Civil War Essay:

In order to understand the Civil War I would say that it was a tragic event that affected many people. There was a need for equality and before the Civil War everyone was not equal. It was a separation between different races, but in order to win the war different races had to work together because if they did not everyone would not be cooperating and there would not be any order. There were many events that lead up to the Civil War and one of the first was the Bull Run. There were many events that lead to the Civil War which all connected and finally came a conclusion to the war.

In The Battle of the Bull Run the north was defeated by the south and they learned they needed a stronger army and stronger weapons. Next was the Anaconda Plan, which was a plan that Abraham Lincoln prepared in hopes to surround the south and squeeze it to death like an anaconda snake. The Antietam battle was then later in action and it was known to be one of the bloodiest one day war in American History because more than 20,000 soldiers were killed or wounded in battle. The Emancipation Proclamation was in affect by 1863 where Lincoln created a proclamation freeing all slaves in the rebellious states. Then came the Battle of Gettysburg, which lead to the Gettysburg Address. The Gettysburg Address was a cemetery for the soldiers who died in the Battle of Gettysburg. The war was to enforce equality and to prove that all men were created equality. Sherman’s March to the Sea involved troops destroying everything they found of value in the cities of Savannah, Georgia, and Carolinas. This lead to total war and Grant then later captured the capital by surrounding Lee and he was forced to surrender. After Lee surrender Grant allowed the Confederate officers to keep their weapons, troops whom clamed their own horse could keep it, and they were allowed to return back to their homes. This was the end to the war. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)


Due to the separation of different races a problem accrued, which lead to the problem with equality and then the Civil War took place. The soldiers who fought in the war put a side their differences and worked together in order to win the war. The soldiers showed that if you put a side your differences you are able to work together and accomplish something. Even though they had to learn to work together that was not their only hardship. They faced many obstacles and they fought for a good cause.

During the Civil War soldiers were not able to see their loved one so they had to find a way to keep in contact. One of the ways they kept in contact was with their loved ones were through letters. Soldiers wrote letters that talked about anything that was on their mind. They wrote letters that talked about battles, politics, slavery, food, camp life, the weather, their leaders, their brothers in arms, the places that they visited, their health, and the things that they missed. This was their way of staying in contact and involved in other things that happened outside the war. They wrote letters to let their loved ones know how they were doing and they also wanted to let them know what was going on in the war. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)

One example of the letters that soldiers wrote is a letter written by George Tillotson and he wrote it for his wife Elizabeth. This letter was written on June 2nd 1862. This letter included information about what life was like during the war and what they did during the war. In the letter there was a line that said ‘’our living is very simple’’, which shows that they talked about their life in the war. Another example of a letter that was written by a soldier in the war was a letter written by John P. Nugent and it was written for his mother on November 18, 1862. This letter was written by hand and it included information about his trip to Kentucky and how his shoes gave out and how he had to walk five hundred miles bare foot. The letter also included information about his health. The letter said ‘’I am not in very good health, I have had diarrhea for more than two months’’. This is another example of how the soldiers wrote to their loved ones about camp life.

The Civil War was brutal and around 3 million men who fought in the Civil War and a third of them died or they were wound in battle. The problem was that cause this was the new weapons, which made the battles more deadly. One of the new weapons was called the rifled musket, which allowed had a spinning bullet that traveled faster, farther, and to cause more damage. They also improved cannons so that they could have an explosive shell. The new weapons were able to take down a line of troops at one time and the troops were not spread out and they would travel in large groups so it was easier for them to be targeted. The weapons were even able to take down a large number of soldiers at a great distance. These new weapons made it hard for the soldier to survive on the battlefield and they increased the chances of dying on the battlefield because they were so deadly. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)


In 1860 there was not much medical knowledge. Doctors were unable to treat many diseases. They did not understand the cause of an infection and the need of surgery. Many soldiers who were wounded died on the battlefield because of the little knowledge that the doctors had on their injury. There were some battle field surgeons, but they worked with their clothes cover in blood because they did not know the proper way to clean their hands or surgical tool. The Battlefield surgeons would wipe their hands and surgical tools on their jackets or they would dip them in dirty water between operations. A common surgical tool that was used was the bone saw. The musket ball shattered bones and the doctor had no other way, but to remove the whole limbs. Most of the time they had to do surgeries without anesthesia and there would be piles of arms, legs, and feet were stacked up outside the medical tents. Soldiers often washed in the same water that was used for drinking and that one of the causes for the spread of diseases. Many soldiers who died of diseases were from unsanitary conditions in camp. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)

The soldier did not just live their lives receiving different honors or fighting in wars. The soldiers often had a lot of time on their hands. They spent their spear time reading, writing letters to their loved ones, playing cards, and swimming. In the picture from the Gilder Collection there were soldiers at their camp site just relaxing. This picture showed that soldiers played card on their spare time in between battles. They liked to read newspapers from their home so that they could say informed on what was happening. Soldiers performed magic shows, skits, and they played with their camp mates. Soldiers also enjoyed hunting, fishing, and for sports they like to wrestle and they like baseball. The soldiers also enjoyed music because it raised their spirits before battle and an example of one of the songs they would sing was called ‘’The Battle Cry of Freedom’’. They preferred traditional folk songs and sentimental ballads. The soldiers made songs about their hardships during the war and they sang song about camp life. A song called ‘’Weeping Sad Lonely’’ was a song that they would listen to when they were feel home sick. So music helps the soldiers to express what they were feeling and music also help them to feel better when they were home sick. (Information from American Studies Text Book: History Alive!)

In 1863 black men were allow to join the union army. This was formed by Frederich Douglas and other abolitionists. The Black Soldiers Join Union Army poster shows what was happening and how the blacks were given an opportunity to serve as a troop in the union army. In a picture from the library of Congress Prints and Photos Graphs Division shows black soldiers lined up. I think that this picture might have been taken after they decided to recruit black soldiers into the army or when the black soldiers were congratulated for helping them win the war.

To sum it up, soldier’s life was not all about fighting in wars. They enjoyed playing cards and just relaxing at the camp site. They faced many difficulties like when a soldier John P. Nugent shoes gave out and he had to walk bare foot. The soldier medical care was bad and many soldier died from medical problems and they did not have clear water because they had to wash in their drink water. Since the soldier could not see their loved ones they wrote letters about what they missed, how camp life was, what war was like, and their health. The soldiers did not have it easy but they still fought to protect our rights.