gone for a soldier

7/30/2019 Gone for a Soldier

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VicksburgNational Park ServiceU.S. Department of the Interior

Vicksburg National Military Park

“I am now very comfortably situated for the winter,” a Confederateprivate wrote his mother in 1863, “having a very nice chimney attachemy tent, and everything that tends to make this unhappy life pleasant a

agreeable.” Millions of fighting men, North and South, made the bestlife in camp, finding what comfort they could amid the hardship andtedium of soldiering.

Gone For A

Soldier

A Soldier’s Life

Like soldiers of all ages, Civil War troops werehuman, rarely speaking in praise of things.Quick to criticize, their writings tend to be morenegative and sarcastic than one might expect.However, they had much to criticize. The warengendered an almost endless array of hardships – disorganization, filth, bad food(when it existed), boredom, primitiveconditions, disease, little opportunity to go

home, and sporadic mail delivery, often asoldier’s only contact with loved ones.

Patriotism was deep-rooted, and over 600,000men would die in pursuit of two opposingdreams. These sacrifices collectively formed themost severe trauma in our nation’s annals.Nobody was ready for the conflict, least of allthe 3,000,000 citizen-soldiers who went off towar with dreamy enthusiasm and youthfulinnocence. A nationwide belief existed in thespring of 1861 that one or two battles foughtsomewhere in the border states of Virginia andKentucky would settle the whole issue. Initial

enlistment periods were only three months inthe North and one year in the South. Thepatriot’s overriding fear was that peace wouldarrive before he got his first taste of battle. Menand boys flocked to enlist with an excitement of

the unknown. Years later an Iowa officerunknowingly replied to these sentiments,stating, “And thus they went to war. Only a shtime was needed to teach them what war was.took a longer time to make them soldiers.”

The appeal to arms began with advertisemenposters, and word-of-mouth announcementmass meeting or rally was the usual vehicle fo

actual recruitment. Such gatherings would bheld on the community’s courthouse lawn ora meeting hall. Bands would set the mood atthese assemblies, playing “The Battle Cry of Freedom,” “Dixie,” “Red, White, and Blue,” “Bonnie Blue Flag,” and similar patriotic airs.Leading citizens gave florid oratory and madimpassioned pleas for men to come to the aidtheir threatened country.

Most of volunteers, from both sides, were faboys who brought with them the language, idand customs of rural America. Friends usualenlisted together, with companies originatin

locales. Neighborhood associations andattitudes were merely transferred to an armyframework.

“It took a longer timeto make themsoldiers.”

“The knapsack was aterror…”

afterwards. The knapsack was a terror, loadewith thirty to fifty pounds of surplus baggage…haversack, too, hung on his shoulder, and alwahad a good stock of provisions, as though a maacross the Sahara might at any time be immine

Many units from affluent communities left forwar loaded down with every imaginable item.The “volunteer of ’61,” one of their numbersadmitted, eagerly went off to war and “carried more baggage then, than a major-general did



A member of the 4th Rhode Island gave thisinventory of his gear: “There was a full supply of underclothing, woolen blanket, rubber [blanket],three or four pairs of socks, half a dozen nicehandkerchiefs, dress coat, fatigue cap, supply of ink, letter paper and envelopes, portfolio, photograph album, Bible, the journal in whichthese notes are kept, tobacco, drinking tube, comband brush, shaving tools, two or three pipes, pinsand needles, thread, buttons, etc., and other

things that went to make up a soldier’s kit in thosedays.”

“Add to these the regulation equipment,haversack with rations, mostly obtained fromhome, and consisting of cold meats, bread and butter, cheese, pie and cake, and other food. Thenthere was the canteen, filled with – well, say

coffee; and then there were the patent water filtknife and fork, spoon, cup and plate, shoe brushand blacking, various kinds of medicine, and flannels for sudden change of climate or weath pair of warm mittens for the coming winter, another things carried in our pockets. Everythingstated here was thought to be necessary to our nlife as a soldier…”

The same soldier later added, “What a differe

one year in service made…A woolen blanket an piece of shelter tent twisted together, and throwover our shoulders; haversack loaded with a dohard tack and a small piece of ‘salt horse’; littleof coffee and sugar, mixed together; …little to ebut plenty of ammunition; dirty, ragged, …Butwere veteran soldiers then.”

Although the ages of soldiers covered a broadrange, the typical recruit was a white, native-born farmer, Protestant, single, and in the 18-20age bracket. Statistics on height are fragmentary,and only skeletal conclusions can be determined.

However, most men of the blue and gray were inthe range of 5’5” to 5’9”. Balanced diets,enriched foods, and other basics of goodnutrition were unknown at the time,

resulting in soldiers of the 1860s tending to beslight of build. And the war was never a contstrictly between white Anglo-Saxons. A visit any Union camp would reveal a plethora of foreign tongues. The overwhelming number

immigrants (mainly German and Irish) who hsettled in the North because of cheap land anwork-for-wages was clearly evidenced.

The army camp was where the recruit ceased tobe a civilian and learned how to be a soldier. Hewould spend more time in camp than inmarching and battle, combined. Here he wasintroduced to the mysteries of the army – buglecalls and drum beats, the military chain of command, discipline, the necessity of takingcare of equipment, and obedience to orders. Hedrilled as best he could and learned how to pitch

a tent and use a weapon.

Field camps were the places where, “…we were fairly initiated into the mysteries and miseries of asoldier’s life,” as stated by a Louisianan. The firstcamps gave every appearance of orderliness,with army regulations prescribing theencampment’s systematic grid pattern. Officers’quarters lined the front of each street; enlistedmen’s quarters aligned precisely to the rear.Streets were a specific width; locations of kitchens and latrines responsibly pinpointed;and picket lines formed a symmetrical perimeteraround the area.

However, adherence to regulations worked ininverse proportion to the length of the war.When war became drudgery, latrines and horpens often were located upstream – which at least affected the taste of the coffee. Throughthe war, the opposing armies tended to retraccross previous routes of march as theycampaigned; all too often troops would campplaces that had held bivouacs before. The old

campgrounds, with their accumulation of ruinstructures, stripped vegetation and heaps of garbage, were always uninviting and oftendangerously unsanitary. Even at new campsitthe presence of thousands of men rapidlyovertaxed the land. In wet weather, the grounwas converted to a muddy quagmire. In summthe mud turned to dust. Moving about camphot weather, remarked a Connecticutinfantryman, was like tramping through an asheap. If a grasshopper jumped, observed anartillery man wryly, it raised such a cloud of dthat the Confederates thought the Federal Arwas on the move.

Within the boundaries of these makeshiftcommunities, the regiment quickly became thecenter of the new recruit’s friendships andloyalties, and the source of his knowledge of army operations. Men of both sides tended tobe volatile, fun-loving, and sociably engaging. Intheir new surroundings, they at first reacted withpleasure. This was only a description of the firstdays of camp, however. Recruits quickly foundthemselves confronting a number of adversities.Excess and ill-fitting equipment became

apparent. One example was the fancy-lookinghavelock, a particular dislike of which soonemerged. Made of white linen, it was “to be won the head as a protection from the rays of the s As it was made sufficiently large to cover the necand shoulders, the effect, when properly adjustewas to deprive the wearer of any air he might otherwise enjoy.”

Bugle Calls and DrumBeats

Young and Slight ofBuild

Home Away fromHome

“What a difference oneyear in servicemade….”

Havelocks quickly became used as dishcloths coffee strainers.



When One Rolled Over,the Rest had to FollowSuit…

A tent was the soldier’s home away from homeduring the spring, summer, and autumn months.Beginning in the war’s second year, the standardabode for soldiers was the shelter tent. It rapidlybecame known as the dog tent or dog shantysince “it would only comfortably accommodate adog, and a small one at that.” Men learned toelevate the tent in sultry weather, so that aircould circulate around the bottom, but, as onesoldier of the 17th Virginia noted, “…during the

early part of the [summer day] and until the late

noon, the heat inside was worse than that of theblazing sun without; the canvas seemed only todraw the rays to a focus and keep them there inwhite blaze. And to add to the discomfort, swarof flies infested the tents and could never be induon any account to leave them; they seemed to thexposure to the outer air not at all conducive totheir health, while anything like a walk abroad would be positively fatal.” When the quarterswere shared, space was so cramped that when

one man rolled over, the rest had to follow su

The normal camp day began with reveille near 5a.m., with the assembled troops possibly havinga short drill before receiving a summary of theirduties for the day. The men were then dismissedto prepare breakfast, either individually or ingroups known as “messes.” The 8 a.m. drum orbugle call summoned guard details to their postsand alerted the sick to report to the regimentalsurgeon. Activities for the rest of the campincluded building roads, policing the camp,making pathways of pine logs, extending latrinepits, gathering firewood and water, andrepairing equipment, just to name a few chores.Most recruits who had rushed to enlist wereunprepared for such menial tasks as these.Soldiers from all walks of life now foundthemselves as privates in the ranks, subject toorders from superior officers, doing the work of

porters and laborers in all kinds of necessarydrudgery.

A noon call announced lunch, then regimentadrill occupied two or three hours. Men thenreturned to their quarters, cleaned weapons, agot uniforms into inspectable condition, for dparade (if held) around 6 p.m. After retreat, tmen had supper, with free time prevailing untp.m., when the lights-out call was sounded.

However, one Union soldier left no doubt abhis feelings in regard to the principal activity tfilled most of the soldier’s first weeks in camp“The first thing in the morning is drill, then drillthen drill again. Then drill, drill, a little more dThen drill, and lastly drill. Between drills, we dand sometimes stop to eat a little and have roll c

“Drill, drill, a little moredrill…”

Thoughts of Home A soldier had little opportunity to spendextended periods of time away from the army –leave was seldom granted. Federal troops wereoften stationed too far from home to get muchuse from a furlough, and Southern soldiers weretoo few and badly needed to be permitted

generous leaves.

Many men had not been away from home much,and to say they were homesick was stating itmildly. Others acted like wild colts. Themajority, however, were steady and reliable, and

devised different ways to spend their spare timcamp. Reading (for those who could) was atreasured pastime, particularly of the Bible,followed by novels and newspapers of the dayTroops enjoyed periodicals such as the New YIllustrated News, Frank Leslie’s Illustrated

Newspaper, Harper’s Weekly, and the SoutherIllustrated News. Some regiments even produtheir own newspapers, one being the SoutherVidette, whose satire aimed to mock the Yankand entertain the troops.

Almost 600 Letters ADay

In camps of both sides, no diversion occupied asmuch time as letter and journal writing, whichalleviated some of the homesickness suffered bythe majority of soldiers. The volume of soldiermail in the Civil War was staggering, with anaverage of 600 letters mailed daily. The majority

were examples of phonetic spelling and crudehandwriting reflective of the limited educationalstandards of that era. Many soldiers took pridein improving their letter composition throughpractice, yet it was difficult because of theirenvironment. “I am sitting by a camp fire writing on my knee and am unable to see the lines by thedim light,” Virginian Green Samuels wrote, “and consequently write very crooked and I supposescarcely intelligibly to you.” Henry Orendorff of the 103rd Illinois once apologized to his sister,“Sarah please excuse my poorly composed & badlywritten letter. I would like to know how any bodycould write good or compose where there is so

much confusion and fun going on.”



More than any American servicemen of any age,the Civil War soldier was a singing soldier, thoughnot all were truly adept at the art. As one Federalofficer stated, “The pleasure of music predominated, but it was more noted for diversity of tune and noise in execution than artistic skill.” Brass bands accompanied many units into serviceduring the war’s first year, and regimental andbrigade bands were always welcomed byencamped soldiers in search of any entertainment.

Yet for the most part, music in Civil War campscame from individuals. Any sizable body of mencontained at least one fiddler of ability.

Popular songs were not the stirring airsinspirationally sung by folks back home, butmelodies of sadness and homesickness. The all-time favorite of both sides was “Home, Sweet Home,” but also popular were “Auld Lang Syne,”“Just Before the Battle, Mother,” “My Old KentuckyHome,” and “All Quiet along the Potomac Tonight.” Theatrical productions were sources of pleasurefor large numbers of soldiers. Professional casts

made an occasional visit into the field, but campproductions were the usual and more enjoyed of the presentations. A troupe from the WashingtonArtillery of New Orleans staged severalproductions during long wintry months. Itssatires were so popular as to attract overflowaudiences that included “some ladies from theadjacent country.”

Camp humor in the 1860s might appear adolescentby modern standards, yet in view of the limitedrecreational outlets for Civil War troops, anythingthat offered a laugh was eagerly sought. Soldierson both sides were chronic teasers. Practical jokeswere as frequent as drill. Sleeping soldiers wereeasy prey, a common trick being to pour a bucketof water on the man. Other pranks consisted of hiding muskets, stripping a man’s tent in hisabsence, or even lowering a paper bag full of ammunition down the chimney of a log hut –theresult being momentary total chaos.

Physical activities were in evidence at everyencampment. Boxing, broad jumping, wrestling,foot races, and occasional free-for-all scuffleswere all popular. No competitive sport was morevisible in warm months than baseball. New andeasy to play, high scores were the general rule, asthe base runner had to be hit by the soft, thrownor batted ball before he was out. A game betweenthe 13th Massachusetts and 104th New York, had theBay Staters winning by a 66-20 score.

Wintertime saw snowball fights - generallycontests between individuals or small groups,though several “snow wars” of regimental andeven brigade proportions took place, opposinunits arrayed in battle formation with colorsflying. Even the generals themselves would enthe fray. These battles, a Virginia privateobserved, “…were sometimes fought with suchvigor as to disable the combatants.” A particulasevere engagement erupted between the 2nd an

12th New Hampshire. According to a participa“…tents were wrecked, bones broken, eyes blackand teeth knocked out – all in fun.”

Less athletically inclined soldiers sometimesconcentrated on handiwork, carving pipes frobrier root, while using bones, sea shells, and sowood for rings and other ornaments.

Checkers and chess were the most popular twman games, and gambling was a universal timekiller in every camp. Soldiers bet on horse raccockfights, boxing and wrestling matches, andother competition lending itself to wagering.

games were always popular, but card games wthe overwhelmingly prevalent forms of gamblStrict rules against gambling existed in the armand occasionally authorities sought to controlBut only one thing could bring an abrupt halt tthe vice - the call to battle. Men would prompthrow away cards, dice, and other gamblinginstruments so that, if wounded or killed, no“passports to sin” would be found on theirpersons. Such repentance was generally shortlived. The more ardent gamblers who survivewould rush frantically into woods and fields toretrieve the discarded items.

Most Civil War soldiers who indulged freely inraucous camp activities, just as freely relinquisthem on returning home at war’s end. Theevidence is overwhelming that the majority ofConfederates and Federals were conscientioudevoted men possessed of simple but indeliblevirtues. They sought to do the best they couldan atmosphere over which they had no controHow well they met hardships and temptationsduring long months in camp varied with theindividual. An Iowa private spoke for all whendeclared, “There is one thing certain, the Army either make a man better or worse morallyspeaking.”

George A. Gibbs of the 18th Mississippi, who loleg in battle, wrote after a long life, “I look backnow, after so many years, on those turbulent timand wonder where I found the fortitude, patiencand endurance to pass through so many trying experiences suffered during the four years of thewar. In most cases I believe we gather strength,courage and fortitude when circumstances are sas to require them.”

They Did the Best TheyCould

E X P E R I E N C E Y O U R A M E R I C A

gone for a soldier

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