Hot Cripple #11/November 2015- The Invalid Corp.

This "Hot Cripple" Series is an experiment; an effort to bring attention to the fact that Disability isn't necessarily synonymous with Ugly- as in Ugly Laws, which proliferated this country for over a century.

This month, in honor of all our fighting men and women on this Veteran's Day,  we feature The Invalid Corp.

Organized in May 1863 to meet the Union Army's growing manpower needs, the Invalid Corps―later renamed the Veteran Reserve Corps―was a unique military unit. With more than twenty-four regiments of troops, nearly all of the men disabled by illness or combat wounds, it was at one point twice as large as the entire Pre-War United States Army. During four years of service its troops enforced the draft, guarded prisoners and vital outposts, protected rail lines and supply depots, and served as military police in cities all across the country. Members of the Corps escorted President Lincoln's body home to Illinois, and after the war its officers formed the nucleus of the new Freedman's Bureau.

10th Veteran Reserve Corps (Invalid Corps) in Washington DC

A Colonel Charles F. Johnson commanded the 18th Regiment of the Invalid Corps (Veteran Reserve Corps). They usually guarded prisoners, hospitals, and supply depots. On June 20, 1864,  they were called up to defend White House Landing, Virginia, against an attack by Confederate cavalry. Johnson’s commanding officer sent a courier to ask if his “invalids” would stand. Johnson  sent assurances that his men would stand. Then the commanding officer sent a second courier asking the same question again, "would his invalids stand?" Johnson, presumably angry at the insinuation that his men would not have the courage to face the enemy, responded, “Tell the general, sir, that my men are cripples, and they can’t run.”

A special thanks to Day Al Mohamed who inspired this post and to all of those who have shared her work on social media recently. If the story of The Invalid Corp is interesting to you, check out the documentary she is currently working on and consider donating to the project.
The Civil War Invalid Corps & the Battle of Fort Stevens