Reenacting the 144th Ohio

Reenacting the 144th Ohio Volunteer Infantry

This page is designed to give you some insight into what the common soldier in the 144th Ohio wore during the summer of 1864.

Uniform- An enlisted man in the 144th Ohio wore standard 5-button Ohio issue wool Sack Coats (lined or unlined) along with sky blue kersey trousers. The coats featured the standard Federal eagle buttons with a small collar. Officers generally wore a slightly more elaborate lined frock coat. The wool uniform, while serviceable, was hot (you wouldn't believe how many times we reenactors hear "You must be hot in that thing!") and after accumulating a week or two worth of sweat, dust, and stench, was an ideal breeding ground for graybacks. Usually the only way to cleanse one's coat of the infestation was to boil it in a kettle. A common pasttime for the men was to spend a pleasant afternoon picking and crushing graybacks from one's coat and shirt.

The 144th Ohio as an eastern theatre unit adopted the regulation floppy blue forage cap as its hat of choice. Kepis were not uncommon, especially among the officers and presented a more military appearance. As the name suggests, the forage cap was used not only as a hat but also as a "bag" to put vegetables, eggs, etc. in while foraging during a campaign. Some of the men undoubtedly wore slouch hats of some sort but I have yet to see a picture of a 144th Ohio solider wearing one. This doesn't mean it didn't happen, it just means it wasn't captured on film.

Accoutrements- Under the category of accoutrements we include what is also commonly referred to as "leathers": the belt, cartridge box, cap pouch, and bayonet frog. Evidence suggest that the soldiers of the 144th Ohio wore either standard U.S. belt buckles or O.V.I. state buckles, more than likely the former. The National Guard units were equipped at Federal expense when they took the field in 1864 and it is logical to assume that they would received Federal issue buckles, but there are always exceptions.

The belt itself was nothing much to speak of: its a long black leather belt. Rather wide. A leather cartridge box was slung over the left shoulder (hanging on the right side of the body) and carried 40 rounds of ammunition in two small tins inside. The tins were open on the side away from the soldier's body. In the events of the cartridges exploding while still in the box, most of the blast would be direct away from the soldier, or so the theory goes. Its possible that an explosion would just as soon throw jagged shards of tin into the solider's body, but I digress. I am not box expert, and there were hundreds of types made during the war. The Wyandot County Historical Museum in Upper Sandusky was a typical Federal issue cartridge box with an elborate leather "NG" sewn onto the front in place of the cartridge box plate. The 144th Ohio may have worn this variation.

Once again, the 144th Ohio was issued the standard Federal issue cap pouch when it received its Enfield Rifles at Columbus. The pouch was leather and the inside contained a strip of lamb's wool which helped keep the caps from coming out of the pouch, both when you wanted them out or when you didn't want them out! Along with the Enfield, the common soldier received a steel bayonet which was carried in a leather frog which hung from the waist belt on the soldier's left side. The bayonet itself was rarely used for its intended purpose but made a great candle holder, meat cooker (when held over a fire), or a tent stake. They were also necessary for stacking arms.

Equipment- The common soldier was weighted down with the following articles: a rubber gum blanket/poncho, a wool Federal issue blanket, a shelter half, a Federal issue tarred haversack (for carrying food), a tarred knapsack (for carrying personal items, blanket, shelter, etc.), a canteen, tin plate, fork, and knife. All told (when the cartridge box, canteen, and haversack were full) nearly 50 pounds of equipment were carried as per regulations. However, a soldier quickly learned to do without the knapsack, one of the blankets, the shelter half, and plate. A mark of a veteran was his disheveled and sparse appearance. Usually after several days of active campaigning (The Hot March campaign for the 144th in July 1864 comes to mind), the men carried only the absolute minimum of equipment which included the rifle, cartridge box, cap pouch, canteen, and haversack. Everything else usually ended up abandoned along the road somewhere. After marching several miles with these items on a few occasions, I can easily understand the necessity for lightening the load.

Weapons- An enlisted man of the 144th Ohio invariably carried the .577 Enfield Rifle Musket, which was regarded as one of the finest arms produced during the war. A muzzle loader, a well-trained infantryman could fire about three shots in a minute. Accurate at up to 400 yards and durable, the Enfield was easier to clean than the Springfield.

Non-commissioned officers (Corporals, Sergeants) were sometimes issued swords but these were rarely used in combat. Commissioned officers were also issued swords and most armed themselves with various revolvers, the most popular being the 1860 Colt Single-Action Army. Many soldiers went off to war carrying a pistol, but these were soon discarded was being dead weight and of not much use in a fight. Most combat during the Civil War took place at ranges beyond that which a pistol was effective (Hollywood movies excepted). Close and hand-to-hand combat did occur, but it was rare. Most of the men carried knives as well, but not the huge D-handle knives.

This is my favorite picture of a soldier from the 144th Ohio, but I don't know his name. If you notice, his uniform has all the elements mentioned above: sack coat, forage cap, wide belt, etc. This tintype was likely taken in the field, perhaps at Relay House, Maryland, based on the crude background. The tintype also had a drop of gold paint above the belt buckle for colorization. Photo courtesy of the Wyandot County Historical Museum.

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