This is a picture of a general's headquarter. You can see the white tent.
Soldiers in the Civil War did not have it easy. The Union soldiers were payed only $13 a month. They were constantly marching and drilling when not fighting. When they were engaged in battles, over the night they had to camp somewhere. There stayed in plain white tents, and soldiers would drill.



In the camp, there was usually someone who would cook. The soldiers had to eat lots of food that didn't taste good, like moldy bread and dry meat, usually from a cow or chicken they stole. One common food was hardtack: hard, stale bread. Soldiers could play card games, talk, smoke, and do other things in camp, while they had free time. Many soldiers were also sick because of the dirty conditions at the camps. Surgeons and doctors would set up tents, or hospitals, but going to one of those was bad news. The doctors didn't know anything about cleanliness, so you might just get even more sick. Camp life was not that great, but 140 years ago, that was life.




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