TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Emotions Drew Soldiers Into Civil War

ADVERTISEMENT

By SHARON TATE MOODY

Tribune correspondent

Published: August 10, 2008

I grew up in the rural South where passions ran deep about "the horrible Yankees who invaded our territory and destroyed a way of life." As I got older and studied the Civil War, I realized the reasons the war was fought were more complicated than the emotional tirades I heard as a child.

Many Union soldiers earnestly fought because they wanted to save the union; others fought because they abhorred slavery and wanted to teach Southerners "a lesson."

On the Confederate side some fought because they believed in states' rights; others fought because they knew slavery was key to maintaining a particular way of life for portions of the South.

None of my Georgia ancestors owned slaves. In fact I am a child of several generations of poor dirt farmers. I doubt seriously if they fought in defense of slavery. There is nothing in the collective family memories to indicate they were particularly passionate about state's rights. So why did they fight?

Some enlisted because it was the proper thing to do. Military companies were raised in the communities in which these young men lived and the community expected them to enlist and fight in the effort.

Leading citizens voiced inflammatory pleas for men to enlist. The public responded with excitement to the calls for arms. Bands played. Girls and women stood by waving their kerchiefs to the departing heroes. It was the most exhilarating moment in most men's lives.

Most young men had never been out of their own communities. Perhaps the war would be a good way to see a bit of the country. Friends enlisted together, sure that they would all be back home in a few months, having soundly whipped the other side.

Few knew anything about the military. They had to learn to be soldiers. They had to learn bugle calls, drum beats, the chain of command and the importance of obedience to it, care of equipment, how to pitch a tent and how to use a weapon.

Reveille was at 5 am. Then the soldiers ate breakfast, had sick call, built roads and latrine pits, gathered firewood and water, cared for their equipment, cleaned their weapons and participated in various drills.

In the beginning, joining the army was a social event. They had food, uniforms, no one had shot at them and the disease and suffering had yet to begin.

Eventually all sorts of realities set in: A gun weighed 10 pounds; they had to carry their own powder and lead. Pretty wool uniforms were like heaters in the summer and were heavy when wet. Cold water didn't clean their clothes or kill the vermin that took up residence in them.

Men's letters home eventually were filled with complaints about oppressive heat, stifling humidity, flies, mosquitoes, stinky latrines and garbage pits and muddy drinking water.

One of the biggest complaints the men had was about the food. The concept of company cooks was a complete failure and generally three or four men grouped together to cook their own food.

Foraging became the best source of food. Even then, meat often was in short supply and sometimes eaten raw. Men suffered from diarrhea and dysentery without having a clue to its source.

The cures they used for their ills often were deadly and never very pleasant. For example, whiskey, quinine and red peppers were used to ward off colds. It is easy to understand how more men died from treatments and disease than from battle injuries.

Last week, this column looked at beginning Civil War ancestor research with military service and pension records. Those records will give you only the framework. You will have to add other information to get a picture of what the war was like for your ancestor.

A general education as to the living conditions of both Union and Confederate troops is critical to your research. Two classic books are worth reading: "The Life of Billy Yank" and "The Life of Johnny Reb," both by Bell Irvin Wiley.

I also highly recommend "Soldiers in Blue and Gray" by James I. Robertson Jr. All three books are widely available online, in bookstores and in libraries.

Last week, I also addressed the importance of developing a list of battles in which your ancestor's regiment fought. By studying those individual battles you can develop an appreciation for the specific activity in which your ancestors participated. On the Internet and in any bookstore you will find books and magazines devoted to individual battles or campaigns. Some of the best stores are those at the actual battlefields, run by very knowledgeable United States Park Services employees.

As you read and study those battles and skirmishes, look for specific information about your ancestor's company, regiment or division. That will help you get closer to the specific movements or actions in which your ancestor participated.

In the next column, we will explore ways to find more personal accounts of the battles, living conditions, and thoughts your ancestor likely had.

Plastic Storage Containers

A few weeks ago, I wrote about using plastic storage containers to transport your genealogy materials from a disaster area if you have to evacuate. Laura Carter, Heritage Room librarian at the Athens-Clarke County Library in Georgia, wrote with concern that readers might leave the materials in the containers too long. She suggested that if you have to utilize the storage for a long period of time, "at least take the lids off so they can breathe and get rid of the gasses." Laura is correct that most plastics give off gas chemicals that react with paper and ink and speed deterioration. As I said in the column, plastic bins are great for storing your working papers - but if you have original letters, journals, certificates and other precious keepsakes they should be stored long-term in archival boxes.

Write to Sharon Tate Moody in care of The Tampa Tribune, 200 S. Parker St., Tampa FL 33606; or e-mail stmoody0720 @mac.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT