Harper’s Weekly November 7, 1863
The Civil War, like all wars, provided many opportunities for gambling among soldiers.
And why not?
You mix together young men far from home for the first time. They spend their days in menial tasks: latrine digging, food foraging, foot drilling, weapon cleaning (if they’ve got a gun) and a host of other petty rituals.
They were bored 99% of the time.
But the hill over yonder could erupt at any moment with a thunder of horses bearing men with swords drawn or guns firing.
Artillery could send up puffs of smoke in the eardrum-splitting roar that marked the beginning of battle.
Their lives were on the line the other 1% of the time.
But after they repaired, cleaned and gulped, what did they have do with their time?
Some played musical instruments and sang. Others read their Bibles or wrote letters. They carried everything in a knapsack, so they needed to share their books.
Or they gambled.
Gambling and the authorities.
The authorities discouraged gambling, of course. Harper’s Bazaar Magazine included a drawing of how one general handled the incessant betting:
Some inveterate players, belonging to the Ninety-third New York, were provided with a table, dice and a tin cup for a dice box and, under charge of a guard, were kept at their favorite amusement all day, playing for beans, with boards slung on their shoulders with the word GAMBLER written on them.
They did not seem to enjoy it, an attempt to make the most of the time and play for greenbacks being nipped in the bud. Dinner was also denied them, on the plea that gamblers have no time for meals.”
But cards and dice were portable, easy to carry and a source of amusement.
Gambling was so prevalent in 1864 that one of the Federal divisions, the Army of the James, was referred to by soldiers as “the Army of the Games.”
The men played poker, of course, faro and threw dice. Horse racing, cock-fighting, anything that could result in a “random” winner would do.
Betting on the Lice Click to Tweet
Some even raced lice, as Byron Liggett noted:
“Lice races were a favorite form of gambling. The critters were plentiful, active, and required little care. Even the lowest ranking soldier could maintain a stable of miniscule steeds.
Lice races were often accompanied by much excitement and wagering. Two owners would place their animals in the center of a tin plate. Spectators bet on the “runners.”
Upon the command “Go!” the two competitors, cheered by their respective supporters, run for the edge of the plate. The first to cross over the edge of the plate was declared the winner. “
In my novella, “An Inconvenient Gamble” part of A Texas Brides Collection, Confederate prisoner Charles Moss gets involved in a betting scheme: “will the teenager survive his escape in Fort Delaware‘s Pea River?”
Seeing all the men betting against the kid, Moss stepped up to bet in his favor. The young man is grateful for the vote of confidence, particularly when others join Moss– known as an excellent gambler.
The result?
Moss became a reformed gambler.
The Advantages of Putting a Poker Player in Charge Click to Tweet
Photo from Poker and Pop Culture
The fortunes of the North during the Civil War changed when Abraham Lincoln put a poker player in charge. Grant understood what it meant to look a person in the face and bluff.
This was in sharp contrast to McClellan who built the superior Army Grant ultimately used to finish the war, but was too cautious to even advance, well, a low risk card.
An apocryphal story described how bored the soldiers got, even with the enemy not far away.
Soldiers from both the North and the South met in the “in-between zone” late at night, gambling on cards or with dice.
One night a group had met when an officer on a horse approached. “Who’s winning?” the officer growled.
“We are, Sir,” said the CSA soldiers.
The officer nodded. “Collect your winnings and return to your units. Game’s over.”
The soldiers closed down the game, the officer rode on and as the evening faded away, one of the men called “Goodnight, General Grant.”
He raised his hat.
Does it take a gambler to win a war? Click to Tweet
There is a plantation open to the public that is called Rattle and Snap because it was won in a dice game by the same name. I have been there. You can google it.
Great story, Kim! Here’s the link: http://www.rattleandsnapplantation.com/
Based on location in Maury County, TN and the Polk name, some of my relatives may have been involved there!
Holy cow! I didn’t know gambling was so prevalent in the Civil War! And that anecdote about General Grant? Whoa…
I’m sorry I don’t have the library book that cited the story, but it was wry and interesting.
Gambling’s been a part of military service since Joshua. A good thing – it kept men prepared for the perceived randomness of sudden violent death.
Many of us abhor gambling, because we live in a society in which the elements of chance are more or less invisible. We can pretty well chart our course through the decades, with some real assurance.
But it’s a fragile bridge we cross, and having some appreciation for the potentially fatal odds that may lie under our next step might give the edge for survival, when things go horribly wrong.
Good point, Andrew.
My children attended a school where they were taught to play poker as part of a statistics assignment. I grew up playing card games and even Yahtzee, which enabled me to understand when to take a chance and when the “odds” were against me.
As a long-time budget counselor, I cannot support a gambling industry, but I can appreciate that people willing to take risk, and those recognizing the risks, can play an important role in every day life.
And if you’re in a war scenario, would you rather serve under a gambling leader or one who cowers at home?
Perhaps a person’s temperament determines that choice?
Thanks for sharing.
In extended situations in the field, the men develop bizarre humor. One of my team sergeants joked with another NCO, “Hurry up! I’m ready to treat snakebite, but you’ve got to find us a rattlesnake first.”
What he meant was he’d acquired a bottle of whiskey–the antidote to snakebite–but they couldn’t partake unless someone got snakebit. For some of those tough soldiers, they were willing to “experiment” with a rattler to justify taking a stiff drink of whiskey “to protect their immune system.”
Good men, but kinda crazy at times.
You begin to understand why the military breeds such intense relationships. My Navy wife pals, though I’ve not lived in daily contact with them in years, remain some of my dearest friends and ones I’ll always trust.
Or, maybe it’s just the life of a young man–when you live under such strict regulations, the ability to find a way to get around them becomes a game? 🙂
And of course the alcohol may have been healthier to drink than some of the local water.
Thanks for sharing.
I knew they gambled, but I didn’t know it was this bad. Racing lice? Who would even think of that?
And I also learned to play card games like spades and hearts, as well as dice in the Army during free time. And for some of the same reasons, boredom, they’re portable, and they don’t take up much space in a sack.
The military also printed up playing cards that featured items they wanted their soldiers to know–for example, during the Gulf War you could buy camouflage playing cards carrying the image of the henchmen wanted for war crimes.
Similarly, the Navy used to print cards with the silhouettes of combatant ships. While you were playing bridge, right?, you could also be taking in other training information. 🙂
My own father got in trouble for carrying dice during Korea. He always laughed when he told the story, but I’m sure it was a problem.
Michelle,
I still have a deck around here somewhere of silhouettes of all Soviet armored vheicles. It also included some Allies so you didn’t shoot at the wrong ones. I’d forgotten about those. 🙂