Comments on: Much Ado about a Do http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/much-ado-about-hair/ A Journal of the Digitization of a Civil War Battle Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:11:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Dan http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/much-ado-about-hair/#comment-1390 Thu, 12 Jul 2007 21:19:58 +0000 http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/much-ado-about-hair/#comment-1390 Harry -

Reading back over this particular post about hair got me to thinking about something related to it (but not quite):
weight gain, specifically Burnside’s (it’s sort of tied-in to hair, inasmuch as Burnside’s muttonchop whiskers are near legendary).

Burn’s semi-rotundity (though not necessarily obesity) is pretty clear from most of his photos. Yet it was a surprise to see the photo of him as a Rhode Island colonel—displayed in the photo section of Detzer’s “Donnybrook”—with a fairly trim frame. Presumably this taken was sometime between April and July of 1861. In later photos, it’s quite obvious that he has let himself go.

So I’m just curious: do any of Burn’s contemporaries who knew him from that earlier “thin” period have anything to say about his increasing girth? Or was that the sort of thing that folks just didn’t comment about in those days? (McDowell’s girth was mentioned occasionally in letters, but his was already present at the time he came to prominence)

Anyway, it’s food for thought…

]]> By: Bull Runnings http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/much-ado-about-hair/#comment-1195 Mon, 25 Jun 2007 20:25:06 +0000 http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/much-ado-about-hair/#comment-1195 [...] In 1861, Sherman’s Battery was the most famous company of artillery in the nation.  It had won its fame in the War with Mexico at the Battle of Buena Vista, where along with the batteries Braxton Bragg (of whom Zachary Taylor requested “a little more grape”, see engraving at left) it played a key role in the repulse of  an enemy counter attack.  It would appear that editor Pierro is not the first to erroneously associate William T. Sherman with the battery of the same name, as this site claims that Bragg fought alongside “Cump” at Buena Vista (W. T. was in California during the war).  No, the battery otherwise known as Company E, 3rd U. S. Artillery was commanded at Buena Vista by Thomas W. “Old Tim” Sherman, and even after he moved on to other commands, the battery remained known as Sherman’s Battery.  That’s his photo below on the left, coutesy of the LOC.  Nice hairdo – I guess he wanted to be taken seriously (see this post). [...]

]]> By: Joshua Blair http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/much-ado-about-hair/#comment-103 Sat, 23 Dec 2006 02:35:28 +0000 http://bullrunnings.wordpress.com/2006/12/22/much-ado-about-hair/#comment-103 Harry,

Sorry, I could not help myself. When I saw Lane’s hair I almost fell out of my seat. He must have been really, really poetic.

Regards,

Josh

]]>