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.