Touch the Elbow - Blogging the Civil War

Seasonal Park Ranger Chuck Teague took over center stage to enlighten us all on the “The U.S. Marshal at Gettysburg.” A picture of James Arness in his Marshal Matt Dillon television persona filled the overhead screen, but that was only Chuck’s way of starting with a joke. He was really there to talk about the Provost Marshal. However, before you click on “Read more,” name all 150 duties performed by the Provost Marshall’s Office. Time’s up and you couldn’t do it, could you? Of course not, because there were only 88 separate duties. Well, on fourth thought, maybe not even that many. But one thing I can tell you for certain, after listening to Chuck, the P.M. was sure as heck busy. But why take my word for it, particularly when Chuck’s here to explain the whole thing.

Given short shrift by Civil War historians, the office of the Provost Marshall traces its lineage back to at least the reigns of English monarchs Charles I and James II. Derived from the Latin “one who is placed above others,” Charles I decreed in 1629 that the Provost Marshall “must have a horse allowed to him and some soldiers to attend him and he must be riding from one garrison to another to see soldiers.” James II expanded the duties of the office, adding the Provost was “to see that soldiers do not scatter and do damage about the country.” Adopted by Americans during times of war, including the Revolutionary War, by Andrew Jackson during War of 1812, and by order of Winfield Scott during the Mexican-American War, the Marshal's post was resurrected during the Civil War. According to Teague, “every department of the army had a Provost Marshall in major cities.” That presence was expanded to include every city following institution of the draft in 1863.




A quick historical survey notes that the Department of the Potomac was established by the War Department on September 24, 1862, with a mandate to “arrest deserters and disloyal persons,” as well as being charged with “investigating spies and treasonable practices,” seizing “stolen or embezzled government property, and other duties.” Marsena Patrick, a Brigade commander, was appointed Provost Marshal General of the Army of the Potomac by George McClellan on October 6, 1862 and, in not so quick order, Congress created the Office of the Provost Marshal General for Washington headed by Gen. James B. Fry. Subordinate to Fry were Lafayette Baker, named Provost Marshal of Washington, and Ward Lamon, Marshal of Washington.

Patrick and Baker would have repeated clashes during their tenures in office. Patrick, who also served under Burnside, Hooker, Meade, and Grant, and maintained “a stick to it attitude” throughout, would claim Baker emitted “personal hostility,” while Baker complained of attacks of a personal nature by Patrick.

Three days after assuming his duties as Provost Marshall, Patrick, who “wrote a fascinating autobiography,” confided in his diary confusion about his appointment and “didn’t know what his duties were.” Nothing seemed fixed or established. That confusion is evident by another diary entry on October 19th, when he complained of drunken and rowdy officers in a neighboring camp and questioned why someone didn’t step in to stop their carousing. Teague said that Patrick didn’t recognize he, more than anyone else, had the authority to bust the revelers. Confusion, or not, Patrick set the personal standard for members of the Provost Guard. Like him, they always “looked sharp and were well dressed.”

Patrick, who was “not controlling of the men under his command," which included 84 officers and 1445 enlisted men during the Gettysburg campaign, also had the Bureau of Military Information, the brainchild of Joseph Hooker, under his command. The original duties, to catch deserters and spies, were gradually increased so that by 1863 Patrick was monitoring foreign officers observing the army and issuing passes to civilians, including woman, and particularly prostitutes, visiting the camps, which proved “an enormous annoyance to Patrick.” His diary entry of June 2, 1863 speaks of his frustration: “It is a farce this business of not allowing ladies to come to the army, when every one of them can get a pass at headquarters.”

Reporters and artists from the various newspapers were also placed under Patrick’s vigilant gaze. Of concern was the release of unauthorized information. No reporter had carte blanche in circulating uncensored reports, not even those from the New York Herald. Even though the paper, with 84,000 daily subscribers, was the largest circulating periodical in the country, their reporters were ordered arrested in March 1863 and two months later all copies of the paper that had reached camps ordered burnt due to carrying articles critical of Union generals.

The Provost Marshall was also responsible for oversight of Sutlers. Patrick detested what he saw as monopolistic practices in camps and made this diary entry on February 16, 1863: “We are sending off hosts of Sutlers, traders, etc., beyond our lines.” Shortly thereafter he made this note: “Again closed up Fat Andy’s establishment.” While Teague had no idea who Fat Andy was, I found a reference to him in which he was called "Old Fat Andy," and titled the "Chief Sutler of the Army."

Further duties assigned to Patrick's men included monitoring mail sent to soldiers in the Army of the Potomac, dealing with contrabands entering Union lines, paroled Union prisoners, and embalming practices. But the duties kept on coming and didn't allow for a dull moment as evidenced by entries in Patrick's diary for June 8th and 10th, 1863: "Seized large amount of bogus jewelry, watches." Further study of his entries shed light on a wide range of difficulties and situations he was forced to deal with.

October 21, 1862: "Those counterfeiters have given me a great deal of uneasiness and trouble."
October 30, 1862: "I have been obliged to examine a large number of paroled [Confederate] troops who don't want to go South, but North."
November 5th and 6th, 1862: he wrote of "marauders and pillagers," later accusing the cavalry of being "the worst" of the lot.
December 1, 1862: "Troops are behaving badly."
January 4, 1863: "Had to arrest General [William T.H.] Brooks for insubordination."
August 4, 1863: "Ten men of the 6th Cavalry arrested for robbery."

Teague emphasized that the troops who served under Patrick's command were also supplemented by soldiers from other regiments or brigades for periods of time. I know, for example, that the 18th Massachusetts Infantry drew Provost duty for about three weeks shortly after Antietam and Shepherdstown in and around Sharpsburg and Keedysville, Maryland.

While the Provost Marshal kept eyes open for the unlawful sale of liquor in camps, once inside a town troops could find easy access. Whitelaw Reid of the Cincinnati Gazette, embedded with troops during Meade's march toward Gettysburg, filed a story in which he wrote of Frederick, Maryland being in a "pandemonium" over men from "every Corps lying drunk in the streets." Patrick and his men, during the battle itself, were positioned such as "to keep troops from breaking." Teague pointed out that if one looked carefully at the Cyclorama, Patrick could be seen far off in the background seated atop his horse. At the conclusion of fighting he was charged with the responsibility for securing 754 Confederate officers and 12,867 enlisted men taken prisoner.

On July 6, 1863 Meade ordered Patrick to secure civilian burial parties. This proved a difficult task due to the refusal of Gettysburg residents to provide help. That lack of assistance left a sour taste in the Provost Marshal's mouth. "I can't say much in favor of Gettysburg inhabitants. They are a miserly crew and have no conscience." The plundering of the dead by civilians, who arrived from miles away, didn't help matters either and Patrick took steps to effectively seal off the town, mandating that non-military personnel couldn't approach without a pass. Soldiers were likewise forbidden from visiting hospitals without authorization. Such steps were necessary in Patrick's mind, particularly after one Gettysburg resident, Daniel Schaffer, was discovered to have 300 shirts, 50 blankets, guns, and other equipment stashed inside his barn.