14mo LOUISIANA compagnia G

The 14th Louisiana regiment, Nicholls brigade, Johnson division,2° Army Corps had a distinguished record during the great Pennsylvania campaign of 1863.

General Ewell, the new corps commander after the death of general Jackson, was charged to attack the Federal stronghold of Winchester, gateway to the Shenandoah Valley.

On June 15,at 8 a.m. the brigade had order to advance on the Martinsburg Pike,3 miles away from Winchester and join Steuart brigade.

The Federals sighted the Rebs coming on the Potomac Railroad bridge and immediately opened up a murderous fire. Colonel Williams, brigade commander replacing Nicholls, wounded at Chancellorsville, ordered his men to form a battle line across Martinsburg Pike and he directed also Lt.Col. Zable,14th Louisiana , to the Charlestown Road. Zable was a warhorse, in charge of his unit since Antietam and so were his men among the first to join the ranks for the cause of the Bayou State.

While the regiment was witholding the enemy onslaught, the 2nd and 10th Louisiana assaulted the yankees flank ,taking 1000 prisoners and the colors of 67° Pennsylvania. Winchester was taken and so the Rebs tide flooded the enemy territory. Pennsylvania campaign was a Godsend to the brave but hungry Louisianians ,who in 15 days march put their hands on the most delicious food on earth. At dawn of July 1 news came that A.P. Hill spearhead was engaged in a hard contest with yankee cavalry in the outskirts of a hamlet called Gettysburg. Williams hurried his men and at 7 a.m. they were on the Cashtown road bound for Gettysburg. Once there ,they took position near the unfinished railroad where just a few hours earlier a bloody encounter took place resulting in the destruction of North Carolina regiments at the hands of the Iron Brigade.

However, The battle of Gettysburg began for the Louisianians only at 7 p.m. July 2nd,when the entire Johnson division was ordered to attack Culp’s Hill and take the enemy from the rear. Williams sided Jones brigade and he immediately came into action facing George Sears Greene New Yorkers. On they came with unyielding courage, but they were repulsed and had to fall back sustaining heavy casualties, especially against the 78 New York infantry.

According to the orders, Jones should guard the flank of Williams while advancing, instead Williams had to fight hard its way not to be outflanked. The coming darkness didn’t set the fighting thouroughly and the Rebels could claim a foothold on Culp’s Hill.

Casualties had been heavy ,the men needed ammo and water, or they would be smashed by a Union counterattack.

And so it was at 4.30 a.m. men of XII Corps, general Alpheus Williams commanding, broke through. The gallant Louisianians fought stubbornly, but they could not stem the Yankee tide. At noon general Johnson was forced to recall his men and the recrossed the Rock Creek, abandoning the ground they gained at such a bloody price. For the 14th Louisiana the battle of Gettysburg was over, at daylight July 4th the received the order to retreat and the long and racking return to Williamsport got under way.

The 14th Louisiana had fought brilliantly, but the battle was lost and with it any real hope to win the war. However the regiment was one of the last Confederate units to surrender at Appomattox.

Prof. Giuseppe Rufino is author of the book “Gettysburg”, in Italian language, about the battle .

During the initials engagements between the Confederate States army and the United States army emerged a problem that had not to be underestimated: the national flags (that were used as battle flags) of both the armies were similar, becoming indistinguishable by the officers on the battleground making high the risk of friend fire and errors, that in war can be paid with high price.

[ from left: first Confederate State national flag; United States national flag ]

A first solution, ordered by the Gen. Joseph Johnston, was that every regiment adopted his own national flag, nevertheless only the Virginian regiments were able to provide of enough national flags and the result however was not satisfactory considering that also these were resembled in the colours to those national of the union.

The deputy William P. Miles suggested then to the Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard to try to adopt a model of flag that had been discarded by the congress as national banner. Between the August and the September 1861 the politician sent a draw to the Gen. Beauregard which decided to try this solution and proposed it to Gen. Johnston, that consented to the realization of the model.

This flag, as it resulted after some changes brought to the original draw, it brought a dark blue cross of St. Andrew hemmed of white and inside 12 stars, everything on scarlet red field, it was made of silk and it measured about 48” for the infantry; smaller were the models of artillery (36") and cavalry (30"). The banner was finally edged by a gilded binge.

The distribution of this type of flag, that had been produced in an absolutely insufficient number in comparison to the regiments of the army, happened between the October and the November 1861. There were some variations (said “second type”) that for instance had a dark or clear pink field rather than red and different edgings.

In spring 1862 the Richmond Clothing Depot, found again to short of silk, having to refold on another material for the production to banish, so was born a model of flag in cotton (cotton issue), similar to the model of silk but slightly smaller (42”) always with twelve stars but the cross of St. Andrew was of a blue faded and the flag didn't have any edging. The distribution of the flags continued but this model had a scarce diffusion.

In May 1862 however the Richmond Depot succeeded to provision of a good quantity of wool bunting, from British manufacture, in the federal naval arsenal of Norfolk. It began so the production of the 1st bunting issue that had the same dimensions of the model in silk, brought 13 stars but was edged with an orange edge.

The first units to receive this model were those of the division of Gen. James Longstreet among which 14th Louisiana Infantry.

In June 1862 the model suffered another change: remaining equal the general dimensions was decreased the thickness of the cross of St. Andrew. The distribution of this 2nd bunting issue continued to the regiments that had not jet received the battle flags and in the same month a special order allowed the units to set on their banish the regimental dates and the names of the battles which had taken part: the battles honours.

Reached the July 1862 a further change was brought with the substitution of the orange edges with a white edging. This model, the 3rd bunting issue, had greater diffusion in the regiments of the army of the North Virginia and was delivered to the remainders units until April of 1864 when, for motives still not known, it was slightly replaced with a model of greater dimensions (51x51). The 4th bunting issue didn't bring battle honours and was mainly employed for replacing the flags lost in battle or no more usable.

Between the September and the October 1864 a further change was brought. The new model produced, the 5th bunting issue, was not squarer but slightly rectangular (49”x51”) and was also it mainly employed as replace for the lost flags; nevertheless the flags of this model produced were very few.

After the defeat of Cedar Creek was necessary to furnish the troops, that had lost theirs, with new flags. Was created therefore the 6th bunting issue; it measured 4 feet and was again square.

At the end, in March 1865, the last model of battle flag was produced, also it destined to replace the lost flags in fight. The 7th bunting issue was substantially equal to the 6th bunting except that for the slightly small measures (48”). Even if this model had been produced just before the fall of Richmond today survive numerous of it.

During the course of the war the Confederacy also modified the national flag, in autumn 1863 were produced a second type of flag. On the left superior angle there was a ANV battle flag style, everything on white field. This model had a modest employment in the army of North Virginia, over that was also used by some regiments as flag and by head quarters.

In 1865 a third national flag was created, very similar to the second it brought a red vertical bar to the leaf. It was mainly employed by the garrisons and were produced few exemplary.

[ from left: second and third national flag of the Confederate States of America ]

14th Louisiana was commanded during the civil war by different skilled officers as the colonel Richard W. Jones and colonel David Zable. One of his commanders succeeded however, departing from the simple degree of captain, to become brigadier-general in the Confederate Army.

Zebulon York was born on October 10th 1819 in Avon, town of the county of Franklin in the state of Maine. He made his first studies at the Wesleyan Seminary of Kent's Hill, in Maine. Graduated then to the Transylvania University of the Kentucky and graduated in law at the university of Louisiana. Finished the studies he established himself in Vidalia, Louisiana, away from his native town in New England. In this city of the deep South, York put on in business as planter and earned notable sums in the cultivation of the cotton. When the civil war broke out he possessed, together with its partner, six plantations where worked around 1.700 slaves. Its ownerships yielded 4.500 cotton lies for year and it seems that he paid the tallest tax on the ownerships of the whole state of Louisiana.

When Louisiana left the union in 1861, Zebulon York was faithful to his adoptive state, becoming subsequently one of the few confederate generals, as John C. Pemberton or Josiah Gorgas, that have put their self to service of Confederate States of America also having northerners origins. With the war to the doors, York decided to organize one company of volunteers furnishing them to own expenses the whole equipment. This company, called Harmony Rifles and of which had been elected captain, became the company F of 14th Louisiana. With this regiment he moved to Virginia and framed in the newborn army of North Virginia, in general James Longstreet's division. In the ranks of 14th Louisiana, York became first major and then lieutenant-colonel on February 19 th 1862.

In spring 1862 began the northerner offensive of the general McClellan, that immediately hocked the confederate forces appropriated in the Peninsula at east of Richmond. Among these forces there was also 14th Louisiana. During the retreat of the army of general Joseph E. Johnston, the confederate rearguard remained involved in a skirmish with the advancing forces of McClellan to Williamsburg, was May 4. Here Zebulon York drove in battle his company also receiving his first wound. The ability and the courage of York during this clash were quoted in general James Longstreet's report.

Following the good military abilities shown during the battles of the Seven Days, York was promoted colonel on August 15th 1862 and place to the command of 14th Louisiana. At the command of the regiment he participated at the battle of Second Manassas, but during the clash it was wounded at neck and risked to be captured by the federals troops. After being recovered, taken back the command of the regiment and take part to the invasion of Maryland fighting at Antietam and in the disastrous Yankee defeat of Fredericksburg.

In the winter and spring1863, Zebulon York was sent in Louisiana by general Richard Taylor, with the task to enlist and train the recruits destined to replace the losses of the regiments of Louisiana of the army of North Virginia. Returned in time to take part to the second invasion of the North in July 1863, fighting with 14th Louisiana at the battle of Gettysburg (the sources are discordant, according to some at Gettysburg was the Lt. Col. Zable and not York to the command of the regiment). York also Participated at the following campaigns of Bristol and Mines Run.

In 1864, always commanding 14th Louisiana, he fought in the battles of Wilderness and Spotsylvania but on May 31 was promoted brigadier-general. All the troops of Louisiana that were found in the army of North Virginia and that had belonged to the brigades of the general Harry T. Hays (seriously wounded) and Leroy A. Stafford (killed in fight)were submitted to his command. The new consolidated brigade of Zebulon York was assigned to the division of general John B. Gordon in the army of the Shenandoah Valley of general Early. From the city of Lynchburg, Early launched his attack defeating the northerners of Hunter and freeing the Shenandoah Valley by the federal strengths. Also during the raid of Early on the city of Washington, after having crossed the Potomac, the confederates and the general Zebulon York fought at the battle of Monacy, in Maryland, defeating the troops of the Union of general Lewis Wallace and succeeding in reaching the outskirts of Washington. Returned in the Valley of the Shenandoah, the confederates fought the battle of Opequon (or third battle of Winchester) on September 19 th 1864, during which York was stricken from a grenade. His left arm was so under serious conditions that must be amputates.

After a slow recovery, Zebulon York wasn’t anymore able to take back active service on the field and was sent to recruit the prisoners of war of foreign origin that were found in various fields confederates, new recruits that would have served to fill the voids in the lines of his ex brigade. With the fall in Richmond in 1865, was ordered him to protect a bridge on the river Yadkin, in North Carolina, on which raced a road used by the confederate troops in retreat. With no more than 200 men (among which some northerners to the service of the confederates) defended the bridge by the attack of the brigade of cavalry of colonel John K. Miller, detached by the general Stoneman. In this way it allowed besides the escape of the confederate president Jefferson Davis. On May 6 th 1865 surrendered himself to the Union forces in North Carolina.

Ended the war, Zebulon York returned in Louisiana but his ownerships had been destroyed and he found himself in a serious financial crisis. Transferred to Natchez, in Mississippi, where bought and managed a hotel and some boats for the transport of goods and people. In January1900 he got sick and dying on 5 August of the same year.

When arrive on Virginian front 14th Lousiana was sent to defens of Yorktown. Entered so in the army corp of Maj.Gen. J. B. Magruder insert in Brig.Gen. Roger A. Pryor brigade ( 14th Alabama, 2nd Florida, 14th Louisiana, 1st Louisiana Battalion ) of Maj.Gen. James Longstreet division.

During the Second Manassas campaign changed the commands of the Northern Virginia Army and the regiment was set in third division ( Maj.Gen. Richard S. Ewell ) of Maj.Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson army corp, Hays’s brigade, the 1st Louisiana brigade “Louisiana Tigers” ( 5th Louisiana, 6th Louisiana, 7th Louisiana, 8th Louisiana, 14th Louisiana ), commanded at second Bull Run by Colonel Henry Forno, wonded during the fight.During the Maryland ivasion 14th Louisiana was still set in the Hays’s brigade, this time at Antitem was Gen. Harry Hays to command the brigade that had heavy losses.

[from left generals Jackson, Ewell, Hays]

The 14th Louisiana was than tranferred into the 2nd Louisiana Birgade ( 1st Louisiana, 2nd Louisiana, 10th Louisiana, 14th Louisiana, 15th Louisiana, 1st Louisiana Battalion ) of Maj.Gen. William B. Taliaferro (Jackson’s division) division always in “Stonewall” army corp. Was in that brigade that the regiment take part to battle of Fredericksburg where was commanded by colonel Edmund Pendleton; at Chancellorsville the 2nd Louisian Brigade passed under command of Brig.Gen. Francis T. Nicholls that was wonded and remplaced by colonel Jessie M. William, Maj.Gen. Trimble’s division ( commanded in this battle by Brig.Gen. Raleigh E. Colston ).

During the Gettysburg campaign the 2nd Louisiana Brigade was still commanded by colonel Williams because Gen. Nicholls was still bedridden for the wonded that caused him the lost of an arm. However with the death of Gen. “Stonewall” Jackson the Northern Virginia Army was reorganized and the brigade was so insert in the second corp of Lt.Gen. Richard S. Ewell, Maj.Gen. Edward Johnson division.Because Gen. Nicholls did not take again active duty was substituted by Brig.Gen. Leroy A. Stafford that was mortally wonded and substiuted by the colonel of 14th, Zebulon York, durign the Wilderness campaign.

[from left generals Johnson, Stafford, York]

In 1864 the 2nd Lousiana Brigade was insert in the army of Shenandoah of Lt.Gen. Jubal Early, Mj.Gen. John B. Gordon division, and was commanded in a first time by colonel E. Waggaman. During the Cedar Creek battle14th Louisiana and 1st Louisiana were consolidated and when the brigade come back to Petersburg the two brigades of Louisiana were unified and form a single brigade commanded by Brig.Gen. Zebuoln York (1st Louisiana, 2nd Louisiana, 5th Louisiana, 6th Louisiana, 7th Louisiana, 8th Louisiana, 9th Louisiana, 10th Louisiana, 14th Louisiana, 15th Louisiana ) Mj.Gen. Gordon corp, Gordon’s division ( commanded by Brig.Gen. Clement A. Evans ) until the end of the was.

In recent and less reliable books about the uniforms of civil war is easy to encounter descriptions or illustrations of a particular type of cloth, which they say these sources would seem the most popular model of jacket in the Confederate army. This jacket is called military sack coat. It is not a complete invention, in fact, the federal army was equipped with a fatigue coat, which was just a sack coat. This federal sack coat had four buttons and the collar usually folded. The Yankee used this jacket so much during military campaigns. Confederate version would rather any number of buttons, usually from four to nine, the neck is often stiff as for other types of jacket and like the federal is long more or less until the middle of the thigh. This grey jacket, sometimes with blue collar and cuffs, or blacks, would have been more widespread between the Confederate jacket. However, there is no reliable study showing that its used in only a specific period of time. Probably in the early months of 1861 some kind of this jacket was produced and distributed and in fact there is some very rare photos of Southerners volunteers with a sack coat. The evidences however terminate here because, for example in the photos of Confederates prisoners or the dead there is no trace.

This erroneous conclusion about the use of military sack coat might be influenced by several factors. Perhaps, given that the federal army use massively sack coat, some people are inclined to think that the confederates did the same. Or for example, the regulation provided for the Confederate Army "For fatigue purposes, a light grey blouse, double breasted, with two rows of small buttons, seven in each row; small turn-over collar, may be issued to the troops." . So when not active in the campaign the soldiers could be equipped with a double-breasted jacket with two rows of seven buttons that follows the regulation frock coat, only more comfortable, and then to be used in informal occasions. The evidence that this jacket was produced and used are almost nonexistent.

At the beginning of the war, many Southerners volunteer entered in the various companies with no uniform and in several cases some regiments were unable to get any kind of uniform. These soldiers so participated to the first campaigns and skirmishes with their own self made uniform, or their civilian clothes. Many photos show the early war Confederate soldiers dressed in their civilian sack coat, which were however very different from military ones, in the cut and the made. The use of these coats is documented to be in many periods of the conflict, probably starting from 1864 there was an increase in their use and on the western front were probably present in greater numbers. The matter is still controversial and inconclusive for now, many argue that although civilian sack coat used were a minority compared to the shell jacket. However this use of civilian sack coat may have confused the ideas and made think that also the military ones were used.

Talking about military sack coat is also easy to read that were regulations jackets regularly produced by the depot of the government. In support of this view there is no evidence, some say this is probably influenced by some special cases. First, perhaps when the war began in 1861 and was active the Commutation System some depot of the of state (including prisons) and private tailors produced something similar but very limited, even if the main production of these depot focused on first frock coat and then on shell jacket. Another factor of influence, may be most important, is the North Carolina. This state is committed throughout the war to supply directly its own soldiers on various fronts and endowed it with various plants on its territory to produce all kinds of equipment. In particular in 1861 with the creation of the state army (as in every other state government created army that went into the Confederate Provisional), the North Carolina created a coat that he produced for all 1861 and until the first half of 1862. This coat was a grey sack coat with fake shoulders straps of the colour of the corp (black for infantry) used almost exclusively by regiments of North Carolina in the army of Northern Virginia until August of 1862 and perhaps in a few rare exceptions up to ' beginning of 1863. It should be noted however, that the North Carolina ceased production of this jacket and replaced it with a shell jacket similar to Richmond Depot Jacket Type II, which had a more massive diffusion than the sack coat both on the two main fronts in the war. Therefore the plants of the state of North Carolina may have been led to believe that different plants produce this type of jacket in different models.

Another factor of influence is the so-called "Mysterious Confederate Four-Button Jacket". This jacket is very similar to a sack coat, but a historian of the Museum of the Confederation, calls it a "jacket" and not a "sack coat". There are five of these jackets that survived to us and all were made of Jean cloth, have four buttons and a pocket on the left. At least four of these can be traced to the eastern front, even if it does not seem to have been produced by the Richmond Depot, but rather created by other depots and distribute by Richmond depot, or made from several companies to help the fighters. One of these jackets was apparently given to a Confederate soldier in the summer of 1864, an other was bought to escape from a northerner prisoner while he was in Libby Prison in Richmond in late 1863 ( but this story has weaknesses spots ), an other one may be was given to a gunner of the Richmond Howitzers. However, little is known about this jacket, but is currently suggest as used by the end of 1863 to 1865 in Richmond. Probably many, without further studies, have considered this jacket and the fact that maybe were distributed by the Richmond Depot like a sack coat produced by the Confederate government establishments, while in reality there is not so much evidence of its use nor that it was a sack coat because the cut looks more like a shell jacket.

Moreover even some officers, in greater numbers towards the end of the war, use a sort of sack coat, but these were often more similar to civil models but a completely different made and quality since the officers could usually ( and often have to ) to find the best quality fabrics. The fact that the Confederate officers adopted the sack coat is due to the reason that they had to pay for his own uniform and a sack coat or shell jacket were much more economical than a regulation frock coat. So the fact that the officers were using a kind of sack coat may have helped spread the myth of the sack coat. Anyhow even if among the officers, although they were used, these coats had a limited circulation.

The fact that serious studies are missing on Confederate military sack coat debunks the myth that this model of coat was very popular among Southerners. What some modern illustrations of uniforms and books pass off as a cloth used by Southerners is a false historical undocumented. This does not mean that they not exist, there are photos of 1861 of soldiers wearing this model of coat, but probably these sack coat were produced privately by the families of soldiers and sent them in limited numbers during the war. At the beginning of the conflict perhaps they were made in greater numbers, but the real most diffused sack coat between Confederate troops for the duration of the war were the civilians ones. The real problem then moves the debate related to how many civilian sack coat were used in relation to the depot shell jackets, frock coat, early war Commutation jackets and other models produced during the war.