LIFE DURING THE CIVIL WAR

Soldiers and Civilians

How did the war affect people and politics of the Civil War?

The Sullivan Ballou Letter

Why did Sullivan go to war?

What did he have to give up in order to fight?

What possible horrors might soldiers have to face during the Civil War?

The Life of a Soldier

Soldiers spent ¾ of their time in the camp 10 hours a day training When not training stood guard, wrote

home, gathered firewood, or took part in other leisure activities

Food was scarce: meals were often hardtack a dry cracker-like product

Desertion a huge problem: 300,000 to 550,000 deserted during war 1/3 to ½ a unit often missing Draft laws had to be established

(required military service) Became called “poor man’s fight”

because rich could avoid draft

Buy Your Way Out of Military Service

Buy Your Way Out of Military Service

Prisoners of War

10% of soldiers killed during war died in prison camps

Worst were Elmira, New York and Andersonville, Georgia

Often held double their capacity with lacking food supplies

100 prisoners per day died of starvation, disease, or exposure

Union Prison Campat Andersonville, GAUnion Prison Camp

at Andersonville, GA

Distributing “Rations”Distributing “Rations”

Union “Survivors”Union “Survivors”

Divisions in the North and South In South, North Carolina and

Georgia opposed the war most Northern Democrats opposed

to the war called “Copperheads” Found mostly in (Ohio, Illinois,

Indiana) Protested war and helped

prisoners of war escape Both Lincoln and Davis had to

suspend Habeas Corpus

Economic Strains

In North Union started income

tax (tax on money people receive)

Started printing paper money-led to inflation (80%)

In South Because of Union

blockade, even hirer inflation in South

Food production fell because Union destroyed crops and fields

Women

Took over family farms or worked in factories

Opened up barriers to women, especially in field of nursing

Elizabeth Blackwell became 1st female physician

Clara Barton became nurse on battlefield (known as angel of the battlefield)

How was life made difficult by the war for …

Soldiers? Civilians?

Andersonville: The Movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLpFFaR-uPY