Christmas is a season where many people look forward to happy memories, rare opportunities to gather as a family and enjoy good company, good food, exchange gifts – and pass on traditions that have been handed down over the years. For some, though, Christmas can be a time of separation, especially when it comes to service members, law enforcement and first responders, and those who work over the holiday season.
Such was the case during the American Civil War from 1861 through 1865. Many soldiers were separated from their families and spent Christmas together in the field. A sense of family though, undoubtedly, remained present. Most units during the Civil War would recruit their soldiers in small localities and regions, bringing many family groups into their ranks. It wasn’t uncommon for brothers, cousins, and extended family members to all enlist into the same units at the same times. In some instances, even, a father may be captain of a company with his sons and other relatives as privates serving under him.
Much of the Christmas tradition that we know today can trace it roots back to the early days of Christianity when ancient Roman and Pagan celebrations were adopted and transformed to become relevant to the new converts to Christianity. Christmas, however, as we know it really dates to the Victorian Era, or the reign of Queen Victoria of Great Britain which lasted from 1837 until 1901.
Perhaps most notably, and due largely to the Germanic Influences from Victoria’s husband, Albert of Saxe Coburg and Gotha, Victoria can be credited with making Christmas trees a part of Christmas celebrations by introducing the first tree to Windsor Castle during her early reign after her marriage to Prince Albert.
Christmas celebrations in the United States during the American Civil War were largely influenced by British culture. Families would gather, erect an evergreen tree in a prominent location in their home and then decorate it with things such as gingerbread men, popcorn strings and other handcrafted decorations. Civil War soldiers in the field would not have the opportunity to engage in a full-fledged expression of the holiday.
Many soldiers would make entries in their diaries or in letters home and speak of how they celebrated Christmas in the field. Generally, it was simple, and some only mentioned the holiday and didn’t have the opportunity to engage in any special activities at all.
M. Lafayette Gordon, a Civil War soldier from Greene County who belonged to Company G of the 85th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry recounted that in 1863, his unit had gotten back to New Bern, North Carolina just before Christmas, and that for some reason, there was an inadequate supply of provisions so that on Christmas morning they had nothing at all to eat. At 11am that morning, they were issued some tobacco and later were given some bread.
Greene County veteran Henry White recorded that on Christmas Day of 1862, he and his group were “Trying to enjoy ourselves as best we can, this is the second Christmas we have spent in camp. Our only hope is that by next year the war may be over and that those who are now absent from their homes and families may return to their families and homes of felicity and untold happiness.”
A year before, however, in 1861, White gave an account of a much more pleasant Christmas time while he was with his unit in Littleton, Virginia, now Littleton, West Virginia, just outside of Greene County.
“December 25th, 1861. Christmas Evening, we began to prepare for Christmas Spree at Armstrong Hostutler’s. Fine a lot of turkeys were furnished by Lt. Parkerson and the messes furnished such rations as were necessary for the dinner. Misses Hostutler and Misses Owen being the cooks furnished such vegetables as were needed and at half past three, the dinner was ready. About 40 ate dinner and prepared for a dance. A row was raised in the evening which came very near spoiling the party. Finally, all passed off and the gentlemen brought in the ladies for a dance, a fine-looking lot of ladies were present. Dance kept up till late hour. A number of the Burton (Burton WV, a few miles distant from Littleton) came down to participate in the dance. Everything moved off with perfect tranquility this evening, it being the first Christmas evening spent in Camp by any of us.”
In the Army then, as it is today, there is a lot of down time and waiting, and holidays for soldiers aren’t always doom and gloom. Soldiers tend to be a creative lot, who are always willing and able to make the best out of what is available to them. Though few very specific accounts of how Christmas was celebrated by Greene County Troops during the war, many accounts from Units from all over the County have survived.
Union Soldiers would often use hard tack (A cracker/bread type food common in Civil War rations) and salt pork to decorate trees. When possible, companies would often try to prepare special meals and feasts for their soldiers, though this was probably the exception not the rule due to supply issues and travel restraints. A few units, however, were notably against their troops celebrating Christmas and their troops could be punished for observing any festivities.
When celebrating Christmas, many troops would sing hymns and carols, many of which are still well known to us today, such as “Hark the Herald Angles Sing,” “O Come All Ye Faithful,” and “Deck the Halls.” It is easy to imagine Civil War era Christmas celebrations by troops over a century and a half ago being very similar to celebrations held by our troops in various parts of the world even today.
Christmas time was even used by some authors and newspaper articles to spread the Union message during the War. Thomas Nast, a writer and editor, created several lithographs and drawings during the era to show the suffering brought on by families being separated by the war. One of his most famous images was published in an 1863 Edition of Harper’s Weekly Magazine that showed a soldier on the battlefield while his wife prayed at home, no doubt waiting for his safe and swift return.
With Veterans Day so near behind us, and the Christmas season right upon us, make sure to remember those brave men and women today, and from all throughout our history who have left their families behind to answer their nation’s call, and miss their families dearly as they created some semblance of a Happy Christmas celebration with their brothers in arms in the field.