The American Civil War - This Mighty Scourge of War

Common soldiers 151

More pathetic than the soldiers in
hospitals suffering from disease were the
soldiers who suffered on the battlefield.
Before the fight soldiers wrestled with fear,
often pinning their name and unit on their
shirts. Even the most seasoned veteran was
routinely shocked by the grisly aftermath.
The Battle of Shiloh baptized the soldiers
and the country in the vast number of ways
men could be killed. Before the battle, one
Tennessean penned in his diary, 'I shall
never forget how I felt that day ... knowing
that with the early tomorrow many of us
most likely would pass away.' In many
respects, experiencing combat cured the
anxious soldier's desire to 'see the elephant,'
as fighting in battle was commonly known.
The end of a battle often brought exhaustion
and the realization that the soldier's unit had
suffered tremendous losses.

Because regimental surgeons had to perform frequent

amputations of arms and legs, a kit specifically designed

for amputations such as the one in this picture was

standard issue for military doctors (Painting by Don

Troiani, http://www.historicalariprints.com)

The common soldiers who fought the war

were the unsung heroes of camp and

combat. Americans who were otherwise

ordinary became heroes in many ways,

simply because they endured the ordeal and

penned something of their experience. The

war became central to their peacetime lives

and to the lives of their children and

grandchildren. 'What an experience the last

few years have been!' wrote a Wisconsin

soldier, 'I would not take any amount of

money & have the events which have

transpired in that length of time blotted out

from my memory.'