William Paul Roberts
(1841–1910) earned the distinction of becoming the youngest general officer in
the Confederate States Army. Born in Gates County, North Carolina, he enlisted
as a private in the 15th North Carolina Infantry at age 19. His bravery and
leadership shone through in battles like Fredericksburg and Brandy Station.
Rising rapidly through the
ranks, Roberts commanded cavalry units. On February 23, 1865, at just 23 years
old, he was promoted to brigadier general, leading a cavalry brigade in the
Army of Northern Virginia during the war’s final campaigns.
After Appomattox, he returned
to civilian life as a farmer, legislator, and state auditor.
The Confederate Army, vastly
outnumbered and chronically short of supplies, fought with desperate ingenuity,
deception, and eccentricity for four brutal years. Its soldiers blended
old-world grit with makeshift innovation. Here are ten of the oddest things
about the Confederate army:
One: Silk-Dress Sky Spies: Southern ladies donated silk dresses
so the fabric could be sewn into observation balloons for scouting Union
positions.
Two: Camel Pack Train: Captured U.S. Army camels, hauled
supplies across the arid Southwest.
Three: Lemon-Sucking Stonewall: General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson
constantly carried and sucked lemons, convinced they cured his dyspepsia and
restored bodily balance.
Four: Quaker Guns: Painted wooden logs mounted on fake
carriages mimicked real cannons, fooling Union scouts at Centreville, Port
Hudson, and elsewhere.
Five: Secret Sisters: Hundreds of women cut their hair,
bound their chests, and enlisted as men, fighting undetected until wounded or
discovered.
Six: Boy and Graybeard Army: Conscription swept in boys as young
as 14 and gray-haired men over 50, especially in the war’s desperate final
years.
Seven: Twenty Negro Law: Owners of 20 or more enslaved people
could exempt one white overseer from the draft—sparking bitter cries of “rich
man’s war, poor man’s fight.”
Eight: Worthless Wages: Soldiers’ pay in Confederate scrip
inflated so wildly that a month’s wages bought almost nothing; many went unpaid
for months.
Nine: Deadly Torpedoes: The Confederacy pioneered buried
explosive land mines (“torpedoes”) that terrorized advancing Union infantry.
Ten: Native Warriors: Cherokee, Choctaw, and other tribal
regiments served; Brigadier General Stand Watie, a Cherokee leader, became the
last Confederate general to surrender.
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