Alvarado Star (Alvarado, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 19, 2011 Page: 8 of 14
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8 ★ Alvarado Star
www.alvaradostar.net
Thursday, May 19, 2011
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By Jason Navarro, Educator, Wheaton High School, Wheaton, Mo.
^■■■4 he events of the Civil War
I created heroes and villains
A while elevating some to leg-
endary status. For every Grant and
Lee, however, there were thousands
of men whose names have been for-
gotten. It was these common soldiers
who fought, the battles of America’s
deadliest war.
The common Civil War soldiers
shared many similarities, regard-
less of whether they fought for the
Union or the Confederacy. The
pre-war army of the United States
was only a few thousand strong, so
the new recruits of the Union and
Confederate armies had little con-
cept of military discipline. Their lack
of experience was evident in early
battles when both armies were disor-
ganized and inefficient.
The first waves of soldiers were
volunteers who answered the call for
patriotism sweeping through the
North and the South, There were
other reasons to join the war as well.
Northerners fought to preserve the
Union while Southerners fought to
defend their homes and way of life.
Men from all regions felt an obli-
gation to their country and feared
shame il they stayed home. Some
came for the pay, which averaged $TT
to $l6 a month. Abolitionists fought
to end slavery.
Even with all of these reasons to
fight, the number of volunteers was
inadequate and both armies began
to practice conscription — forced
service. The draft laws of the Union
and the Confederacy favored the
rich. Several classes of Southerners,
including those who owned more
than 20 slaves, were exempt, and
Northerners could hire a substitute
for $300.
Most soldiers served in the infan-
try, the foot soldiers of the army.
They were divided into regiments of
around 1,000 men named lor their
home state, and further divided into
companies of around 100 men. A
company tended to include men
from the same location who knew
each other. The common bonds of
war strengthened their relation-
ships. Many men who had tired of
the war refused to desert simply
because they felt a strong obligation
to the men with whom they served.
Other soldiers served in cavalry
units which were used (or scouting
enemy positions and troop numbers,
or artillery units which dealt with
heavy cannons and usually had lower
casualty rates.
Hardtack is a hard
biscuit that was often
used for army rations
during the Civil War.
It was easy to carry
when on the march,
but its lack of
flavor and hard
texture was not
popular with the troops.
Both the Union and Confederacy
made it in large quantities because it was cheap and
1854
The Kansas-Nebraska
Act leads to the
“Bleeding Kansas" bor-
der war and the forma-
tion of the Republican
Party.
1859
John Brown’s raid on
Harpers Ferry increases
tensions between the
North and the South.
easy to produce. Et can be cooked from simple house-
1860
hold Ingredients. Try the website below for recipes for
hardtack and johnnie cake, another food enjoyed by
Confederate soldiers.
Abraham Lincoln is
elected President. South
Carolina secedes from
the Union.
www.nps.gov/archive/gett/gettkidz/hardtack.htm
Both sides used similar equip-
ment. Soldiers wore wool uniforms,
blue for the North and gray for the
South. The long weeks on the march
didn’t allow much time for cleanli-
ness and soap was in short supply.
Therefore, uniforms quickly became
caked with dirt and sweat. The men
also had to carry large amounts of
equipment. Haversacks were used for
rations such as meat, coffee, bread
and hardtack. Canteens, blankets
and tents added to the load, with
Union soldiers usually better sup-
plied than their Confederate coun-
terparts. Each soldier had to carry
and care lor his rifled musket which
weighed 8 to 9 pounds — more when
the bayonet was attached. Knapsacks
were used for personal items and
ammunition, with Bibles, pens,
paper, ink, and photos commonly
carried. Supplies for writing to loved
ones were essential as receiving mail
from home was the highlight for
many soldiers.
Camp life was hard for Civil
War troops. Besides the boredom
between battles, disease was a con-
stant threat. With no understand-
ing of how germs spread, soldiers
were vulnerable to outbreaks of
typhoid, malaria, dysentery,
smallpox, tuberculosis and other
diseases.
Medical care was primitive by
today’s standards. If a soldier was
wounded in battle, amputation was
common. Those who rejected it were
more likely to die of infection; in
fact, more troops died of disease
than from battle wounds during the
war.
An estimated 3,000,000 soldiers
served in the Civil War. More than
620,000 died. The experiences of
these soldiers reveal a greaL con-
tradiction. In a war fought for dif-
ferences, the lives of these soldiers
demonstrate how much they had
m common.
■H 'jj ; f"l
's H
LEARN MORE!
jt. Companion activities for this series
can be found at
www.mo-nie.com
using code:
ewteach
1861
The Confederate States
of America is formed.
Fort Sumter is captured
and the Civil War begins,
1862
Missouri is successfully
defended by the Union
at Pea Ridge, Ark. Union
victory at Antietam
leads Lincoln to issue
the Emancipation
Proclamation.
1863
Victories at Gettysburg
and Vicksburg turn the
war in favor of the Union.
1865
Lee surrenders at
Appomattox. Lincoln is
assassinated at Ford’s
Theater,
1867
Radical Reconstruction
begins in the South.
1877
The Compromise
of 1877 ends
Reconstruction. Without
military support,
Reconstruction govern-
ments collapse in the
South.
This Newspaper
In Education series
was created by The
Joplin Globe in
partnership with the
U.S. Department of
Education Teaching
American History
Project, the East
Newton R-6 School
District, the Southwest
Center for Educational
Excellence and the
Missouri Southern State
University Social Sciences
Department. Missouri
Press Foundation thanks
The Joplin Globe and its
partners for sharing the
series with community
newspapers.
■^EDUCATION
Students team up
for College Day
Students from Alvarado
High School visited Alvarado
Elementary North on Friday
to talk to students about col-
lege.
Colleges represented were
Dallas Baptist University,
Midwestern State University,
Tarleton State University and
the University of Texas.
Classes visited with the
high school students during
the specials time and learned
facts about the colleges,
chants and cheers for the
schools, and the high school
students talked about why
they are excited about head-
ing to their particular school
in the fall.
“This has become an an-
nual event at Alvarado El-
ementary North,” principal
Lori Nunez said. “The prima-
ry goal for this event was to
develop knowledge of higher
education and career oppor-
tunities.”
At right, AHS senior Austin Williams demonstrates a "hook
'em" sign as he talks to Alvarado Elementary North students
about the University of Texas at Austin. Above, third-grader
Matthew Perkins listens as Courtney Osburn and other Alvara-
do High School students talk about Tarleton State University.
PHOTOS BY TOMMY BROWN/ALVARADO STAR
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Parker, Kristi. Alvarado Star (Alvarado, Tex.), Vol. 15, No. 36, Ed. 1 Thursday, May 19, 2011, newspaper, May 19, 2011; Burleson, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth851526/m1/8/: accessed July 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Burleson Public Library.