Civil War Army Rations According to army regulations for camp rations, a Union soldier was entitled to receive daily: 12 oz of pork or bacon or 1 lb. of fresh or salt beef; 1 lb. of soft bread or flour 1 lb. of hard bread, or 1 lb. of cornmeal.
Per every 100 rations there was issued; 1 peck of beans or peas; 10 lb. of rice or hominy; 10 lb. of green coffee, 8 lb. of roasted and ground coffee, or 1 lb. 8 oz of tea; 15 lb. of sugar; 1 lb.
4 oz of candles, 4 lb. of soap; 1 qt of molasses. The marching ration consisted of 1 lb. of hard bread, 3/4 lb. of salt pork or 1 1/4 lb.
of fresh meat, plus the sugar, coffee, and salt. Coffee was the main staple of the Civil War soldier, usually drinking 3-4 QUARTS a day. The ration lacked variety but in general the complaints about starvation by the older soldiers was largely exaggerated. Confederate rations were largely the same, although because of logistical problems they were forced to reduce them. What the Army didn’t give you, you got from a Sutler. There usually was a Sutler attached to the armies, and from them you could buy things like tobacco, candy, tinned meats, shoelaces, patent medicines, fried pies, and newspapers, albi et at an inflated rate, and usually not the highest quality of goods.
CAMP LIFE: The typical Civil War army camp was a place where the day would usually (when they weren’t in battle) began at 5 am, and after sleeping in an overcrowded tent with 20 or so other soldiers you got to get up and drill, usually 5 times a day for about 2 hours each drill. Between the drills the men would perform the necessary work needed to keep the camp running, like dug latrine trenches, cleaned the camp, gathered wood for cooking and looked for sources of fresh water. With the exception of the endless drilling, the men encamped there would become bored easily on their off time. On their off time the men would try to amuse themselves, and would read, write letters to their loved ones, and play many games including baseball, gamble with cards, and have boxing matches. Some even raced lice or cockroaches down a strip of canvas. As hard as most commanders attempted to control vice in camp, both gambling and drinking were rampant, especially after payday.
The Essay on Black Soldiers War Army Troops
The Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War Historical Background Once let the black man get upon his person the brass letter, U. S. , let him get an eagle on his button, and a musket on his shoulder and bullets in his pocket, there is no power on earth that can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship. -Frederick Douglass The issues of emancipation and military service ...
Even though regulations prohibited soldiers from purchasing alcohol, it wasn’t hard to find something to drink in camp. Some smuggled it in, and some made their own using bark juice, tar-water, turpentine, brown sugar, lamp oil, and alcohol. The camps were often filled by men who were off duty, drunk, gambling, and fighting because they had nothing better to do until… The women came to the camp.
Prostitutes flocked to the war zone in the thousands, and settled in near the camps. By 1862 Washington D. C. alone had over 450 brothels and 7, 500 prostitutes, venereal disease swept through the armies, and nearly 8 percent of Union soldiers were treated, and many more never even reported it. Even worse than boredom, gambling, or, yes, venereal disease was the homesickness.
Men spent more time writing letters and hoping to receive them than any other leisure activity. Furloughs were rarely granted, and most soldiers never had opportunities to spend extended periods of time away from the army. Some would sneak out during the night to spend time with their family if they were close enough. Farmers would sneak away for some weeks to plant or harvest a crop. They planned on returning and therefore didn’t consider themselves deserters, although of ter they would just lose interest in the army and desert anyway. Federal troops were often stationed too far from home to have time to get home, while Southern armies, needed every available man to fight.
The Essay on Buffalo Soldiers Army Black Regiment
... Leavenworth, like other Army posts at that time was segregated. Black and white soldiers lived in separate quarters. The men of this regiment ... in West Texas. They established and operated a lumber camp and sawmill, managed food and supply routes, build roads, ... men came mostly from northern Virginia and Southern Louisiana, and all were seasoned union veterans. The regiment only spent a short time ...
For the most part, Civil War soldiers were forced to call the camps home for the duration of their service.
