Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Bury the Hatchet

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Bury the Hatchet

Make Peace

OK, so this one should be no great mystery. For years before the Europeans came to the New World native tribes would conclude their peace treaties with the practice of burying axes or other weapons to signify a truce. Though most likely they would have used the term tomahawk. As the men from the Old World came they observed the tradition and coined the phrase.

In an interesting side note. The tribal gatherings the led to the “burying of the hatchet” were called pow-wows by the Europeans. This phrase stemmed from the word po’wah. That term actually was the title given to the medicine man that was in charge of the peach talks, not the talks themselves.

Civil War

Surgeons of the Civil War

Civil War Surgeon Kit

Surgeon of the Civil War

The topic of Civil War medicine is one that there have been many, many books and museums dedicated to. This is just a brief  look into the kit of a typical surgeon of the time.

The first thing you notice above and a preponderance of saws alongside the knives.  While a grisly thing, such tools became a necessity . Without a doubt the number one most practiced procedure during the war was amputation. The Minie ball that was in use by both sides during the war was slow-moving and soft lead. When it impacted with the body it caused terrible wounds. If it connected with a bone it would often shatter it spread a grisly form of shrapnel inside the body.

During the fighting arms and legs took the majority of the hits. Most of the time due to the limited knowledge of the day amputation was the only way to save the soldier’s life. While a good surgeon could perform an amputation in ten minutes, bad ones would take much longer.

More Tools of the Surgeon

Among the knives and saws there are a number of probes and forceps. The surgeon used these to pull bullets out of the bodies when time permitted.  In the back of the kit you will see a bottle of chloroform, the  closest thing to a general anesthetic at the time.

Now that we have taken a look at the tools, in another post we will look at what it took to become an army surgeon. That will be almost more shocking than looking in your doctors kit and finding a half-dozen different saws…

Mexican-American War

The Tulacingo Cuirassiers, Mexican Heavy Horse

The Tulacingo Cuirassiers, Mexican Heavy Horse

The Tulacingo Cuirassiers

 

During the Mexican-American War (1846 to 1848) the US forces matched up against a Mexican Army that was on one hand, well-trained professional soldiers and untrained peasants on the other. While outnumbered in almost every battle the US forces were able to dominate almost every battlefield and successfully win their first war on foreign soil.  Winning this war gave the United States most of the Southwest portion of the country.

One of the most colorful units of the Mexican Army was the Tulancing Cuirassiers. They were a heavy cavalry unit that saw action in many battles of the war. The chest piece (or cuirass) and helmet above belonged to one of the soldiers from that unit. In effect these men were tanks. Large, heavily armored and used for smashing into the lines of enemy infantry. Normally they would carry a long sword and two pistols.

Spectacular

The Tulancing Cuirassiers uniform was reportedly something spectacular. The officers (which the piece above probably belonged to) wore a sky-blue coat with crimson cuffs an collars. Their pantaloons were crimson, and most likely had a sky-blue stripe. The helmet made of solid brass with a long black horsetail plume attached. Around the base of the helmet was a band of jaguar skin. They were patterned on the classic French Cuirassier units from the Napoleonic Wars, with a bit of hometown flair.

Snappy Dressers

The piece above is missing some parts and it’s a little hard to imagine what it looked like back in the day. The picture under the display gives you an idea of what the full piece looked like. The gentleman in the middle shows the entire uniform in all its glory. All in all, while not much actual protection on the battlefield, but they certainly made for some snappy dressers.

 

 

 

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Cold Feet

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Cold Feet

Apprehension or Fear 

Also known as Immersion Syndrome or trench foot it was common among World War I troops. They would often spend long periods standing around in the trenches filled with cold and muddy water.

It was very painful, but also guaranteed a trip to hospital. Those who didn’t want to be shot at would endure the pain until just before a major offensive, reporting to the hospital at the last minute.

The first documentation of the condition can be traced back to the Napoleonic Wars.

Civil War, Uncategorized

You Don’t Know Jacks

Navy Flags or Jacks

You Don’t Know Jacks

Yes, I know the picture is not in that great a focus. I had to be sneaky at this place OK?

What I think makes it interesting is that it breaks down all the different flags you would see on a warship and what they mean. I’ll provide the definitions, the picture can give you an idea of what the flags look like. While this is showing US and Confederate examples, these should be pretty universal for the time.

The definition for the terms we are going to define will be based on what is provided at Sea Talk Nautical Dictionary. The are a free site that takes donations (what a great idea!) so feel free to visit and toss them a few bucks.

Ensign

In flag terms, the ships ensign is the flag of the nation that the ship is sailing under. Sometimes it is the same as the normal flag, but with nautical symbols (like anchors) or a slightly different design. Sometimes it is just a bigger version of the normal flag. It will be the biggest flag on a ship. From far away you will know who you are dealing with.

Jacks

The smaller flags, or jacks, usually flown on the front (bow) of a ship. Again, this is a national flag and where you will see some of the cooler designs.

Commission Pennant

This long streamer designates the ship as being “commissioned”, or on active duty. It is flies at all times. With the advent of professional navies, these pennants distinguish military ships from merchant ships. They remain a source of great pride among the navies of the world.

Officers Flag

Naval officers over the rank of Captain get to fly special flags that denote their rank. If you saw a ship flying one of these you would know immediately who was in charge. Interesting enough, if you ever have heard the term “Flag Officer” this is where it comes from.

The purpose of all of these flags was to provide as much information as possible. In a time  of limited communication these visual cues were important That is of course assuming the ship is playing by the rules.

 

Civil War

Loyalty Oath

A copy of the loyalty oath former Confederates were forced to sign.

Loyalty Oath

In April 1865 the Civil War ended and the time had come to try to rebuild the nation. For the victors in the North the times ahead would be difficult. In the South the struggles were to continue for many years. Reconstruction in many ways prolonged the conflict into the 1870’s.  The story Reconstruction is long and difficult. Winners sought to punish and losers sought to protect some semblance of the life they had before. None can argue that what happened during that time would have been very different if President Lincoln had lived to see it through.

President Lincoln, in December 1863 set out the terms by which he expected the post war period to be. In his Proclamation of Amnesty and Reconstruction he laid out the future as he saw it, so sure was he at this pint of a victory, he began to plan the peace. Pictured above is a loyalty oath that each former Confederate soldier had to sign. They then had to to carry with them as proof that they were done fighting.  See, under Lincolns plan, the men who fought were pardoned of treason and could be considered citizens again. To Lincoln the only way forward would be forgiveness.

The Oath

Below is the text of the Loyalty Oath from his original proclamation:

“I,                  , do solemnly swear, in presence of Almighty God, that I will henceforth faithfully support, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Union of the States thereunder; and that I will, in like manner, abide by and faithfully support all acts of congress passed during the existing rebellion with reference to slaves, so long and so far as not repealed, modified, or held void by congress, or by decision of the supreme court; and that I will, in like manner, abide by and faithfully support all proclamations of the President made during the existing rebellion having reference to slaves, so long and so far as not modified or declared void by decision of the supreme court. So help me God.”

 

 

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Rank and File

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Rank and File

Unexceptional members of an organization, usually numerous

Back in the day… when soldiers got into formation they usually stood in ranks (meaning side by side) and in file (one behind the other). This mass of men generally was formed by the basic soldier, whom there were usually many. In the mid-19th century the phrase left the military and was sued to denote common people or employees in general.

Spanish American War

The Spanish-American War Aftermath

Spanish American War Victory Medal

The Spanish-American War Aftermath

Yes, once again the Spanish-American War is a topic for this site. One of the reasons we touch upon it so much is that it falls in that odd period of American history after the Civil War and before WWI that a lot of people seem to think nothing happened during. The causes of the war are denoted elsewhere, the big names are listed elsewhere, this is a conflict that has a deep bench of personalities that bring their own stories.

Treaty of Paris

On December 10, 1898 the Treaty of Paris (yes there were a lot of treaties with that name) was signed between the US and Spain. In the treaty Spain renounced all claims to Cuba and outright ceded to the US Guam and Puerto Rico and for the tidy sum of $20 million ownership of the Philippines was transferred.  In effect the war ended the Spanish empire and gave birth to an American Empire that brought the US to the center of the world stage.

To this day Guam and Puerto Rico are still US territories with the issue of statehood for Puerto Rico under constant consideration. Guam is an important US military base that proves incredibly valuable today.

The last two on that list, well it gets complicated.

Complications

Cuba was granted full independence in 1902 and for the first time stood on its own. Mostly, the US still reserved the right to basically interfere and help guide the Cuban people as it saw fit. The island  was always ripe for revolution. For its part the US stepped in many times to ensure its interests during periods of unrest.  Revolutions in the 50’s and 60’s saw the communists brought to power and the USSR favored over the US. The US reacted a little childishly with a boycott that lasted until just recently. Stay tuned, this is a continuing story…

The Philippines did not go as well. The US fought an ongoing war to “subdue” the islands until interrupted by the Japanese and WWII. Yep close to thirty years fighting the Philippine Insurrection and that was only put on hold for a bigger war. After WWII, on July 4th 1946 the US finally recognized the Philippines as a sovereign state. The two countries have been close since with a number of treaties binding them together.  Glad to see there were no hard feelings.

 

WWII

The Prison Door

A Prison Door From Nuremberg

The Blame

The cause for a war is something that usually can not be attributed to one man. When it comes to WWII it would be easy to say that Adolf Hitler took civilization to the brink of destruction. It was his voice that rose above the crowd and took him to power. His desire to punish the enemies of his country. His personality that convinced millions to follow him on the path to war. It was he who decided that anyone that was not part of the “Aryan” race were to be considered subhuman and disposable.

One man alone however can not shoulder the entire blame. While many Germans followed because they didn’t have much choice, many more followed because they agreed with the vision of what Germany should be according to Hitler. When the war ended Hitler was not there to take responsibility for his actions, but many of those who served him were.

The Trial

After the war many of these men, civilian and military, were taken into Allied custody. They would stand trial, though many probably did not deserve it. The German town of Nuremburg would become the place for these trials and there the story of the war gained a new dimension. Some simply said they were following orders and were not responsible for the atrocities. Some argued that they were right for what they did. In total 185 Germans stood trial for their actions during the war. Twelve were sentenced to death. Eight life sentences and seventy-seven prison lengths of various terms.

The Prison Door

While they awaited trial the men remained in the jail located at the Palace of Justice. The door in the photo above is from that prison. The men spent their days in a small cell, fed through a slot in the door and taken back and forth to the proceedings under armed guard. While in their cells each door had a soldier assigned to it. Their job was not to prevent escape, but not in they way you may think.

Rather than being worried that the prisoners would break out and make a run for it, they feared that if left alone the prisoners would take their own life. Like Hitler did. Doing this would mean they would avoid responsibility for the crimes they committed. Even so, six men escaped justice via suicide, including Hermann Göring. The prison door above is a reminder that while one man can not start a war. It stands also as a reminder that sometimes there is justice.

Word and Phrases

Wednesday Words & Phrases: Diehard

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Honestly I could think of no better picture for this word.

Die Hard

Unwilling to change or adapt

During the 1811 Battle of Alburea in Spain the British 57th Foot were engaged against the French and under heavy fire. Colonel Sir William Inglis knew that his men were going to be overwhelmed. As the battle raged in addressed them saying, “Stand your ground and die hard; die hard and make the enemy pay dear for each one of us.” When the battle ended Inglis had lost 438 of his 579 men.

After the battle the regiment became known as “The Diehards”. Before long the name began being used in common parlance to denote one that would not give up, even in face of long odds. And yes, it would become the name of one of the greatest movie franchises of our time. (Yeas? What? Oh, oh yeah.) How about one of  the best movies, and bunch of middle of the road sequels?

People, Places and Things from US Military History

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