This text is part of:
Table of Contents:
[262]
The annexed cut shows the manner in which many of the corps combined the two badges in order not to lose their original identity.
The Thirteenth Corps had no badge.
The badge of the Fourteenth Army Corps was an acorn.
Tradition has it that some time before the adoption of this badge the members of this corps called themselves Acorn Boys, because at one time in their history, probably when they were hemmed in at Chattanooga by Bragg, rations were so scanty that the men gladly gathered large quantities of acorns from an oak grove, near by which they were camped, and roasted and ate them, repeating this operation while the scarcity of food continued.
Owing to this circumstance, when it became necessary to select a badge, the acorn suggested itself as an exceedingly appropriate emblem for that purpose, and it was therefore adopted by General Orders No. 62, issued from Headquarters Department of the Cumberland, at Chattanooga, April 26, 1864.
The badge of the Fifteenth Corps derives its origin from the following incident:--During the fall of 1863 the Eleventh and Twelfth Corps were taken from Meade's army, put under the command of General Joe Hooker, and sent to aid in the relief of Chattanooga, where Thomas was closely besieged.
They were undoubtedly better dressed than the soldiers of that department, and this fact, with the added circumstance of their wearing corps badges, which were a novelty to the Western armies at that time, led to some sharp tilts, in words, between the Eastern and Western soldiers.
One day a veteran of Hooker's command met an Irishman of Logan's Corps at the spring where they went to fill their canteens.
“What corps do you belong to?”
said the Eastern veteran, proud in the possession of the distinguishing badge on his cap, which told his story for him. “What corps, is it?”
said the gallant son of Erin, straightening his back; “the Fifteenth, to be sure.”
“Where is your badge?”
“My badge, do ye say?
There it is!”
said
Scanned printed text.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.