Soldier Life
From Camp to the Battlefield
The experiences of soldiers in the wars that defined America demonstrate the sacrifices made for a new birth of freedom.
Explore Soldier Life
Soldier Gear
Haversacks, canteens, ammunition, knapsacks, caps, coats, shirts, wool pants, shoes and of course, a musket. Civil War soldiers on both the Union and...
What Hath We Here?
Initially you might wonder how “The Bard of Avon” — William Shakespeare (ca. 1564-1616) — possibly has a place in Civil War history. But once you...
Battle of the Bands
From Revolution to Civil War, music has provided an outlet for American soldiers in camp and propelled them forward in battle. Lyrics were often...
“Foraging...Seeking After Food”
Civil War soldiers of both sides often went foraging—authorized or unauthorized. In his post-war, descriptive book Hardtack and Coffee, John D...
Troupe Movements
Theater has long thrived in the land we know as the United States, as the trials and tribulations presented in different works often have timeless...
Diary Entries from Cold Harbor to Petersburg
Excerpts from the Civil War diary of Sergeant Major Orland P. Benson from the 92nd New York Infantry, focusing on Cold Harbor and Petersburg.
More About Soldier Life
- Winter Encampments: The Long and Frozen Road »
- Pastimes of the 1860’s »
- Military Pay during the Civil War »
- Andersonville Prison »
- Who Fought? »
- The People of the Civil War Era »
- Combat Strategy in the Revolutionary War »
- Female Soldiers in the Civil War »
- Religion in the Civil War »
- Infantry Tactics During the Civil War »
- Warfare & Logistics »
- Battlefield Death in the Civil War »
- The Fighting Man of the Continental Army »
- African Americans and the War for Independence »
- Washington Inoculates an Army »
- Medicine »
- Prisoners During the Civil War »
- Senses of the Civil War: Taste »
- Senses of the Civil War: Sight »
- Senses of the Civil War: Sound »
- Senses of the Civil War: Touch »
- Senses of the Civil War: Smell »
- Black Soldiers in the Civil War »
- Battling Monotony »
- Take Me Out to the Vintage Ball Game! »
- Troupe Movements »
- Battle of the Bands »
