Common soldiers 83far from loved ones. Few songs enjoyed the
popularity of 'Home, Sweet Home', which
appealed equally to men in both armies. The
sound of hymns such as 'Amazing Grace',
'Rock of Ages', and 'How Firm a Foundation'
also floated above many a Civil War camp.
Food probably ranked first among a
soldier's concerns. A member of the Army of
the Potomac's Iron Brigade explained to his
mother in January 1863 that 'a good soldier
cares more for a good meal than for all the
glory he can put in [a] bushel basket.' Union
soldiers tended to be somewhat better fed
than their Confederate counterparts. Staples
of Union rations included beef or pork
(salted or freshly dressed), coffee and tea,
sugar, and, quite frequently, some type of
vegetables. The northern bread ration was
hardtack, which one veteran accurately
described as 'about the same size as common
soda crackers we buy at home and perhaps a
little thicker and made of two ingredients
only, viz. flour & water without salt,
Saleratus [baking soda], or shortening, &
baked as hard as a hot oven will bake them
so you can imagine what kind of bread it is.'
Confederates received far more pork than
beef, with cornbread as their staple bread.
Men on both sides complained bitterly
about the quality and quantity of their
rations. Foraging and packages of food from
home helped supplement rations, but many
men complained of hunger. Shortages
proved especially vexing to armies on the
march, as commissaries struggled to
transport sufficient foodstuffs. The Army of
Northern Virginia suffered acutely during the
1862 Maryland campaign. 'We are hungry,'
wrote one of Lee's soldiers of his ordeal
north of the Potomac, 'for six days not a
morsel of bread or meat had gone into our
stomachs - and our menu consisted of
apples and corn.'
Disease claimed the lives of two soldiers
for every one killed in combat. Working
before the age of many important
breakthroughs in treatment, physicians
lacked the knowledge and medicines to help
their patients. Measles, mumps, whooping
cough and chicken pox ravaged units in the
early months of the war. Men from isolated
rural backgrounds lacked the immunities of
urban dwellers and suffered most cruelly.
Diarrhea and dysentery ran rampant
throughout the war. Malnutrition, filthy
camps (soldiers often went for weeks without
bathing) and tainted water from streams and
ponds contributed to a woeful medical
picture. So did poorly designed and located
latrines. Many soldiers, avoiding the 'sinks'
because of foul odors and poor drainage,
relieved themselves near sleeping areas -
with results described by a Virginian in 1862:
'On rolling up my bed this morning I found
1 had been lying in - 1 won't say what -
something though that didn't smell like
milk and peaches.'
Wounded soldiers confronted a range of
problems. Often left on the field for hours
(or even days), they were taken to makeshift
hospitals where overworked surgeons sought
to cope with overwhelming numbers of
patients. The vast majority of wounds were
inflicted by shoulder weapons, typically
58-caliber smoothbore or rifle muskets.
Physicians could do almost nothing for men
shot in the torso, concentrating instead on
those struck in the limbs. Most field surgery
consisted of amputations, and many veterans
left graphic descriptions of the grisly results.
Houses, churches, barns and other structures
near large battles were converted into field
hospitals. In early May 1863, wounded
soldiers from the Battle of Chancellorsville
poured into Salem Church. 'The sight inside
the building,' wrote a Georgia soldier, 'for
horror, was, perhaps, never equalled within
so limited a space, every available foot of
space was crowded with wounded and
bleeding soldiers. The floors, the benches,
even the chancel and pulpit were all packed
almost to suffocation with them. The
amputated limbs were piled up in every
corner almost as high as a man could reach;
blood flowed in streams along aisles and out
at the doors.'
Soldiers confronted their ultimate trial on
the battlefield. Reared with heroic images of
combat as depicted in woodcuts and
paintings, they were ill prepared for the