Conditions at Camp

The soldiers were lucky to have somewhere to sleep. When they did, there were three men to a bunk and 48 men to a 24x30 barrack. They also didn't shower much. Diseases went around quickly and killed many people because of the close quarters. Other causes of death included sunstroke, exhaustion, and lack of food and water. Water was so scarce that soldiers would resort to filling their canteens with dirty water.

Food was limited during most of the war and the soldiers were happy to get anything. Everyone in the camp shared any food that was avaliable. Food was so scarce at time, that a can of peaches could be considered a good dinner.

Meals were varied, but could include:

potatoes	hard bread
meat	coffee
crackers	pork
sugar	salted meat

Reveille was played at sunup and sundown, no matter what the conditions. When the regiments were camped, every soldier was required to stand guard at least once a week to watch for the enemy. They would watch for two hours and be off for another four hours while someone else filled their position.