On the Homefront

During the Civil War, life on the Lake County homefront was almost as exciting as the soldiers' lives. Women, children, and anyone else who was not at war had to rearrange their entire way of life now that most of the men were away. After Lincoln paid a short visit to Painesville and gave his proclamation of war there was a great deal going on in Northeastern Ohio. There were many new organizations formed, many of them providing soldiers' aid. The economy underwent many changes, and suffered at times. There was a lot of correspondence between soldiers and their friends and family, many letters back and forth. New songs and anthems sprouted from the Civil War times, and people attended patriotic concerts whenever they could. Also, when they soldiers began to return home it took years to return to a normal life. Life on the homefront underwent many changes, and was a very interesting time.