What Life Was Like During The Civil War
A Nation Divided
Although many countries around the world have endured internal strife, the American Civil War of 1861-1865 holds an important place in Western cultural imagination. For both the soldiers who fought and the civilians who watched, the Civil War was a time of great unrest and unease.
The Beginnings Of The Conflict
Primarily a fight over the right to own slaves, the beginnings of the Civil War can be traced to the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln and the subsequent secession of seven Southern states. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery. His opponents “left” the United States and formed the Confederacy.
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The First Shot
The war proper began in April 1861, when the Confederacy launched a bombardment on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The clash spurred patriotism across both the North and the South, and thousands of men enlisted in the Union and Confederate armies.
From Farm To Frontline
The majority of troopers in both armies were not professionals. Many came from civilian lives–as farmers, teachers, or carpenters, for example. As many as 3 million men left their previous lives behind and joined fellow enlistees in the Army camps.
Life In The Camps
Wars, as they say, are not fought by leaders or generals, but by soldiers. The (predominantly) young men who signed up to fight on either side of the conflict endured horrific battles, rampant disease, and utter boredom while fighting for what they thought was right.
