Baseball at Christmas: A Civil War Story of Hope
A story of renewed hope during a time where there was little
Christmas brings people together. We put aside differences and celebrate the gifts of family and friends. During the Civil War, there was little cause for happiness and unity on that day.
But one Christmas, baseball brought Union and Confederate soldiers together. Learn about this amazing story in this week’s episode!
Inside the Episode:
I share the research and resources behind each episode so you can delve deeper into the topics discussed in the main episode.
Examining the Evidence:
This photograph, curated by Jaqueline Moen, shows Company H of the 48th New York Regiment. Why is this photo significant?
Look at the background.
You’ll see what looks clearly like a baseball game in progress behind them.
While this photo was taken in 1863, it was taken at Fort Pulaski in Hilton Head, SC - the EXACT location of the Christmas day game played in 1862.
The photo is also one of the earliest known photographs of a baseball game.
What Rules Did the Christmas Day Game Use?
The mid-1800s saw competing visions of how baseball should be played. The two most popular “formal” play styles came from New York and Massachusetts.
The MA style relied heavily on the “townball” games that had been played in New England as far back as the 1700s.
Games were played on a square field, used overhand pitching, utilized no foul territory, and had ten to twelve players on each side. Additionally, only one out was required to end a side of play and victory went to the team that scored 100 runs first.
By contrast, the NY-style used a diamond-shaped field, threw underhand, and recorded fair and foul balls. You would see nine men on each side, playing positions similar to the ones we see on the field today.
Since the game was mainly played by soldiers hailing from New York, it’s safe to assume the NY style was used for the Christmas Day game!
Revisiting the Complicated Legacy of A.G. Mills
Abraham Gilbert Mills was present that Christmas Day as a player. He’s the individual who claimed 40,000 people attended this game. Good ol’ A.G. was a major figure in the formative years of professional baseball and has his fingerprints on making the sport the national game we love today.
But how much did he bend the truth in support of his mission to mythologize and popularize baseball?
AG Mills, after all, was the head of the “Mills Commission,” the same group who officially concluded that the game of baseball was invented in America by Civil War General Abner Doubleday.
His approved version of baseball’s origins was gospel for almost 50 years until historians started to question the narrative.
It turns out, baseball’s true origins come from another game - rounders - the name this show shares.
Despite some of the…liberties taken by A.G. Mills in popularizing the sport, he lived a fascinating life and had a massive impact on the game we know today. Read more about his life in the excellent article from SABR writer James Mallinson.
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