behind AotW

At Frederick, MD on 9 September 1862 Adam J. Alexander of the 10th Louisiana Infantry signed this receipt for 3 pairs of shoes, 4 shirts, and 4 pairs of drawers for his men. It is likely these had been procured in the city from local businesses by Confederate quartermasters.

There are a number of interesting things about this document, beyond the fact that it shows distribution of stores in Maryland probably bought with Confederate scrip – which would have been largely worthless to Fredrick merchants.

First: He was born Adam J Alexandre to a well-off butcher in St. John the Baptist Parish in about 1841. His signature says that by 1862 he was spelling his last name “Alexander.”

Second: he gives his rank as 2nd Lieutenant, though his service record says he had been promoted to Captain sometime earlier. Clearly he had not received word by the 9th of September.

Third: Young Captain Alexander was killed in action at Sharpsburg, MD just over a week after signing this receipt.

The receipt is from Capt. Alexander’s Compiled Service Records (CSRs) in the National Archives. This copy online from fold3.

The other name on that receipt is that of his regimental Quartermaster, Captain Francis Rawle.

This excellent reference is clipped from the New Orleans Times-Picayune of 17 December 1862, and was kindly supplied by Greyson Beardsley. It is a list of Confederate soldiers from Louisiana who were wounded and left on the field at Sharpsburg that September. There is much here I need to add to my information about these men on AotW.

Touch the image to see the whole list.

Lieutenant Alexander H Pickett, Adjutant of the 3rd Alabama Infantry submitted this request and signed for receipt of a new battle flag and staff on 5 April 1863. It appears that most or all of the regiments of General D.H. Hill’s Division were supplied with new wool bunting “3rd issue” flags from the Richmond (VA) Depot that month.

By way of illustration, here’s the flag issued to the 5th Alabama that month – the 5th Alabama was brigaded with the 3rd regiment and they served together through the war. Their flags would have been very similar. You’ll note the names of some of the regiment’s engagements prior to that April, including Boonsboro (Turner’s Gap on South Mountain) and Sharpsburg.

And here’s Pickett, in the uniform of Captain and Assistant Adjutant General to Brigadier General Cullen Battle in about August 1863.

The requisition is from Lt Pickett’s Compiled Service Records (CSRs) in the National Archives. This copy online from fold3.

The 5th Alabama’s flag is in the collection of the Alabama Department of Archives and History in Montgomery.

The Pickett portrait was posted to his Findagrave memorial by user El Mero in 2015.