Civil War Pastimes

PASTIMES 1
Civil War Pastimes
Examine the picture below, and list the various activities that the soldiers are engaged in to
pass the time.
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PASTIMES 2
Games in Camp:
Or, What Boredom Can Do to a Soldier
Soldiers participated in all kinds of activities such as boxing, broad jumping, wrestling
matches, foot races, hurdles, mock fighting, marbles, checkers, chess, dominoes, dice, cockfights, and the new game of baseball.
For the VERY bored, there were louse races. That’s right, louse races. At first,
Civil War soldiers were horrified to find that they had lice. But, as there seemed
to be no way to get rid of the vermin for good, soldiers grew used to them – and
could even have fun with them (Hardtack and Coffee, 79-85). Soldiers in both
armies had louse races. In camp at Tupelo, Mississippi, Sam Watkins noted that
there was one fellow who was winning all the money; his lice would run quicker and
crawl faster than anybody’s lice. We could not understand it…the lice were placed in
plates – this was the race course – and the first that crawled off was the winner. At last we found out
[his] trick; he always heated the plate (Co. Aytch, 55).
In his book Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade, John Casler wrote about his time as a prisoner
at Fort McHenry: There was an ant bed in the lower end of the yard, and every day there would be
from five to ten prisoners around that bed, picking off lice and having them and the ants fighting.
They would have a regular pitched battle, and would get up bets on them. Sometimes the ants would
drag the louse off, but often times a big louse would stand them off. It was great sport for the prisoners (Four Years, 282).
The number one activity that most soldiers participated in was playing cards. At that time,
cards did not have numbers on them, just the symbols or suits. In the Confederacy, where
paper was hard to get, soldiers would make their own cards, sometimes decorated with pictures of Jefferson Davis (CWTI Common Soldier, 46). Gambling was so common that many of
the more “moral-minded” soldiers were disgusted.
In the winter, there were activities such as ice skating, sledding, building snowmen, and
snowball battles. These battles were often elaborately organized as officers joined in and led
their men using military formation and tactics. These snowball battles sometimes resulted in
black eyes, bruises, and an occasional broken limb.
Music was almost always welcome, even if the soldiers’ lack of musical skill could butcher
even the most basic songs. We had a violin in prison remembers John Casler and a fifer with his fife, and would have
dances at night (Four Years in the Stonewall Brigade, 282).
Officers of the 114th Pennsylvania
Infantry playing cards in front of tents,
Petersburg, Virginia. Courtesy of the
library of Congress, LC-B817-7145
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PASTIMES 2
✔SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER
Imagine for a moment that you no longer have a television, radio or CD player, computer
game system, or telephone. Imagine that there are no “board games” as we know them.
What would you do for fun? Does this say something about the society we live in?
Compared to Civil War soldiers and civilians, do you think we’re “spoiled”? Why or why
not?
Confederate snowball fight. Illustration from Battles and Leaders III.
Union soldier’s mittens From the collection of
Don Troiani www.historicalartprints.com.
Confederate winter quarters in Centreville, Virginia. Courtesy of the
Library of Congress, LC-B8171-0332
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PASTIMES 3
Free Time – Too Much of a Good
(Or Bad) Thing
Many soldiers were extremely homesick after the newness of their adventure
had worn off. They thought that the war would be fun – but it certainly wasn’t! Disease, blood and battle, difficult work, and just plain boredom took
their toll on the spirits of soldiers – both mature men and boys. After just two
months of war, Captain Harley Wayne from Illinois wrote of the homesickness faced by the young boys in his regiment: I found one crying this morning. I
tried to comfort him but had hard work to keep from joining him (Common Soldier,
42). Another soldier wrote home to say I have saw a rite Smart of the world
Sence I left home But I have not saw any place like Buncomb and Henderson yet (CWTI, Common
Soldier, 12).
Of course, the boys discussed
their sweethearts back home.
Try and decipher how one
Union soldier described his
girl, using the lingo of the
day: My girl is none of your one
horse girls. She is a regular stub
and twister. She is well-educated
and refined, all wildcat and fur,
and Union from the muzzle to
the crupper (Common Soldier,
42).
Union Officer’s playing
cards. From the collection of Don Troiani
http://www.historicalartprints.com
Some soldiers wrote, with
disgust, about the lack of
morals that could run amok
in camp.
Officers in front of their winter quarters in Brandy Station, Virginia. Courtesy of
the Library of Congress, LC-B817-7161
Prostitution was a huge problem. In Washington, D.C., for example, there were 7,000 prostitutes in 1863 (Common
Soldier 41)! Many soldiers complained about swearing, gambling, and other vices. Evidently,
for some soldiers, too much free time was a very bad thing.
Soldiers in front of tent, two
men holding roosters, preparing for cock fight. Courtesy
of the Library of Congress,
LC-USZC4-7962
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PASTIMES 4
Oh, the Joy of Soldiering, Part 2:
Please, Please Mr. Postman! Or, the Art of Letter Writing
Soldiers had a lot of free time while in camp, especially during the winter months. They
spent much of their time writing letters. For many, it was the first time that they had been
outside their small rural communities, so they wanted to write home and tell of their adventurous (or not so adventurous) lives. They wanted to tell their family about how they were
feeling, about their experiences, and about camp life. In the fall of 1861, a civilian who was
visiting a camp noted that 1,000-man regiments were mailing approximately 600 letters a
day (Museum of the Confederacy, 5). They looked forward to letters from home to brighten
the monotony of camp life; letters were read and re-read a thousand times until they were
worn out. A Connecticut private said, The soldier looks upon a letter from home as a perfect God
send—sent as it were, by some kind ministering Angel Spirit, to cheer his dark and weary hours.
Another soldier told his wife that he was almost down with histericks to hear from home, and
when a Minnesota private received a letter from home, he confessed, I can never remember of
having been so glad before. I sat down and cried with joy and thankfullness (Common Soldier, 1819).
Some of the letters were well written, but some were so poorly written in phonetics that
they were hard to understand. Often, there were several men in company who couldn’t spell
their names on the company roster (CWTI, Common Soldier, 15). Many lines from these letters proved humorous. Here are some examples:
Letter from a Union Soldier to his wife:
“I am well at the present with the exception I have got the Dyerear [diarrhea]
and I hope these lines will find you the same.”
What do these words from soldier-written letters refer to?
New Mornion
Horse Pittle
Yaler Ganders
Camp Diary
One man complained to his wife that they had to drink water thick with
mud & wigel tails.
— Civil War Times Illustrated, Common Soldier, 15-16
Answers: Pneumonia, Hospital, Yellow Jaundice, Camp Diarrhea
Letters written by Civil War soldiers, who are long gone, carry fragments of their ideas,
beliefs, and points of view, as well as a glimpse into their time. They are also eyewitness
accounts of many of the events of the Civil War. Think of all that you have learned from the
excerpted letters, diaries, memoirs, and journals of Civil War soldiers in the past few days.
What would studying history be like without these primary sources? Boring?
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PASTIMES 4
✔SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER
Do you ever write “old-fashioned” letters? You know, the things you put in the mail? Do
you keep a journal or diary? How do you think this age of telephones and e-mail will affect
future generations who wish to study our lives?
From reading the letters of Civil War soldiers, we can learn why the soldiers fought. Some
fought to “save the Union,” some fought for states rights. Some fought to free the slaves,
some fought to keep slavery. Some fought for adventure; some fought out of peer pressure,
and some fought because they were ashamed to stay home.
A farmer from the 47th Alabama wrote I confess that I gave you up with reluctence. Yet I love my
country dearly. The war in which we are unfortunately involved has been forced upon us. We have
asked for nothing but to be let alone. I intend to discharge my duty to my country and to my God
(What they Fought For, 11).
A New York farmer wrote My country, glorious country, if we have only made it truly the land of
the free…I count not my life dear unto me if only I can help that glorious cause along (What they
Fought For, 34).
✔SOME THINGS TO CONSIDER
What would you like to share with future generations? Could you describe what it’s like to
attend school in the 21st century? If you think school isn’t all that interesting, just consider
how much school has changed since 1900, or 1800. Think how different your school is
from a 19th century girls’ finishing school, or a frontier one-room schoolhouse. By taking a
few minutes each day to write about your life, your thoughts, and how you feel about
things that are happening in the world, you are providing a wonderful resource for future
generations.
What current events – national, local, or world events – do you feel strongly about? Has
anything large happened lately – changing the way you view the world? Write about it.
Don’t just tell what happened – tell how you feel about it. Can you save your writings for
students in next year’s class?
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