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If you caught a ball on one bounce, it meant the batter was out. Pitchers actually wanted players to hit the ball when they threw it. The visiting team was responsible for bringing the ball and if they failed to do so, they forfeited. Baseball during the 1860s looked quite a bit different from the version we watch today. And now, one day after celebrating America’s birthday, you’ll have a chance to go back in time and experience some Civil War baseball yourself. 

On Saturday, July 5, Appomattox Court House National Historic Park will welcome people from around the region to take part in a day of “base ball” games, all played by those old Civil War era rules. 

And while some teams of friends and families will be competing, residents can just show up and join on their own as well. You don’t need to bring anything, not even a mitt. Why? Because you catch with your hands. 

“The ball was much softer than it is today,” said Brian Miller. He works as the lead park ranger at Appomattox Court House. “There was no need to bring a mitt back then, as they were not used.” 

That was part of the challenge back in the 1860s. According to those old National Association rules, the ball had to be made of a mixture of india rubber and yarn, covered with leather. Today’s version is much harder, consisting of a cork core, wrapped in two layers of rubber. On the one hand, the earlier version was much easier to catch. But it also was harder to hit. While today’s game is focused on high scores and home runs, it wasn’t as easy to take a wooden bat and drive a piece of yarn wrapped in rubber over a fence. Bats were unique as well. They all had to be made of wood, but that was it, as far as rules were concerned. You could walk up to the plate with one light as a feather or weighing 20 pounds. 

A wagon wheel at the plate 

According to the Smithsonian, those early baseball bats drew eyes just because of how truly bizarre they could be. Players used old axe handles and wagon wheel spokes. Some flattened out an end of a wagon tongue, to create a flat surface to swing and hit the ball with. They would tape up the other end for a better grip. 

“It must be made of wood and may be of any length to suit the striker,” the old National Association rules state. 

Artist drawings from the era, courtesy of the Smithsonian, show all kinds of examples. You had some who preferred a tiny bat, something that barely crossed the plate. Others preferred a long barrel, practically guaranteeing if it crossed the plate, they could hit it. And while it’s doubtful you’ll see many axe handles or wagon wheel spokes next week, you will get a chance to try out those flat bats. 

Rules for Civil War baseball

As we’ve mentioned, they were still “creating” the game during the 1860s, roughly 20 years after the first recorded game was played. The first officially recorded baseball game in U.S. history took place on June 19, 1846 in Hoboken, New Jersey. It was definitely not a pitcher’s duel, as the “New York Nine” beat the Knickerbockers 23-1 in four innings. 

And this was all done with some unique rules. If you hit a ball and it was caught on one bounce, you were out. Also, “soaking” was allowed, where if you hit the runner with the ball while he’s running between bases, he was out. In today’s game, we let players run past first as they try to get a hit. Nope, that wasn’t allowed either, leading to players sliding or diving to first base just like we see at home plate now. 

The umpires also weren’t really there to call balls and strikes. According to the rules of the National Association of Base Ball Players from 1863, the pitcher wasn’t trying to get the batter out. The pitcher was supposed to throw it so the batter could hit it. The umpire only got involved if it got out of control, like say if the pitcher just couldn’t hit the catcher’s mitt at all. At that point, the umpire could call for a walk, or he could ignore it. It was completely his decision. Also, don’t expect all overhand throws. Most pitchers tossed underhanded in those early days. 

Links to the Civil War 

So what does baseball have to do with the Civil War? That’s when it really became a national game. The game had been adopted from a British schoolyard game called rounders and in the decades leading up to the Civil War, it was basically a semi-professional sport. 

According to Michael Mahr, with the National Museum of Civil War Medicine, the sport was practically ordered to be played, by Union doctors.

“Union soldiers would play baseball while in camp or while they were waiting for deployment, as the soldier’s life was usually quite boring,” Mahr said. “Not only did this provide entertainment for the troops, it also was an outlet for physical exercise and was welcomed by regimental surgeons as a way to keep the troops healthy.”

How do I take part in Civil War baseball? 

So if you want to take part in next week’s games, here’s what to know beforehand. First off, there will be two sets of games. The first will take place at 10 a.m. and the second at 1 p.m. Games will go for roughly an hour to an hour and a half. 

As mentioned, there is no need to bring a mitt, as they were not used, but the Park staff will provide you with period accurate bats and balls. Sorry though, no wagon wheel spokes this time. You don’t have to know the rules beforehand, as staff will help explain how to play. In many ways, it’s described as a chance to take part in a much simpler and sillier version of the game we watch today. And anyone can show up to take part. 

“It’s a drop-in program,” Miller said of next week’s games. “Visitors are simply welcome to join in if they’d like.”