Soldier's+Life

=__The Life of a Soldier__= By Zachary Maciejewski

Start of an adventure
There were multiple reasons why people joined the army at the time of the Civil War. Some people joined to get as much money as they could to support their families. A few joined to fight for or against slavery. Some joined to keep the nation as one. But a majority of the people joined for the adventure. At the time, there were many farmers who never even moved ten miles from where they were born. A great deal of people wanted to see the country, and joining the army allowed them to do that. Both sides thought that the war was going to be quick and easy, which allowed many to join without worry. Many also imagined the glory of returning home from victory with crowds surrounding them as they paraded through the streets. There was a lot of valor and hype in joining the army, but what actually happened was some people's worst nightmare.

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**Types of Drills**
Large amounts of time was spent doing drills. Soldiers learned how to march and fight either in small squads or in vast companies. Many of the soldiers had little experience and knowledge because most of them were previously farm-boys who had never held a gun in their lives. Considering this lack of experience, and the fact that many of them had never been in such a large crowd of people before, many drills were meant to force the soldiers to become accustomed to taking orders and to coordinate with their fellow soldiers. In large regiments, they practiced guard mounting and Manual of Arms, which taught the soldiers how to prepare the new rifle-musket weapons for fighting. However, they spent little time learning how to shoot, even though many did not know how, because the government did not want to waste money paying for ammunition fired at meaningless targets. The soldiers also learned fighting tactics. It took a lot of work to turn a farm-hand into a soldier.

[[image:http://niahd.wm.edu/attachments/31643.jpg width="332" height="252" align="right" caption="soldiers waiting at camp"]]
Almost every soldier faced boredom. Many long hours were spent training because there were so many who joined the army that had little to no experience or knowledge of war. They spent large amounts of time learning how to fight and take orders. There were also fatigue drills ordered by the generals. Soldiers were forced to polish their metal fittings, or groom and water the horses. Some were even told to clear fields to give the regiments more space to do drills or organize parades. There was also guard duty which meant long hours, day and night, sun or rain, walking back and forth, eyes peeled for enemy movement. The rest of their time they spent either cooking meals, doing laundry, finding and chopping firewood, or writing letters to home. They also played games such as dominoes, cards, baseball (which was growing in popularity at the time), horseshoes, and other team sports. At night, around the campfire, they used to sing songs, tell stories, or play music. Some even made small instruments out of cigar boxes. Life in the army was extremely boring, in between the sheer terrors of war.

[[image:http://www.supplywagon.net/image/12606651_scaled_191x192.jpg width="261" height="242" align="left" caption="a sulter store"]]
Upon joining the army, the soldiers were only given a baggy uniform and half of a tent. Each soldier received one piece of canvas that was to serve as their home. Two people were meant to button both of their canvas pieces together to make a tent that was quick and easy to assemble. Many of the soldiers complained about these tents. "These tents could only fit a sleeping dog," they joked. Because of this, the soldiers used to call them dog tents. Other than that, the soldiers were forced to get supplies by themselves. Most of the Union soldiers received their supplies from the sulter stores. The sulter was a person who followed the army around with his goods and would sell his goods to the soldiers for unreasonably high prices. Some sulters parked their shop right at the posts or stations of the regiments and were able to get a constant flow of customers. The sulters sold items such as canned fruit, toiletries (like soap and towels), and pocketknives. The Confederates did not have sulters like the Union did. All that they could rely on for supplies was the generosity of the farmers in the region. Surprisingly, there were many local farmers willing to give up their the little crops that they produced.

[[image:http://www.72ndnewyork.org/hardtack&coffee.jpg width="224" height="237" align="right" caption="the staples of the soldier's diet"]]
For the Union, the types of food the soldiers carried depended on how easy it was to pack and carry. How long the food kept was also very important. The main staples were meat and bread. The meat was old and extremely salty. This meat was usually either boiled or fried over the campfire. The bread was more like a small biscuit, called hardtack. This biscuit had many similarities to a hard cracker. These two ingredients made one nasty sandwich that every soldier had to eat. In the pantry there was rice, peas, beans, dried fruit, and potatoes. But out of all of the food and drink the soldiers were able to have, coffee was the most coveted. Coffee was the favorite of almost every soldier. They got the beans green and raw, but after a good roast, grind, and boil, what they had was a warm and soothing beverage that was fought for. The Confederates, who were on home turf, were able to receive a more favorable meal. They could get bacon, cornmeal, tobacco, vegetables, and rice. But what both the Union and the Confederates had in common was their love of coffee. The Confederates would trade anything for the drink. They would trade tobacco, newspapers, buttons, and even sewing needles for it. The soldiers would do anything for their coffee.

**Ups and Downs**
The best part of the day for a soldier was getting mail. Although it was slow and limited, receiving mail excited every single soldier. They spent hours sending mail to loved ones. Since they got very little of it, soldier could spend hours reading and rereading the same letters over and over. These letters connected the soldiers with the ones they loved and gave them an escape from the boredom and terror of war. Some packages also contained baked goods, clothes, and toiletries. Soldiers also sent money home through letters to support their families. Even though they were supporting their country, the soldiers still had to worry about what would happen to their families. Besides the straight fear of being at war, the worst parts of the war were disciplining for many. The army was stricter than anything the farmers had experienced. Many had to be punished by being given extra duties. Other crimes such as thievery were punished by being forced to wear a sign around their neck stating the crime they have committed. The worst crimes were given to spies and soldiers who threatened an officers life. These crimes could be punishable by death. There were many more downs than ups in the civil war.