about some of the injuries that the soldiers often received in battle, like the newly developed “minie” balls. However, the hospitals gained knowledge about the injuries and improved the conditions of their hospitals every year of the war.

They had to develop ways to transport the wounded soldiers from the battlefield to the hospitals safely. They usually set up temporary tents so that they could treat the soldiers right on the battlefield. They had so many wounded soldiers; they had to categorize them in order to save as many of them that could be saved. The three groups were walking wounded; the wounded requiring immediate care; and the wounded beyond help. The walking wounded soldiers received opium for their pain and had their wounds cleaned and dressed. The wounded requiring immediate care usually had amputations or bullet extractions. Soldiers who were wounded beyond help were given opium and morphine to kill their pain before they died. Isaac would have been classified as requiring immediate care. He had bullet extractions and most likely received opium.

• Click here to see digrams of Morrison's injuries by Army doctors who examined him.
  

The field hospitals were not permanent, but it is where the soldiers were evaluated and treated before they were shipped out to the large division of general hospitals. Field hospitals were usually located in tents, houses, barns or some other location shielded from the war with easy access to a water source. Getting the soldiers from the battlefield to the field hospitals was tricky. They had to be carried out on stretchers, two wheeled ambulances, or by another soldier who would carry them on their backs.

Isaac Morrison’s injuries were not fatal, but compared to the other, more fatal, injuries caused by other types of weaponry; he got off easily with the injuries that he received. Even though no one ever really comes off lucky with any war wounds. He was shot twice during his time in the war. Both times he was shot, it was with a shotgun, a double barrel shotgun. Most families in the south owned these types of guns and they usually brought them to war with them if they enlisted. The guns were very common among the Confederate army soldiers, especially horsemen. Once the war started, they were shortened for easier, more convenient use on horseback. At the Battle of Fredericksburg, he was wounded to the left shoulder. It was only a flesh wound and he was just slightly wounded. Luckily for him, the bullet didn’t even graze a bone either time he was shot, which made recovery easy.

The process of treating certain shoulder wounds was called “excision”, “exsection”, or “resection”. The surgeons would remove the fractured bone and leave the limb to heal. They would clear the wound of bone fragments, clothing or other debris, then wrapping it in bandages. Anesthetic was usually applied. Removing a bone would usually limit the use of that arm, but it would still allow almost complete use of the hand. In Isaac’s case of it just being a flesh wound, they would only give little treatment, usually just removing the bullet and wrapping the flesh in a bandage, leaving it to heal its self. Although they had anesthetic, they had no antibacterial of any sort. Therefore, the instruments used would be unsterilized and all the surgeons would have dirty hands bloody from the last patients. They even had to resort to using dirty bandages at times. This almost always resulted in infection. Among all the inflicted infections, the most common was gangrene.

He was soon back on the battlefield fighting the Confederacy army, up until he was again wounded at the Battle of Bethudsa Church. He was wounded for the second time on June 3, 1864. This injury was also caused by enemy fire, and with a shotgun. The wound was to the right arm, again just grazing the bone. He took a leave of absence for this injury. He was discharged soon after he took his leave; the date was September 3, 1864.

The doctors deemed him one-eighth disabled, but he claimed that his injuries limited his ability to perform any type of manual labor. He filed for pension for his wounds, several times; receiving denial for his claims the majority of the time he filed. For the times that his file for pension was granted, he was unhappy with the amount of money that he received. Then he filed for an increase of pension that was granted only once. He claimed that “the rate of his pension was unjustly and unreasonably low, and dissapropriate to the rate drawn by other pensioners for similar or equivalent injuries.” He received $4.25 as of September 1864; $9.00 as of March 1892; and $9.00 as of October 1901.

Bibliography:

• “Drug conditions during the war between the states”, http://www.civilwarhome.com/drugsshsp.htm cited 4/15/03
• “Caring for the men, the history of civil war medicine”, http://www.civilwarhome.com/medicinehistory.htm cited 4/7/03
• “Civil war nurses, the angels of the battle field”, http://www.civilwarhome.com/civilwarnurses.htm cited 4/7/03
• Compton’s Encyclopedia #5, page 474, ©2001, “From Antietam to Gettysburg”
• “Kolbe civil war surgical amputation set”, http://www.medicalantiques.com/medical/Kolbe_amputation_set.htm cited 4/21/03
• http://www.civilwarhome.com/civilwarinfo.htm
• http://64.106.143.169/exhibits/nationswounds/evacuation.html 4/21/03
• Isaac Morrison's pension file, National Archives, Washington, DC
  

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