Battling the Elements: Weather in the Civil War
As the Civil War raged on, with brother against brother, father against son, and North against South, another war was wreaking havoc on both sides. The outdoor conditions that soldiers were forced to endure throughout the war were brutal and detrimental on a new scale.
As documented in soldiers’ journal entries, letters, and images, being trapped outside in inclement weather was just as damaging as the fighting that continued. Weather forced battle plans to change, tactics to be adjusted, and impeded movements of troops. Because of the lack of accuracy of weather instruments and issues getting information out to the field officers in a quick and timely manner, there were large gaps in the weather predictions and the reality for the soldiers. Winter camps demanded for more concrete living constructions, like log cabins, as well as more trivial duties (picket duty, marching, etc.) rather than full on battles. With the coming of spring, especially April’s fair weather, there was new movement, new campaigns, and a higher morale.
One of the better known weather assaults on a campaign occurred in 1862. Union General George B. McClellan was launching his Peninsula Campaign and was incessantly complaining about the constant rainy weather and the flooding that was continuously occurring. McClellan was attempting to reach Richmond, the Confederate capital, but due to rising river levels, there was constant stalling. Though the engineers of this unit were challenged by the weather, McClellan found that blaming the weather was an easier option than problem solving.
President Lincoln had other idea. He became incredibly frustrated with McClellan and his “impenetrable weather” situation to the point that Lincoln went on to fire McClellan from command by the end of the summer. Lincoln’s frustrations proved valid when, in 1865, William T. Sherman proved that while flooding and river levels were obstacles, they were easy to overcome and work around. His March to the Sea continued and, even though there was massive storming and flooding in South Carolina, Sherman was able to take both Columbia and Charleston.
The main issue with weather during the Civil War was the damage it did to the processes involved in warfare. Besides soldiers being bogged down by wet clothing, soaked socks, and decaying shoes, necessary requirements to fight in a war were inhibited. Gunpowder and paper cartridges became wet and compromised the ability for the weapon to fire accurately. During the Battle of Chantilly in 1862, Stonewall Jackson clashed with Isaac Stevens during a raging thunderstorm. Over 2,000 men fell in ninety minutes (including Union general Philip Kearney, who mistakenly rode behind enemy lines in all the rain-induced confusion). Similar events occurred at the Battle of New Market in 1864, in which the ground became so muddy that the wheat field they were fighting in became dubbed “the field of lost shoes.”
Though storms were certainly an opponent to deal with throughout the war, the heat also proved to be an issue. During the Battle of the Wilderness, the heat caused the forest fires to continue to rage and caused numerous soldiers to collapse on the trek to the Spotsylvania Court House. Heat could also cause tactics to suffer. With the dryness of dirt roads, it became harder for moving armies to cover their tracks. Two days before Stonewall Jackson would flank the confederate forces at the Battle of Chancellorsville in 1863, there were rain storms that prevented dust from being kicked up by the moving army as they marched.
Weather was also one of the most recorded events by soldiers because it was consistently something that impacted their everyday lives. Because most soldiers found themselves transported to new places in the U.S., the changing geography as well as being forced to live outside in flimsy tents was a shock for most soldiers. With the bad weather came the bad morale, as revealed by a large amount of soldiers in their diaries and their letters home. To the soldiers, bad weather also signaled widespread illness (like typhoid, infections, and gangrene) in the camps which led to even lower morale. As written by Solomon Barnes to Elizabeth Barnes: “ March came in like a lam and is gowing out like a lion yesterday was a cold blustery day and today is not enny better it is spitting snow Some at preasant but I look for warm weather as soon.“
The weather proved to be an important player during the events of the Civil War. One of the more comical weather incidents, “The Great Snowball Battle,” shows some of the absurdity that weather forced on the troops. In Dalton, GA, Confederate soldiers in the lower ranks took advantage of their unseasonable snow flurries and started a snowball fight. It eventually went on to include officers and entire regiments. When the “battle” ceased, there were some eye injuries, but Confederate general Joseph Johnston took this “battle” as proof of high morale.
With all the variety of weather situations that soldiers were forced to deal with, weather became a strong player in the war that impacted both sides.
