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Hello my name is Jake Preston and I am a northern soldier for the Union army. Life is not easy being a soldier, and life is lonely without my family. Conditions here are not easy, but I am determined to fight for the north. We have lost a lot of men, and some days are tough without our friends. Below I am going to discuss the life of a northern soldier…Who is the Northern Soldier? Before becoming soldiers many of the men were farmers, and they had a difficult time obeying orders, and being disciplined was a tough concept to understand.Duties of the soldier: As a soldier we had many duties such as: making sure metal fittings were polished, horses were groomed and watered, fields were cleared for parades and drills, and guard duty.Guard duty- Long hours were spent (rain or shine) (day and night) This was exhausting, but watching the area for a possible enemy on the attack was necessary to protect our base.Attire (Clothing): *** Our attire was very important and necessary for the Union soldiers to look as a team. Below you will find the clothing that the Union soldiers wore. 1)Wool uniform with a wool coat and an inside pocket with four brass buttons on the front 2) Forage Caps- A wool, rounded flat top hat. It had their corps badge sewn on which was of a small flannel cloth that was red, white, or blue. Also on the cap was a brass number that showed what group or regiment the soldier belonged to. 3) Army shoes or bootees- Blackened leather with heavy leather soles. Tall leather boots were worn by some soldiers, but they were hard to come by, and were expensive also.As a Northern soldier our uniforms were made of a better quality, than the Southern soldiers. Our uniforms were better because our mills in the north could manufacture wool cloth. The Northern soldiers blouse and trousers were blue in color. During the 2nd year of the war the Union soldiers all wore the same uniforms and carried the same equipment.Equipment: *** We had to carry so much heavy equipment, but it was necessary for our safety and for our survival 1)canteen- It was made better than the Confederate canteens. It is made with tin and pewter, and covered with wool and cotton to keep the water cool. 2) knapsack – It was made of heavy canvas that was painted black to keep water out. It was called a “soldier’s “trunk” and was filled with socks, paper, stamps, envelopes, ink and pen, toothbrush. 3)The northern soldier carried more items, because they had more items than the Southern soldiers. 4) Infantryman wore a belt set with a cartridge box, sling, and cap box. On the belt there was a large brass buckle with the U.S. on front. The box held 40 cartridges, a paper tube filled with a minie ball and black powder. The cartridge box was the safest way to carry the explosive cartridges. 5) Soldiers were given from 60-80 rounds of ammunition while they were on campaign. 6) Cap box- small leather pouch worn on the front of the belt. It was used to store the percussion caps which needed to be handled with care and were highly explosive. 7) Soldiers would also carry a boiler for their coffee, knife, fork, spoon, and a small frying pan. Most northern soldiers believed strongly in the Federal government.Most northern states required a man to be 18 years old or older, but some teenagers lied about their age and got into the ranks anyway.About our lives? Months spent away from home and loved ones and it was very difficultLife was not easy because: We have spent long hours on drills, at times we had poor food or shelter, and days were spent marching during hot climates or heavy rainstorms. Sometimes the soldiers and I were bored at campsites, but often faced such fear on the battlefield.Soldier’s Home- Our home consisted of a rectangular piece of canvas buttoned to form a two man tent (sometimes known as a dog tent)Daily routine: 1) Reveille (trumpet) was sounded to begin the day at 5 A.M. followed by an assembly for morning roll call and breakfast call. It was so hard to wake up that early!2)The soldiers did marching and fighting drills (for about an hour) 3) next was the regimental level drills and parades- where the soldiers learned procedures such as the “Manual of Arms” which is learning to load the rifle musketFree time-*** When we had free time it was great and we spent our time doing many activities to keep our minds busy and to relax. 1) We wrote letters home to loved ones (only way to communicate with their family and let them know how they were doing) 2) We were so excited when we received mail at our camps! 3) Spent time at the sutler’s store (which had high prices) where items such as: pocketknives, toiletries, and canned fruit could be bought. The store was nice, but it was overpriced and many soldiers would not buy anything there unless completely necessary Other activities were: 4) Card games 5) reading 6) pitching horseshoes 7) Team sports (baseball) A private’s salary was $13 per month (some owed money to the sutler; and that is where most of their pay went)Soldiers often kept pets with them such as: dogs, cats, squirrels, and raccoons.Food: Was meant to last for 3 days(while traveling) and consisted of meat and bread. Others foods were rice, beans, peas, and potatoes. Baked beans were a northern favorite and coffee the soldiers also enjoyed.Soldiers loved to sing, and some popular songs for the Northern soldiers were: “The Battle Cry of Freedom”, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, and “Tenting on the Old Campground”.Sickness and disease were common during the battles. Sanitation in the camps was poor.Interesting facts 2.9 million men served on the Union army630,000 soldiers died (360,000 died in action or from disease)Their uniforms were chosen by the orders from the War Department; after the 1861 Battle of Bull Run. Many soldiers had trouble figuring out who was on what side, because during that battle many Union soldiers fought in gray uniforms given to them by their home states; while many of the southerners wore blue.The materials that the soldier carried weighed between 45 and 50 pounds. Nicknamed “Yankee” or “Yanks” by the Southern soldiers(Confederate)Battles ***Battles were a huge part of a soldier’s life and they were not easy, and we often lost men. Below you will find some of the major battles that were fought, and a list of the ones that the North won. Battle of Antietam (September 1862)- This battle was the bloodiest of the war and 2,108 of our soldiers were killed and 9,549 were wounded. Confederate forces under General Lee were caught by General McClennan near Maryland. Lincoln had the opportunity to announce his Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation. of Vicksburg (May 18- July 4, 1863)- Major General Ulysses S. Grant and tricked a Confederate army. This was one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. The Confederate army was split in half, and the Union had received a victory. Grant’s success boosted his reputation and he became General-in- Chief of the Union armies. Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863)- This was one of the battles where we lost the most men. For both armies 51,000 soldiers were killed. This was a turning point for many of the organizations of state volunteers for both armies. The 2nd New Hampshire Infantry were destroyed at Gettsyburg, and they were never able to recover from this. General Robert E. Lee (from the Confederate) was against Major George G. Meade’s Army of the Potomac (from the Union) . The Union won the battle.The Cemetary after the Battle the Breakthrough (April 2, 1865)- Lee ordered the evacuation of Petersburg and Richmond. Grant had achieved one of the major military objectives of the war: the capture of Petersburg, which led to the fall of Richmond, the Capitol of Confederacy.The Fall of Richmond, Refugees Court House (April 9, 1865)- General Robert E. Lee was determined to make one last attempt to escape the Union and reach his supplies at Lynchburg. At dawn, the Confederates advanced, but with the arrival of the Union it stopped the Confederates in their tracks. Lee’s army was surrounded on three sides. Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9th. This was the final engagement of the war in Virginia. ???? ................
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