"Did Johnny Reb and Billy Yank smell different?" Topic

I've just finished reading "Retreat From Gettysburg". There are several references to the distinctive smells Of Rebs and Yanks from civilian supporters of each side. I quite believe that both sides absolutely reaked, but why would the two sides have unique aromas? Just a type of racism?

Maybe the diet had an impact on the bouquet.

Men riding horses would seem to have a different smell.

Depends on what you eat, what tobacco you use, type of soap used etc. You can read many accounts of smelling the enemy before you can see them.

Diet, cleanliness--and overall health, which is why animals can sometimes pick out the sick person in a room. And why you could smell Napoleon's 1813 cavalry further away than you could properly cared-for horses. I've heard references to the smell of Lee's army around Antietam, too. They'd been pushed pretty hard.

But mostly I'd opt for diet. My KATUSA room mates always smelled of kimshi to me, and we always smelled of dairy products to them.

It's the garlic.

And the dysentry

In addition, the north had more coffee available. The South more tobacco.
Both of these used in quantity would leave a distinctive odor.

You can see the differences in how each side smelled in a lot of camp pictures from the era: Yanks tended to smell their coffee from the camp pot; Rebs once it was poured into the cup.

I've read several similar comments on distinctive smells of abandoned German positions in WW2…again,probably diet, tobacco etc.

Im sure someone will devise a rule for this…

There were differences in Viet Nam that the experienced US troops tried to reduce.

wow,interesting

I remember reading somewhere that during WWII Allied troops could tell they were getting close Italian positions by the clouds of garlic wafting through the air. Can't remember if it was North Africa, Russia or Italy itself – may have been all three – at any rate, I found it interesting.

Adjusting the diet for Vietnam was something we were even taught in ROTC at that time and into the early 1970s.

But mostly I'd opt for diet. My KATUSA room mates always smelled of kimshi to me, and we always smelled of dairy products to them.

Yes very true … I have heard to the ROKs said we "round eyes" smell like greasy meat … [I was not then or now offended by being referred to as a "round eye" … ]

It's the garlic.

You got that right ! Especially on a hot summer day !

I've read several similar comments on distinctive smells of abandoned German positions in WW2…again,probably diet, tobacco etc.

We were taught after Vietnam in ROTC, etc., that tobacco, deodorant, powder, bug repellent, etc. will leave a sent/smell. And in the closed terrain of the jungle you could get pretty close to smell those and other smells …

And of course the wind can carry smells a good distance sometimes. E.g. tobacco, food, etc.

Ah, I thought I remembered a reference to meat, Legion 4. Didn't mention it because I wasn't sure--and because I didn't remember any of the ROKs hanging back from the Bulgogi.

There were cultural differences. I still think that last "hamburger" in a small Korean airport had fur on the meat.

If there are any other classic SF fans reading this thread, Gordon Dickson covered a lot of this same ground in an early Dorsai novel, and I'm pretty sure he based it on his time in the Korean War.

I knew this girl years ago, kinda nice, good looking, but she was a smoker and I don't know what she did but it stuck to her in a really bad way.

Sometimes you do enter a place or follow somebody who just leaves this saturated smell that lingers.

The Confederate side had a wider variety of uniform materials and pieces. Wet, mouldy cotton does smell different than wet, mouldy wool.

No idea if that contributed. Just offered in addition to the above ideas.

Ah, I thought I remembered a reference to meat, Legion 4. Didn't mention it because I wasn't sure--and because I didn't remember any of the ROKs hanging back from the Bulgogi.
There were cultural differences. I still think that last "hamburger" in a small Korean airport had fur on the meat.

Yes, the situation we had with our KATUSAs was many were having intestinal problems. As we Yanks, eat meat at every meal in the Mess. E.g. Breakfast – bacon, sausage, SOS, sometime ham too. As well as Lunch and Dinner i.e. beef, pork and chicken. Was lot more meat than they were used too generally. So many had to "limit" their meat intake. Some at least until they got used to meat – "all day, all the time" of the US diet.

And yes of course the ROKs did eat Bulgogi[beef] at times(me too!). But not at the levels we eat beef, pork or chicken, three times a day. Or even in the quantities of the US GI. E.g. some of those big farm boys from the Mid West, or Samoans … they could put away some chow !

My wife is Cambodian, and when we were dating there was a very distinctive smell that I've never really identified. I haven't smelled it in a long time, but of course she and I eat mostly the same food now. Married over 27 years.

andy

I've read accounts from after the battle of Gettysburg the dead of the two sides decomposed differently. From memory the southerners turned black as they bloated.

Years ago I read an article about a program in the US at the start of WWII,(in Mississippi I think), where they tried to train dogs to recognize Japanese by smell. The author dismissed it as racism but didn't take into account the fact that the two cultures had different diets.

Yes, I know from my experiences in the ROK … the ROKs and most likely the NoKos would "smell" differently than us. Just like us "round- eyes" would smell different to them …

When I was in the ROK, one of the KATUSAs in my Section. Told me when I returned from a staff meeting. That another CPT came to see me. I asked with one ? He couldn't remember. I asked was he white or black ? He replied, "Sorry Sir you all look the same to me." True story !!!!