Regimental Statistics

There are many interesting facts regarding the 26th Missouri Infantry Regiment.  The following have been gleaned from the muster rolls of those men whose information were recorded or were readable.

• Youngest recruit was  John Warren, whose reported age was 14 years old.

• Oldest recruit was James P. Childers/Childres, whose reported age was 58 years old.

• The average age was 26.3 years old.
• The shortest recruit was Herman Krause at a height of 4' 6".  Herman was a 15 year old musician, probably a drummer.
• The tallest man was Uriah Malone who towered over his comrades at 7' 3/4".
• The strangest occupation was given by Henry Mitchell, a private in company A.  He reported that he was a "RASCAL" in civilian life.

The following are a listing of all occupations given by the men with the total reporting for each one.  There are a total of 915 reporting.

 

1	architect		1	foundry man		2	ship carpenters
4	bakers		1	gardener		14	shoe makers
2	bar tenders		1	glass blower		2	soldiers
1	peddler		1	grocer		5	stone cutters
18	blacksmiths		1	hack driver		6	stone masons
4	boatmen		1	harness maker		2	students
3	book keepers		50	laborers		1	surveyor
4	brick masons		4	lawyers		4	tailors
2	brick makers		5	machinists		7	teachers
5	butchers		2	mariners		1	teamster
1	cabinet maker		9	masons		1	tinner
1	car maker		2	mechanics		2	tobacconists
25	carpenters		3	merchants		2	upholsterers
2	carvers		3	millers		1	varnisher
2	cigar maker		22	miners		6	wagon makers
13	clerks		4	molders		1	weaver
1	collier		2	musicians
2	cooks		5	painters
7	coopers		1	peddler
1	cutler		1	potter
1	dentist		6	printers

In the Muster rolls, each man had to declare his marital status.  The following shows how the regiment broke down per that status.

 

281	married
631	single
2	widowers
914	reporting

64 married men died
1 widowed man died
146 single men died

The hair and eye color and complexion were recorded for each soldier

 

Hair color
78	auburn
128	Black
2	Blond
147	Brown
2	Chestnut
1	Curley light
283	Dark
3	Fair
18	Flaxen
16	Grey
226	Light
15	Red
34	Sandy
953	reported

Another interesting statistic for the regiment was where the men were born.  In the middle of the 19th century, Missouri was a melting pot of people who migrated from all parts of the United States and abroad.  With only 250 native Missourians, the 26th Missouri reflected that mixture of individuals who sought new opportunities in Missouri's rich land.