Mishaps, Morality, Masculinity, and Military Discipline

Devil’s Leap, a hill near Germanna Ford along the Rapidan River in Virginia, was thickly wooded in December 1863. The 5th New York Cavalry had been instructed to build their winter quarters near the hill, but Confederates, who were encamped across the river, wanted the Devil’s Leap’s timber for their own quarters. The men of the 5th New York Cavalry needed to work quickly. Rain fell. They were cold, wet, and miserable. The camp’s adjutant kept the construction on task, pooling the men’s carpentry skills in order to get the shelters up as quickly as possible. But on December 30,