The Saddest Christmas
On December 25, 1863, Sergeant Leonhard Schlumpf of the 45th New York sat in his camp below Lookout Mountain and recorded a single line in his diary: “The saddest Christmas.”[1] Those that have indulged in reading Civil War diaries know that they can sometimes be listless. Diary writers typically reported the weather and ordinary troop movements or drilling, and they usually lack the vivid accounts of battle that historians are accustomed to reading. However, this one line in Sergeant Schlumpf’s diary particularly struck me.
The year Schlumpf had endured might provide insight into why he might have thought December 25, 1863 to be the saddest Christmas. The 45th New York was a part of the Army of the Potomac’s unfortunate XI Corps, which bore the brunt of General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s devastating Confederate flank attack at the battle of Chancellorsville in May 1863. Blamed for cowardice by Northern newspapers, the regiment marched into Pennsylvania in June only to be routed once again at Gettysburg on July 1—where Schlumpf was captured.[2]
Paroled soon after the battle, the twenty-seven-year-old returned to his regiment just in time for the Chattanooga Campaign.[3] It seems by December 1863, Schlumpf had become largely fed up with army life. “Most of us are without shoes for the last 8 days,” he wrote in his diary on December 16. “We are hungry, exhausted, cold, wet, and want to go home. No roads or bridges to walk on, only mud, rivers and swamp. It rains most of the time and our clothes never get dry.”[4] The following day, the sergeant recorded that the regiments rations had been reduced by half, consisting of five crackers a day with some bacon as well as coffee in the morning and evening.[5]
These harrowing conditions, and his low morale, likely prompted the young immigrant from Switzerland to describe Christmas Day 1863 as the saddest Christmas. In this Christmas season in 2023, Schlumpf’s entry in turn prompted me to reflect on the hardships endured by soldiers and civilians during the holidays. The stress accompanied by the holidays can sometimes feel overwhelming. Finding the right gifts (while also saving money), honoring social commitments, attending parties and gatherings oftentimes accentuates an already high stress level. But Schlumpf’s experience is a sobering reminder of how minor these concerns really are, and how good we have it in the 21st Century. Perhaps it is also a reminder of those less fortunate than us in our present time and the hardships they might endure during this Christmas season.
Leonhard Schlumpf took it upon himself to ensure December 25, 1863 was the last Christmas he spent in the army. He deserted at the expiration of his furlough in March 1864.[1] This Christmas, 160 years later, let us not forget the men and women like Schlumpf of our time and times past, who were or are suffering far from home, and feel grateful for the blessings that we have in our lives.
[1] Diary of Leonhard Schlumpf, 45th New York Infantry, 1862-1863, Box 28, Folder 5, Civil War Times Illustrated Collection, U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center, Carlisle, PA.
[2] Leonhard Schlumpf in the U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, Historical Data Systems, Inc.; Duxbury, MA 02331; American Civil War Research Database, accessed November 29, 2023, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1324166:1555?tid=&pid=&queryId=8d5944587ac492e1741bb9fa5bf4b556&_phsrc=vMe19&_phstart=successSource.
[3] Leonhard Schlumpf in the U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865, Ancestry.com, Historical Data Systems, Inc.; Duxbury, MA 02331; American Civil War Research Database, accessed November 29, 2023, https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/1324166:1555?tid=&pid=&queryId=8d5944587ac492e1741bb9fa5bf4b556&_phsrc=vMe19&_phstart=successSource.
[4] Diary of Leonhard Schlumpf, 45th New York Infantry, 1862-1863
[5] Diary of Leonhard Schlumpf, 45th New York Infantry, 1862-1863
[6] “Leonhard Schlumpf,” 45th New York Infantry Roster, New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs, 380.
