The Louisiana in the Civil War Message Board - Archive

Re: Galvanized Yankees in Civil War

My research sources: (1) Andrew B. Booth, "Records of Louisiana Confederate Soldiers and Louisiana Confederate Commands" [State of Louisiana, New Orleans, 1920]; (2) Samuel P. Bates, "History of Pennsylvania Volunteers" (State of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, 1869-1871)

Private P. W. PAUL, enrolled in Company D, 9th Louisiana Infantry on March 10. 1862 at Bossier, Louisiana. Dr. Bergeron's "Guide" identifies this company as the Bossier Volunteers from Bossier Parish.

The regiment was serving in Virginia and veteran volunteers from the 9th Louisiana who had re-enlisted to serve for three years or the duration of the war were sent home to Louisiana to recruit in early 1862. Based on the records of other recruits for the 9th Louisiana that I have studied, PWP likely reached the regiment in Virginia by the end of April 1862, or in early May, and participated in Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign.

Company muster rolls, according to Booth's archivists, don't indicate whether PWP was present or absent on the musters covering May/June and July/August 1862. But the September/October 1862 company muster roll reported his status as of October 31, 1862 indicating that he "deserted to the abolitionists" without stating a specific date.

Federal records show that PWP was captured at Winchester, Virginia on June 5, 1862 and that he was exchanged at Aiken's Landing on the James River east of Richmond on August 5, 1862. Another Federal record shows that PWP swore to and signed an Oath of Allegiance at Fort Delaware on August 10, 1862. Both can't be - either the exchange record is wrong or the Oath of Allegiance record is wrong.

The Federal and Confederate governments signed an exchange agreement known as the Dix-Hill Cartel on July 22, 1862. This provided that all military prisoners then being held would be exchanged and returned to duty, or released on parole to their own side to await a future exchange. This essentially emptied the prison camps north and south. By the middle of September 1862, all of Fort Delaware's 3,500 POWs on hand at the end of July had been delivered to Confederate exchange agents at Aiken's Landing.

It is entirely possible that P. W. PAUL was allowed by the Federals to remain at Fort Delaware and take the Oath of Allegiance and that his name was inadvertently not struck from the exchange rosters at Aiken's Landing. The October 31, 1862 notation "deserted to the abolitionists" contained in the Company D muster rolls suggests to me that he remained behind at Fort Delaware and was not delivered to the Confederates at Aiken's Landing.

The use of "galvanized Yankees" [Confederates who took the Oath of Allegiance and enrolled in Federal service] began slowly and did not become significant until the summer of 1863. Passage of the Federal draft act in March 1863 had a lot to do with this. Specifically at Fort Delaware, Ahl's Battery, 1st Delaware Heavy Artillery and Battery M, 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery were composed almost entirely of "oath takers" or "galvanized Yankees" but these units were not formed until July 1863. Ahl's battery remained at the Fort for the duration of the war and guarded other prisoners. Battery M was promptly sent to Fort Monroe and many of its members later served in the 188th Pennsylvania Infantry when this unit was formed in April 1864. The 3rd Maryland Cavalry recruited 3 companies of "galvanized" men in August 1863 at Fort Delaware, and a few of the 1863 galvanized at Fort Delaware also went into Connecticut cavalry service and Delaware infantry service.

Several Pennsylvania volunteer artillery batteries were sent to Fort Delaware in 1862 where they were consolidated and brought up to strength before being transferred to other posts. Batteries L and M, 2nd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery and Batteries A and B, 3rd Pennsylvania Heavy Artillery were the final consolidated units. Independent Battery A [Philadelphia] and Independent Battery G [Pittsburgh] arrived at Fort Delaware early in the war and remained at the Fort for the duration of the war. I made a quick pass just now through the rosters of all these units without finding the surname PAUL. But I want to look more carefully and will do so again in the next few days.

Booth's "Records" state that P. W. PAUL was "born ____ North" [don't know what this could have meant], and that he was a shoe maker by occupation, a resident of Fillemon [again I don't know what this could mean], was age 30 when he enlisted at Bossier, Louisiana, and was married. Can you provide any family research information that might tell us more about where his wife might have been living when PWP "volunteered" to serve in the 9th Louisiana?

I would like to do more research in the Fort Delaware records on this man. It is also possible that he did not serve in any Fort Delaware recruited Union army units, but was released into the civilian work force in Delaware or Philadelphia. Our records may not show this, but I need to take a look.

Hugh Simmons
Fort Delaware Society

Messages In This Thread

Galvanized Yankees in Civil War
Re: Galvanized Yankees in Civil War
Re: Galvanized Yankees in Civil War
1862 Oath Taker at Fort Delaware
Re: 1862 Oath Taker at Fort Delaware
Re: 1862 Oath Taker at Fort Delaware
Re: Galvanized Yankees in Civil War