Saints & Sutlers

The sutler, to the Civil War soldier, was in most cases a necessary evil. All to often they sold to the soldiers everything from food to socks, shirts to stationary. Many of these item unfortunately when not only sold at sometimes inflated rates, but where of suspicious quality as well. The term “shoddy” usually used to describe poor quality government equipments, was not limited only to those items issued. With a vast number of customers not likely to be passing buy again, and a need for such services, the sutlers conducted their daily business. Though regulated, they where not often scrutinized by Army officials, many of whom may have turned a blind eye. Occasionally a regiment may have, like the Battery have suffered one too many incidents and taken such matters into their own hands. Camp life so far with the men has been pleasant. We have en­joyed the privileges of passes to the city of Washington, the capital of the nation. Visited all the different places of interest and amuse­ment, and have written to our friends at home of the sights and dif­ferent places which we had visited. It seemed as if we were enjoying a visit ourselves, instead of being subjects of military authority. 

  On Sunday, September 1st. was the Battery's First mounted inspection. The quar­ters, clothing and appearance of the men, horses, stable, pieces and caissons and all equipments were examined, after which the battery was complimented by the officers on its fine appearance, and were dismissed. A number of passes were given to the men to visit the city, and some went without them. In the evening several of the soldiers were taken with violent spasms and frothed at the mouth and nostrils, so that the men became alarmed and thought their com­rades had been poisoned. There was no surgeon at the camp, so they were given hot water as soon as they revived sufficiently to take it. This made them vomit, and they soon recovered from their spasms. But it left them very weak and sick. While the men were in these spasms it would take three and four men to hold them to keep them from injuring themselves, and at times they had as much as they could do. On the arrival of the surgeon, who had been sent for from the hospital, he said their comrades had done the best thing possible in giving the sufferers hot water to drink, and that they were all out of danger except one man, who had another attack while the surgeon was there. He did not recover from it as well as the others, for he had several attacks and was very sick and under the surgeon's care for some time, and was finally discharged. From the men it was learned that they had drank beer which they had purchased of the sutler (a Dutchman), who had a shanty at the lower end of the camp, and as the weather was very warm they had drank several times there during the afternoon. The surgeon thought that there must have been some drug put into the beer, which made them sick. This made the men provoked with the sutler, and they threat­ened to break into and clean out his shanty. But before they had succeeded in accomplishing their object they were ordered to their quarters. On being informed that the sutler was not in camp that night and that a guard would be placed at his shanty and he would be arrested in the morning when he arrived, had the effect of quieting the men.

 September 2d. Earl y in the morning the Dutchman was seen approaching his shanty, and as it was quiet around and about the camp he went to the shanty. As he was about to enter the guard arrested him, and a more surprised Dutchman was never seen. He condemned himself at once by saying : " Why for I be arrested? I do nothing. The beer was good; that was all right. I did nothing to it!" This he kept saying as he was taken to the officers' quarters. He was ordered to the guardhouse, and finally sent to the city under guard. He was found probably guilty of drugging the beer, fined, and ordered to leave the city. While it was firmly believed amongst the men that the sutlers and peddlers who followed the army, did so with little or no thought to the well being of their customers. Instead merely saw the men as an opportunity to improve their financial situations, and providing less quality goods was an acceptable and liberal practice. During the stay on Washington City's outskirts, the men of the Battery learned that such was not always to be the case.

  Among other pleasant memories of Camp Sprague is that of an old lady who used to bring milk, pies, and cakes, and other knick-knacks, which she offered for sale at a reasonable price. She took quite a liking to the boys of the battery, and if any of us were sick she used to bring medicine (home made), and with a motherly way administer to our wants; and, if without funds and the wherewithal to purchase her dainties, she trusted us for them, knowing not whether she would be paid for her kindness. But I am pleased to say; the next day after the battery was paid off, on her visit to camp, she was paid in full. It was a precedent not generally followed towards peddlers.