The Union Forces
What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the word union? I always think "Anti-Slavery." Union also can mean "together" or "joined together as one." That is what the Union Army wanted during the Civil War. They wanted to be a whole country with the southern states, and all of the states that were Pro-Slavery. With one condition of course, that they all quit slavery and free all of their slaves. Of course the Confederate Army didn't go for that, they wanted to be a seperate country from the rest of the U.S so they could continue having their slave workers and slave trading. Which was a big part of what made the southern economy wealthy. So, the Civil War began.
Each side of the war had hardships, war isn't just guns and battle. Their is so much more to it.
They have to recruit and keep their soldiers alive, they need to get money without completely taking all the money from their people, PROTECT the people and so much more! The Union soldiers ate a meger 12oz of pork or 1/2 pound of salted beef, 22oz of bread or "hardtack", various veggies, various fruit and potatos. Sounds like a lot, right? In all reality, it wasn't. They ate these same foods everyday, once in a while with a slight variation, and that was all the ate that day. The white soldiers got paid $13 a month and the African-American soldiers were paid $7. Even in the Union states African-Americans weren't treated completely equal, like many envisioned.
Like the Confederate soldiers, most men got 30-40 lbs. of supplies that they carried in knapsacks on their backs or they'd hold it. They got around 7lbs of ammo, a musket or a rifle, and bayonet and a scabbard, a haversack for their rations, a canteen and a blanket or "shelter half."
One soldier named Lawrence Van Alstynes wrote in a book (later to be published), "The camp kettles are a large sheet- their are iron pails, one larger than the other so one can be put inside the other while moving...we each get a cup of coffee with a spoonful of brown sugar in it. Milk and butter we buy, or go without. We later wash our dishes and put them in our haversacks for further usage." As you can see, they were given the bare minimum. Just enough to keep them alive and (kind of) well.
The Union army mostly used the wedge tent to live in, a six-foot length of canvas draped over a pole and staked to the ground at the sides, with flaps that closed over each end. The wedge tent also saw use in the South, but when canvas became scarce, many soldiers were forced to make "open-air" beds by piling leaves or straw between two logs and covering it with a blanket. During the winter, basic huts were made out of wood, when wood was available.
As I said before, soldiers in the Civil War did not see battle every day, or even every week. Most were out of the action about 75 percent of the time. During their down time, the typical day started at 5 A.M. (during the spring and summer months) and 6 A.M. (during the fall and winter.) Soldiers were awakened by drums and fifes, roll call was taken by the first sergeant, and then everyone sat down to to eat their breakfast. During the rest of the day, soldiers engaged in as many as five two-hour drill sessions on weaponry or maneuvers. Most soldiers found these drills extremely boring; they wanted to fight, not practice.
Soldiers also cleaned and readied the camp, built roads, gathered wood for cooking and heating, and sometimes looked for food to supplement their meals. One of the biggest problems facing soldiers in the field was sanitation. Access to clean water for drinking and bathing was scarce and illness from contaminated water or poor hygiene was common. Most army camps were tight groups, a contagious disease such as measles or chickenpox could completely take over a camp within days.
Each side of the war had hardships, war isn't just guns and battle. Their is so much more to it.
They have to recruit and keep their soldiers alive, they need to get money without completely taking all the money from their people, PROTECT the people and so much more! The Union soldiers ate a meger 12oz of pork or 1/2 pound of salted beef, 22oz of bread or "hardtack", various veggies, various fruit and potatos. Sounds like a lot, right? In all reality, it wasn't. They ate these same foods everyday, once in a while with a slight variation, and that was all the ate that day. The white soldiers got paid $13 a month and the African-American soldiers were paid $7. Even in the Union states African-Americans weren't treated completely equal, like many envisioned.
Like the Confederate soldiers, most men got 30-40 lbs. of supplies that they carried in knapsacks on their backs or they'd hold it. They got around 7lbs of ammo, a musket or a rifle, and bayonet and a scabbard, a haversack for their rations, a canteen and a blanket or "shelter half."
One soldier named Lawrence Van Alstynes wrote in a book (later to be published), "The camp kettles are a large sheet- their are iron pails, one larger than the other so one can be put inside the other while moving...we each get a cup of coffee with a spoonful of brown sugar in it. Milk and butter we buy, or go without. We later wash our dishes and put them in our haversacks for further usage." As you can see, they were given the bare minimum. Just enough to keep them alive and (kind of) well.
The Union army mostly used the wedge tent to live in, a six-foot length of canvas draped over a pole and staked to the ground at the sides, with flaps that closed over each end. The wedge tent also saw use in the South, but when canvas became scarce, many soldiers were forced to make "open-air" beds by piling leaves or straw between two logs and covering it with a blanket. During the winter, basic huts were made out of wood, when wood was available.
As I said before, soldiers in the Civil War did not see battle every day, or even every week. Most were out of the action about 75 percent of the time. During their down time, the typical day started at 5 A.M. (during the spring and summer months) and 6 A.M. (during the fall and winter.) Soldiers were awakened by drums and fifes, roll call was taken by the first sergeant, and then everyone sat down to to eat their breakfast. During the rest of the day, soldiers engaged in as many as five two-hour drill sessions on weaponry or maneuvers. Most soldiers found these drills extremely boring; they wanted to fight, not practice.
Soldiers also cleaned and readied the camp, built roads, gathered wood for cooking and heating, and sometimes looked for food to supplement their meals. One of the biggest problems facing soldiers in the field was sanitation. Access to clean water for drinking and bathing was scarce and illness from contaminated water or poor hygiene was common. Most army camps were tight groups, a contagious disease such as measles or chickenpox could completely take over a camp within days.