Everyday+Life+in+the+Army+8

=Everyday Life in the Army =

=Average Soldier = The average soldier was a white, single, native-born, protestant male farmer around the ages of 18-39 years old. Soldiers in the Union were called "Billy Yank" while Confederate soldiers were called "Johnny Reb". In the Union it is believed that over 100,000 soldiers who were 15, this means that they lied about being 18 or older. It is also believed that over 400 females hid their gender in order to serve for their country in the war on the battlefield.

== =Sleeping Conditions = Soldiers were outdoors for most of the time and usually slept on the ground and covered themselves in blankets. When soldiers happened to be at a larger camp the were able to sleep in tents and if in the city even got to sleep in baracks, wood buildings.

=Food = == The Commissary Department was in charge of providing, storing, and buying food for the armies. There were two Commissary Departments, one for th e Union and another for the Confederacy. Preservation of foods was limited therefore what they were actually able to buy for the armies beca m e limi ted but they tried to give them the essentials to survive. Meats were either salted or smoked, while fruits and vegetables had to be canned or served dry. Soldiers were given rations, their daily amount of food, uncooked so it was up to them to cook their own meals. Each soldier was given coffee, meat, sugar, hardtack (a dried biscuit) and sometimes even some fruits and vegetables. Soldiers would sometimes come together to share and cook their rations and these group of men were referred to as a "mess".

== =Free Time = Soldiers normally spent their free time writing letters home, reading, gambling, getting their pictures taken, playing baseball, throwing horseshoes, listening to concerts from their unit's marching band, and playing a sport that resembles modern-day football. Those lucky enough to receive letters from home usually read them on many occasions during their free time. Union soldiers even had a sutler's store were they could buy canned fruit, pocketknives and toiletries but these things were sold at high prices. Those in the Confederacy had to depend on the generosity of their loved ones for luxuries found in the sutler's store because there was not one available to them. =Pets in the Army = Soldiers were ordered not to keep pets with them but many broke this rule and kept pets such as dogs, cats, squirrels, raccoons, chickens, and eagles. In Wisconsin there was a regiment that kept a pet eagle and carried it next to their regiments flags on its own perch. It is also speculated that General Lee had a pet chicken that provided him with one egg each day. By far dogs were the most loyal and comforting of the animals because they seemed to remind the soldiers of their home. =Daily Routines = Practicing drills, doing chores around camp, and repairing worn equipment were some of the things that soldiers were required to do daily. Drills were practiced so that infantry soldiers could get used to orders and formations, this included marching in columns, facing properly, dressing the lines, and their interaction with each other. Cavalrymen practiced drills using their sabers, both on and off of their horses and artillerymen practiced drilling with their cannons attached to a group of horses. =Discipline = Giving soldiers extra duties was the discipline for most offenses, but depending on the exact offense the discipline varied. If a soldier committed thievery he was made to wear a sign around his neck which had his crime written on it. In some instances death was the only punishment seen fit but this was only from threatening an officer's life, spying or deserting their regiment.

= = = = = = = = =Works Cited = http://www.nps.gov/archive/gett/gettkidz/hardtack.htm http://www.soldierstudies.org/index.php?action=webquest_1 http://us-civil-war.suite101.com/article.cfm/life_as_a_civil_war_soldier