The day to day life of a soldier during the American Civil War was both hard and boring. Forced to live on the move, soldiers were allowed to bring very few personal belongings with him when he enlisted. During the winter months, when fighting was at a minimum, soldiers would often build crude shelters out of logs, complete with fireplaces and chimneys. But most of the year, the soldiers lived in tents, which ranged in size from twenty man "Sibleys" to two man pup tents, none of which were comfortable.

The day to day schedule of the average soldier was quite dull, most of any non-battle day was spent either drilling or sitting around awaiting orders. Boredom became so powerful an influence that many soldiers actually looked forward to battles, for they at least offered a break from routine. Still, the slow days far outnumbered those on which battles were fought.

Mealtime was often very much looked forward to by the soldiers, as they helped break up the seemingly constant drilling, and brought the soldiers together to relax. Not that what they ate was really anything to be looked forward to. The staple of the diets of the men of both armies was "army bread", more commonly known as "hardtack". This was a near rock hard bread-like food made of a combination of flour, water, and salt, and baked into 3 by 4 inch squares about a half inch thick. This tasteless breadstuff often came out of it’s packing box infested with maggots or other vermin, and soldiers often beat it against rocks to knock most of the inhabitants. Soldiers then either soaked the bread in water to soften it, or broke it with their rifle buts and fried them in lard. This lard and hardtack mixture created a lumpy, fatty mess that the men called "cush". In addition to hardtack, the men also received crudely dehydrated vegetables and, sometimes, meat rations. These meat rations were often far from fresh, and often took the form of "pickled" pork or beef. Often this meat was spoiled, and was often left uneaten. The drink of choice among soldiers was coffee. Because of the meager food rations allotted to the soldiers, they often raided local farms to fill out their diets. Food poisoning ran rampant, due to the soldiers eating of spoiled food, and the excessive use of grease used in food preparation.

The evenings were the best times for the soldiers, especially in the summer and early fall, when the light stayed late and the weather was warm. The evening was a time to relax and enjoy the company of ones fellow soldiers. Soldiers would often write in the dim light of the fire, either in the form of letters home or in diaries. A great amount of what we know about the life of soldiers is from these very writings. For those who could, reading was also a great time-passer, many soldiers read almost anything they could get their hands on, from bibles and cheap novels to newspapers and political pamphlets. Music was an additional form of entertainment, a great many evenings were spent singing around a campfire. Some of the more popular songs of this time included:"The Battle Cry of Freedom", "Dixie’s Land", "Goober Peas", and "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground". Gambling was also a major pastime in the camps, soldiers would bet their meager pay on almost anything.

The soldiers also played games, including baseball, which was already a widely played game by the time of the war, during their free time. During the quiet evening hours, soldiers would whittle sticks, carve pipes from soapstone, and make repairs on their equipment, but mostly they sat around the fire and told stories and made the type of friendships that last a lifetime.