The Sgt. Griggs story begins in 1862, when Amos Griggs—too old to enlist and too stubborn to stay home—limped into a recruiter’s tent with a busted knee and a squirrel rifle. They laughed until he outshot them all. By month’s end, they called him Sergeant Griggs.
In every retelling of the Sgt. Griggs story, you’ll find the same thread of grit and humor. When rations ran low, Amos used his whittling knife to carve spoons, pipes, and lucky charms for his men. He said, “A soldier fights better when his hands remember home.” That belief in craft as survival still inspires modern folk artists and woodworkers today.
His hat, marked by a bullet hole from Vicksburg, became his badge of luck. “Proof the Lord ain’t finished with me yet,” he’d say, tipping his brim. After the war, Sergeant Griggs could still be found outside the general store, carving figures from fence posts and spinning tales for anyone who’d listen.
Even now, the Sgt. Griggs story lives on in handmade traditions—every whittled carving, every rough edge, every story told through wood.
More details on how I carved Sgt Griggs on my Youtube Channel video playlist https://www.youtube.com/@thewhittleruk/playlists
To learn more about Civil War-era folk art, visit The American Folk Art Museum.
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