Joining the War
When the Civil War first erupted, many men rushed to join the army. Most of them were looking for excitement, trying to show they were brave, or joining to show their patriotism towards their cause. Many of the men who joined were in their twenties, with 2 out of the 3 million soldiers being 21 or younger. Less than 10% of the soldiers who joined were of 30 years or older.
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African American SoldiersOut of the 3 million soldiers who fought in the Civil War, 180,000 of them were African Americans. At first, neither side of the war allowed African Americans to fight in the war. The south was afraid to give slaves weapons, as they might rebel. The north did not want Africans Americans to join the army, because they were afraid of how the white soldiers might react. Although, many soldiers fled the army, and both the north and south decided that letting African American join the army would be beneficial to their cause.
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Life in the CampsLife in the camps was very unpleasant for the soldiers. After countless feet and hooves treading over the ground, grass became scarce, and the ground was entirely mud. Also, sanitation was not a top priority, and as a result disease and lice spread quickly. More men were killed in the Civil War due to disease then in battle. Although parts of the camps were disgusting and dangerous, the soldiers did have some pleasant times. Soldiers often told stories, played baseball games, and wrote letters to their families.
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CasualtiesThe Civil War was America's bloodiest battle. Over the course of the war, over 2% of the population (about 620,000 men) were killed. After the battle of Shiloh, there were thousands of wounded men waiting on the battlefield for people to rescue them for 24 hours. Because of the fear of this happening to them, many soldiers fled the army, leaving each side with even less soldiers. As a result, each side had to hold drafts in order to get the amount of infantry they needed.
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