THE MEN

"THERE'S MANY A BOY HERE TODAY WHO LOOKS ON WAR AS ALL GLORY, BUT, BOYS, IT IS ALL HELL."

From left to right: Pvt. George A. Stryker of NY, Pvt. John W. Branch of the 12th Tennessee (CSA), and Pvt. Phillip Carper of the 35th Virginia.	THE COMMON SOLDIER The average Civil War soldier was a farm boy between 18 and 30 years of age. Some volunteered; others were drafted. Generally speaking, he had little formal education and his military training was superficial, compared to today's military service. Army life differed significantly in the 1860s from the modern army of today. There was no boot camp, and often a soldier entered into service on a handshake.
Northerners and Southerners who took up arms were more alike than not. Half of the Union and two-thirds of Confederate enlistees were farmers by profession. Any number of reasons prompted them to join: intense patriotism, determination to fight for what he believed was right, enlistment bounties or simply a love of adventure, glory or excitement.	"Three unidentified Union artillerymen"
"Young boys known as "Powder Monkeys" served on almost every warship in the Civil War. This little sailor stands on the deck of the USS New Hampshire."	Of the 2.3 million men enlisted in the Union Army, 70 per cent were under 23 years of age. Approximately 100,000 were 16 and an equal number 15. Three hundred were 13or less, and records show that there were 25 no older than 10 years.
"The average infantry regiment of 10 companies consisted of 30 line officers and 1300 men. However, by the time a new regiment reached the battlefield, it would often have less than 800 men available for combat duty. Sickness and details as cooks, teamsters, servants, and clerks accounted for the greatly reduced numbers. Actually, in many of the large battles the regimental fighting strength averaged no more than 480 men."	"None too military in appearance, such ragged squads of men and boys developed into an army that marched an average of 16 miles a day."

ULYSSES S. GRANT	ROBERT E. LEE	J.E.B. STUART	THE PRESIDENTS	GEN. BARLOW SITE
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"When two or more Yanks or Rebs gathered together, a deck of cards often made its appearance. Fearful of an angry God, soldiers usually discarded such instruments of sin before entering battle."	In 1864, the basic daily ration for a Union soldier was 20 oz. beef, 18 oz. flour,, 2.56 oz. dry beans, 1.6 oz. coffee, 2.4 oz. sugar, .64 oz salt, and smaller amounts of pepper, yeast powder, soap, candles and vinegar. While campaigning, soldiers seldom obtained their full rations and many had to forage for subsistence.
In 1863, for the army of Northern Virginia, the rations for every 100 Confederate soldiers for 30 days consisted of 1/4 lb. bacon, 18 oz. flour, 10 lb. rice and a small amount of peas and dried fruit -- when they could be obtained.	"Soldiers turned to a variety of activities to break the long days and weeks of monotonous camp life. Even officers were not immune to the horseplay."
"Smartly dressed amphibious soldiers. Some of the 3,000 US Marines of the Civil War made landings on the Southern coasts, but the majority served as gun crews aboard ship."	Guard Detail Of 107th U.S. colored infantry at the Fort Corcoran near Washington. The regiment saw action late in the war in the capture of Fort Fisher and in the Carolinas.
"On the silent battlefield at Gettysburg, veterans of Lee's Army of Northern Virginia who survived the baptism by fire await their fate as prisoners of war."	"The last reunion of the Blue and the Gray at Gettysburg. The victories and the defeats...they have become a common property and a common responsibility of the American people."