The Daily Life in a Civil War Camp :: essays research papers

Officers in the field lived much better than enlisted men. They generally delegate one or two officers to a tent. Since they provided their own personal gear, items change greatly and reflected individual taste. Each junior officer was allowed one automobile trunk of personal be extensiveings that was carried in one of the baggage wagons. Higher-ranking officers were allowed much baggage. Unlike infantrymen, who slept and sat on whatever nature provided, officers sometimes had the prodigality of furniture.Enlisted men, unlike their officers, had to carry all their be giganticings on their back. On long marches men were unwilling to carry more than the absolute essentials. stock-still so, spends ended up carrying about 30 to 40 pounds. Each soldier was issued half of a tent. It was designed to join with another soldiers half to dissemble a full size tent. The odd man lost out. When able wooden poles were not available for tent supports, soldiers would sometimes use their weap ons. Soldiers endured the day by day round of roll calls, meals, drills, inspections, and fatigue duties. Throughout this tedious and seemingly without end routine, it was very much the personal necessities sent or brought from home, or purchased from sutlers (licensed provisioners to the army) that made tent life tolerable. Many of these items were use for personal hygiene, grooming, and keeping uniforms in repair. forthwith these diminutive legacies provide us with a very personal and evident connection to the soldiers of the Civil War.Confederate and Union soldiers added various clothing and equipment to their phalanx issue . To make their life more tolerable, they brought various personal items to camp down or were given them by family and friends. Few soldiers owned all the items in this exhibit, although most had at least some of them.A variety of personal items were used by Civil War soldiers.Confederate and Union soldiers often wore civilian-style underwear that they provided themselves. Officers and wealthy individuals frequently wore linen undergarments purchased from commercial houses. Junior officers and enlisted men, on the other hand, usually wore military issued cotton and wool garments.Confederate "haversacks" were used to carry food rations. These bags were typically made of linen and lacked the waterproofing demonstrate on Union counterparts. Personal effects grew in number during long encampments and were reduced to a minimum during long marches and battles.Items would generally be boxed and stored in military bases or shipped to quartermaster storehouses to be held until the campaigning moderate was over.