Daily Life
Confederate camp outside Nashville, TN. Winter 1864
The life of a Confederate soldier during the Civil War was frequently plagued with hardship. Many soldiers entered the war with an idealized image of soldier’s life and battle would be. They romanticized to the point reality was far removed from the rose-colored images engrained in their minds. Camp life for the Southern soldier was tough, adequate hygiene was nonexistent, full bellies of food was a rarity, and disease was rampant.[1]
“We bivouac on the cold and hard-frozen ground, and when we walk about, the echo of our footsteps sound like the echo of a tombstone. The earth is crusted with snow, and the wind from the northwest is piercing our bones. We can see our ragged soldiers, with the sunken cheeks and famine-glistened eyes.”
- Sam Watkins, Co. H., First Tennessee Regiment, December, 1864[3]
[1] “Soldiers’ Lives During the Civil War”. Library of Congress, Middle Tennessee State University. Accessed
5 November 2015.
[2] “Winter Encampments: The Long and Frozen Road”. Civil War Trust. Accessed 2 December 2015.
[3] “Winter Encampments: The Long and Frozen Road”. Civil War Trust. Accessed 2 December 2015.
http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/warfare-and-logistics/warfare/winter/nashville-confed-camp-729.jpg