Copyright © 2006 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.
III. Civil War Era Manufacturing
Industrial Workers:
North: 1,300,000
South: 190,000
Capital Invested in Manufacturing:
North: $892,512,979
South: $113,099,460
Per Cent of National Industrial Investment:
North: 84%
South: 16%
Per Capita Industrial Investment:
North: $43.73
South: $13.25
The state of Massachusetts produced 1 1/2 times more manufactured goods than did the eleven seceding states combined. The city of Lowell, Massachusetts produced more cotton goods than did the eleven seceding states combined. The Northern states combined had ten times the manufacturing capacity of the South.
Of 143 important American inventions patented between 1790-1860, 133 patents were granted to inventors from Northern states, and fully half of those were granted to inventors from New England states.
At the time of Civil War, the United States was already the world front-runner in terms of firearms manufacture. The famous British Enfield rifle was produced using machinery imported from the US. A revolver factory in London used production machinery purchased from Samuel Colt and made in Connecticut.
IV. Civil War Era Land Transportation
Roads
In 1860, there were 88,000 miles of hard-surfaced roads in the United States, most of them in Northern states. Roads that had not been hard-surfaced became muddy quagmires after hard rains, and threw up clouds of people and livestock-choking dust when bone-dry in the summer. Even roads that had been hard-surfaced required regular maintenance, of course, and such efforts during the war were hampered (especially in the South) by lack of skilled labor and materials.
Railroads
Miles of Railroad in 1861:
Union: 21,276
Confederate: 9,000
Miles of Railroad in 1865:
Union: 25,276
Confederacy: 9,400 (an overall increase, although some lines essential to the war effort were unusable due to capture or damage by Union armies)
Only one Civil War era railroad line ran east to west across the South: that line ran from Richmond through Chattanooga to Memphis (and was thus situated too close to the North to be easily defensible).
United States Military Railroads
On January 31, 1862, Congress passed the Railways and Telegraph Act, which allowed the president to bring under military control as necessary men and equipment of railroad and telegraph companies. On February 11, 1862, the War Department created the United States Military Railroads, which (for the most part) ran railroads in hostile or occupied territory. It eventually ran 16 railroads in the Eastern Theater and 19 shorter lines in the Western Theater on 2,105 miles of track. It operated 419 locomotives hauling 6,330 cars over that track.
Railroads in the Southern States
Southern railroads faced numerous problems during the war:
1. Lack of a central planning/administration authority
2. Lack of a uniform track gauge
3. Few railroad lines were connected- wagon transport of goods necessary from one rail line to the next
4. Few facilities in South to manufacture replacement locomotives, cars, and track
5. Union blockade made it extremely difficult to import needed locomotives, cars, and track
6. Labor shortage made it difficult to find skilled workers to make new railroad ties
7. Confederate Conscription Act of 1864 reduced number of railroad employees exempt from the draft
8. Southern railroads often the target of invading armies/cavalry raids
Achievements of the Civil War Railroads
1. During Atlanta Campaign, railroads moved supplies for 100,000 men and 35,000 animals from a supply base 360 miles distant. Moving those supplies by wagon would have required 36,800 wagons drawn by six mules each, each moving 20 miles per day.
2. After William S. Rosecrans's defeat at Chickamauga in September 1863, 20,000 Union troops, their animals and equipment were moved 1,200 miles in eleven days to reinforce Rosecrans's besieged army at Chattanooga.
3. Braxton Bragg in July 1862 managed to move 30,000 men 776 miles from Mississippi to Chattanooga (took a roundabout route to avoid Union troops) in two weeks.
[Sources of statistics and bibliography included in last installment of this article.]
Thomas A. Pearson, Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION IN THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR, PART I
Copyright © 2006 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.
I. Civil War Era Geography & Population
Number of States:
North: 23, plus seven territories and District of Columbia
South: 11
Total Number Persons:
North: 22,339,989
South: 9,101,090
Total Black Persons:
North: 429,401 (slave); 355,310 (free); 784,711 (total)
South: 3,521,110 (slave); 132,760 (free); 3,653,870 (total)
The pool of persons liable for military service in the North was four times greater than the pool of eligibles in the South, even before free blacks are included in the totals. Also, immigration continued in the North during the war (more than 500,000 persons immigrated during 1861-1864), while the Union naval blockade halted most immigration to Southern states throughout the war.
Of the 25 largest cities in the US in 1860, only three were in seceding states: No. 6, New Orleans, LA; No. 22, Charleston, SC; and No. 25, Richmond, VA.
Because of advances in public schooling, only 6% of free adults in the North were illiterate in 1860. In the South public schooling had not yet made wide inroads, and the failure was reflected in Southern literacy rates- nearly 50% of free Southern adults were illiterate in 1860.
II. Civil War Era Agriculture
Cultivated Land:
North: 105,000,000 acres
South: 57,000,000 acres
Cash Value of Farms, Farm Dwellings, Livestock, & Farm Equipment:
North: $5,056,151,204
South: $1,579,349,508
Cash Value of Farm Implements, Machinery, & Livestock:
North: $930,413,926
South: $397,072,820
Amount of Farm Equipment per Agricultural Worker:
North: $66.00
South: $38.00
Percentage of Labor Force Engaged in Agriculture:
North: 40%
South: 84%
Farm production in the North actually increased during the war, in spite of the loss of thousands of farmers to the Union Army. Bumper crops in 1861 and 1862 actually meant that food was exported by the North in large quantities. The number of hogs butchered yearly in Chicago increased from 270,000 in 1861 to 900,000 in 1865. New farm machinery like mowers, horse rakes, separators, sowers, cultivators, and drills allowed farm wives to manage many of the chores that had recently required the physical strength of one or more men to accomplish. The US Department of Agriculture was formed during the war to help farmers produce larger crops with less labor.
Principal southern crops were cotton, tobacco, rice, and sugar. Continuous planting of cotton and tobacco tended to wear out the soil, leading to nitrogen depletion and lower crop yields. Also, the two major crops, cotton and tobacco, were not edible, and the Union blockade hindered Southern efforts to use exports of those crops to secure funds necessary to purchase war materials. The cotton-producing states kept only 5% of their crops for use by Southern mills- 70% was exported, mostly to England, and 25% was sent to mills in the North. Middlemen skimmed part of the profit right off the top, for insurance, warehousing, and shipping. The role of middlemen didn't stop there, of course- cotton goods being returned from English mills were usually sent to Northern ports, then shipped from there by rail to Southern markets.
[Sources of statistics and bibliography included in last installment of this article.]
I. Civil War Era Geography & Population
Number of States:
North: 23, plus seven territories and District of Columbia
South: 11
Total Number Persons:
North: 22,339,989
South: 9,101,090
Total Black Persons:
North: 429,401 (slave); 355,310 (free); 784,711 (total)
South: 3,521,110 (slave); 132,760 (free); 3,653,870 (total)
The pool of persons liable for military service in the North was four times greater than the pool of eligibles in the South, even before free blacks are included in the totals. Also, immigration continued in the North during the war (more than 500,000 persons immigrated during 1861-1864), while the Union naval blockade halted most immigration to Southern states throughout the war.
Of the 25 largest cities in the US in 1860, only three were in seceding states: No. 6, New Orleans, LA; No. 22, Charleston, SC; and No. 25, Richmond, VA.
Because of advances in public schooling, only 6% of free adults in the North were illiterate in 1860. In the South public schooling had not yet made wide inroads, and the failure was reflected in Southern literacy rates- nearly 50% of free Southern adults were illiterate in 1860.
II. Civil War Era Agriculture
Cultivated Land:
North: 105,000,000 acres
South: 57,000,000 acres
Cash Value of Farms, Farm Dwellings, Livestock, & Farm Equipment:
North: $5,056,151,204
South: $1,579,349,508
Cash Value of Farm Implements, Machinery, & Livestock:
North: $930,413,926
South: $397,072,820
Amount of Farm Equipment per Agricultural Worker:
North: $66.00
South: $38.00
Percentage of Labor Force Engaged in Agriculture:
North: 40%
South: 84%
Farm production in the North actually increased during the war, in spite of the loss of thousands of farmers to the Union Army. Bumper crops in 1861 and 1862 actually meant that food was exported by the North in large quantities. The number of hogs butchered yearly in Chicago increased from 270,000 in 1861 to 900,000 in 1865. New farm machinery like mowers, horse rakes, separators, sowers, cultivators, and drills allowed farm wives to manage many of the chores that had recently required the physical strength of one or more men to accomplish. The US Department of Agriculture was formed during the war to help farmers produce larger crops with less labor.
Principal southern crops were cotton, tobacco, rice, and sugar. Continuous planting of cotton and tobacco tended to wear out the soil, leading to nitrogen depletion and lower crop yields. Also, the two major crops, cotton and tobacco, were not edible, and the Union blockade hindered Southern efforts to use exports of those crops to secure funds necessary to purchase war materials. The cotton-producing states kept only 5% of their crops for use by Southern mills- 70% was exported, mostly to England, and 25% was sent to mills in the North. Middlemen skimmed part of the profit right off the top, for insurance, warehousing, and shipping. The role of middlemen didn't stop there, of course- cotton goods being returned from English mills were usually sent to Northern ports, then shipped from there by rail to Southern markets.
[Sources of statistics and bibliography included in last installment of this article.]
Thursday, May 13, 2010
RESEARCHING JEWISH AMERICAN WAR VETERANS
I. Jewish Congressional Medal of Honor Winners
There have been seventeen Jewish recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor (first issued to soldiers of the Civil War):
Civil War: Six
Indian Wars: Two
Haitian Campaign: One
World War 1: Three
World War II: Three
Vietnam War: Two
II. Bibliography
A St. Louis metro-area library owns a copy of the following books unless otherwise noted. You can check ownership of a particular title at WorldCat.org . St. Louis Public Library’s catalog is available on our website.
Bendersky, Joseph W. The "Jewish Threat": Anti-Semitic Politics of the U.S. Army. New York: Basic Books, 2000.
Congregation Temple Israel (Creve Coeur, Mo.). Temple Israel in World War II: Published on the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of Temple Israel. St. Louis, Mo: 1946.
Davis, Mac. Jews Fight Too! New York: Jordon Pub. Co, 1945.
Moore, Deborah Dash. GI Jews: How World War II Changed a Generation. Cambridge, Ma: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2004.
Rosen, Robert N. The Jewish Confederates. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2000.
Rosenthal, Monroe, and Isaac Mozeson. Wars of the Jews: A Military History from Biblical to Modern Times. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1990.
Rubin, Eli. 140 Jewish Marshals, Generals & Admirals. New York: Jason Books, 1952.
Spivak, Michelle, and Robert M. Zweiman. Jewish War Veterans of the United States. Paducah, Ky: Turner Pub. Co. 1996.
Weinberg, Sidney R. Jewish Combatants in the Wars of Early America: American Jewish Combatants in the Wars of Early America : All Were Military Casualties--Killed, Wounded, Taken Prisoner, or Seriously Ill in Line of Duty, During the Early Days of the American Republic, 1776-1865. Philadelphia: Xlibris Corp, 2000. [no local owners]
III. Webliography
Websites that provide information about Jewish American war veterans:
American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
American Jews Serve in WWII
Famous Jewish Sailors
Four Chaplains
GI Jew
History of Jews in the Military
Jewish Chaplains Council
Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America
Jewish Recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor
Jewish Sailors Memorial- WWII & Vietnam
JewishSailors.com
Jewish War Veterans of the United States
Jewish War Veterans Timeline
Tom Pearson, Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
314-539-0381
tpearson@slpl.org
There have been seventeen Jewish recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor (first issued to soldiers of the Civil War):
Civil War: Six
Indian Wars: Two
Haitian Campaign: One
World War 1: Three
World War II: Three
Vietnam War: Two
II. Bibliography
A St. Louis metro-area library owns a copy of the following books unless otherwise noted. You can check ownership of a particular title at WorldCat.org . St. Louis Public Library’s catalog is available on our website.
Bendersky, Joseph W. The "Jewish Threat": Anti-Semitic Politics of the U.S. Army. New York: Basic Books, 2000.
Congregation Temple Israel (Creve Coeur, Mo.). Temple Israel in World War II: Published on the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of Temple Israel. St. Louis, Mo: 1946.
Davis, Mac. Jews Fight Too! New York: Jordon Pub. Co, 1945.
Moore, Deborah Dash. GI Jews: How World War II Changed a Generation. Cambridge, Ma: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2004.
Rosen, Robert N. The Jewish Confederates. Columbia: University of South Carolina Press, 2000.
Rosenthal, Monroe, and Isaac Mozeson. Wars of the Jews: A Military History from Biblical to Modern Times. New York: Hippocrene Books, 1990.
Rubin, Eli. 140 Jewish Marshals, Generals & Admirals. New York: Jason Books, 1952.
Spivak, Michelle, and Robert M. Zweiman. Jewish War Veterans of the United States. Paducah, Ky: Turner Pub. Co. 1996.
Weinberg, Sidney R. Jewish Combatants in the Wars of Early America: American Jewish Combatants in the Wars of Early America : All Were Military Casualties--Killed, Wounded, Taken Prisoner, or Seriously Ill in Line of Duty, During the Early Days of the American Republic, 1776-1865. Philadelphia: Xlibris Corp, 2000. [no local owners]
III. Webliography
Websites that provide information about Jewish American war veterans:
American Gold Star Mothers, Inc.
American Jews Serve in WWII
Famous Jewish Sailors
Four Chaplains
GI Jew
History of Jews in the Military
Jewish Chaplains Council
Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America
Jewish Recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor
Jewish Sailors Memorial- WWII & Vietnam
JewishSailors.com
Jewish War Veterans of the United States
Jewish War Veterans Timeline
Tom Pearson, Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
314-539-0381
tpearson@slpl.org
Friday, May 7, 2010
CENTRAL LIBRARY CLOSURE
St. Louis Public Library's Central Library in downtown St. Louis is closing on 14 June 2010 for a two-year renovation project. Here's the official announcement from the SLPL website:
LINK
NOTE: Central Library is located at 1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. History & Genealogy phone number is 314-539-0385.
LINK
NOTE: Central Library is located at 1301 Olive Street, St. Louis, MO 63103. History & Genealogy phone number is 314-539-0385.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
WARS OF OUR COUNTRY
An often times overlooked source of information on our ancestors is military records. If you had male ancestors in the age groups specified during the following wars, there may be a military service record at the National Archives in Washington, DC, or at the State Archives in the state whose military unit he served in:
1775-1783 Revolutionary War (Was your male ancestor 10-45 years of age in 1775?)
1812-1814 War of 1812 (Was your male ancestor 15-45 years of age in 1812?)
1846-1848 Mexican-American War (Was your male ancestor 16-45 years of age in
1846?)
1861-1865 Civil War (Was your male ancestor 13-45 years of age in 1861?)
1898 Spanish-American War (Was your male ancestor 18-45 years of age
in 1898?)
An often times overlooked source of information on our ancestors is military records. If you had male or female ancestors in the age groups specified during the following wars, there may be a military service record at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, or at the State Archives in the state he or she enlisted from:
1917-1918 World War I (Was your male ancestor 17-45 years of age in 1917?)
1941-1945 World War II (Was your ancestor 13-45 years of age in 1941?)
1950-1953 Korean War (Was your ancestor 15-45 years of age in 1950?)
1964-1973 Vietnam War (Was your ancestor 9-45 years of age in 1964?)
1990-1991 Gulf War (Was your ancestor 17-45 years of age in 1990?)
1775-1783 Revolutionary War (Was your male ancestor 10-45 years of age in 1775?)
1812-1814 War of 1812 (Was your male ancestor 15-45 years of age in 1812?)
1846-1848 Mexican-American War (Was your male ancestor 16-45 years of age in
1846?)
1861-1865 Civil War (Was your male ancestor 13-45 years of age in 1861?)
1898 Spanish-American War (Was your male ancestor 18-45 years of age
in 1898?)
An often times overlooked source of information on our ancestors is military records. If you had male or female ancestors in the age groups specified during the following wars, there may be a military service record at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, or at the State Archives in the state he or she enlisted from:
1917-1918 World War I (Was your male ancestor 17-45 years of age in 1917?)
1941-1945 World War II (Was your ancestor 13-45 years of age in 1941?)
1950-1953 Korean War (Was your ancestor 15-45 years of age in 1950?)
1964-1973 Vietnam War (Was your ancestor 9-45 years of age in 1964?)
1990-1991 Gulf War (Was your ancestor 17-45 years of age in 1990?)
ROOTS: DISCOVERING YOUR AFRICAN ORIGINS, PT. VI
X. Bibliography
Bergman, Peter. Chronological History of the Negro in America (1969). HG-Ref 326
Cooke, Jacob E., ed. Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies (1993), vol. II. HG-Ref 940.03
Davidson, Basil. Africa in History: Themes and Outlines (1991). HG-Ref 960.03
Miller, Randall M., ed. Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery (1988). HG-Ref 305.567
Morrison, Donald G. Black Africa: a Comparative Handbook (1972). ST-Circ 309.167
Murdock, George P. Africa: Its Peoples and Their Cultural History (1959). ST-Circ 572.96
Oliver, Roland, ed. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa (1981), pp.78-86, 145-155. HG-Ref 960.03
Compiled by Thomas A. Pearson
Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
Other SLPL indexes and bibliographies
Copyright © 2004-2009 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.
Bergman, Peter. Chronological History of the Negro in America (1969). HG-Ref 326
Cooke, Jacob E., ed. Encyclopedia of the North American Colonies (1993), vol. II. HG-Ref 940.03
Davidson, Basil. Africa in History: Themes and Outlines (1991). HG-Ref 960.03
Miller, Randall M., ed. Dictionary of Afro-American Slavery (1988). HG-Ref 305.567
Morrison, Donald G. Black Africa: a Comparative Handbook (1972). ST-Circ 309.167
Murdock, George P. Africa: Its Peoples and Their Cultural History (1959). ST-Circ 572.96
Oliver, Roland, ed. Cambridge Encyclopedia of Africa (1981), pp.78-86, 145-155. HG-Ref 960.03
Compiled by Thomas A. Pearson
Reference Librarian
Special Collections Department
St. Louis Public Library
Other SLPL indexes and bibliographies
Copyright © 2004-2009 by St. Louis Public Library. All rights reserved.
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