Chronological History of the American Civil War

P a g e | 300

approaching but couldn’t tell if they were friend or foe. Most assumed they were Union reinforcements, but a few feared they were Confederates. As the troops grew closer, one Union soldier called out, “What troops are you?” The collective reply was “Jeff Davis’s troops.” The Ohio soldiers relaxed, believing they meant the Union general. A few moments later, they were staring down the muzzles and bayonets of the 7th Florida. The Ohioans surrendered. The Confederates won the battle. Mourning Rituals during the Civil War A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. Mourning rituals ~ Wartime convention decreed that a woman mourn her child’s death for one year, a brother’s death for six months, and a husband’s death for two and a half years. She progressed through prescribed stages of heavy, full, and half mourning, with gradually loosening requirements of dress and behavior. By contrast, a widower was expected to mourn for only three months, simply by displaying black crepe on his hat or armband. Here are some interesting facts about the dead and mourning: • The deceased was usually dressed and laid out in the home where they lived. Sometimes embalming took place in the home in the days before funeral homes became the norm. • All mirrors in the house had to be covered. Should a mirror fall on its own and break, that meant someone in the family would soon die. • If there was a clock in the room where a person died, it must be stopped or someone in the family would die. • The body had to be carried out of the house feet first or it could “look into” the home, inviting others to follow it in death. • Mourning clothes were among the first made available on a mass market scale. • Flora Stuart, the widow of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, remained in heavy morning for 59 years after the 1864 death of her husband, wearing black until she died in 1923. • The custom of sitting with the dead (commonly called a wake) was likely started to keep rodents away from the body. The body of the deceased must not be left unattended from the time of death until burial.

Stonewall Jackson Tidbits... A few facts you might not know about the Great American Civil War. Throughout his adult life, Thomas

“Stonewall” Jackson (CSA) (pictured) was well known for his eccentricities; he was something of a hypochondriac, and modern physicians and psychologists continue to speculate about possible diagnoses for his symptoms and behaviors. He was plagued by hearing loss following a career in the artillery and believed his arms to be different lengths, leading him to elevate one to equalize his circulation. The Confederate general thought himself “out of balance.” Even under fire, he would raise an arm, so the blood might flow down into his body and re-establish equilibrium. His refused to eat pepper because it seemed to make his left leg weak. He sucked lemons, believing that they helped his “dyspepsia.” His preference was a relatively simple meal that included bread, milk and raspberries. He was most comfortable standing upright so that all his organs were “naturally” aligned. He suffered from poor eyesight, which he

tried to treat by dunking his head into a basin of cold water, eyes open. And yet he once told a captain that he felt “as safe in battle as in bed.” On May 2, 1863, Jackson was accidentally shot by friendly fire from the 18th North Carolina Infantry Regiment. At a nearby field hospital, Jackson’s arm was amputated. The left arm of Stonewall Jackson was given a funeral complete with full military honors. It was buried near Chancellorsville, VA with a marker that reads, “Arm of Stonewall Jackson.” On May 4, Jackson was transported to a second field hospital, in Guinea Station, Virginia. He died there of