Greybeards

Original Author: Diana Chan, ENG348 FL09  The “Greybeards” or “silver greys” as they were called, according to McAdams were a group of volunteer men over the age of 45, mustered into the service of the United States at Muscatine, Iowa, Dec. 15, 1862, by Captain H. B. Hendershott, United States Army. According to Byer “History furnishes no parallel where the fathers too old for volunteer service buckled on their armor and asked the government to take them into the service of their country” (p 661). They were mustered out of service May 24, 1865, Davenport, Iowa, and spent a total of three years in the civil war. (iagenweb.org). The 37th infantry of Muscatine Iowa were a unique group. They were the only regiment of men over the age of 45 in the civil war. Comprised primarily of farmers, most of these men had sent off sons and grandsons to fight on the battlefields. According to Byer “some were past 60” (661). “Many of the soldiers had served in the military before, some as far back as the War of 1812. Nearly 600 of the 914 officers and enlisted men in the 37th were more than 50 years old, 48 of them were 60 or older, and 9 of them,70 or older. The oldest was Curtis King, age 80. (Perhaps he was considered hearty enough for duty because he had five children under 16 years old.)” (Ancestry.com).  Although there was some speculation on a regiment of old men, some saw it as an opportunity to delegate non combat duties out to civilians as a way to increase the number of men available to fight on the front lines of war. It was becoming harder to find young, healthy men for combat, and non combat duties such as prison guards depleted the ever decreasing pool of men for combat.  The regiment was put together under the command of Kinacaid, also of Iowa. They were not to be engaged in active war duty, and by a decree issued by the Secretary of War, Stanton specified “That should serve in performing only guard and garrison duty” (Byer 661). There were rumors of Kincaid’s men going to DC to fight General Lee himself, the rumors were untrue. Kincaid was required to keep his men out of combat (Mc Adams ancestry.com).  The Greybeards served in Missouri, guarding railways and bridges (Mc Adams 67). On July 29th 1863, the Greybeards were ordered to guard a Confederate prison in Alton, IL. These men, though a bit lax in their military discipline, were well received by the prisoners, who reported the Greybeards were “Old gentlemen, kind and fatherly” (Mc Adams 66). However, these Greybeards were not so good at maintaining a proper watch on the prison. In one month alone, it was reported that twenty three Confederate prisoners escaped. (Mc Adams ancestry.com). It was January 17th, 1864 the Greybeards were ordered to the Rock Island Barracks to guard the Confederate prison on the island. The train pulled in on January 19th 1864, where they stayed for two full days. Johnson refused to accept them, and it took and it took a command directly from the War Department to get these men onto the Island. (Mc Adams 66).  From the time the order for the men were issued, Dansforth was quick to report “’The regiment [Greybeards] is a failure and a useless expense to the government’” (Mc Adam 67). Of Kincaid, Dansforth reported “’He is not suitable for a position of such importance and responsibility. The Greybeards and Kincaid alike were quick to prove Dansforth was very accurate in his view of the regiment.  Johnson was forced to house the men in the city, which quickly turned out to be a mistake. The men crowded the sidewalks, built campfires in the street, and wasted no time drinking heavily. One drunken Greybeard while being arrested, punched an officer in the face, another drunken Greybeard attempted to shoot a fellow vet who attempted to hug a comrade. Yet another was promptly sent home to die of syphilis (Mc Adams 67).  <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">It had been reported the problems didn’t stop there with the Greybeards. One guard drew his weapon, aimed and threatened to shoot a prisoner when his foul ball hit the Greybeard. Another Greybeard played poker nightly with the Confederates, and when he lost, he drew his sidearm, accused the men of cheating, and then proceeded to take the pot as his own. (historynet.net). <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Kincaid seemed to have little control over his men. As civil servants, and volunteers, they felt it was their right to voice their opinion, and not to Kincaid, as the chain of military command called for. The men complained about anything and everything, and aired their grievances directly to Baker, going above Kincaid’s head. Complaints to Baker, the head of the Arsenal at the time, also included complaints about each other. Several men wrote and complained that “’A man named Warner… is nothing more nor less than a walking morphine bottle unfit for any thing but eating, at which he cannot be beat” (ancestry.com, McAdams 66). <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">After a short stay of only five months, the Greybeards were ordered away from Rock Island and to Memphis Tennessee for more guard duty. This was where the men actually fought the enemy. Two of the Greybeards were killed (Mc Adam ancestry.com). From here, five companies of Greybeards were ordered on to Cincinnati, Ohio. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Sadly, Kincaid was forced to realize his “children” as he called them were noting more than “decrepit old men”. (Mc Adams ancestry.com). Finally, the men were mustered out on Davenport IA on May 24th, 1865, three years after being mustered in for service. So disappointed was Kincaid in his men, he was not present to witness the mustering out of his men at the Rock Island. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Byer, S. iowa in war times. Found at the rock island arsenal museum archives. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> [|Mc Adams, B. 1998 febuary]. civil war times. Found on historynet.net. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mc Adams, B. Civil War times. Found on ancestry.com <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Mc Adams, B. 2000. Rebels at rock island. Northern Illinois University Press. Dekalb <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Greybeards: The “Decrepit Old Men” of the 37th Infantry of the Civil War, Muscatine Iowa **
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif'; font-size: 11pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Works Cited **