What was life like for the soldiers during the war? How did their lives change after the war?
Soldiers had little food and even less shelter, they often encountered diseases and 1 out of
10 soldiers ended up dying from the diseases they acquired. They marched daily and sometimes
marched 30 miles every day, so comfortable shoes were an asset. If they weren’t in battle or
weren’t marching they were surely bored. They often read a lot of newspapers, wrote letters to
their loved ones, listened and played music in bands, or played a simple game of horseshoes.
Being a soldier during these times didn’t always mean to be fighting; sometimes they were
assigned to do simple things like gather wood for fires. They also had to do things like grooming
the horses, clear fields for parades and drill practices, and some men had to walk the boundaries
of their camp at all times to make sure nobody would try and attack them.
Soldiers practically lived in an area that was smaller than two of their own bodies. These
places were often called a dog tent by the soldiers because, “a dog couldn’t even stay dry under
it”. The tents were first given to the soldiers in 1862 and were given to every Union soldier. They
were successful because it could be put up easily by just simply putting each end to a wedge
rifle in the ground. Although all of the Union soldiers were given these, the Confederates didn’t
get them. They were given a different type of tent, one that was called a lean-to. Later on the
Confederates took the “dog tents”, blankets, and canteens from the Union soldiers for more
supplies.
Soldiers and the citizens of the United States lives were changed by many things. The new
14th, and 15th amendments changed the African-Americans lives the most because of the
abolition of slavery and black suffrage. That doesn’t mean people were not racists anymore
because they were, but it does mean that blacks were treated better by the government. There
was no more slavery and they finally had the right to vote. Also, reconstruction started. Since
places had gotten totally destroyed the government decided that they had to fix it and try to fix
other places better too.
10 soldiers ended up dying from the diseases they acquired. They marched daily and sometimes
marched 30 miles every day, so comfortable shoes were an asset. If they weren’t in battle or
weren’t marching they were surely bored. They often read a lot of newspapers, wrote letters to
their loved ones, listened and played music in bands, or played a simple game of horseshoes.
Being a soldier during these times didn’t always mean to be fighting; sometimes they were
assigned to do simple things like gather wood for fires. They also had to do things like grooming
the horses, clear fields for parades and drill practices, and some men had to walk the boundaries
of their camp at all times to make sure nobody would try and attack them.
Soldiers practically lived in an area that was smaller than two of their own bodies. These
places were often called a dog tent by the soldiers because, “a dog couldn’t even stay dry under
it”. The tents were first given to the soldiers in 1862 and were given to every Union soldier. They
were successful because it could be put up easily by just simply putting each end to a wedge
rifle in the ground. Although all of the Union soldiers were given these, the Confederates didn’t
get them. They were given a different type of tent, one that was called a lean-to. Later on the
Confederates took the “dog tents”, blankets, and canteens from the Union soldiers for more
supplies.
Soldiers and the citizens of the United States lives were changed by many things. The new
14th, and 15th amendments changed the African-Americans lives the most because of the
abolition of slavery and black suffrage. That doesn’t mean people were not racists anymore
because they were, but it does mean that blacks were treated better by the government. There
was no more slavery and they finally had the right to vote. Also, reconstruction started. Since
places had gotten totally destroyed the government decided that they had to fix it and try to fix
other places better too.
What was the most common procedure for war wounds during the Civil War? Was the procedure successful? Why or why not?
The most common procedure for war wounds during the war was amputations.
75% of the time doctors would amputate soldier’s legs, arms, and practically
anything that could be amputated when the soldier became injured. Being
amputated wasn’t an overall good thing. The hygiene of camps that the soldiers
lived in during these times was extremely poor. They had many disease epidemics
like mumps, the whooping cough, chicken pox, and the disease that got spread the
most was of course; measles.
Since there weren’t any antibiotics the doctors just gave patients alcohol,
quinine, and coffee; which now-a-days those things are used commonly. But
what isn’t used commonly today and what they used is Chloroform. They would,
whenever they could, put this substance on a towel and cover the war-wounded
soldier to make him unconscious. Since so many soldiers were getting shot and
injured, surgeons have approximately 10 minutes to perform on a single person
then they had to go to another soldier. It was said that they would end up with a 5
foot pile of amputated limbs.
Other things that made camps and procedures unsuccessful were the
horrible weather, especially during the winter. Dirty water and disgusting camps
was another contributor to the death count. The Civil War accounted for more
deaths in a war than all of the previous American wars combined.
75% of the time doctors would amputate soldier’s legs, arms, and practically
anything that could be amputated when the soldier became injured. Being
amputated wasn’t an overall good thing. The hygiene of camps that the soldiers
lived in during these times was extremely poor. They had many disease epidemics
like mumps, the whooping cough, chicken pox, and the disease that got spread the
most was of course; measles.
Since there weren’t any antibiotics the doctors just gave patients alcohol,
quinine, and coffee; which now-a-days those things are used commonly. But
what isn’t used commonly today and what they used is Chloroform. They would,
whenever they could, put this substance on a towel and cover the war-wounded
soldier to make him unconscious. Since so many soldiers were getting shot and
injured, surgeons have approximately 10 minutes to perform on a single person
then they had to go to another soldier. It was said that they would end up with a 5
foot pile of amputated limbs.
Other things that made camps and procedures unsuccessful were the
horrible weather, especially during the winter. Dirty water and disgusting camps
was another contributor to the death count. The Civil War accounted for more
deaths in a war than all of the previous American wars combined.
Work Cited
- Civil War Medicine. Son of the South, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.sonofthesouth.net/
leefoundation/civil-war-medicine.htm>.
- The Life of a Civil War Soldier. Learn NC, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.learnnc.org/lp/
editions/nchist-civilwar/5513>.
- Medicine in the Civil War. RTBot, n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. <http://www.rtbot.net/
Medicine_in_the_American_Civil_War>.