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Welcome:
Civil War Days!
Robert E.: Mary, Marty, and we arrived here on a warm September Saturday just in time to be greeted with a firing from the cannon belonging to Battery M, Second United States Artillery. Ulysses: Ah, the smell of gunpowder brought back many memories. What's a Vivandiere? Ulysses: Ahem, Robert. Folks out there may not know what a vivandiere is. That's a mighty high-falutin' word. You had better explain. Robert E.: The word was originally French with its roots going all the way back to the 12th century. "Viande" means "meat" coming from the earlier Latin word "vivenda" meaning "food" in general. By the 15th century, "vivandiere" had come to mean "Hospitality giver." By the early 18th century, the word had evolved to mean "one who sells food and drink to soldiers." Vivandieres or "Canteen keepers" made their first appearance in the French armies in the mid-1600's and were regularly seen on the European battlefields by the late 1700's. The vivandieres originally were the wives of some of the soldiers. These women stayed in the barracks or the camps and were responsible for doing the soldiers' laundry and selling them food and drink. Over the next hundred years, the role of the vivandiere assumed a more dignified position within the French Army. The women were enrolled in the regiments and were allowed to design and wear military uniforms -- with long skirts, of course. Vivandieres often carried a small keg of brandy strapped over their shoulders used to revive injured soldiers on the battlefield. This keg become a distinctive symbol of the vivandiere.
Ulysses: When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, both the North and the South adapted many ideas from the French Army such as battle tactics and uniforms, especially the kepi hat. The wives and sweethearts who followed their loved ones to the battle front were not slow in imitating the French idea of vivandieres or cantinieres. Many regiments of the Union Army soon had their own vivandieres among them. Robert E.: Initially, many women in the South thought dressing up in mannish uniforms and going into battle was unladylike behavior, but that didn't stop a number of very determined young ladies who were as anxious as their brothers to "do their part." Like their French counterparts, the American vivandieres on both sides wore self-designed uniforms that looked like those of the French Zouaves. The vivandieres soon showed their usefulness. After battles, and sometimes even while the guns were still firing, the vivandieres were usually the first ones to reach the wounded. They carried kegs of many canteens filled with water for the soldiers, and often they had bandages in their haversacks for first aid until the surgeons could treat the injured. Behind the lines, the cantinieres helped keep up the soldiers' spirits by reading the Bible to them in the field hospitals and by writing letters home for the soldiers. Ulysses: Some of the better known of these unsung heroines were Marie Tebe of the 114th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and Mistress John Bahr of the famous Confederate unit, the Washington Artillery of New Orleans. Read more about vivandieres during the American Civil War. Mary
as a Cantiniere: Book
Signing: PAPA WAS A BOY IN GRAY Robert E.: But we did. It was the accepted Army uniform in the 1860's.
Robert E.: Ulysses and I felt right at home in such good company. Civil
War Days Event:
Ulysses: Both U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and Confederate President Jefferson Davis were in attendance with their wives. They nodded to us as they walked by. I understand they gave a wonderful press conference inside the library, but we were so busy at the book tent we were unable to attend. Robert E. and I received many compliments! Robert E.: Meanwhile, there were demonstrations by candle makers and blacksmiths. Children could take mule rides -- a very different experience than the usual pony ride -- and they could play some of the games the children of the 1860's once played. Throughout the day there was live period music. A most enjoyable experience! Last
Report: Robert E., Ulysses, Abe, & Sacagawea! Extra
Report: King Hal & the Bard!
NEW: Buy the PAPA BOOK or GIFT SETS
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Education Pages:
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the time of the Second Empire under Napoleon III (mid-1800's), the
term vivandiere was replaced by the term "cantiniere," meaning Canteen
woman. By now, they were officially made a part of the French Army
complete with pay and awarded medals for their services on the battlefield.
Their uniforms had become very picturesque: short gray or red wool
jackets over canvas or muslin shirts, loose wool trousers covered
by knee-high skirts embroidered with gold braid. This shockingly
short skirt was, in turn, covered by a small white apron. Women
wore small black hats, often decorated with ostrich feathers. These
hats usually displayed a metal badge bearing the cantiniere's unit
number. Sometimes the women wore small fancy swords from their belts.
These swords were for dress parades and formal occasions only. When
on the battlefield, the cantinieres always wore pistols for self-protection.
Photo: Mary at the Barnes & Noble book tent with fellow author
Dr. Keith Dickson. They are talking to one of the many Confederate
re-enactors. You can just glimpse me on the table to the left. Behind
the tent are the large wheels belonging to a reproduction field
coffee-maker. Many of these industrial-size coffee machines were
in use in the Federal campsites during the Civil War.
Robert
E.: For Civil War Days in Chesapeake, Mary portrayed a cantiniere
of the 33rd Virginia Volunteers, even though there is no historical
record of this regiment having a cantiniere. Mary chose the 33rd
Virginia because she is an honorary member of this unit. Mary wore
a white full-sleeved blouse decorated with golden embroidery, a
gray wool Zouave jacket decorated with 11 yards of gold braid, a
long black skirt, black riding boots, a black leather belt with
a Virginia State buckle, and a small black hat decorated with a
yellow hat band and two yellow ostrich feathers. One side of the
hat is turned up and held in place with a pin that looks like an
Irish harp in honor of the 33rd which was made up of many boys from
Ireland. Photo: Mary dressed as a cantiniere of the 33rd Virginia
Volunteers. Behind her is the Coast Guard Surgeon signing up another
recruit.
Robert
E.: There was even a 19th Century Coast Guard Surgeon there who
interviewed the naval recruits and wrote out health examinations
with a real old fashioned dip-ink pen. Meanwhile, the young Army
recruits learned to march and drill while carrying little broom
sticks, just like many of the Southern soldiers had to do when there
was a shortage of rifles.
Photo: Mary talking to one of the many young
visitors at the Civil War Days. You can see Ulysses and me next
to the 
