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• 1 2018-12-10T21:06:42+00:00 Daily Life in the 12th New Jersey 22 Page 3 plain 2018-12-15T21:43:33+00:00  

              Life for the common soldier in the Civil War was anything but eventful. Sixty percent of their time in service is spent marching from battle to battle, sometimes driving soldiers far away from home. Thirty-five percent of their time is spent in camp doing various activities to occupy their free time. Only about five percent of their time is spent in an active engagement, which forces soldiers to find a way to entertain themselves while not in battle.

              While settled in the campground, soldiers had various activities to keep them busy. Typically, soldiers would spend their time writing letters home to their loved ones, since the geographic separation can be a lot to bear for soldiers and their families too. Soldiers would also be found playing cards or handheld games such as Jacks. A popular ball game that was played on campsites was baseball, first invented in 1839 by a well known Union general in the Civil War, Abner Doubleday. Another common practice for soldiers was to listen to the band play various songs such as “Dixie Land.”  

              Although soldiers were entertained on campsites, it was not a pleasant experience. Campsites were plagued with disease and were often times unbearable. There were poor food rations given to the soldiers that were nowhere near satisfactory and soldiers were often drained of energy due to the lack of food. The number one leading cause of death to soldiers in the Civil War was disease and infection due to poorly cleaned battle wounds and the lack of medical knowledge at the time.

              When the army is on the move, the soldiers are expected to march in even rows and columns behind their ranking officers. Often times the soldiers were told to be silent or chant out their steps as follows; “Left…, Left…, Left, Right, Left.” The band members would play the bugle and pound the drums until they are too tired to do it anymore. Flag bearers were positioned in front of their regiments carrying their regimental colors. Inclement weather would not stop the army from moving, and soldiers would find themselves walking through mud, some even without shoes.

              Battles in the Civil War were fought much like that of the Revolutionary War, where soldiers would march side by side and fire at enemies across the field. One of the newest strategies used in the Civil War was guerrilla warfare, where soldiers would fight in wooded areas in no specific formation, which was common in some battles. The 12th New Jersey enlisted a total of 950 volunteers at the beginning of the war, but only returned 330 that were still “fit for duty.” Their regiment suffered the second most casualties out of all other New Jersey regiments over the course of the war, with many making the ultimate sacrifice.